Superman is the most important character of the 20th century. No other character created in the 20th century has the legacy he has; every superhero that has come after him is a part of his lineage. The Man of Steel’s stories have made him a household name, and there are some that have become synonymous with the character. Stories like “Death of Superman”, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”, All-Star Superman, and many more get all of the ink because of how important they’ve been to the history of the character. However, for a character like Supes, there are numerous stories out there that have made him a legend.
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He’s been around for 88 years now, so there are decades of awesome stories that many fans have never even tried. Some of these lesser talked about stories are just as great as the ones that everyone talks about and deserve to get more spotlight. These ten Superman stories aren’t talked about enough and they deserve way more praise than they get.
10) “House of Brainiac”
Brainiac is a classic Superman villain who sometimes gets overshadowed by Lex Luthor. However, he’s played just a big role in the history of the Man of Steel and 2024 saw him get his biggest story in years: “House of Brainiac”, by Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Miguel Mendoca, Fico Ossio, and Edwin Galmon. This story saw the villain attack Metropolis with an army of Czarnians, Lobo’s people, kidnapping members of the Super and Luthor families for a terrible fate. It’s just issue after issue of awesome action, rising stakes, and an ending that not only played into Absolute Power, 2024’s big event, but also changed the nature of Superman and Lex’s relationship. It’s an awesome story, and a key part of Williamson’s amazing Superman run.
9) Superman and the Authority
Grant Morrison wrote the masterpiece known as All-Star Superman, and is one of the greatest DC writers of all time. Morrison recently retired from full-time comic writing, and his final story was this four-issue slice of Super-perfection. Superman’s powers are running out and he decides to recruit a new version of the Authority to help him battle evil until he can’t anymore. Morrison and artists Mikel Janin, Talent Foreman, and Fico Ossio gives readers an excellent little yarn, focusing on two of the Man of Steel’s most underrated villains, the perfect capstone to one of the greatest careers in comics.
8) DC Comics Presents Annual #1
DC Comics Presents Annual #1, by Marv Wolfman and Richard Buckler, is honestly a pretty simple comic. DC Comics Presents was the team-up book of the day, and this annual issue saw the Supermen of Earth-One and Earth-Two team up against their two Luthors, who have hatched a multiverse-spanning caper. This comic is just a good old-fashioned team-up comic, starring the best version of Superman ever, Earth-Two Superman. It even takes readers to Earth-Three to introduce them to the planet’s only hero. It’s such a fun comic, a one issue story that would be an event comic in 2026.
7) Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League: Superman #1
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths is underrated, especially for fans who didn’t read all of the tie-ins. One of the best parts of the story was the Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League one-shots, which took place on the Earths that Pariah sent the team to in order to drain their power after he “killed” them. The Superman issue, by Tom King and Chris Burnham, was all about Superman and Lois raising Jon to be a hero, watching as he learned to deal with his powers, his limits, and the limits they placed on him for their own peace of mind. It’s a fantastic book with a rich emotional core, and it presages one of Dark Crisis‘s later plot points. This is a phenomenal comic and a must-read for every Superman fan.
6) “The Supergirl From Krypton”
The ’00s were a great time for DC fans, with the publisher trying to re-introduce pre-Crisis ideas to their universe. One of the most important of these re-introductions was that of Kara Zor-El, the original Supergirl. “The Supergirl From Krypton” ran through Superman/Batman #8-13, bringing the classic heroine back to superhero community for the first time (DC history is fun kids!). Jeph Loeb and the late great Michael Turner gave readers a story packed with character and action, a perfect return for one of the most beloved characters in DC history. It’s a little cheesecake-y, which was just Turner’s style, but it’s a gem.
5) “The Golden Age”
Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson took over Action Comics in 2021, and would go on to write the beloved Superman epic “Warworld Saga”. His entire run writing the Man of Steel was amazing, though, and its beginning showed how well he it would all turn out. “The Golden Age” was a two issue story that saw Superman and Jon called to a space station to deal with a group of alien invaders, except unlike most invaders, they can actually hurt Superman, who had been getting weaker. It’s a story about a father and son and the fears and joys of parenthood, and Phil Hester’s art captures all the emotion while also giving readers tremendous action scenes.
4) “This Is Your Life”
Earth-Two Superman is the original Superman, and fans thought that the last time they’d see him was 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, the hero returned in Infinite Crisis, playing a major role in the story. “This Is Your Life”, Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly, Howard Chaykin, Ed Benes, Tim Sale, Renato Guedes, and Jerry Ordway, ran through Superman #226, Action Comics #836, and Adventures of Superman #649 and dealt with the history of the character as he tried to see through the lies he was told by Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three. It’s a primer on the original version of the Man of Steel from a who’s who of brilliant creators and it deserves its flowers.
3) Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, by Geoff Johns and George Perez, was a surprising story, one that brought together all three versions of the Legion of Superheroes (there are now six different versions, by the way; 20 years ago, there were only three) with Superman for a battle against Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Supervillains. This is exactly the kind of big action comic you’d expect from a story like this and it delivers an epic tale that will stick with you. It has so many excellent moments and scenes, from two DC greats. Even if you know nothing about the history of Superman and the Legion, you’ll still love this book.
2) DC Comics Presents #85
Alan Moore is one of the greatest writers in comic history, and he’s written two Superman stories that fans still talk about four decades later in “The Man Who Had Everything” and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”. However, there’s a third Superman masterpiece that Moore wrote that doesn’t get nearly as much attention: DC Comics Presents #85, by Moore and Rick Veitch, titled “The Jungle Line”. Clark Kent is called in to report on a meteorite that had landed in Metropolis with life forms on it, and is infected with a disease that is Kryptonian in origin. As the disease drives him mad, he ends up in Houma, Louisiana, where he ends up meeting with the Avatar of the Green. This is a perfect example of Moore’s casual brilliance, a Superman story for the ages.
1) Superman: Space Age
Superman: Space Age is a Superman masterpiece, a story that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as it should. This three-issue series from Mark Russell, Mike Allred, and Laura Allred takes place on an Earth where Superman and the DC Universe of heroes started in the ’60s, and follows their adventures in this new age of heroes. It’s a story that understands everything it needs to about Superman and his world, cutting to the heart of who he is and why he does what he does. It takes a perfect turn in the second issue, introducing massive stakes and calling back to a classic DC story, and is a story that more fans need to know about, a perfect synthesis of words and art.
What’s your favorite underrated Superman story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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Courtesy of Shueisha / Kadokawa / Square Enix / Shogakukan
