- Jimmy Olsen's Big Week: It is hard to take most stories about Jimmy Olsen seriously. This one you don't have to. It doesn't try to modernize it or make it old school hip. It makes the story goofy and silver agey for the sheer joy of doing it. Aliens come to the planet looking for fun and get beaten by Jimmy making the whole city boring for the day. Does it make sense? No. It doesn't matter. Lex Luthor hires a young 20 something super genius intern to be Lex Luthor's Pal? Does it make sense? Hell no. It doesn't matter because the end result is entertaining. Heaven forbid an entertainment medium meet that kind of goal. Oh yeah! Superman shows up in the story but only in flashbacks. (The story is set during Grounded.) It presents one of the most complete portraits of Jimmy Olsen ever told.
- Superman 80 Page Giant: Eyewitness: This story is a good caper story that utilizes story telling techniques popularized in the West by the release of a subtitled version of Kurosawa's Rashoman. Only here, not only do you get multiple takes on the same caper- you get some pretty weird variations. Each witness portrays themself as an innocent bystander only each story has almost nothing in common. Most amusing of all is the tale told by Jimmy Olsen. It could almost be one of his adventures from the late 60s or early 70s. In the end though- the reason behind the multiple interpretations goes beyond mere emotional shock and into the range of the just plain weird as a long forgotten DC villain makes his return.
- The Late Mr. Kent (Superman: The Animated Series): Normally- I would avoid putting a non comics story on the list. This one makes it because it is just an amazing episode. The sheer audacity of discussing the death penalty and having characters sent to the gas chamber not once but twice on a kiddie show that originally aired at 8:30 AM is nothing less than staggering. Mind blowing considering the late 1990s was the era that gave us the V-Chip. You generally can't show government sponsored executions on most shows for adults on network TV (pre-9 PM) let alone on shows aimed at children. To mix in murder and inner city racism in such a way that it doesn't seem watered down or appear to be a problem Superman could fix in thirty minutes was truly bold. Throwing in some homages to Action Comics (Volume 1) #1? Mere icing on the cake. It is a shame that the WB network went out of its way to bury this episode in future airings. They would reair it in weird time slots or on holidays when they assumed no one would be watching. Though I can see why they might face pressure from Network Standards and Practices or parents groups to make sure things like that happened.
- The Death of Mxyzptlk (Superman: The Man of Steel #75): Mxyzptlk is my favorite Superman menace. He's playful, juvenile and kind of ridiculous but he's ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous. Here- Mxyzptlk decides to find out what it would be like to die and he wants Superman's help doing it. Superman refuses to help him. So Mxyzptlk tries the hero thing. Finally, he dies. What he sees in the afterlife so disturbs him that he simple mutters Kltzpyxm and whoosh- he's alive again. What is the terrifying sight? I won't spoil it.
- True Brit: This Elseworld tells the tale of what would have happened if Superman's rocket had landed in Britain. It is written by Kim Howard Johnson and John Cleese. If you come in expecting a serious story, you'd have an easier time buying a parrot from Michael Palin than getting it from this book. If you expect silliness and social satire then you'll feel right at home. Knowing they are working with a British comedy legend DC got John Byrne to return to the Man of Steel to draw some of the best Superman material he's ever done. Granted, if you're not a Monty Python fan- you'll hate it. If that is the case, try getting one of those curried brains then try reading it again. It'll do wonders I tell you.
- Lex Luthor: The Authorized Biography: Some idiot tabloid reporter gets the idea in his head to do an unauthorized biography of Lex Luthor. Surprise, surprise, he winds up dead. The problem is the last person to see him alive is Clark Kent. He has no alibi because he was Superman at the time the murder took place. This makes the story about two men. One: Lex Luthor, whose life story is told in the reporter's book. The other is Clark Kent who tries to solve the mystery of why the man was killed in order to prove his innocence. It paints a disturbing portrait of Lex, what drives him and why he is the most dangerous villain Superman has ever faced.
- Letita Lerner, Superman's Babysitter (Elseworld 80 Page Giant/Bizarro Comics): This is the Superman story Paul Levitz didn't want you to read. This hilarious romp from the sick, twisted mind of Kyle Baker was deemed "inappropriate" and "potentially hazardous to children." DC should have been familiar with Baker's storytelling style when they hired him. It is not the kind of humor DC has avoided in the past. They just avoid it when it comes to their cash cows. Lucky for us all- the issue was recalled after it shipped to the UK. The story resurfaced in DC's indie style compilation- Bizarro Comics. The entire special as originally intended- was recently released as a 100 page giant.
- It's a Bird!: A man who can fly, lift tanks above his head and still remain a humble man is one of the most fantastic bits of comic book fiction lore. Huntingon's Disease is one of the most painful emotional experiences one can imagine, not just for the victim, but also his or her family and friends. The question becomes how can someone write stories about a man who can fly when they find out they might have a genetic time bomb brewing inside them? What's the point of dreaming if you might die the next day? What is the point of myth? It might just be the most thorough argument for and against the relevance of Superman ever put to paper. The answer: that hopes and dreams make the pain worthwhile should be obvious, but it makes quite a few amazing discoveries about Superman as a character and as an archetypal figure along the way. It also examines how personal tragedy can affect the creative process.
- Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (Superman #423, Action Comics #583): This was billed as the last Pre-Crisis Superman story. All I can say is: Alan Moore saved the best for last. It was a brilliant examination of the classic Superman mythos. The entire Superman family shows up from Bizarro, Toyman, Luthor, Brainiac, Supergirl, Krypto, a brief cameo by Insect Queen and the Legion of Super Heroes. Everyone. Each has their own piece to say about what made the Silver Age Superman special. It had an important message as well. The next age of Superman would be special in its own way.
- All-Star Superman: The eternal balancing act with Superman is to keep the character rooted in idealism and trying to keep him relevant in the dark gritty world of today's comics. This story says: optimism is not irrelevant. Even with Superman dying from cancer he decides that everyday is worth living. It is the ultimate tribute to the Silver Age of comics while still being told with the sensibility of the modern age. It's full of humor, pathos and sheer joy in spite of some rather intense subject matter. The portrayal of Luthor is one part Gene Hackman and one part Keyser Soze. It's rather chilling. It handles the darkness without losing its pep. Oh and the Jimmy Olsen story is just hysterical.
- Fanboy #1: It is no secret how much of a fan I am of Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier. Fanboy was really an examination of why certain DC characters work. What better place to start than the beginning. A lot of the ideas about Superman have been stated by others, many, many times however the origin story they developed for Finster has so many nice homages, not only to Superman's story but to Siegel and Shuster's early life it is hard not to smile while reading this comic. It is a comic book about loving comic books for people who love comic books written by people who love comic books.
- Action Comics #600: This issue shows just how much of an influence the works of Larry Niven had on the Post Crisis DC Universe. There it at least a brief nod to "Man of Steel, Women of Kleenex" which is odd considering DC at one point tried and failed to legally bar the essay from being reprinted. Here Superman goes on a date with Wonder Woman. They get attacked by Darkseid's minions. Through the course of their adventures they both realize while there is definitely a spark, their worlds are too different to really work out. Diana realizes that Superman was really thinking about someone else anyway. So while it acknowledges Niven's essay it ultimately rejects it. Superman is a mortal woman kind of guy. At least for now . . .
- Superboy #70: Superboy went through some hard times during Karl Kesel's second run on this title. First he was lost on an island with Kamandi creatures. Then he was shot across the multiverse. On this trip he encountered a series of other realities where Superboy was Clark Kent- Superman when he was a teenager. Then he took a gamble. He confronted Superman about this. The result reveals some faults in both Superman and Superboy's personalities. Forget Silver Age Superdickery. Leaving your 16 year old quasi-clone alone in the world without anything as basic as a real name for 59 issues tops them all. Superboy lives in a laboratory where people want to conduct experiments on him. He receives only a limited education. He has almost no parental figure- when he clearly needs it and even asks for it. Finally after coming to blows with each other and an escaped Cadmus monster, Superboy proves he's earned Superman's trust. Not that Superboy isn't sort of a jerk about the way he handles it. Like father, like son.
- Time and Time Again(Action Comics #663-665, Adventures of Superman #476-478, Superman #54-55): Most people don't know that Superman was a member of two teams before joining The Justice League. He was in The Justice Society of America and The Legion of Super Heroes. This post-crisis story has Superman bouncing around in time thanks to a chain of events that is partially Booster Gold's fault. Superman inadvertently gets involved in the adventures of both teams. He visits the Legion in at least three eras some of which contradict each other. He faces off against Siegel and Shuster's other big creation- The Spectre. It has more time paradoxes than you can shake a DeLorean at but it's a hell of a ride.
- Supergirl: Many Happy Returns (Supergirl #75-80): The entire Superfamily shows up in this arc where Linda Danvers finds a rocket containing Kara Zor-El- the Pre-Crisis Supergirl. While the whole arc is a lot of action and excitement, the real fun begins when Linda finds out that if Kara goes back to her Earth, she will die. So Linda goes in her place. Then things get weird. Remember how Pre-Crisis Superman said he would marry his own cousin if he could? What happens when he meets a Supergirl who isn't his cousin? As with most Peter David- the sillier it gets in one issue the more tragic it gets an issue or two later. It is a fine closing to one of DC's best series.
- Kingdom Come: Unlike many of the zillion other dystopian futures comics have produced, this one has produced something most of them do not: a certain degree of hope. It is also a story of redemption, healing and moving on. It is a story with a wide scope across the DC universe story featuring everyone from Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to Orion, Ambush Bug and The Spectre. The one character at the crux of the story is obviously Superman. He's the one whose retirement triggered the whole disaster. Of course his return slowly builds up to a whole new disaster. Only this time he gets a chance to minimize the foretold disaster. He gets to rebuild his image in the eyes of the young heroes who grew up in a world without him. In the decades since Lois's death, he manages to . . . well, that would spoil it.
- The Great Darkness Saga (Legion of Super-Heroes #290-294): Both Superboy (the Pre-Crisis version) and Supergirl come to the 30th century to help the Legion of Super Heroes fight the greatest fight of the team's career. Not even with all 20 some odd members is the team prepared for something like this one; almost every resident of the planet Daxam, dark shadow forms of many costumed heroes of ages past- including Superman- all of them corrupted by Darkseid, not to mention the lord of Apokalips himself. While the role Superman plays in the story is limited, it is important. It is one of those stories where you just grab on to both sides of the page and hold on tight.
- Superman: The Wedding Book: It was the comic book wedding of the decade and the world was invited. Well, not really but almost every living artist who had ever worked on Superman contributed something. Gil Kane, George Perez, Jon Bogdanove, Nick Cardy, Dan Jurgens and just about everybody else. In terms of cameos- it's just full of them from Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, Batman and Wonder Woman. They could be expected, There were also some surprises like Green Lantern, Flash, some of the time lost members of the Legion of Super Heroes and mightiest of them all- Jerry Siegel? There was a lot of action too. There were smugglers. Lex Luthor was in it. One of the biggest surprises- not to mention one of the most heart warming moments- was the surprise party crasher Mr. Mxyzptlk. It marks one of the rare times when he ever said Kltpzyxm on purpose. The issue is a must read for Superman fans.
- Of Thee I Sing (Hitman #34): Superman is viewed by the public and fans as the paragon of human virtue. The epitome of the resilience of human nature. Garth Ennis- a man known for writing some of the most violent, disturbing comics you can possibly tell and remain in the mainstream. His expertise is revealing- just how corroded and broken humanity really is. You might be asking yourself what was DC comics doing letting him within three miles of writing a Superman story? The answer: revealing just how twisted and broken the paragon of human virtue can be. Showing the audience that Superman's greatest enemy is not Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Mxyzptlk or even Doomsday. It's Clark Kent. The part of him that will never stop blaming himself for the few times he screws up and can't save everyone. He spends most of the issue confessing his believed sins to a man on a roof top in Gotham City. A man he comes to see has a great deal in common with. That man is Tommy Monaghan. That's right, without knowing it Superman takes lessons on morality from a professional killer. I'm not the only one who thought this issue was amazing. So did Eisner Award voters.
- For the Man Who Has Everything (Superman Annual #11): People often think that Superman has it so easy. That his life is too perfect. This is one of those stories which shows just how tragic his story is. That he is the sole survivor of a once great civilization. His adoptive parents are dead too. His powers will probably curse him to outlive all his friends on Earth. Superman is given a plant from a mystery birthday guest that puts him into a dream world that combines the life he could have had on Krypton with the life he does have on Earth. Meanwhile Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin deal with Mongul. Another neat aspect of the story is that it focuses on the duel fathers aspect of the character. While the voices started out fused, it is ultimately the voice of Jor-El that wishes him to stay in the dream world while whispers of Jonathan Kent try to get him to break free of the dream and live his life. The effect of the plant on Batman, another key plot moment, is equally heart breaking. It is one of Alan Moore's finest works that does not feature his own characters.
Next: The X-Men Part One
