Best Superman Stories (Of the 21st Century)

[Aquacatlungfish]

Because the list would be too predictable if it was all time I decided to do just the 21st Century.

[Mr. Holmes]

1. All Star Superman
2. Superman and the Men of Steel
3. Final Crisis/Superman Beyond
4. Secret Identity
5. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
6. For Tomorrow
7. Red Son
8. Birthright
9. Action Comics #900
10.Confidential: Kryptonite

This list got tough as I reached the bottom. Not a good decade for Superman.

[Billy Batson]

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel isn't really a Superman story.

[Aquacatlungfish]

This list got tough as I reached the bottom. Not a good decade for Superman.

It usually isn't a good sign when a character's origin story gets retold 4 times in just over a decade. I would hope it would stop after Morrison nailed it but apparently Man of Steel wants to tell it again.

[Mr. Holmes]

You mean Snyder's book? Or the other Snyder's movie...

[Aquacatlungfish]

The movie. I'm so burned on origin stories.

[Coyote2010]

All Star Superman, Camelot Falls, Superman Beyond, Red Son, Secret Identity, and Action Comics 1 to now.

[Auguste Dupin]

The movie. I'm so burned on origin stories.

I don't think movies count. I mean, it's not aimed at the same audience and all.
Plus, they tried a movie without the origin and, wether or not it was due to that, it just wasn't that great.
Now, if I have to choose, well:
1) All Star Superman
2) Superman and the Men of Steel (the first arc of Action).
3) Secret Identity
4)Birthright.
5) Red Son
6) Lex Luthor Man of Steel
7) For Tomorrow
8) It's Superman (I know, it's a novel, I'm cheating)
9) Superman Confidential (the Cooke arc)
10) Last Son.

But if you asked me another day, it probably would be slightly different.
The last two kind of win by default.

[Billy Batson]

People are naming For Tomorrow? I usually see most bitch about it <.<

[cactusmaac]

I was going through a stack of old monthly comics last week and throwing out ones I didn't want to keep any more. I came across For Tomorrow by Lee and Azzarello and read it again, half-expecting it to join the likes of Stormwatch: PHD, Daredevil\Punisher and Superman\Batman in the recycling bin. Back when it came out, I classed it as an interesting failure and promptly forgot about it.

The re-read dramatically upped my appreciation for the story. I'd go so far as to say it's my favourite Superman story of all time, up there with Secret Identity, For All Seasons and Morrison's writing. The character work is unparalleled for a Superman book. Azzarello really thought hard about him and came up with something unique.

It's understandable why this didn't go down so well when it was released. The Superman monthly had come off another in a long stint of underwhelming stories. Lee had come off Hush which was a blockbuster, all-action Batman adventure everyone could enjoy. Fans pretty much wanted the same and instead they got a dense character piece with intricately layered dialogue which was the anti-Hush.

Besides the ones mentioned, I liked Busiek's Superman run and Geoff Johns came up with a pretty fun story set on Bizarro-world with Eric Powell on art.

[Aquacatlungfish]

I don't think movies count. I mean, it's not aimed at the same audience and all.
Plus, they tried a movie without the origin and, wether or not it was due to that, it just wasn't that great.

It is for different audiences but those same audiences will probably be burned out after 10 seasons of Smallville. Returns failed because it was a nostalgia fest that relied too much on the Donner films and not on it's own (very bad) merits. The main cast was bad, it was boring and it had the worst aspects of both Lexes put together.

[Coyote2010]

I was going through a stack of old monthly comics last week and throwing out ones I didn't want to keep any more. I came across For Tomorrow by Lee and Azzarello and read it again, half-expecting it to join the likes of Stormwatch: PHD, Daredevil\Punisher and Superman\Batman in the recycling bin. Back when it came out, I classed it as an interesting failure and promptly forgot about it.

The re-read dramatically upped my appreciation for the story. I'd go so far as to say it's my favourite Superman story of all time, up there with Secret Identity, For All Seasons and Morrison's writing. The character work is unparalleled for a Superman book. Azzarello really thought hard about him and came up with something unique.

It's understandable why this didn't go down so well when it was released. The Superman monthly had come off another in a long stint of underwhelming stories. Lee had come off Hush which was a blockbuster, all-action Batman adventure everyone could enjoy. Fans pretty much wanted the same and instead they got a dense character piece with intricately layered dialogue which was pretty much the anti-Hush.

Besides the ones mentioned, I liked Busiek's Superman run and Geoff Johns came up with a pretty fun story set on Bizarro-world with Eric Powell on art.

I may have to re read based on your take. At the time, For Tomorrow, Superman For all Seasons, and Kingdom Come made old Supes a bit humorless for me. Definitely prefer Morrison and Busieks embrace of whimsy and sci fi wonder.

Why DC went after another meditation on what it means to be Superman with Grounded will always puzzle me.. Anyways, I did like Darwyn Cookes Kryptonite story too!

[Desaad]

1. All Star Superman
2. Superman Beyond: 3D
3. Action Comics 1-17 (though if it has to be broken up, then more the second half)
4. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (this is definitely a Superman story; it's just that Superman is the villain)
5. Superman: For Tomorrow
6. Superman: Secret Identity
7. New Frontier
8. Superman Confidential: Kryptonite
9. Action 775
10. The Many Deaths of Jimmy Olsen (okay, this one is a cheat, but I so loved it)

[Auguste Dupin]

1. All Star Superman
2. Superman Beyond: 3D
3. Action Comics 1-17 (though if it has to be broken up, then more the second half)
4. Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (this is definitely a Superman story; it's just that Superman is the villain)
5. Superman: For Tomorrow
6. Superman: Secret Identity
7. New Frontier
8. Superman Confidential: Kryptonite
9. Action 775
10. The Many Deaths of Jimmy Olsen (okay, this one is a cheat, but I so loved it)

Funny. I'd have never thought of New Frontier as a Superman story. I mean, the focus always seemed on the "Silver Age" Generation of the superheroes, like Flash or Green Lantern.

[Mr. Holmes]

Crap forgot about Final Crisis.