Superman is the most important character in the history of comics. While there are certainly characters more popular than the Man of Steel, like Batman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and possibly MCU Iron Man, none of them would exist without the Kryptonian superhero. He changed the face of fiction and pop culture as we know it forever. Over the decades, the hero has evolved with the times, but the core of the character have always been there — the ultimate immigrant giving his all to save his adopted home and the universe. There have been all kinds of Superman stories in the character’s existence, and each of them, even the bad ones, has something to love, even if it’s only the hero himself.
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For 87 years, DC Comics has been telling superhero stories, and over those years, we’ve gotten some amazing tales starring the first superhero. There’s something about a story starring the Man of Steel, and his best are some of the best of all-time. These are the ten best Superman stories in DC history, tales that have vaulted to the top of the heap.
10) “Warworld Saga”
There have been some excellent modern Superman stories, but few of them grabbed readers like “Warworld Saga”. The story came at just the right town; after several years of successes, the Bendis run on Superman and Action Comics had dragged Krypton’s last son down. Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson came onboard Action Comics and unleashed this epic with artists Daniel Sampere, Riccardo Federici, Dale Eaglesham, Fico Ossio, and more. It follows a weakened Man of Steel and his version of the Authority to Warworld to free the planet from Mongul. What follows is a story that uses the central conceit of Superman as a character to inform its narrative. It’s everything you could want from this kind of story and then some.
9) Superman and the Authority
Grant Morrison is one of DC’s greatest talents, and their work on Superman is especially good. Morrison showed how well they could write the Man of Steel in JLA, and since then has been given numerous occasions to write the hero. Superman and the Authority, by Morrison, Mikel Janin, Fico Ossio, Travel Foremon, and Evan Cagle, was the writer’s “last” DC comic (they’ve since come back twice), following a weakened Kal-El as he assembled a new version of the Authority to help him in his final acts of heroism. It’s an awesome little miniseries, pitting the hero against two of his best, yet underrated, villains for a greatest of all time romp.
8) Superman Annual #11
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons gave readers Watchmen, as well as one of the greatest Superman stories ever. Superman Annual #11 sees Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin head to the Fortress of Solitude for the Man of Steel’s birthday. When they arrive, they find him ensnared in a plant called the Black Mercy, a fiendish present from the alien warlord Mongul. It kills whoever it traps, giving them their heart’s desire all the while. As the heroes battle the monstrous villain, Superman fights his own battle in his mind, realizing that his “perfect” life isn’t actually perfect. This is an amazing one and done story; Moore and Gibbons are in rare form, giving readers exactly what they’d expect from a team of this caliber. Add in one of the greatest fights in comic history, and this is a book that deserves its lofty reputation.
7) “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”
Crisis on Infinite Earths closed the door to the DC Comics of the Silver and Bronze Ages, and Alan Moore demanded (playfully choking Paul Levitz, as revealed by Levitz in DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore) to tell the last Superman story. Moore was teamed with two of the best artists ever in George Perez and Superman legend Curt Swan for “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”. In the future, Lois Lane is telling a reporter of the last days of Superman. As his enemies make even bloodier attacks against him than ever, revealing his identity, Superman takes the people he loves to the Fortress of Solitude, leading to a siege that could only end with death. This story says good-bye to 30 years of Superman stories in the perfect way, with Moore giving it a modern edge, all while embracing the Silver Age feel that Swan’s flawless artwork gives the story.
6) “Death of Superman”
I know what you’re thinking, and it’s something along the lines of there’s no way “Death of Superman” is better than an Alan Moore story. However, there are few stories more important “Death of Superman”. This epic from Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordawy, Brett Breeding, Jackson Guice, Jon Bogdanove, and Tom Grummet does everything it set out to do, and it does it with aplomb. It’s able to capture the danger and the tension of the battle against Doomsday perfectly, and the art and writing are better than you remember. It’s a simple slugfest, but there’s so more to it than that, as it takes readers on an emotional ride unlike any they’d been on at the time.
5) “Superman and the Legion of Superheroes”
Superman’s relationship with the Legion of Superheroes helped define both of them, but Crisis on Infinite Earths severed that connection. This did a lot of damage to the Legion long term, but post-Infinite Crisis DC would bring that connection back and give readers a new era of Superman and the team, starting with “Superman and the Legion of Superheroes”, by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. The Man of Steel is pulled into the future by Dawnstar and Wildfire, learning that his friends have been defeated by the new Justice League of Earth, and that he’s the only hope for the 31st century. This is an awesome melding of classic ideas and modern sensibilities, with Johns dropping some of this best Superman writing in this one. Frank is a revelation, his pencils way better than they have any right to be. This story is a masterpiece, and few can match it, let alone exceed it.
4) “Last Son”
Geoff Johns was able to get his mentor and former boss Richard Donner, the only good Superman director besides James Gunn, to tell the ultimate version of Superman vs. Zod in the “Last Son”, where they were joined by Adam Kubert. When a Kryptonian boy crash lands on Earth, Superman is pulled into a conflict that will involve Luthor and his Superman Revenge Squad, as well as General Zod, Ursa, Non, and the Phantom Zone criminals. This story is what would have happened if Donner had gotten to tell Superman II his way with an unlimited budget, and it’s everything you could want. Kubert’s art is the real superstar here, though. The artist kills it on every page, giving readers perfect visuals, and what I consider the best artwork of his illustrious career.
3) Action Comics (Vol. 2) #0-19
The New 52 is better than it gets credit for, and Grant Morrison’s 19 issues on Action Comics shows why. Morrison was allowed to reboot the Man of Steel from the beginning, and did an amazing job of recapturing the character’s Golden Age man of the people roots. Working with artists Rags Morales, Andy Kubert, Ben Oliver, Gene Ha, and Travel Foreman, Morrison created a narrative that spanned every issue of their run, as a mysterious villain works outside time itself to destroy the Metropolis’s greatest hero. The whole run is one big story, with the trademark mindbending Morrison plots that will keep you guessing what’s going to happen next. This is peak Superman, with writing and art that’s out of this world.
2) Superman: Up in the Sky
Superman: Up in the Sky, by Tom King and Andy Kubert, is the most surprising book on this list. The story follows the Metropolis Marvel as he heads into space after an alien attack to save the life of one little girl he made a promise to. What follows is a deep meditation on who Superman is and how he looks at the world. No one expected this book to be nearly as good as it turned out to be. King understands Superman completely, and is able to give readers the ultimate version of the character, all while Kubert’s pencils expertly bring the whole thing to life. This is the kind of story that doesn’t leave a dry eye, and it’s a flawless example of two creators who completely understood the assignment.
1) All-Star Superman
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman is an undisputed masterpiece. For my money, it’s not just the best Superman story of all time, it’s also the best superhero story ever, period. After taking a mission to the sun to save solarnauts endangered by Lex Luthor, the Man of Tomorrow finds out he’s dying and decides to leave the world a better place than he found it. What follows is a story that borrows from every era of the hero to tell a story that is the perfect word on who Superman is. Morrison and Quitely hit another level with this story, taking the characters to all new places. It’s become kind of cliche to say that this is the best Superman story, but there’s a reason for that: it is the one that nearly everyone agrees is the best.
What’s your favorite Superman story? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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