Happy 75th Birthday, Superman!!
Superman's first appearance was in Action Comics vol. 1 #1, published on April 18, 1938 (cover-dated to June 1938). So, I am one 1 month and a day late getting to this, but I've been meaning to dedicate a blog post to Superman and my favorite comic book stories involving him in light of his 75th birthday, and better a little late than never. I'll just try to share my top favorite stories here...as difficult as that may be to narrow down (and I'm not even a huge Superman fan!) But, Superman is known as DC Comics' original super-hero & he's most notably known as its beacon of hope within their fictional universe. I got into Superman's comics a bit late in the game, which might be reflected in this listing here, but I am still hunting down & making time to read Superman stories from back issues to see more of what makes this character so enduring and fun to read.
10. Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder (2005) #1-4
http://www.comicvine.com/supermanshazam-first-thunder/4050-18975/
This is a retro-fitted story of how Superman & Captain Marvel first met. It's a bit more of a Billy Batson/Captain Marvel story, but I loved how Supes interacted with the character too, who is really a young orphaned boy when not powered up.
9. "Brainiac" -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #866-870
http://www.comicvine.com/brainiac/4045-55683/
What I remember from this story arc was feeling that everything related to the character of Brainiac from all previous stories involving him come together and finally make sense with who the character is and how much of a threat he is. That's really driven home with the tragic death of Jonathan "Pa" Kent that he causes. This also leads into the "New Krypton" story arc & saga.
8. "For Tomorrow" -- Superman vol. 2 (1987) #204-215
http://www.comicvine.com/for-tomorrow/4045-56217/issues/
http://www.comicvine.com/for-tomorrow/4045-56217/
What I loved most about this story was Jim Lee's amazing art! Also, characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman get some great interactions with Superman.
7. "Last Son" -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #844-846, 851, Annual 11
http://www.comicvine.com/last-son/4045-57171/
This story was wonderful with showing how compatible Clark & Lois would be as parents for General Zod & Ursa's most likely abused son. It was both a bittersweet, but also exciting story!
6. "Camelot Falls" -- Superman vol. 1 (1939) #654-658, 662-664, 667, Annual 13
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-camelot-falls-1-vol-1/4000-249655/
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-camelot-falls-the-weight-of-the-world-1-v/4000-378696/
Arion the Immortal, Phantom Stranger, & Zatanna all show up in this story to either assist or hinder Superman in his soul-searching quest to answer the question of whether or not world is better off without him.
5. "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #858-863http://www.comicvine.com/superman-and-the-legion-of-superheroes/4045-55650/
Geoff Johns brings back a modernized classic Legion of Super-Heroes in this story that shines light on celebrating the diversity within the universe & not rejecting the truth that we all share the power to be heroes. Or at least that's how I'd sum it up. :)
4. Superman: The World of New Krypton (2009) #1-12http://www.comicvine.com/superman-world-of-new-krypton/4050-25900/
This was a story with a very unique setting of Superman living & working with his fellow surviving Kryptonians (released from the bottle city of Kandor) on a new world of their own. He's actually serving in their new military alongside long-time enemy General Zod. And the interactions between the New Kryptonians and other characters who operate in outer space made for a variety in the story-telling issue to issue.
3. "Up, Up & Away" -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #837-840; Superman vol. 1 (1939) #650-653http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Up,_Up_and_Away!
This story depicted exactly how Kal-El would most prefer to be Clark Kent & fight evil & save lives incognito, but that he will rise to the occasion when Superman is needed most.
2. The Death & Return of Superman Epic -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #683-684, 687-691; Adventures of Superman (1987) #496-505; Green Lantern vol. 3 (1990) #46; Justice League America (1989) #69; Superman vol. 2 (1987) #73-82; Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #17-26
http://www.comicvine.com/death-of-superman/4045-41233/
http://www.comicvine.com/the-return-of-superman-1-the-return-of-superman/4000-197793/
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-the-death-and-return-of-superman-omnibus-/4000-395038/
This was so epic because it was very shocking at the time that DC Comics would supposedly kill off one of their top 2 most notable characters, especially one as powerful as Superman! But, there were also the "replacement" Supermen who did actually take over Superman's titles for some months before his revival. And the level of devastation that Cyborg Superman caused (so soon after Doomsday's rampage) was unforgettable as well.
1. Superman: Secret Origin (2009) #1-6
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-secret-origin/4050-28107/
I find this to be such an excellent story that fully introduces Superman to new readers, as well as re-telling his link to the Legion of Super-Heroes, and reintroducing key villains Lex Luthor, Parasite, & Metallo, as well as his pet dog Krypto!
Honorable Mentions
"New Krypton" Saga -- Action Comics vol. 1 (1938) #866-889; Adventure Comics vol. 2 (2009) #8-11; Adventure Comics Special Featuring the Guardian (2009); Supergirl vol. 5 (2005) #35-52; Superman vol. 1 (1939) #677-700, Annual 14; Superman: Last Stand on New Krypton (2010) #1-3; Superman: New Krypton Special (2008); Superman: War of the Supermen (2010) #0-4; Superman: World of New Krypton (2009) #1-12; and Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special (2008) #1-2http://www.comicvine.com/superman-new-krypton/4050-37083/
I included a couple parts of this major long-running crossover story in my top 10 picks, but I can't say I love the whole thing altogether because it just ends too tragically for my liking. It is definitely worth a read though.
"Funeral for a Friend" -- Action Comics vol. 1 #685-686; Adventures of Superman #498-500; Justice League America (1989) #70; Superman vol. 2 (1987) #76-77, 83; Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #20-21http://www.comicvine.com/funeral-for-a-friend/4045-55911/
This was the story that took place in between the "death & return" of Superman that focused on the reactions of Superman's loved ones, teammates, & associates after his presumed death by Doomsday.
"Absolute Power" -- Superman/Batman (2003) #14-18http://www.comicvine.com/absolute-power/4045-57016/
"Sorcerer Kings" -- Superman/Batman (2003) #81-84
http://www.comicvine.com/sorcerer-kings/4045-57027/
Superman: The Wedding Album (1996)http://www.comicvine.com/superman-the-wedding-album/4050-23728/
"Grounded" -- Superman vol. 1 (1939) #700-714http://www.comicvine.com/grounded/4045-56189/issues/
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-grounded-volume-one/4000-285798/
http://www.comicvine.com/superman-grounded-volume-two/4000-306668/
This story was definitely slow at some points, but at other parts very inspirational, and the ending was wrapped up nicely.
There's many, many more comic book stories featuring Superman that I've enjoyed reading, but it would take me so long to list them all & I still have yet to read other stories about him that are critically acclaimed like All-Star Superman or Kingdom Come, so I've only shared a sample of the stories written on such an iconic fictional character as Superman.
I've also enjoyed about half of Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics vol. 2 and various issues from Superman vol. 3 . And coming up this year is Scott Snyder & Jim Lee on a new series called Superman Unchained! So there's still good Superman stories to be told, apparently.
And I'm anticipating the live action movie Man of Steel next month, which seemed to be timed perfectly for this 75th birthday!!
Also, here's a fairly comprehensive entry on Superman at www.comicvine.com that will share plenty more about the character: http://www.comicvine.com/superman/4005-1807/
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