Will Scheibel
Unless you’ve been holed up in the Fortress of Solitude since last December, you’ve probably seen the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman, one of the most eagerly anticipated films of Summer 2025. The trailer alone has been something of a cultural phenomenon, clocking upwards of 250 million views within twenty-four hours, more than any other trailer in the history of Warner Bros. and its DC Studios division. That’s not entirely surprising: at the age of 87, Superman is arguably the oldest comic-book superhero in the United States, one of a select few whom almost everyone knows, even people who have never read a comic book. Indeed, finding an entry point in a comic-book property with such a vast history might seem like an increasingly futile exercise for a newcomer, but it’s never too late to catch up, and with Gunn’s Superman releasing on July 11, here’s your opportunity to start.
Superman for All Seasons
Written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale, and originally published in single issues as Superman for All Seasons 1 – 4 (1998)
After revisiting Batman’s first year as a crimefighter through the lens of 1940s film noir in Batman: The Long Halloween, Jeph Loeb and the late Tim Sale channelled filmmaker Frank Capra and painter Norman Rockwell to recount how Superman came to Metropolis by way of Smallville. Each instalment is told from the perspective of a different character in the context of a particular season. You’d have to be a real-life Lex Luthor not to appreciate the beauty of this evergreen Superman story.
Kryptonite
Written by Darwyn Cooke, illustrated by Tim Sale, and originally published in single issues as Superman Confidential 1 – 5 and 11 (2007 – 2008)
The late Darwyn Cooke, one of the greatest talents ever to work in the medium of comics, teamed up with Tim Sale to examine how Superman discovered his famous “weakness.” Who cares that the story has since been displaced from continuity? Superman’s essential vulnerability has never been examined in a more thoughtful or emotionally satisfying way.
Brainiac
Written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, and originally published in single issues as Action Comics 866 – 870 and Superman: New Krypton Special 1 (2008)
See Superman square off against one of his classic villains in Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s spectacular run, which finishes with a surprisingly moving conclusion. Of all the artists who have drawn Superman comics since writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster introduced the character in Action Comics #1 (1938), Frank may be my very favorite.
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Okay, you’re now acquainted with the basic Superman lore. What about his origin story? There is actually more than one…
The Man of Steel Vol. 1
Written and illustrated by John Byrne and originally published in single issues as Man of Steel 1 – 6 (1986)
When DC decided to reset the Superman continuity following the events of the crossover series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Marvel Comics veteran John Byrne had the nearly superhuman task of reintroducing the character in the 1980s. Compared to the reboots that have followed, Byrne’s Man of Steel arc looks a little dated, but its influence is undeniable.
Birthright
Written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Birthright 1 – 12 (2003 – 2004)
The next canonical origin story of Superman came from the prolific American writer Mark Waid and Filipino artist Leinil Francis Yu, who updated the character to an explicitly twenty-first-century period. Their version of young Clark Kent is also more ambivalent about his adopted homeland and more curious about his Kryptonian culture, giving stronger heft to the Superman-as-refugee subtext.
Secret Origin
Written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Secret Origin 1 – 6 (2009 – 2010)
DC rebooted Superman a third time after the events of its Infinite Crisis crossover series. The gang’s all here: Ma and Pa Kent, Lana Lang, The Legion of Superheroes, Lois Lane and The Daily Planet team, Parasite, Metallo, and, of course, Lex Luthor. In this version, like in the Smallville television series (2001 – 2011), Luthor and Clark Kent grew up together before moving to Metropolis to follow different paths. It’s a joy to read, and as far as I’m concerned, Gary Frank’s Superman “is” Superman, clearly indebted to the Christopher Reeve movies that introduced the character to so many of us in our youth.
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In addition to multiple origin stories, there have also been multiple stories about the twilight of Superman’s adventures.
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Curt Swan, and originally published in single issues as Superman 423 and Action Comics 583 (1986)
Around the same time that he started deconstructing superhero mythologies in Watchmen, Alan Moore joined forces with longtime Superman illustrator Curt Swan and purported to tell Superman’s final story. Technically, it cleared the stage for John Byrne’s 1986 reboot, but if it were Superman’s final story, it would have been a worthy elegy.
The Death and Return of Superman
More than five writers and four pencilers contributed to this epic crossover event, spanning three narrative arcs and the runs of four different Superman series from September 1992 to October 1993. Among these titles included Superman: The Man of Steel, launched by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove in 1991, which introduced the genetically engineered creature Doomsday and the armor-suited African American superhero Steel. Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday received massive publicity and led to record sales. The battle royal, however, is only the beginning of a much more compelling story.
All-Star Superman
Written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Frank Quitely, and originally published in single issues as All-Star Superman 1 – 12 (2005 – 2008)
I may get banished to the Phantom Zone for admitting this, but I don’t love All-Star Superman, the highly episodic, fan-favorite story that most directly inspired James Gunn’s approach to the new reboot film. In this death-of-Superman scenario, the Man of Steel experiences rapid cellular degeneration from overexposure to solar radiation. As he accepts his ultimate fate, he undergoes twelve Herculean labors. Despite the somber premise, All-Star Superman is one of the wackiest Superman stories out there, and even if it never quite works for me as a cohesive narrative, I can’t help but admire Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s swing-for-the-fences ambition.
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No matter whose Superman you’re reading, the character remains a child of science fiction. These next three stories emphasize the cosmic dimensions of Superman’s universe.
Unchained
Written by Scott Snyder, illustrated by Jim Lee, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Unchained 1 – 9 and Superman: Unchained Director’s Cut 1 (2013 – 2014)
From 2011 to 2016, in the wake of the Flashpoint crossover series, DC rebooted and renumbered 52 of its titles, including Superman and Action Comics. Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Superman’s comic-book debut, and the release of Zack Snyder’s misbegotten 2013 reboot film, Man of Steel, this “New 52” story pit Superman against an alien that has been weaponized by the U.S. Army. The artwork alone, by comics titan Jim Lee, makes Unchained required reading.
Space Age
Written by Mark Russell, illustrated by Michael Allred, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Space Age 1 – 3 (2022 – 2023)
A story about the impending apocalypse that manages to be hopeful and filled with wonder, Space Age takes us from the 1960s through the 1980s as Superman confronts the limits of his powers and his increasing uncertainty about the future.
Lost
Written by Christopher Priest, illustrated by Carlo Pagulayan, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Lost 1 – 10 (2023 – 2024)
To call Lost a story about Superman with PTSD would be true enough, but it doesn’t do justice to Christopher Priest’s complex ideas and enormous narrative scope, or the majestic artwork by Filipino illustrator Carlo Pagulayan. We’re talking parallel timelines, gravitational singularity, parthenogenesis, political insurrection, Kierkegaard references, and space dolphins! I can’t claim to have understood it all, but I was never less than fully absorbed. In 1994, Priest became the first Black writer to pen an issue of a Superman comic, and when he took over Steel in 1997, he was the first and only Black writer doing ongoing work for a Superman spin-off series.
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Maybe you prefer a more grounded Superman? Here he is in the political and social milieus of planet Earth.
Red Son
Written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Red Son 1 – 3 (2003)
What would happen if, instead of landing in Smallville, Kansas, the rocket ship carrying baby Kal-El landed in the Soviet Union? That’s the question taken up in this remarkably novel Superman story set in a non-canonical alternate reality.
Secret Identity
Written by Kurt Busiek, illustrated by Stuart Immonen, and originally published in single issues as Superman: Secret Identity 1 – 4 (2004).
A meta-Superman story, Secret Identity is about a kid in our “real” world named after Clark Kent, who discovers that he has the same superpowers he assumed only existed in Superman comics. Don’t be fooled by the silly premise: Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen are neither joking nor pitching to an exclusively juvenile readership. What they imagine is one of the most poignant comics to bear the Superman moniker.
Superman Smashes the Klan
Written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Gurihiru, and originally published in single issues as Superman Smashes the Klan 1 – 3 (2019)
An adaptation of the 1946 “Clan of the Fiery Cross” arc from The Adventures of Superman radio show, Superman Smashes the Klan tells two parallel stories. One is about a Chinese American family persecuted by the Ku Klux Klan when they move into the post-World War II suburbs of Metropolis. The other is about Superman’s consciousness of his own identity as an interplanetary immigrant who has been “passing.” Chinese American writer Gene Luen Yang and the Japanese illustration duo Chifuyu Sasaki and Naoko Kawano, credited as Gurihiru, remind us that Superman’s fight for justice is as socially relevant today as it was in the first ten years of his popularity.
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Gunn’s Superman will inaugurate what DC Studios is calling the DC Universe, a transmedia franchise united by a shared fictional world and narrative continuity, based on characters from the DC comic books. The DC Universe represents the second attempt at such an initiative, the first being the DC Extended Universe, which varied wildly in degrees of commercial and critical success and centered on a dour Superman played by Henry Cavill. David Corenswet will be the sixth actor to play Superman in a live-action film, a screen tradition that dates back to Kirk Alyn and George Reeves in the late 1940s and early 1950s, respectively. Still, with the possible exception of Superman: The Animated Series (1996 – 2000) and the Justice League spin-offs (2001 – 2004, 2004 – 2006), Superman stories have been most ideally served by comics. When asked whether his Superman was influenced by the previous films, Gunn said, “I’m first and foremost a comic book fan. I really took more inspiration from the comics than I did from the film adaptions.” If true, the superhero-film-franchise machine of the twenty-first century just might have something left for us, after all.
