Comic Talk #5: Best of Superman

Superman isn’t necessarily the greatest nor the most inventive comic book character ever dreamt of, but he has been spoiled with a slew of more-than-capable writers and artists in the nearly seventy-five years since his creation.

When Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster debuted the Man of Steel in Action Comics #1 in June 1938, he immediately became the gold standard of comic book superheroes. He quickly transcended the limits of the serialized page. Andy Warhol painted him. He got a radio program. Young boys wanted to grow up to be just like him, and Americans admired him.

But as with every cultural phenomenon, it’s easy to look at the merchandising, the movie treatments and the t-shirts and forget about the source material. The truth is no comic book character has ever enjoyed a better career than Supes. Let’s take a look at five of his most shining moments.

“For the Man Who Has Everything…” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons: Later expropriated by an episode of Justice League Unlimited, this collaboration of future Watchmen co-creators Moore and Gibbons is a brilliant meditation on what life back on Krypton was like for Kal-El. The writing is crisp and the art highlights everything that’s great about Gibbons’ work. It’s no wonder that these two would go on to create the greatest comic book of all time, but more on that later.

“Superman for All Seasons” by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale: A severely underrated entry in the Superman canon, this four part miniseries (one for each season) by constant coworkers Loeb and Sale emphasizes the Americana aspects of the mythos. This story is more about Smallville than Metropolis; it’s more about Clark Kent than Superman. The most striking element of the run is the sublime interplay between Tim Sale’s pencils and Bjarne Hansen’s colors that would make Normal Rockwell himself jealous.

 “All-Star Superman” by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely: One of the most fun things to do with the Superman mythos is to take a ridiculously talented writer, give him free reign with the character and see what happens. When DC gave Supes to Grant Morrison, the result was a collection of brilliant comic book vignettes, loosely tied together by the ominous eventuality that Superman is going to die. Despite an undeniably modern look and writing style, the entire thing feels like a tribute to the early, fragmented days of adventure comics.

“Superman: Red Son” by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson: There’s not a more daring book on this list. Mark Millar reimagines the Man of Steel, one of the great American comic book icons, as the protector of the Soviet Union, mentored not by kindly Kansan farmers, but by Joseph Stalin. Cold War brinksmanship drips from the pages, and the dark color palette only serves to enhance that feeling of dread.

 “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” by Alan Moore and Curt Swan: In two short issues, Alan Moore and Curt Swan took nearly fifty years of Superman lore and simultaneously paid tribute to them and handily outdid them. With a Daily Planet newspaper story about Lois Lane’s relationship with Superman as the catalyst, the Man of Tomorrow’s final days are recounted. Every character of consequence appears throughout the course of the fast-paced story, and fans and industry insiders alike have declared it the end of an era in Superman comics. Of course, it should hardly come as a surprise that Alan Moore penned the best comic of all time for a given category, should it?

Honorable mentions:
“The Death of Superman” by various writers and artists
“Superman: For Tomorrow” by Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee
“Superman: True Brit” by John Cleese and John Byrne
“Superman & Swamp Thing: The Jungle Line” by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch
“Superman: Speeding Bullets” by J.M. DeMatteis and Eduardo Barreto

Selected titles available this week
Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk #2
Deadpool #20
Amazing Spider-Man #622
Superman #697
Teen Titans #80
The Flash: Rebirth #6
Victorian Undead #4
Wildcats #20
Northlanders #25
Unknown Soldier #17