Man of Steel TPB/ The Best Superman Tales

[tHE HITPACK]

Hi i was just wondering what everyones opinions where about what are the best Superman stories new and old.

Also a quick question is the Man of Steel series by John Byrne in multiple volumes or a single one? I assumed there was just one but it appears there are six.

[Maestro]

John Bryne wrote Superman for a few years and those Man of Steel trades collect his entire run. it is very good and one of my favorite comics from the 80's.

the Death of Superman trilogy was also fairly good, at least as 90's comics go.

I also like Geoff Johns' short but great run that ended recently. the trades he wrote are

Up, Up, and Away!
Last Son
Escape from Bizarro World
Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Brainiac
New Krypton

and here are some more Superman trades to look into:

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Red Son
Kingdom Come
All-Star Superman

[DHacker615]

Hi i was just wondering what everyones opinions where about what are the best Superman stories new and old.

Also a quick question is the Man of Steel series by John Byrne in multiple volumes or a single one? I assumed there was just one but it appears there are six.

The first MAN OF STEEL tpb collects the introductory mini-series. It is very good. The rest of the trades collect the comics from the Byrne era that came after the mini, including work by Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway. MAN OF STEEL is as good a starting point with Superman as any.

There are three great "last Superman stories". Alan Moore and Curt Swan did "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", which is currently packaged with the excellent "... For The Man Who Has Everything". Mark Waid and Alex Ross did an amazing job with "Kingdom Come", which is does a great job addressing his relationships with the rest of the JLA.

The most recent of these is Grant Morrison and Frank Quitley's "All-Star Superman". That is a stunning brilliant story. It is also a wonderful love letter to the concept.

Geoff Johns does not have a take on Superman that I really enjoy, but he did a nice job on "Superman: Brainiac". It is a pretty strong Brainiac tale and Gary Frank is a wonderful Superman artist.

Speaking of art, Steve Rude drew amazing versions of Superman and Batman in "World's Finest". Dave Gibbons wrote a nice story as well. It has a nice take on Lex Luthor.

Scott MCloud and Rick Burkett did a run on "Superman Adventures" that was collected. It is straight-forward Superman story-telling at its finest.

Finally, treat yourself and read some of the old stuff. Pick up volume one of the Superman archives and read how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster started things. The art is not as technically accomplished as the modern stuff and the dialog lacks the sheen of the modern artists. However, Siegel and Shuster are a great read if you can get past that stuff. Read until they lost control of the character around Superman #6. Great stuff.

I'd also pick up some Silver Age Superman. Mort Weisinger brought a lot to the party. Try any collection of those stories. It is all fun stuff.

[dupersuper]

I'd add Secret Identity, JLA: The Nail, Morrisons JLA in trade, Peter Davids Supergirl, and Joe Kellys Action comics stuff (collected with the other Super-books of the time) to the cool stuff already mentioned. Plus, the Alan Moore stories mentioned can also be found in The DCU work of Alan Moore trade, which I beleive also has his DC Comics Presents issue with the Superman/Swamp thing team up, and the "Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told" trade has 1 of them (For the Man Who Has Everything), plus the Eliot S Maggin story "Must There be a Superman" and a bunch of golden and silver age goodies. Birthright and Superman For All Seasons are out in trade for more of his early adventures, plus the upcoming Secret Origins. Finally, if you like the Byrne stuff, the triangle era picks up where it leaves off, and I know at least Exile, Invasion, Krisis of the Krimson Krptonite, and Panic in the Sky from that era have been collected.

[srhanson]

Also a quick question is the Man of Steel series by John Byrne in multiple volumes or a single one? I assumed there was just one but it appears there are six.

The 6 Man of Steel trades collect roughly the first year of Superman, Adventures of Superman and Action Comics. It's mostly Byrne, but there are some Marv Wolfman stories in there as well.

Byrne's run goes beyond this, but they haven't been collected yet.