Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Lets say you're about to have your mind wiped clean (:lol:) but you want yourself to know when you come to that you loved Superman. What are a few of the comics you'd tell yourself to read to truly get a grip on what makes Superman who and what he is?

So, anyone?

Well, its a big question... 8)

I've posted these as among my favorites, so they were defining for me...

Superman #38 The Battle of the Atoms (1946)

Superman #129 The Girl in Superman's Past (1959)

Superman #167 The Deadly Duo (1964)

Superman #189 Krypton Lives Again (1966)

Superman #190 The Four Element Enemies (1966)

Action #285 The World's Greatest Heroine (1962)

Action #321 Superman -- Weakest Man in the World (1965)

Good stuff, MEL. Thanks.

Four Element Enemies... I remember that one. He was depowered to him extent and those things had him on the ropes multiple times.

Had the classic Golden Age looking Superman too, even though it was supposed to be the SA Superman, right?

Well, it was a classic Wayne Boring issue, and according to the Grand Comics Database, apparently, a Shooter script...

Also the intro of Amalak, the Space Pirate, though he spent most of the story unconscious...

Yep, by initially selecting Clark Kent as the human to get "fire power", he de-powered Superman with the blast, showing that even the "infinitely powerful" Silver Age Supes could be affected...it was one of those stories that showed Superman using his wits that I liked...

I would pick these four,

The MAN WHO STOLE the SUN!
http://superman.nu/tales4/stolethesun/

SUPERMAN Under the GREEN SUN!
http://superman.nu/tales3/greensun/

The GIRL who DIDN'T BELIEVE in SUPERMAN!
http://superman.nu/tales4/the_girl_who_didn't_believe/

SUPERMAN in KANDOR!
http://superman.nu/tales2/invasion/


If someone can read those 4 stories and not come away a Superman fan, then they never will be a Superman fan!

Before i give my answer i would like to make an introduction,

contrarily of the greater part of the people who visit this forum I have  known on the first time the post crisis version of Superman, and this because in Italy his publication was a real mess :( .
Therefore I first known the version re-created by Byrne :x , and not the previous one,later i was introduced to the "concept" of Golden Age Superman and Silver Age Superman but only through articles and book reviews,
and it looks like to me simply inadapt for the tastes of the modern readers,
this was my thought until when it happened to me the reading
of : "For a man who has everything", perhaps now my answer can appear too much simple, but this story has indeed allowed me to understand what as been removed from the character and the many  things that I don't know and that i risked to lose about this great fictional hero but this story changed immediately my opinion and make me wants to know more of his previous comic book life.

From this day on Alan and Curt have became one of my favorites...

Seems good, for me, there's a lot to like in "For the Man Who has Everything"...

Superman #156: "The Last Days of Superman"

Superman #158: "Superman in Kandor"

Superman #164: "The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman"

Superman #187: 80-page Giant w/focus on the Fortress of Solitude

Superman #296-299: "Who Took The Super Out of Superman?"

Superman #400: "The Living Legends of Superman"

Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything"


...and happily, I own them all, so I'd just put 'em in a Tupperware container with a note that said, "Read these."

Or if it's not cheating, maybe I'd just re-read "Superman from the 30s to the 70s."  That did it the first time.

Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything"  was a beautiful story to be sure.

I pick the stories that best define Superman for me personally as a character not my all time favorite Superman stories in general or that Alan Moore tale would have been right up there.

I agree with Beppo about The Man Who Stole The Sun (http://superman.nu/tales4/stolethesun/).  An absolutely fantastic and fun story that as far as I am concerned is the definitive Superman tale.

and I agree with nightwing about Superman 400 (http://superman.nu/a/400/cover.php) and Who Took the Super out of Superman? (http://superman.nu/tales2/whotook/1/)

Issue #400 in particular was pretty much the inspiration for this entire site.  I might add The Day The Cheering Stopped (http://superman.nu/tales2/sword/) because it's also part of Maggin's epic mythos.

Additional stories:

Superman's Phantom Pal (http://superman.nu/tales2/phantompal/) which is a short tale but shows the incredible friendship between Jimmy and Superman;

Superman Red and Superman Blue (http://superman.nu/tales2/redblue/);

The Team of Luthor and Brainiac (http://superman.nu/tales2/luthorandbrainiac);

almost all of Maggin's later works (like The Man Who Murdered Evil (http://superman.nu/tales3/murdered_evil/) and We Are The Dreamers of the Dreams (http://superman.nu/tales4/thedream/));

and The K-Metal From Krypton (http://superman.nu/k-metal-from-krypton/?page=0), although I admit I might be a bit biased on this last one.

:s:

If my mind were wiped clean and I wanted to make a quick impression, I'd start with tabloid-sized comics that got me into Superman growing up...  stuff like "Superman vs. Muhammed Ali" and "Peace On Earth".  

(not to say that there aren't many fine stories, many of which are mentioned, but I latched onto the "have your mind wiped clean" bit for some reason)

Actually, if my mind was wiped clean I'd probably enjoy anything from the last 20 years.  I figure the key to loving the modern DCU is maintaining a blissful lack of brain activity.

Well said, Nightwing! (Though to be honest, I've quite enjoyed the latest offerings of Superman and Action.) Defining stories for me would be just about anything from the glorious Maggin/Bates/Swan era of the 1970s. The first Superman story I ever read was "The Luthor Nobody Knows", and I suppose it continues to define Superman for me: powerful, resourceful, but nevertheless hounded by tragedy, regrets and sadness. The man's been through a lot; it's amazing he didn't turn out more like Bruce Wayne.

Much of what defines Superman to me comes from the artwork, too. Swan really was a hugely talented artist, who managed to capture Superman in believable, realistic settings. You knew what sort of place the WGBS newsroom was, what sort of city Metropolis was. It was the same world you lived in, only with this enormously colourful character effortlessly grafted onto it.