Comics What are your Five Favorite Superman comic books of all time?

[Sabaoth]

1. Action Comics #844

Johns, Donner, Kubert: decades after Superman: The Movie, the movie versions of Zod, Non, and Ursa are finally introduced in the DC comics universe.


2. Action Comics #544
Contains two great stories and introduces the final 'new' pre-Crisis versions of Lex Luthor (the War Suit/ battle armor) and Brainiac ( the skull ship and a terminator like version of Brainiac.)


3. Man of Steel #1 John Byrne rewrites Superman. 'Nuff said.


4. Superman Vol 2 #2
Story and art by Byrne....Lex's goons torture Lana and bruise her up badly to get her to talk about Superman...she told them nothing, a PISSED off Superman shows up a Lex's office and they have a great confrontation but he can't prove anything...lots more in this issue...one of the best ever.

5. Superman #233
'Kryptonite no more" This was supposed to be the start of a new, more realistic, reduced power level Superman...but the concept did not last beyond a year. In this issue, kryptonite loses it's effectiveness against Superman (who actually takes a bite out of a kryptonite rock to demonstrate this.) Clark leaves the planet and takes a job as a TV anchorman. (While the changes in this Superman reboot wiped away soon after, Clark remained a TV anchorman in the comics until Crisis.)

I have many more faves but these are the ones that stand out the most.
What are yours?

 

[Willi Berg]

I haven't read some of these. Thanks for mentioning them.

 

[Jochimus]

My five personal favorites:

* Superman #1 (vol. 1) - It may be dated beyond belief, and his power levels are down to the minimum, but I still enjoy it because it represents Superman as he was originally conceived: the crusader for justice who was not averse to roughing up sneaky murderesses, foiling corrupt politicos, intimidating negligent industrialists or even going after sports racketeers.

* Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, "Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?" - Yeah, I'm cheating a little here since this is actually TWO books, but still I like it in spite of how grim a story it is: instead of living until the end of time or whatever, Superman is put completely against the ropes when all his old enemies just gang up on him out for blood, loved ones are lost in the heat of battle, a mere pain in the butt decides out of the blue to become a genuine menace, and our hero will have to make a choice for the greater good that's going to be the end of the cape and tights...at least for him. Of all the "endings" for Superman I've seen, I like this one best, and the last page is the clincher. And I don't care for Alan Moore as it is, which to me makes this story all the more impressive.

* Man of Steel #3, "One Night In Gotham City" - The relationship between Superman and Batman was redefined into something that IMO is a lot more effective than the chum-chumminess of pre-Crisis, without compromising what either of the two characters had been refashioned into.

* Action Comics #775, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & The American Way?" - In an age where grimdark "heroes" have become the bee's knees, I like it because it shows why Superman being a Big Blue Boy Scout is a GOOD thing (that, plus I just love the panel of him washing his face in the Fortress by splashing it with molten lava. Priceless.).

* All-Star Superman #12, "Superman In Excelsis" - Superman vs. Luthor on equal physical terms, both super-powered...and in the end, Luthor has already essentially defeated himself with the very plan that was going to give him absolute victory. And..."You could have saved the world YEARS ago if it mattered to you, Luthor."