Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Superman

[Loren]

Superman #75 hit stands on Wednesday, November 18, 1992. Twenty years ago today.

It sold some 3 million copies, and they went back to press for four printings, even before the inexpensive trade paperback. The Superman titles went on hiatus for three months, and then the Reign of the Supermen arc brought Superman back to life, introduced new heroes and villains, and destroyed Coast City.

Even with the New 52 reboot, the story's still had a significant lasting influence. Superboy continues to be a DC mainstay with his own title. Steel has been retrofitted back into Superman's New 52 origin story, and he was the only non-Silver Age character to be included in Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier. Even given the vagueries of New 52 continuity, it appears that Superman's death at the hands of Doomsday may still be part of his backstory. The whole story was loosely adapted as an animated movie. It also set off the 90s trend of big event stories, and as some would argue, the death and return of Superman has had a lasting effect on the use of 'death' as a plot device in comics overall.

The Death of Superman was one of the two things that introduced me to comics, and it was certainly my introduction to superhero comics and the DCU. As such, it's had a lasting effect on my life, and it means that this year also marks me being a comic reader for 20 years. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

[Paradox]

Doesn't it also mark the rise and fall of the hideous speculator period? Many mark this one's publicity as the point where those not interested in reading comics became interested in buying them.

[bipolar danger girl]

It also means you would never have met me if not for Superman #75, and meeting me will certainly be a lasting effect on your life. Not a very good lasting effect, but it still counts. *twirl*

[Loren]

Doesn't it also mark the rise and fall of the hideous speculator period? Many mark this one's publicity as the point where those not interested in reading comics became interested in buying them.

Possibly. The sales on the black-bagged #75 certainly played a role. But Jim Lee's X-Men #1, with its multiple covers, came out in 1991. The Death of Superman, in some ways, could be seen as a very early attempt to take advantage of the burgeoning speculator market and contributing to its growth, rather than creating that market.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

It too made me a comic book fan really. I was someone who never paid attention to comics til the Death of Superman then. I would later go on to collect Batman as its big event started months later.

[dupont2005]

I was never a Superman fan, but I bought a few of the Doomsday Superman comics, including #75. Not so much as a speculator, but because I thought it would actually be the end of Superman. Not just the end of Clark Kent Superman either. I thought the guy with the red cape and the S logo would no longer be published in comics, that DC was abandoning it's defining character to usher in some new era of super heroes or something. I was wrong, and it only took a few months to realize it. This marks the start of me saying "What the fuck?" to super hero stories.

[king mob]

Doesn't it also mark the rise and fall of the hideous speculator period? Many mark this one's publicity as the point where those not interested in reading comics became interested in buying them.

It was probably the beginning on the end as Image launched in 92 so you were wading in copies of Spawn and Youngblood, not to mention issue after issue of 'special' covers from Marvel and DC of average issues of normally shite comics.

The fact though that this was 20 years ago makes me feel very old, not to mention wondering where all the money we made from selling Supes 75 went to?

[Tadhg]

The fact though that this was 20 years ago makes me feel very old, not to mention wondering where all the money we made from selling Supes 75 went to?

Boxes and Boxes and Boxes of Deathmate?

[Joe Bullseye]

All I know is that when I heard it was 20 years ago it made me feel old. I can't believe 20 years has gone by for that book. I remember other events like G.I.Joe #1 hitting the newsstands. Time just keeps on ticking away. Next thing you know The new 52 will be 20!

[Paradox]

Heh, I avoided that trap by already being old (well, relative to comic readers...32) at the time.

[J. Robb]

For me, it was just another part of a great run on the Superman books, from about '89 to '94-ish. Reign of the Supermen had me running to the comic shop each week like I was twelve again.

[king mob]

Boxes and Boxes and Boxes of Deathmate?

Nah, we were pretty sensible with Valiant and treated it with the contempt it deserved.

[Shellhead]

For me, it was just another part of a great run on the Superman books, from about '89 to '94-ish. Reign of the Supermen had me running to the comic shop each week like I was twelve again.

The death of Superman was overrated, but the Reign of the Supermen was a pretty good story.

[Charles RB]

Oh man, I remember the huge trades of this in WH Smith. That and Revenge Of The Sinister Six got a lot of in-store reading from young me.

Doesn't it also mark the rise and fall of the hideous speculator period? Many mark this one's publicity as the point where those not interested in reading comics became interested in buying them.

I remember Gerard Jones's The Comic Book Heroes arguing that it was one of the things that started to do in the speculators - namely, Superman #76 came out and they went "hang on...", because they didn't know death meant "death" and not death like comic fans did.

[cactusmaac]

This was pretty big back then. I remember my sister telling my brother and I that Superman had been killed. We told her she was being silly since no one could kill Superman.