Customer Reviews

The Return of Superman

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In 1992, DC Comics made national headlines when it announced its intention to kill Superman. The year-long storyline spanned over three dozen comic books in more than half a dozen titles, including all four monthly Superman titles (ACTION COMICS, SUPERMAN, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL). It left the Superman mythos with two new villains (the Cyborg and Doomsday) and three new allies (Superboy, Steel and the Eradicator), all of whom had their own titles for a while. It began an era of Superman's publishing history which would last for the remainder of the decade, in which the titles were treated not as individual titles, each with its own identity, but as parts of one continuing storyline, a weekly Superman comic book with four or more creative teams rotating chapters. As a result, the 1990s Superman comics would be marked by long, convoluted storylines with protracted resolutions, a billowing supporting cast populated by two-dimensional characters who existed more as plot devices, and a sense of excess and disjointedness in almost all of the stories.

The story that began it all was collected in three volumes: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN, a slugfest heavy on dynamic visuals and weak on plot; WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN, the best of the three, which explored the ramifications of the death of Earth's greatest hero (and a part of the story later sagas would sorely miss); and THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN, in which four pretenders claiming to be Superman emerged, all to take part in a great battle when the real Superman returned.

In this collection's first third, the creative teams explore one Superman pretender apiece to varying results. The best is Roger Stern and Jackson Guice on the Last Son of Krypton. Stern is one of comics' grandmasters of characterization and pacing, which meshes well with Guice's realistic but cinematic style. Close on their heels are Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett (Superboy), whose loose, frenetic but clean, often melodramatic storytelling show why they would become THE teen superhero duo, both in Superboy's own title and in ROBIN. In comparison, writer-artist Dan Jurgens (Cyborg Superman), the Michael Bay of comics, finds his grandiose images at war with his writing tendency towards exposition over characterization, to the extent that two of his chapters are almost solely a series of drawings with narration captions. Worse yet is the Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove team (Man of Steel). Simonson tries for a social conscience but is clumsy and preachy in her delivery, and Bogdanove's unfairly maligned impressionistic, exaggerrated style clashes with the other three. (For the record, after his own short-lived, Simonson-penned series ended, Steel would become one of DC's best, most complex supporting players.)

Unfortunately, these explorations can only last so long before the story must be resolved, and it is, as convoluted as possible. Too many chefs spoil the pot, as each team's need to include a major plot point revolving around their faux Superman slows the pacing to a near crawl. There are exciting set pieces, but the weaknesses of one team affect all of them. Jurgens' lack of characterization, for example, gives the reader no emotional investment in his Superman's sudden plot twist. And the sudden introduction of Green Lantern in the eleventh hour, from his own title by Gerard Jones and M.D. Bright, distracts from the central plot.

Still, the collection IS exciting. For comic series completists, this is a handy gap filler, although be warned: The last few issues are not reprinted in their entirety, as subplots introducing later storylines were cut from the collection. For comic books fans just wanting to see this pivotal story, this collection is a must, although I also highly recommend Roger Stern's novel THE DEATH AND LIFE OF SUPERMAN to fill in the gaps in background and present a more even flow to the stories presented here.

The first thing that should be said about this book is how huge it is. It's around 500 pages og pure unadulterated comic book delight. I wa never a fan of Superman, I always thought of him as just too super for me and simply has nothing going for him. The book makes you think otherwise.

It introduces four different characters all claiming to be the Man of Steel and picks up the mystery from there. Though the identity of Steel and Superboy are set from the beginning, serious doubts and frustrations form as to who or what is that cyborg Superman and the one with the visor, where the comics trult succeeeds in making you believe they can both be the real deal incpite of the circumstances. They look like Superman (the cyborg looks like Terminator, but hey, who's complaining here), but the act completely different all together from the original. The mystery does truly delve deeper into who or what they are, where those questions are then truly answered in an unbelievable ending. The storyline takes its time to build up, but upon reaching the climax, you are just too awe-stricken to say the least. The one true Superman appears in the end, much to the delight of fans and readers and we can all say, it was finally due.

I don't think DC has done any far reaching things with the character as they did with him here. They changed his costumed in later years and turned him into an energy entity which brought another media frenzy to a character as much part of the American culture as any other , but truly nothing beats what they did with his death and return. Great book...

The final chapter in Dan Jurgens' Death of Superman trilogy, Return of Superman is an exciting and massive final nail in the coffin. After Superman's body mysteriously disappears, four superhumans appear in a crime ridden Metropolis, all claiming to be the real deal. We have the Cyborg (not Vic Stone from Teen Titans either) who looks like Superman with a Terminator-esque endoskeleton taking up half of his body. There's the Eradicator, who wears a visor and kills the criminals he fights. We have Superboy (who was never handled well, except by Geoff Johns in the much later relaunch of Teen Titans), a younger clone of the Man of Steel, and last, we have Steel; who is weapons designer John Henry Irons in a suit made of steel (and subject of the ungodly bad movie Steel starring Shaq). As this massive TPB goes on, we learn just who's who, and what the Cyborg is really up to; all of which leading up to the return of the real Man of Steel. Though the dialogue may be corny, there are a number of pivotal moments here. This is the first appearnces of Superboy and Steel, as well as the destruction of Coast City; better known as home to Green Lantern Hal Jordan, which would lead to the much maligned Green Lantern Paralax saga where Hal goes insane. The art varies from issue to issue in this TPB, but there's nothing overly bad to be found here either. All in all, Return of Superman isn't an essential addition to your Superman library, but it is pivotal chapter in the life of one of the most popular and oldest superheroes in comic book history.

The Return of Superman is a good book with lots of battles and destruction. Sometimes it can get cheesy but it's still good. It's a great buy since you get about 500 pages for a good price. When you start reading it and get to the middle,you start to miss the true Man Of Steel. When Superman finally comes back there's a huge battle that is really fun to read and the ending is really good. This book is really fun to read and it doesn't dissapoint.

If you like this, read "The Death and Life of Superman" by Roger Stern. It is a 400 page novel that includes Reign of the Supermen, Funeral For a Freind, and the battle with Doomsday and a whole ton of back-story the first few chapters. It has info the comics don't, and a must read for any Superman fan. The way he describes the charecters is awsome! Pick it up today, and no, I am not Roger Stern's press agent!

this is an awesome graphic novel/trade paper back but to get the full impact and story you must get the other two volumes. Read them all to get the full story that shook the world in the 1990s.

There is a glut of Supermen in this tale of the return from death of the greatest superhero that ever "lived." The premise is that Superman perished in a battle with Doomsday that saved Metropolis. With the greatest deterrent to crime now gone, the frequency of all types of crime has gone dramatically up. Into this void are thrust four people that make the claim to be Superman.

*) There is a half-human cyborg that is extremely powerful, yet he does not hesitate to kill and injure those caught doing evil.
*) There is a dark man that must wear sunglasses against the glare that is powerful and he also does not hesitate to kill and injure the bad people.
*) There is a literal man of steel, a man encased in a steel suit of armor that fights against evil.
*) There is a young man that claims to be a clone of Superman, although he hates being called Superboy.

Supergirl is romantically involved with Lex Luthor, there are evil gangs roaming the streets carrying weapons that can rattle even a Superman and several other superheroes such as the Green Lantern are involved. Throw in a plot to destroy Earth, a buxom vixen that lets a lot hang out and some excellent dialog and there are more than enough ingredients to make a lengthy and entertaining thriller. Of course you know beforehand that Superman returns and the Earth is saved but the journey to the conclusion makes that foreknowledge irrelevant. There is also a cheeky upskirt shot of Supergirl to titillate the fantasies of male readers.

For any Superman comic fan - get this book - it's GREAT! Even classic! Yes, there are five characters in this story who claim or appear to be Superman and only one of them is truly the real thing. Yes, the plot twists and turns as the story slowly reveals the natures of all the imposters. Yes, it is a great payoff in the end, with a happy ending. Read it as the conclusion to The Death of Superman and A World Without Superman.

My favorite parts are the origin of Steel and his connection to Supes, the Eradicator (who is a complex character - good/bad together), and the Cyborg character - wierd!!

Any complaints that too many characters spoil the story - I have to disagree and say that they all make you appreciate the true Superman and his good character when he finally shows up at the 2/3rd mark in the story.

And Supes with a mullet (long hair from being gone so long -- or because it was written in the early 90s) is just plain humorous. But it works fine for the story.

A huge book - fantastic value - and you'll blaze through it!!! This one definitely satisfies!

This is a great book that chronicles the period after "Funeral for a Friend" and shows the triumphant return of Superman after he was beaten up by Doomsday. The four imposter Supermen offer an exciting element of wonder and treachery to the story. This is a great buy.

This book collects the entire run of Reign of the Supermen. It's a got a long story but it still feels like the story could have gone on longer because it is well paced, interesting and you would wish to see and get to know more the men who tried to replace Superman. Also, it makes you want to know more the reaction of various people and supporting characters regarding the four Supermen. Something this story kind of lacks but the climax does satisfy me.