10 Superman Comics That Live Up to the Hype

Superman‘s popularity led to the birth of the modern superhero, continuing a legacy of myth and heroism that stretches back to Hercules, Gilgamesh, and Sinbad. Since then, he’s become one of the most legendary characters created in the last hundred years, with some amazing stories in comics, movies, and TV shows (his video games have been… something) hyped up by fans. Hype is a double-edged sword; it sells ideas to fans, but often times some stories don’t appeal to everyone. Not every comic book can deliver on the hype. There have been thousands of Superman stories over the years, and some of them have been hyped to the sun and don’t deliver.

However, others do. These stories are praised and recommended, handed to new readers like holy writ in temples and churches. However, instead of letting them down, they answer their prayers and convert them. These ten Superman comics live up to the hype, classics that everyone loves.

10) Superman: Secret Identity

Superman: Secret Identity is one of the best Superman comics out there. This modern classic by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen took the idea of Superboy-Prime – a version of the Man of Steel who was the only powered person on his world – and went to town with it. Busiek is able to make a real world Superman work brilliantly, with Immonen’s gorgeous pencils bringing it all to life flawlessly. This comic is amazing and everyone who’s read it says so.

9) Man of Steel

John Byrne gave readers one of the best modern Superman runs, even if there are some problems with the way he re-imagined the character for the ’80s. However, Byrne is one of the best out there at constructing a story that fans love and his opening Supes salvo Man of Steel is six issues of awesome. I don’t like a lot of the decisions he made with the character’s new origin, but his art and writing sell it all beautifully, giving readers some amazing adventures, all while introducing the Donald Trump-inspired Lex Luthor that took a legend and made him even better. This is classic Superman for a new age and it delivers with every issue.

8) Superman: Red Son

Superman: Red Son, by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, and Killian Plunkett, is one of those books that it would be safe to assume is a relic of its time. I bought it after it came out, when Millar was hot and this book was pointed to as one of his best works. Superman as a Soviet superhero was an inspired idea and while the book is a little too rah-rah capitalism for me, the story itself works flawlessly. Superman: Red Son has fantastic art and the writing will hook you immediately (there are rumors that Grant Morrison helped with it and wrote the ending, which speaks to why it’s so great). This one is a must-read and it will make you join its hype train, even all these years after it came out.

7) Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, came out in 1996 and in some ways is a response to the edgy, extreme heroes of the day. However, these kinds of heroes and stories are still around to this day, keeping the story evergreen, which is the entire point of the book. The story of Superman’s retirement and return, along with the rest of his generation, is awesome, a tale with an epic scope made all the better by the painted art of Ross. It gives the book a photo-realistic feel that draws you in and is full of cool Easter Eggs. This is a Mark Waid Superman/Justice League comic, so you know that it’s going to be something awesome right away.

6) Superman and the Authority

Grant Morrison is one of the greatest Superman writers of all time and I would recommend any of their work on the character. However, not all of their Supes tales are for all readers, so you have to be careful (I’m speaking of their Action Comics run and Superman: Beyond 3-n; they’re brilliant but difficult and not for everyone). Superman and the Authority, with artists Mikel Janin, Travel Foreman, and Fico Ossio, does live up to the hype though. It stars a Superman who is losing his powers and building a new Authority so he can still save the universe, all while two of his worst villains prepare their attack. This is a sensational comic; some of it’s a little confusing because it was meant to be a part of the aborted 5G status quo (which was going to be the old heroes retiring and being replaced), but the rest is the kind of Superman story that everyone loves.

5) Superman: Up in the Sky

Tom King can be a controversial writer, and has a legion of haters. However, he’s honestly a good writer when the story is right and Superman: Up in the Sky is completely and totally the right story. Working with artist Andy Kubert, he gives readers what is the ultimate statement on exactly the kind of superhero Superman is. King writes an amazing Man of Steel and Kubert’s art is almost as good as his brother’s Adam’s on Superman. Even devoted King-haters love this story, which should tell you everything you need to know about it.

4) “Warworld Saga”

The Superman comics are in an amazing place right now and “Warworld Saga” is a huge part of that. Running through Action Comics #1030-1046, Action Comics Annual 2021 and 2022, and Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1, by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Daniel Sampere, Riccardo Federici, Dale Eaglesham, Will Conrad, Fico Ossio, and many more, this story saw a weakened Superman and the Authority attack Warworld, where they are trounced by Mongul-Who-Is, the latest of the lineage. This story is a true epic, its tone and plot selling the big story feel of the whole thing. Johnson is able to create an amazing Superman story over the course of this 19-part and everyone who reads it loves it.

3) “For the Man Who Has Everything…”

Alan Moore is one of the greatest writers in the history of comics and he has written three amazing Superman stories. Two of them are among the most hyped Superman comics ever and both of them are on this list. We’ll begin with Superman Annual #11, from Moore and his Watchmen partner Dave Gibbons. On Superman’s birthday, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin find the Man of Steel in the grip of the Black Mercy, getting his heart’s desire at the cost of his life. However, it’s not the only threat, as Mongul stayed back to insure it did its jobs. Completely outgunned, the three heroes only have one hope – that Superman will throw away his perfect life to save the day. This story delivers on every level and that’s really all there is to it. Everyone talks about how great this book is and they are all right. If you’ve gone this long without doing it, fix that (try to find a version without modern colors).

2) “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”

For my, and a lot of fans’, money, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” is the best of Moore’s three Supes stories (“The Jungle Line” is my second favorite, but no one hypes it up – GO READ DC COMICS PRESENTS #85 RIGHT NOW). It was the last story starring the pre-Crisis Superman and runs through Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, with Superman legend Curt Swan inked by George Perez (be still my heart). Out of nowhere Superman’s foes turn to killers and the ultimate Lex/Brainiac team-up force the Man of Steel and his friends into a desperate siege at the Fortress of Solitude. This story is outstanding. It has everything that you could want from an Alan Moore-written Superman story. Even if you know little to nothing about pre-Crisis DC, like me when I first read all those years ago (there’s a guy in like a leopard print mankini who I still can’t identify), this story will do it for you. Swan’s art is amazing; it’s old school but there’s such power and emotion in every panel. You’ll fall in love with his book; it’s that kind of comic.

1) All-Star Superman

All-Star Superman is the greatest superhero story ever. It goes beyond just being the best Superman story; Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant created a book that’s a love letter to superhero comics through the Man of Steel. We all know the story by now – Superman’s oncoming death sees him try to leave the universe a better place, all while Lex Luthor makes a plan to hasten the process along – and it delivers on every page. Morrison is in rare form here; this is them channeling the energy of Silver Age Superman through a modern context, paying homage to numerous eras of the character. Quitely’s pencils are fantastic; there’s so much skill in every panel, it’s insane. His storytelling is off the charts. Finally, Grant’s colors give the story the perfect atmosphere in every scene. This is a seriously great comic and everyone who has told you it’s the best is right.

What Superman story do you think lives up to the hype? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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