Superman Comics Guide for Newbs
Hi. I made this. Feedback appreciated, especially if you are Boomer. (I’m in my 30s but assure you I am careening toward old age; haven’t added major pre-Crisis storylines yet until I take some polls.)
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SUPERMAN COMICS GUIDE FOR NEWBS, VERSION 1.1 (2021) by Joseph Meach of Earth-Prime.
To level up, read the Free Superman Library maintained by "Great Rao" since 1995. To see a sample list of graphic novels, see the sidebar of r/superman. If you really like this stuff, visit the annual Superman Celebration.
- INTRO: IN THE COMICS, THERE ARE A LOT OF SUPERMEN.
DC Comics characters exist on different earths in a Multiverse. A lot of these earths have their own version of Superman. But in any comic that you are likely to read or buy at a shop, there have been five main Supermen. All of them are from their universe's planet Krypton and share the values and powers that Superman is known for. All have appeared in issues of Action Comics and Superman at different times in our history. But since we live in the future and you can read almost any comics, I'll list other series they have been main characters in.
#1 SUPERMAN OF EARTH-1
This is the "classic" Superman that most people recognize; he was the best-selling superhero until the 1980s. From childhood through college he was known as Superboy and was a member of the 30th-Century Legion of Superheroes (at first a Superboy fan club) along with his future cousin Supergirl. As an adult, he was a member of the Justice League, and one or both of his parents died by that time. As Clark Kent, he worked at the Daily Planet, then a TV news station called WGBS.
His best friend was Batman; after growing up around Superman, Batman's sidekick Robin eventually named himself Nightwing after him. Notable love interests included Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lyla Lerrol, Lori Lemaris, Luma Lynai, Sally Selwyn, and Wonder Woman, but he never married. Later versions of Superman are based on him and have been revamped to be more like him over time. The recent Doomsday Clock series revealed that he still exists in a universe called Earth-1985.
Related Comic Series (as Superboy): More Fun Comics, Adventure Comics, Superboy (1949-79), Superman Family, The Legion of Superheroes, The New Adventures of Superboy, Superman: The Secret Years, Superboy (TV tie-in, 1988-92)
(As Superman): World's Finest Comics, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane, Justice League of America, Jack Kirby's Fourth World & Super Powers, DC Comics Presents, Black Lightning, Superman & Action Comics through this story. All-Star Superman is also a homage to this Superman.
Related Movies: Superman and the Mole Men, Superman: The Movie, Superman II, III, and IV, Superman Returns.
Related TV Series: The Adventures of Superman, The Adventures of Superboy (pilot, prequel), Lucy and Superman, The New Adventures of Superman, Sesame Street, Super Friends, Superboy (1988-1992), Ruby-Spears Superman (in the "Family Album" segments) and The Legion of Superheroes (2006-2007).
Novels: Last Son of Krypton, Miracle Monday
#2 SUPERMAN OF EARTH-2
A version of the "original" Superman from 1938. Worked at the Daily Star for editor George Taylor, was a member of the Justice Society of America, and his cousin was Power Girl. Eventually settled down and married Lois.
Related Comic Series: New York World's Fair Comics, All-Star Squadron, The Last Days of the Justice Society of America, Crisis on Multiple Earths, Superman Takes a Wife!
Also somewhat like: Fleischer Studios Cartoons, The Adventures of Superman (radio/novel), It's Superman! (novel), Superman Smashes the Klan
#3 SUPERMAN OF NEW EARTH
Grew out of a proposal for a Superman series published by Marvel Comics (and has several attributes of Marvel characters) but became the main Superman after debuting in the Man of Steel miniseries in 1986. This Superman never had a career as Superboy and did not develop powers until adolescence (like X-Men.) Because his parents did not appear in a monthly Superboy series, they survived until his adulthood and appeared regularly in the main series. Other notable differences: Lex Luthor was primarily a corrupt businessman (similar to Marvel's Kingpin at first) and Superman was from a dystopian Krypton, a test-tube baby (ok, "birthing matrix" baby) not born until he reached Earth (with the effect that he could be an American citizen by birth.)
Initially portrayed (by Crisis on Infinite Earths) as being the Superman of Earth-1 with his family/ friends killed and mind/history erased, but now recognized as a separate character. [Note: The previous Superman Family was erased and banned by DC editorial policy for about 20 years, causing an eventual backlash, but new unique characters were created during this time who starred in their own series, including Matrix Supergirl, Conner Kent Superboy, and The John Henry Irons version of Steel.]
This is the Superman known to the public for dying and marrying Lois, in that order.
Major storylines: The Death of Superman (2nd version, 1992), Reign of the Supermen, The Wedding Album, Superman Red & Blue (2nd version), President Lex.
Related Comic Series: Superman (2nd Series), The Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow, Superboy (vol. 4), Supergirl (vol. 4), Steel (vol. 2), Superman For All Seasons
Related TV Series: Ruby-Spears Superman, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series
Related Movies: Steel (1997). The Snyder Superman film(s) and the Krypton TV series also share some similarities with this Superman.
#3.5 RETCON!
Some long-time fans (some of whom were now writers) didn't like the erasure of the Earth-1 Superman, or especially DC editors' rigid rules about it. On top of that, the Smallville series brought back elements of Superboy stories, then Superman Returns came out. During/because of all of this, a Bronze Age revival happened, and it made the New Earth Superman more like the Superman of Earth-1.
- It was revealed that Krypton wasn't really a dystopia, Jor-El just implanted those memories to make Kal-El feel better about it blowing up.
- A new origin was written (Superman: Birthright) with Lex in Smallville, and eventually another one (Superman: Secret Origin) showing that Clark was Superboy after all.
- Actually Supergirl did exist in this universe (Krypto too!) and Batman and Superman could kind of be friends. (Superman/Batman: Return of Supergirl)
- Superman renounced his American citizenship.
Related Media: Smallville, Krypto the Superdog, Supergirl
Major storylines: Kingdom Come/The Kingdom, Superman: Birthright, For Tomorrow, Secret Identity, Superman/Batman, All-Star Superman. Alternative Publishing that led to this: Starwinds Howl (The Origin of Krypto), Supreme: The Story of the Year, Astro City. Also, watch the Iron Giant.
#4 NEW 52 SUPERMAN
In 2011, after Flashpoint, DC Comics rebooted everything again. Everyone seems to have hated it. However, fans did really like Action Comics by Grant Morrison. This Superman has a lot in common with the Earth-2 Superman. Speaking of that, the New-52 multiverse had its own Earth-2, which I'm only mentioning because it's the home of Val-Zod.
#5 REBIRTH SUPERMAN (2015-)
Following the events of New-52, New Earth was destroyed (or at least we thought, complicated) but New Earth Superman & Lois came and took the place of the New-52 Superman and Lois, who were presumed dead. They literally just walked into their jobs and hoped nobody would notice. Anyway, New-52 Superman was alive and the two Supermen later merged into one guy. This is the version mostly in print now. Superman & Lois have a son (Jon Kent) who is the current Superboy. In the recent Doomsday Clock series, Superman's history was edited to make it more similar to Earth-1 Superman again (i.e. he was Superboy) so as to fix the Legion's timeline.
WTF SUPERMAN
These are the nightmare-fueled Superman adventures that we prefer to forget about:
Posted May 1, 2021, 10:51 PM UTC · edited