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Superman - the Man of Steel 9 Paperback – November 1, 2016

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

Superman has always battled a wide array of powerful and strange villains, but none as unique as Mister Mxyzptlk! This imp from the fifth dimension doesn’t want to destroy the Man of Steel—he just wants to drive him nuts! Once Mxy is taken care of, Superman must deal with the return of Metallo, the all-new Doom Patrol and the strange science created by Cadmus. While all of this is happening a strange ship crashes to Earth and changes the world forever.

Ever since Clark Kent learned that he was a strange visitor from the planet Krypton he believed himself to be the last survivor of a doomed civilization. That is all about to change when he discovers the existence of other Kryptonians. Now, after seeing the destruction they have wrought, Superman must battle his own people and bring them to justice. And who, or what, is the mysterious being who calls herself Supergirl?

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Byrne deserves credit for ending his run well. A masterpiece of a story, its consequences would ripple through the next year of the Superman titles." -- Julian Darius

"Jerry Ordway is the unsung hero of the Superman team." --
Jake Franklin

"Roger Stern [is] probably the best super-hero writer of the 80's and 90's." --
Paul Greer

"From 1986 to around 1993, the Superman titles were the most consistently well-written comics around." --
Matt Hawes

"As controversial as Byrne's final story was, it led to some wonderful stories which seriously examined the decision made by Superman." --
Sean Hogan

"I want this line of trades to keep going. Getting as much of the Post-Crisis era of Superman into collected edition is important ... we've been very fortunate with the collections that have come out recently and I want to see that luck continue. [November] can't get here fast enough." --
Michael Bailey

"[The] Stern-written chapters were always top-notch. Here's the awesome thing about Roger Stern ... I never noticed his name .... he didn't have the tropes that made me think "Who wrote this?" [He] let the characters take center stage. But one day, I looked at my collection and noticed that I had a LOT of Roger Stern-written comics, and that with very few exceptions, I unabashedly loved them all." --
Duy Tano

"It's taken more than a decade, but DC's finally giving us the final volume of John Byrne's 1980s run on
Superman. I'd love to see this series keep going with the next wave of creative teams, which included folks like Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, and Kerry Gammill, among others. The whole 'Gangbuster' storyline that bridges the gap between the end of Byrne's run and the 'Exile' storyline (where George Perez briefly joined the fold) made for some solid reading, too." -- Andrew W. Farago

From the Back Cover

Superman has always battled a wide array of powerful and strange villains, but none as unique as Mister Mxyzptlik! This imp from the fifth dimension doesn't want to destroy the Man of Steel -- he just wants to drive him nuts! Once Mxy is taken care of, Superman must deal with the return of Metallo, the all-new Doom Patrol, and the strange science created by Cadmus. While all of this is happening, a strange ship crashes to Earth and changes the world forever.

Ever since Clark Kent learned that he was a strange visitor from the planet Krypton, he believed himself to be the last survivor of a doomed civilization. That is about to change when he discovers the existence of other Kryptonians. Now, after seeing the destruction they have wrought, Superman must battle his own people and bring them to justice. And who, or what, is the mysterious being who calls herself Supergirl?

Famed for his runs on Marvel Comics' The Uncanny X-Men and The Fantastic Four, John Byrne reimagined Superman for a new age before going on to chronicle the exploits of Wonder Woman, the Doom Patrol and the Demon for DC Comics. This volume presents the epic conclusion to his critically acclaimed run on the Man of Steel, with contributions from comics creators Jerry Ordway (THE POWER OF SHAZAM!), Roger Stern (LEGIONNAIRES), Ron Frenz (Spider-Man), and more!

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dc Comics (November 1, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1401266371
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1401266370
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

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Roger Stern
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Roger Stern has written for radio, television, the stage, and the Internet, creating scripts for everything from sketch comedy to flash-animation. For ten years, he was the senior writer of the Superman series for DC Comics. Stern has written hundreds of stories about such diverse characters as Green Lantern, Supergirl, Starman, the Atom, and the Justice League for DC Comics; and Spider-Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and the Avengers for Marvel. His first prose novel, The Death and Life of Superman, was a New York Times bestseller.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
96 global ratings
The Final Man Of Steel Volume At Last
5 out of 5 stars
The Final Man Of Steel Volume At Last
John Bryne's run on Superman lasted two years but it has taken D.C. over 10 Years to collect it. Now at last after a wait of almost three years since Volume 8, is the conclusion.This volume is bargain priced at under $20 for a 280 page thick book. The format is similar in paper stock to Marvel's Epic Collections. For whatever reason we get no page numbers. The quality printing is sharp and the colors are vibrant. Since Action Comics had become a Weekly Anthology series the Superman books where then demoted to Superman (the new Reboot) we get four issues here Superman #19-22 plus four issues of The Adventures Of Superman ( the former Superman title ) #441-444. Plus we get the oversized Superman Annual #2 and tie in comic Doom Patrol #10.The regular Superman book was written and illustrated by John Bryne while Adventures was written by Bryne and illustrated by Jerry Ordway from a plot by both. There is one exception to that with one Adventures solo written by Ordway with art by a third party.The Adventures of Superman (TAOS) #441 starts out with a whimsical funny story with Mister Mxyptlik.Superman #19 & TAOS # 442 is a two parter which introduces the villain Dreadnaught and guest stars the JLA. In this saga Bryne brings back the deceased Supergirl for the main back story running through this volume.Next up we get a two part crossover with the Kansas City version of Doom Patrol. This story runs in Doom Patrol #10 and Superman #20. The Doom Patrol issue is written by Paul Kupperberg and illustrated by the Dragon's Erik Larsen. Not sure the Doom Patrol issue needs to be collected here since Supes only appears in the final pages. But it does give you the villains background, but the Doom Patrol subplots might leave you perplexed and are unresolved here.Next up is TAOS #443. During this Man Of Steel run of Superman Bryne was involved in a whopping 68 Superman stories. But there were 14 stories in which Bryne had no input. This is one of them. Written by Ordway and illustrated by John Statema this is an overly wordy story about a lost alien race in the Far East.Next up is three part Supergirl Saga which ran in Superman #21, #22 and TAOS #444. It is a pretty great farewell story which features Lana Lang, Pete Ross, Lex Luther, Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, Oliver Queen and The Legion Of Superheroes all appear. The villains are General Zod and The Phantom Zone crew.Finally we wind up with oversized Superman Annual #2. It is from two creators who soon be involved in the next run on the book, Roger Stern and Ron Frenz. It is a fun story about Project Cadmus which features the Guardian and The Newsboy Legion. Bryne does a solo back up story with Maggie Sawyer. We also get 4 Who's Who pages.While I won't expend a bunch of Hyperbole and say this is the best run of Superman, I will say that when the two year run of John Byrne was coming out, it was the most excited I have ever been in the character. It is a fantastic run from start to finish and can now be in every fan's Library.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
I missed these books when they first came out. Good to get them now.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2016
This volume collects the tail end of John Byrne's Superman run from the late '80s. The first few stories are unremarkable (although they do provide a definitive answer who would win if Superman fought Mighty Mouse). The real treat here is that the issues comprising "The Supergirl Saga" are finally collected; this is the storyline that finally introduced a post-Crisis version of Supergirl and the Phantom Zone criminals such as Gen. Zod. The explanation for these characters is pretty convoluted, since the creators seem to be trying to "have their Kryptonian cake and eat it too" (owing to DC's editorial policies of the time, which eliminated most of the weird sci-Fi elements of the Silver Age), but the story's (and artwork's) strength overshadows that, in a dark, "Twilight Zone"-inspired tale that should provide solid evidence for the ongoing "Superman should/should never kill" debate. My only criticism of this volume is that there are several places where the dialogue is unreadable due to its disappearing into the spine of the book.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2018
This is where John Byrne bows out, leading into what I believe to be the greatest decade of superman comics of all time 1989-1999 an experimental and daring time with a lot of talented writers and artists playing with the world of metropolis in ways nobody has done since. But that all starts here, this final volume of Byrne's legendary reconstruction of the Man of Steel is central to everything that comes after it. The final arc, The Pocket Universe saga and it's controversial conclusion has had ramifications for decades. It's a masterful story and a great note for Byrne to leave on.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2019
I loved this storyline back in the day! I’m so glad I purchased this collection! I remember when Supergirl came back and was excited to see how it would play out, plus John Byrne’s run on Superman was priceless!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2017
The final Man of Steel book reprinting the stories by John Byrne of the mid to late 80's. I no longer have the original comic books, now having his complete Superman run (along with his complete Fantastic Four run) makes me remember why I was such a fan of his at this time. This is really good stuff!
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022
You didn't say there would be stickers, thanks......
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017
Several tale of Superman and his bizarre advantages. From the being from the fifth dimension to alternate reality. To trouble an earth , to in the unverse. These words are not enough to explain it a few short words! Only reader them can explain them!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
Great read, nice book! The finale to Byrne's late 1980s run on Superman. The story is a little overly-complex with the introduction of a new Supergirl and Lex Luthor from an alternate universe. Soon after, Zod and other villains arrive as well and Superman is forced to make the ultimate choice to save his world! Highly recommended!
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Roberto Chiñas Pérez
5.0 out of 5 stars La mejor etapa de Superman
Reviewed in Mexico on May 11, 2021
Los mejores autores de los comics están en este tomo: Byrne, Ordway, Larsen... el mejor Superman de toda su historia, no tiene desperdicio, si coleccionas comics, estos tomos son perfectos...
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars otimo
Reviewed in Brazil on August 8, 2018
perfeito
Disteenguished_Monstoor
5.0 out of 5 stars The Semi-End of an Era
Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2016
John Byrne: as a reader I was right there with you through all of this, thanks for the memories! And DC, thanks for finally completing the reprints!
M3Gr1ml0ck
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic, bitter, unforgettable John Byrne
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2016
The choice of rebooting Superman (in 1986) as the true last son of Krypton was bold but also troublesome, as it "killed" Superboy, Supergirl, Krypto (well, it's not like they belong to the same species, but still..), and had other repercussions that John Byrneh had to face in some delightfully overbrained issues (the Legion of Superheroes storyline). Now that continuity-fixing story comes back in the most unexpecting way, delivering an amazingly powerful and unfortgettabe finale for Byrne's run: the birth of the new Supergirl, the return of Zod and his soldiers, the planetary genocide of Earth-- these somberly desperate, bitter and hopeless pages are the stuff epic is made of!
The volume also offers some not-so-great stories written by Jerry Ordway, who does his best but is honestly an accountant trying to tell superhero stories, plus the first of Roger Stern's stories for this version of Supreman. Stern is an accurte, althought somewhat predicable writer, and Ron Frenz is an aquired taste (at least in my opinion), so I suppose I will give the next volume a try (if there will be one).
Mr. J. B. I. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Superman is awesome
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2023
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