That's fair. I view Elseworlds as its own canon since those stories are contained with a beginning, middle, and end (acting as its own head canon with no breakage in storyline, retcons, or reboots). Following the main continuity titles with constant crossovers, big event stories that lead into one and then the other without a payoff that eventually resets to new #1's has left me in burnout city. I tend to enjoy One-shots and loose canon where the reader can decide the order before the timeline gets messy.
I advise you to forget completely about the so called "canon". Comic books as a medium has died in the late 90s and now it's 'niche' for people like us who just need to get their regular fix of the characters they love, hence why we have dozens of Superman, Batman, Spider-man and whatever-man number#1s.
What I do now is just take the stories as they come, if the story is good then it's 'canon' in my eyes. Take Kennedy Johnson's "warworld Rising" saga for example, I mean it's essentially a remake of a 30 + year old story from the Byrne era but it doesn't matter to me because the story is awesome! So to me it's canon while the original isn't.
Kennedy Johnson's Metallo arc doesn't fit with either the pre-crisis, new 52 or rebirth Metallo's 'canon' but I don't care because it's the best Metallo story I've ever read so to me it's the definitive Metallo story.
If someone asks me:
"of the 1000s of Superman comics that you've read over the years, what do you recommend?"
Answer:
- Start with the Jeph Loeb/Joe Kelley era. Emporer Joker, Till death to us part (when Parasite kidnaps Lois and replaces her) and Joe Kelley's "the Harvest" (a great Zod story that sadly goes to crap at the very, VERY end).
Also, one cannot miss Action#775 and the team up issues with Wonder woman and Captain Marvel that Joe Kelley did.
- Jeph Loeb's Superman-Batman run (public enemies, Supergirl saga, new world order)
- "the search for Kryptonite" also from Superman-Batman (not Loeb).
- Greg Rucka's run on Action, great stuff that sadly was interrupted by the 'infinite crisis' nonsense.
- Geoff Johns (love him or hate him) has done some good work on Superman ('up, up and away' , Legion of superheroes arc, last son, Brainiac)
- The 'world of new krypton' 12 issue (by Rucka and Robertson) is a must for any Superman fan
- The new 52's Superman was not to my taste but Morrison's 18 issues on Action were fun, as was Scott Snyder's (SCOTT not Zack!) '
superman unchained' mini series (I'd like to see WRAITH again, a really solid antagonist) and Greg Pak's Action run (particularly #25-30).
- Rebirth was excellent, especially Tomasi's run.
And finally we come to the aforementioned Kennedy Johnson, J.Williamson and Mark Waid runs.
Pick'em up and enjoy 'em and don't worry about where Lena Luthor has been all these years after OWAW or how Silver Banshee is a good gal now and is dating Jimmy or how Metallo has as sister that we've never heard about.
And I am so many stories behind that I want to read that it's almost time to drop a sledgehammer down. Loving Superman to this degree is incredibly expensive. I collect memorabilia, statues, figures, and cosplay as well, so I've been really trying to ground myself to focus on one thing at a time. Now that 'Superman' is coming out, along with the 'Summer of Superman' extravaganza to hit, I may just have to dig a hole and climb in it for my own good
