Superman Graphic Novel Recommendations

[InvinciBill]

Just last week I decided to pick up a Superman graphic novel based on my love of the Superman films (I, II, and SR.) If you didn't like the movies, that's cool - but I'm not looking to discuss them. The clerk at the comic store recommended Birthright. I thought it was amazing, so I returned the next day for more recommendations. I picked up The Death of Superman, For All Seasons, and Red Son. I'm halfway through TDOS, and I love it so far. So what else would you recommend?

[hangmanjury]

If you got the Death of Superman, you may as well get the sequels - a World Without Superman and the Return of Superman... which were, uh, better than the Death.

I also recommend Kingdom Come, which is essentially a Superman story, and Son of Superman.

[InvinciBill]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. The reason I like the Death so much is because Doomsday is such a badass.

[The Foreigner]

The Man of Steel trades by John Byrne was the first modern "revamp" of Superman from about 20 years ago-- Birthright has since become the official origin, but you might be interested in checking out another interpretation.

Mark Millar, writer of Red Son, wrote a series of "All Ages" issues of a series called Superman Adventures, collected in about 4 digest-sized graphic novels. The first is entitled Up, Up and Away. Old fashioned super-hero fun.

If you liked The Death of Superman, the rest of the saga is continued in two more trades: World Without A Superman and The Return of Superman.

Superman: Secret Identity is a completely stand alone story about a person in our own world (In which Superman exists as a comic book character) who was named Clark Kent by his parents as a joke. Strangely enough, he discovers he actually has Superman's powers. Very unique; highly recomended.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a crazy teamup of DC's 2 heavy hitters by Jeph Loeb. It's loud, over-the-top, and shamelessly silly, but there are some great action scenes, some good character interaction, and some fantastic art from Ed McGuiness. I wouldn't recomend any of the other arcs after this one though (Supergirl, Absolute Power, and Vengeance-- All by Jeph Loeb with rotating artists, but all astoundingly mediocre).

DC's Showcase Presents line are black-and-white, phone-book sized paperback books packed with 500-600 pages of classic Silver Age stories. There's two volumes of Superman so far, as well as one volume of Superman Family, featuring Jimmy Olsen. The amount of wacky adventures packed into each volume is astounding.

Oh, and check out For The Man Who Has Everything and Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow? -- Both written by Alan Moore, and both considered by many to be two of the greatest Superman stories of all time. They are both collected in the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore.

Hope this helps. :)

[InvinciBill]

That definitely helps, Foreigner. Thanks for taking the time to make those suggestions. One of my friends who's not much of a Superman fan insists that I read The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, so he lent them to me. Should I read these Batman graphic novels before I read Public Enemies? Is there any particular order you would recommend for any of these, or can I pretty much just pick up any of these and find a cohesive storyline?

[The Foreigner]

That definitely helps, Foreigner. Thanks for taking the time to make those suggestions. One of my friends who's not much of a Superman fan insists that I read The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, so he lent them to me. Should I read these Batman graphic novels before I read Public Enemies? Is there any particular order you would recommend for any of these, or can I pretty much just pick up any of these and find a cohesive storyline?

No, Superman/Batman doesn't relate to The Long Halloween or Dark Victory (Although they were all written by Jeph Loeb). Both stories are excellent mysteries with fantastic artwork by Tim Sale.

You SHOULD read Batman: Year One first, though. It's Batman's definitive origin story, written by Frank Miller-- The Long Halloween and Dark Victory pick up story threads from Year One and run with them, making up a great little trilogy. Year One is absolutely brilliant.

Also, the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale duo who did Long Halloween and Dark Victory did three standalone Halloween specials, collected in one trade paperback called Haunted Knight.

Jeph Loeb also wrote a highly controversial 12 issue stint on Batman with superstar artist Jim Lee called Hush. It's a shameless romp through the DC universe, featuring all of Batman's major rogues, and even a run-in with the Man of Steel himself. The entire mystery of "Who is Hush" (The new villain) was incredibly hyped, and is unbelievably weak-- But I have to admit I do enjoy the story. Beautiful artwork, great action scenes, and some nice moments sprinkled throughout. If you enjoy Jeph Loebs other work, you might want to check it out-- But don't expect much out of the plot.

Batman: Black and White, volumes 1 and 2, are both excellent. They are collections of Batman stories by a wide array of artists and writers-- all of which are rendered in black and white. Great stuff.

The Killing Joke is a highly regarded Joker story written by Alan Moore. Very disturbing, but extremely well crafted with solid artwork by Brian Bolland. Not a story I "enjoy" reading, but definitely worth your time. Highly recomended. It can also be found in the DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore trade paperback.

Finally, I have to recommend Frank Miller's other masterpiece, The Dark Knight Returns. This and Year One are usually the two contenders for "Best Batman Story of All Time." This one is an out-of-continuity Elsworlds tale (or a "what if" story) which takes place 10 years after Batman has retired. Cinematic and epic; an aging Batman takes on past rogues and new, younger threats, as well as a former ally in my favorite comic book battle of all time. Utterly brilliant; can't recomend it enough.

Hope that helps a bit more! :D

[InvinciBill]

Wow. Thanks for all of the suggestions. So, here's my current order:

Birthright (finished)
Death of Superman (Over half-way through)
For All Seasons
Red Son
Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
A World Without Superman
The Return of Superman
Kingdom Come
The Man of Steel
Superman Adventures
Haunted Knight
The Killing Joke
Hush
Batman: Black and White
Public Enemies
Showcase Presents
Son of Superman
Secret Identity
For the Man Who Has Everything
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The Dark Knight Returns

Whew...This should definitely keep me busy for a long time. Am I missing anything? Does this order look good?

[The Foreigner]

Wow. Thanks for all of the suggestions. So, here's my current order:

Birthright (finished)
Death of Superman (Over half-way through)
For All Seasons
Red Son
Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
A World Without Superman
The Return of Superman
Kingdom Come
The Man of Steel
Superman Adventures
Haunted Knight
The Killing Joke
Hush
Batman: Black and White
Public Enemies
Showcase Presents
Son of Superman
Secret Identity
For the Man Who Has Everything
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The Dark Knight Returns

Whew...This should definitely keep me busy for a long time. Am I missing anything? Does this order look good?

Haha, looks great! Top notch reading.

[InvinciBill]

So I finished The Death of Superman last night, and read all of For All Seasons. I thought both were excellent. I really liked the artwork at the end of TDOS - both the writer(s) and the artist(s) did a great job of putting it on such a grand scale and Doomsday just rules. A little too much foreshadowing, but I guess that's easy to point out since I already knew what was going to happen.

As for FAS, I was really impressed. The writing was spectacular, specifically the chapters narrated by Lois and Luthor in my opinion. Personally, I didn't like how Superman was drawn. He appears to be 20-feet tall and 600 lbs., disproportionate to the rest of the characters, and there doesn't seem to be much detail in his facial expressions. That being said, I thought the rest of the artwork was the best I've seen thus far. The level of detail put into the backgrounds was amazing, and I really like the way that Lois was drawn. I just don't understand why Superman's face didn't get the same level of detail.

Tonight, I'm moving on to Red Son, and I cannot wait.

[dancj]

I love Tim Sale's rendition of Clark. Obviously he's not a photo-realistic artist and his bulk isn't to be taken literally, but it just works for me.

On the other hand (despite thinking he's one of the best artists in the business), I'm not too fond of his Batman. He looks like he's made of balloons

Dan

[algertman]

Morrison JLA

Superman and Batman have some awesome scenes in it

[nightscream]

Take a look at Speeding Bullets. Its a story that is not in continuity, but it is a good story.

[InvinciBill]

I love Tim Sale's rendition of Clark. Obviously he's not a photo-realistic artist and his bulk isn't to be taken literally, but it just works for me.

On the other hand (despite thinking he's one of the best artists in the business), I'm not too fond of his Batman. He looks like he's made of balloons

Dan

That's funny, because my friend loves Sale's Batman. (He is the artist for The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, right?)

Anyway, I started Red Son last night and it' great. I'm starting to wonder if I'm just going to like every comic I read.

[Choppa]

Here's some more Batman ones:


Knightfall 1&2 (I'd read this before HUSH)
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? (The sequel, Fugitive, contained in 3 TPBs isn't all that great, but if you're wondering what happened after you can check them out)
Batman No Man's Land 1-5

[InvinciBill]

Thanks for the additional recommendations. Here's my updated list:

Birthright (finished)
Death of Superman (Over half-way through)
For All Seasons
Red Son
Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
A World Without Superman
The Return of Superman
Kingdom Come
The Man of Steel
Superman Adventures
Haunted Knight
The Killing Joke
Knightfall 1 & 2
Hush
Batman: Black and White
Public Enemies
Showcase Presents
Son of Superman
Secret Identity
For the Man Who Has Everything
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The Dark Knight Returns
Morrison JLA
Speeding Bullets
Batman No Man's Land 1-5
Bruce Wayne: Murderer?
Fugitive

Question - I have read that The Killing Joke touches on the origin of the Joker. Should I read this after Batman: Year One, or is it fine in the order that I have it in?

[algertman]

You can read Killing Joke and year One in anyorder. They are seerate and one doesn't spoil the other. Thought for Batman time line pruposes Year One came first.

Then you could follow it up w/ Long halloween a sort of "year 2 story." Then Dark Victory a "year 3" story. But remember you have to reak Long Halloween before Dark Victory. Dark Victory is it's sequal and it will spoil Long Halloween

[InvinciBill]

You can read Killing Joke and year One in anyorder. They are seerate and one doesn't spoil the other. Thought for Batman time line pruposes Year One came first.

Then you could follow it up w/ Long halloween a sort of "year 2 story." Then Dark Victory a "year 3" story. But remember you have to reak Long Halloween before Dark Victory. Dark Victory is it's sequal and it will spoil Long Halloween

Thanks for the advice. I'm sorry that I wasn't clear. I'm DEFINITELY reading Year One first (possibly tonight, after I finish Red Son.) My only question is should I read The Killing Joke directly AFTER Year One and BEFORE The Long Halloween, or is the order I listed alright?

[Choppa]

I forgot to mention, the KnightsEnd follows Knightfall. If you just read the Knightfall ones then you might be confused as to what happened next. There's another part of the story KnightQuest that details what happened between those two but it's not collected in a trade. So to clarify, it goes like this:

Knightfall 1 TPB
Knightfall 2 TPB
KnightQuest:The Search and KnightQuest: The Crusade (no trades for these)
KnightsEnd TPB

[InvinciBill]

I finished Red Son last night, and I absolutely loved it. Again, the writing was great and the artwork rocked (particularly the coloring, in my opinion.) I'll have to read this again, much later, because I think there were a lot of references that I did not pick up since I just started reading Superman comics.

*** RED SON SPOILER ***

Towards the end when the US releases all of the anti-Superman villains designed by Luthor, I caught a glimpse of Doomsday in one of the frames. At the time, I thought it would be so cool if Doomsday were to kill the Soviet Superman, like the Death of Superman except Doomsday was the "good" guy this time. Anyhow, Red Son ruled from start to finish. The Batman sequences were excellent.

*** [/SPOILER] ***

In the future, does anybody care if I just openly discuss spoilers in the context of this thread? Or is it a better idea to mask them like I have in this post? I'm moving on to Batman: Year One this weekend. A couple of my friends claim that this is the best trade in existence so, needless to say, I'm excited to get started with Batman.

[J. Robb]

Ironically, one of my favourite Superman collections is Supreme: Story of the Year by Alan Moore. Moore basically uses Supreme to do his take on Superman, and it's great. There is also Supreme: The Return which isn't as great, but still very good.

[dancj]

I forgot to mention, the KnightsEnd follows Knightfall. If you just read the Knightfall ones then you might be confused as to what happened next. There's another part of the story KnightQuest that details what happened between those two but it's not collected in a trade. So to clarify, it goes like this:

Knightfall 1 TPB
Knightfall 2 TPB
KnightQuest:The Search and KnightQuest: The Crusade (no trades for these)
KnightsEnd TPB

But if you've got Knightfall volume 3 that's the same thing as KnightsEnd

[InvinciBill]

Thanks for the input. I'll add Knighfall Volume 3 and Supreme to my list.

I finished both Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween this weekend. I'm not much of a fan of film noir (I think Tim Burton has ruined it for me), but that kind of style really translates well to the page. Year One was excellent. I do not look for realism in comics, but I was surprised at the depth of the characters. Their struggles seemed so realistic that it was easy to sympathize or empathize with the characters. The artwork is my favorite in all of the trades that I've read so far. I particularly like the way Gordon is drawn. That one frame where Gordon is waiting outside for the crooked cop (I forget his name) who led the group that beat him. The one where it's a medium close-up from the windshield where Gordon looks to be on the edge of madness - Awesome! The cover shot where the SWAT team is looking for Batman in the wreckage, and he's hiding behind them in the shadows is also great. My only problem with Year One is that I wish it was LONGER. But the only reason I feel that way is because I liked it so much.

As for The Long Halloween, I thought it was very good. I also did not like the way Batman is drawn in TLH. But I thought the backgrounds and other characters were excellent. I love the way the Joker was drawn. As for the story, the writing was great. The mystery is well conceived, and I really like the end of the April Fool's Day chapter. Also, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I did not know (or forgot) that Harvey Dent became Twoface. It wasn't until the acid was splashed in his face that I realized he would become Twoface.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. I've liked everything that's been recommended, so please keep them coming! Tonight, I'm moving on to Dark Victory.

[The Foreigner]

Thanks for the input. I'll add Knighfall Volume 3 and Supreme to my list.

I finished both Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween this weekend. I'm not much of a fan of film noir (I think Tim Burton has ruined it for me), but that kind of style really translates well to the page. Year One was excellent. I do not look for realism in comics, but I was surprised at the depth of the characters. Their struggles seemed so realistic that it was easy to sympathize or empathize with the characters. The artwork is my favorite in all of the trades that I've read so far. I particularly like the way Gordon is drawn. That one frame where Gordon is waiting outside for the crooked cop (I forget his name) who led the group that beat him. The one where it's a medium close-up from the windshield where Gordon looks to be on the edge of madness - Awesome! The cover shot where the SWAT team is looking for Batman in the wreckage, and he's hiding behind them in the shadows is also great. My only problem with Year One is that I wish it was LONGER. But the only reason I feel that way is because I liked it so much.

As for The Long Halloween, I thought it was very good. I also did not like the way Batman is drawn in TLH. But I thought the backgrounds and other characters were excellent. I love the way the Joker was drawn. As for the story, the writing was great. The mystery is well conceived, and I really like the end of the April Fool's Day chapter. Also, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I did not know (or forgot) that Harvey Dent became Twoface. It wasn't until the acid was splashed in his face that I realized he would become Twoface.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. I've liked everything that's been recommended, so please keep them coming! Tonight, I'm moving on to Dark Victory.

It's really great to hear a fresh perspective on stories that are familiar to so many. Glad you liked Year One so much-- I lent out my trade to a few non-comic friends and they were mostly disapointed by the lack of action and the dull artwork. I couldn't believe it!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of your list.

[InvinciBill]

It's really great to hear a fresh perspective on stories that are familiar to so many. Glad you liked Year One so much-- I lent out my trade to a few non-comic friends and they were mostly disapointed by the lack of action and the dull artwork. I couldn't believe it!

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of your list.

Thanks for all of your recommendations, man. And I cannot wait to read the rest of my list!

[jhp789]

Question - I have read that The Killing Joke touches on the origin of the Joker. Should I read this after Batman: Year One, or is it fine in the order that I have it in?
I wouldnt really worry about it, The Killing Joke isnt in proper DC continuity.

[dancj]

I wouldnt really worry about it, The Killing Joke isnt in proper DC continuity.

Since when? I was under the impression that the story is in continuity, but the flashbacks are how Joker remembered them on that occasion and are in themselves unreliable

[InvinciBill]

So I finished Dark Victory last night, and again I thought it was really good. I think they did a great job of drawing the parallels between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. I thought the middle was a little slow, but it had a great start, and the ending was excellent. I also read a short TPB called The Joker: Devil's Advocate. My friend lent me this, and I wanted to get it back to him so I snuck it in before going back to Superman. I thought it was a nice little story. It wasn't as good as anything else that I've read, but I was still entertained, and I liked how the Joker was drawn (I think that I just like the Joker, period.)

I'm really excited to get back to Superman. I read the first 50 pages or so of World Without a Superman, and I have a couple of questions. I'm completely unfamiliar with Supergirl, so could anybody provide a little background? Why does her shape change? I take it she's not from Krypton? Is Lex Luthor dead? When did he have a son? Why is Supergirl friends with Lex Jr? I'm sorry for all of the questions, but I'm just curious.

[Syphre Zero]

I'm completely unfamiliar with Supergirl, so could anybody provide a little background? Why does her shape change? I take it she's not from Krypton? Is Lex Luthor dead? When did he have a son? Why is Supergirl friends with Lex Jr? I'm sorry for all of the questions, but I'm just curious.
Supergirl has had a long and convoluted history (there's been what, seven of them?), and Matrix is a rather unique part of that line. You can get a pretty good overview of her lineage here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergirl), and a detailed explanation here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_%28comics%29), but to answer some of your questions.....

The Supergirl known as Matrix was a shapeshifter created in a parallel universe by Lex Luthor, who in that world was a brilliant scientist and one of the "good guys." After being critically injured by the supervillians of her universe, she returned to ours with Superman. After a series of adventures, she essentially crash-landed on a return trip from outer space and was found by our Lex Luthor, the spitting image of the man who created her. They're not just friends, as you posited - she fell in love with him.

As for your questions about Lex.... keep reading. ;)

[marshal99]

Cool. Thanks for the advice. The reason I like the Death so much is because Doomsday is such a badass.

If you liked Doomsday , then you should get the rematch. (story follows after the return of superman though so read that first).

Superman/Doomsday : Hunter/Prey

And the sequel to that :-
Superman/Doomsday : The Doomsday War

[jhp789]

Since when? I was under the impression that the story is in continuity, but the flashbacks are how Joker remembered them on that occasion and are in themselves unreliable
Yeah, actually, you're right, the flashbacks arent really continuity, but the story itself is, since Barbara Gordon is crippled.

[dancj]

I also read a short TPB called The Joker: Devil's Advocate.

When Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan were on form they churned out some great Batman stories. Unfortunately neither of them was on form for this book and it turned out pretty lame. The one saving grace the book has is Joker's confessional which I loved

[InvinciBill]

If you liked Doomsday , then you should get the rematch. (story follows after the return of superman though so read that first).

Superman/Doomsday : Hunter/Prey

And the sequel to that :-
Superman/Doomsday : The Doomsday War

Cool - Thanks for the tips!

[InvinciBill]

When Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan were on form they churned out some great Batman stories. Unfortunately neither of them was on form for this book and it turned out pretty lame. The one saving grace the book has is Joker's confessional which I loved

Yeah, when the priest starts screaming it was hilarious.

[InvinciBill]

So, I finished World Without a Superman yesterday, and I have to admit that I wasn't very impressed. I didn't think the artwork was horrible, but there was definitely nothing that really stuck out, in my opinion. And I thought the storyline was pretty slow. I did think it was cool when Lex killed his sparring partner after she beat him. But the highlights were few and far between, in my opinion.

However, I'm about a hundred pages into The Return of Superman, and I think it's fantastic so far. There's one scene where a bank robber is trying to crack a safe, and he's singing his own lyrics to the Beatles' song Fixin' A Hole - I thought that was hilarious. And I really like the Superman with the visor who usually crosses the line in punishing criminals - really cool.

[dancj]

Yeah - I didn't really enjoy Death of Superman or World Without a Superman, but The Return of Superman is a great story - just for the over the top stupid excess.

Just don't look for a sensible explanation for why he came back to life

[InvinciBill]

I finished The Return of Superman last night, and I thought it was excellent. I loved all of the cheesy jokes, I thought most of the artwork was pretty good, and I really like the storyline (even if it was all over the place.) Haha..I know it wasn't meant to be funny, but I laughed when I saw Jimmy Olsen in a Spin Doctors T-shirt. There were several other parts that I thought were funny, but I can't think of them right now.

Unfortunately, my car needs work done so I need to save money. Kingdom Come will have to wait at least a week or two.

[Choppa]

But if you've got Knightfall volume 3 that's the same thing as KnightsEnd

Huh? I don't get your point.

[Choppa]

Originally Posted by marshal99
If you liked Doomsday , then you should get the rematch. (story follows after the return of superman though so read that first).

Superman/Doomsday : Hunter/Prey

And the sequel to that :-
Superman/Doomsday : The Doomsday War

All of the major Doomsday stories post Death are collected in a new TPB and has all the stuff you mentioned and more.

http://www.dccomics.com/graphic_novels/?gn=5451

[dancj]

Huh? I don't get your point.
I was just making sure Invincibill didn't get confused and buy Knightfall vols 1-3 and Knightsend as well thus winding up with the same material twice

[Choppa]

I was just making sure Invincibill didn't get confused and buy Knightfall vols 1-3 and Knightsend as well thus winding up with the same material twice

Oh there's a third Knightfall TPB that's the same as the KnightsEnd TPB?

[dancj]

Oh there's a third Knightfall TPB that's the same as the KnightsEnd TPB?

Yup. they retitled it for one of the more recent printings

[Tony Starkz]

Kingdom Come
Red Son
For All Seasons

..all great Supes tales

[Tony Starkz]

I just finished reading Birthright.I thought it was enjoyable,I had to keep reminding myself that this was a year one story.There were some things Clark did which wouldn't make sense if he had been fighting crime for a while.For All Seasons and Kingdom Come are my fav Supes stories,but Birthright is still a great read.

[riftt]

Is the collected Our Worlds At War tpb any good?

[dancj]

Is the collected Our Worlds At War tpb any good?

Not really. The story is a bit of a mess. I don't know about the one volume edition, but in the original TPBs, the issues are printed out of order

[van-zee]

Yeah - I didn't really enjoy Death of Superman or World Without a Superman, but The Return of Superman is a great story - just for the over the top stupid excess.

Just don't look for a sensible explanation for why he came back to life

I'm not a big fan of the Death storyline, or the Return storyline (minus Steel's story) but World Without a Superman is fantastic in my opinion. What other comic could support two months of solid stories (which in early 90's Superman stories meant 8+ issues) without the main character?

[Frankie Dennis]

Peace on Earth is another great Superman story.

[dancj]

Peace on Earth is another great Superman story.

Nooooo!!

It's great if you want beutiful paintings of elephants, but not if you want an actual story

[Tony Starkz]

I haven't always been a Superman fan,but for noobs like me,you can do no wrong with:

Kingdom Come
For All Seasons
Red Son
Birthright

[Frankie Dennis]

Nooooo!!

It's great if you want beutiful paintings of elephants, but not if you want an actual story

I thought it was a great story. It showed that not even Superman can feed the entire world.

It also showed how big Supes heart is.

[dancj]

I thought it was a great story. It showed that not even Superman can feed the entire world.

It also showed how big Supes heart is.

It was so over-simplified it felt like it was aimed at five year olds to me.

Dan

[stanley]

It's out of print but my all time favourite Superman trade is The Man Of Tomorrow,it's the Alan Moore stories in black & white.I recently bought some of the original comics expecting a treat but instead was sadly dissapointed,cheesy colour took the edge off some emotional stories.

[InvinciBill]

Alright - Sorry for taking so long to get back to this thread, but I finally picked up and read Kingdom Come and The Man of Steel: Volume One.

Kingdom Come was fantastic. I thought that the storyline was great, but I was a little confused in a couple of places. I think that's because I'm not very familiar with a lot of the characters (like Captain Marvel.) And Alex Ross just plain rules. A lot of his artwork actually looks like photographs, and I was in awe throuhout the whole read. Kingdom Come was probably my second favorite trade (right after Batman Year One) in the short list I've read so far.

Now on to The Man of Steel: Volume One. I thought it was great. I didn't like the origin story nearly as much as I liked Birthright, but I still thought it was good. The chapter with Batman (A Night in Gotham City I believe it was called) was excellent. I only wish they faced a cooler villain than Magpie, but it was still very cool. It was nice to be introduced to Bizarro Superman - At least I thought it was Bizarro Superman from my limited knowledge of Superman's villains so far.

I'm budgeting the amount of comics I can buy, so it might be few and far between my updates to this thread. I'm limiting myself to one trade every two weeks, so I will be getting The Man of Steel: Volume 2 next week. In the meantime, one of my friends is lending me other trades. He's much more of a Marvel fan, so he lent me Ultimate Iron Man volume 1, The Ultimates: The Super-heroes (I think?) Volume 1, some Fantastic Four trade, and the Ultimate Punisher Volumes 1-4.

Edit: Damn, I have a horrible memory. The Ultimates is called Super-Human Vol. 1, the FF trade is called Marvel Knights Vol. 1, and The Punisher is called In the Beginning Volumes 1 through 4.

[InvinciBill]

I haven't posted in forever, but I've still been reading comics consistently. I've definitely slowed down, especially lately since I'm going back to school, work full-time, and I'm getting married in 3 months.

First off - I finally read The Dark Knight Returns. I know this is blasphemy, but I was disappointed. There were a couple of killer parts, but overall I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was with Year One or The Killing Joke.

Right now I'm reading Watchmen, and I think it's at least just as good as anything I've ever read. I cannot express how enthralled I am with Watchmen right now. Alan Moore has quickly become my favorite author.

On a side note, my fiancee knows absolutely nothing about comics. She recently decided to give me a little surprise by digging through a bargain bin that sold 5 comics for three bucks. She chose 4 Superman issues from the Byrne/Wolfman/Ordway era (from 87, 88, and 89), and one absolute gem: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? It's in pretty good condition, too. I can't believe she just happened to choose it. Awesome!

[dancj]

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is one of the (if not the) best Superman stories ever. Cling onto that fiance of yours!

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Oh, and check out [B]For The Man Who Has Everything and Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow? -- Both written by Alan Moore, and both considered by many to be two of the greatest Superman stories of all time. They are both collected in the trade paperback DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore.

Hope this helps. :)

I read somewhere that the Superman stories collected in that trade are incomplete (i.e., missing panels or something like that). Is this true?

[dancj]

I read somewhere that the Superman stories collected in that trade are incomplete (i.e., missing panels or something like that). Is this true?
As far as I'm aware there are just a few captions missing from the first page which some people consider to be incredibly important - but I'm not sure why

[Zombie Superman]

Hey Bill,

I'm sure this has been recommended already, but if not, you need to grab Superman: Up, Up, and Away! It's a recent TPB collecting the Superman stories that followed Infinite Crisis.

It is really exceptional stuff written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Buziek, who are turning out some of the best Superman stories in a very long time.

I also want to second "Secret Identity" and of course, Kingdom Come.

Z\S/

[Zombie Superman]

I haven't posted in forever, but I've still been reading comics consistently. I've definitely slowed down, especially lately since I'm going back to school, work full-time, and I'm getting married in 3 months.

First off - I finally read The Dark Knight Returns. I know this is blasphemy, but I was disappointed. There were a couple of killer parts, but overall I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was with Year One or The Killing Joke.

Right now I'm reading Watchmen, and I think it's at least just as good as anything I've ever read. I cannot express how enthralled I am with Watchmen right now. Alan Moore has quickly become my favorite author.

On a side note, my fiancee knows absolutely nothing about comics. She recently decided to give me a little surprise by digging through a bargain bin that sold 5 comics for three bucks. She chose 4 Superman issues from the Byrne/Wolfman/Ordway era (from 87, 88, and 89), and one absolute gem: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? It's in pretty good condition, too. I can't believe she just happened to choose it. Awesome!


Yeah, definitely don't lose her. :D

As for "The Dark Knight Returns," I've honestly never seen what the hype was all about.

I have always thought that "Kingdom Come," which is an "answer" of sorts to everything TDKR represents, was lightyears ahead. The characters are more human and the story more epic and compelling.

If you haven't read it yet, you're going to love it.

Z\S/

EDIT: I just read that you've had a chance to read KC. Excellent. Glad you liked it. There are some references there that only long-time, Silver Age fans get, but they're small enough to not detract from the story.

Z\S/

[witchboy]

Kingdom Come , Red Son , Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow are all great books . Alan Moore's Supreme is also a great read , and is an interesting alternate take on the Superman archetype.
I also recommend starting with the Man of Steel trades . Once you finish those , I recommend John Byrne's elseworlds trades , Superman / Batman Generations . There were 3 maxi series of that , although only the first two are in tpb right now . The concept is that Superman and Batman really start their careers in the 40's when they were created and they and their supporting cast age normally , with each issue going forward a decade . THe second trade goes back and shows other events between times ( taking palce in years ending in 1 insted of 0 ) and also feature more of the JLA . The third series , currently only available as back issues , goes further into the future and back in the past to wrap up the whole series . I loved the Generations epic , seeing future generations of the Batman and Superman and JLA dynasties , and seeing the whole supporting cast age and grow over decades , as opposed to everyone staying forever in the same stage of life . Makes a great follow up to Byrne's Man of Steel trades too .

[666MasterOfPuppets]

As far as I'm aware there are just a few captions missing from the first page which some people consider to be incredibly important - but I'm not sure why

I wonder why would those captions be missing from that edition? That's what's prevented me from getting that trade.

[InvinciBill]

Hey Bill,

I'm sure this has been recommended already, but if not, you need to grab Superman: Up, Up, and Away! It's a recent TPB collecting the Superman stories that followed Infinite Crisis.

It is really exceptional stuff written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Buziek, who are turning out some of the best Superman stories in a very long time.

I also want to second "Secret Identity" and of course, Kingdom Come.

Z\S/

Thanks for the recommendations, man. I have already read Secret Identity, and I thought it was excellent. I thought the writing was great.

As for Up, Up, and Away: I definately eager to check it out, but I have a lot of others on my list that I'd like to read first. I want to go through Crisis on Infinite Earths first, then Infinite Crisis, and then possibly Up, Up, and Away.

[InvinciBill]

Kingdom Come , Red Son , Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow are all great books . Alan Moore's Supreme is also a great read , and is an interesting alternate take on the Superman archetype.
I also recommend starting with the Man of Steel trades . Once you finish those , I recommend John Byrne's elseworlds trades , Superman / Batman Generations . There were 3 maxi series of that , although only the first two are in tpb right now . The concept is that Superman and Batman really start their careers in the 40's when they were created and they and their supporting cast age normally , with each issue going forward a decade . THe second trade goes back and shows other events between times ( taking palce in years ending in 1 insted of 0 ) and also feature more of the JLA . The third series , currently only available as back issues , goes further into the future and back in the past to wrap up the whole series . I loved the Generations epic , seeing future generations of the Batman and Superman and JLA dynasties , and seeing the whole supporting cast age and grow over decades , as opposed to everyone staying forever in the same stage of life . Makes a great follow up to Byrne's Man of Steel trades too .


Thanks for your input. I've read each of the six MOS TPBs, and I thought they were pretty good. I'll add the Elseworld trades to my list.

[KAL-EL122881]

Invicibill Superman Secret Identity if you pickit up you will not be disapointed. One of the best Superman Stories Ever.

[dancj]

I wonder why would those captions be missing from that edition? That's what's prevented me from getting that trade.
I wouldn't let it stop you. They don't (IMO) add much to the story.

[Mutate]

Invincibill, I would not recommend reading anything to do with Crisis at this stage in your reading - it's extremely dense and confusing, especiialy to a new fan. I wouldn't waste your time with them untill you've exhausted all the unread "classics". Have you read Astro City? Or the Ultimates (if I am allowed to mention them on a DC board). How about Maus? Of if you fancy reading some Batman-like ideas that they wouldn't dare do far Batman, how about Daredevil?

[Supermancho]

My recomendation is: Superman: Distant Fire. And I agree about Alan Moore stories.

[marshal99]

Get the one in which superman and his super sperm impregnate all the women in the world. Forget what's that called now. ;)