Think Superman is nothing but a boring do-gooder with too many powers?
These great comics will change your mind.
However, you might have a very limited view of Superman.
But hes so much more, a complex character who captures the entire moral appeal of power fantasies.
But the core of Superman was there from the beginning, on display inAction Comics#1.
However, the stories inActionarent really about the cool things that Superman can do.
Rather, theyre about his ability to save an innocent man condemned to death and spooking a wife beater.
Many Silver Age comic book stories amounted to little more than superheroes playing pranks on people, especiallySupermanstories.
As a solution, Superman splits himself into two distinct clones, dubbed Superman-Red and Superman-Blue.
They even find a way to restoreLex Luthorshair, thus erasing his evil (again, 60s!).
And they all live happily ever after.
No, seriously, thats the end.
Gone were super-ventriloquism and super-kissing.
By placing Superman in a more realistic world, Byrne makes familiar moments all the more magical.
Byrne doesnt do away with these fantastic feats.
The Man of Steeldidnt make Superman relatable by taking away his powers.
It made him relatable by heightening the emotions related to those powers.
As they do in those aforementioned series, Loeb and Sale take Superman back to fundamentals.
Thanks, smiles the godlike galloot.
My Mom made it for me.
That one page is enough to explain everything great about Superman.
And then Loeb, Sale, and Hansen give us 100 more.
ButAction#775 hit shelves a few months before 9/11.
For Black and the Elite, Superman doesnt use his powers correctly.
But Superman doesnt beat Black to a pulp.
But dont get fooled by Millars usual M.O.
Everyone else recoils in fear, but Lois recognizes Supermans true goal in invading American space.
The globe atop the Daily Planet has come loose, barreling down onto the people below.
A mother cradles her child as the globe nears them, and the boy lets go of his balloon.
When Lex Luthor detonates a massive bomb in space, he manages to imbue his enemy with greater abilities.
But those abilities soon begin to deteriorate Supermans body, forcing him to face his own death.
Pretentious as that might sound,All-Star Supermanfeatures Morrisons Silver Age love at its best.
Yet, within those tall tales, Morrison and Quitely find moments of real pathos.
Its not just the oft-shared scene in which Superman pauses to comfort a suicidal girl.
Superman Smashes the Klanrevisits the storyline from a personal perspective, emphasizing Supermans role as an immigrant in America.
After all, he was dead.
And this guy had a wife named Lois and a kid named Jon.
Is your head hurting?
This Superman has a super-son.
