OSCK Superman Fans of Smallville

A Hero Embraces His Destiny



Here are some Superman comics that Red Jacket Defenders recommend as required reading to understanding the mythology that SMALLVILLE will be crashing into once the series ends!



Superman Birthright - Superman's origins have been imagined and reimagined over the years. Here is a new take on the character's roots. Superman: Birthright retells the early chapters of Superman's story, from escape as an infant from the doomed planet Krypton to arrival as reporter Clark Kent at the Daily Planet and his first public exploits. Writer Waid puts his own spin on the legend, rethinking nearly every aspect of the venerable character while remaining respectful of his established history. Waid wisely integrates ideas from the popular TV series smallville but doesn't slavishly follow its innovations; for instance, a young Lex Luthor befriends Clark in high school, but unlike in the series, his sinister nature is clear even then. Waid similarly tweaks the rest of the well-known cast, from Lois Lane and Clark's other Planet colleagues to Ma and Pa Kent. Ironically, though he updates the character, Waid evokes Superman's pre-World War II incarnation, whom his Depression-reared creators kept engaged in righting society's ills. Leinil Francis Yu's stylized artwork is expressively dynamic to the point of caricature, but this larger-than-life visual approach befits the retelling of a myth. Gordon Flagg

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Superman: Man of Steel and any of the specials from around that time (1986). The Kryptonians, Metropolis, etc. Superman:MOS is available in paperback.Man of Steel recasts Superman in more dynamic terms without changing the core of what was there before, borrowing especially from the early comics as well as the television series and movies, all to create a new take on the hero that just feels familiar. Reading Man of Steel is like reading the biography of an old friend. Ultimately, that's the whole key to Superman, isn't it? For someone with such godlike powers, he has to be likable and familiar, otherwise we couldn't possibly relate.

There are 4 more volumes in this series.

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The Death of Superman (1992) was DC's bestselling Superman (#75) comic ever. The massive 11-issue crossover among four different series (Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, Action Comics, and Justice League of America) introduces an unstoppable alien named Doomsday who creates a path of destruction on his way to the heart of Metropolis and whom Superman must stop at any cost.

(This is also available in the The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus.)

Story by Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson and Jerry Ordway.

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Superman: Sacrifice (The OMAC Project) (Infinite Crisis) (Paperback) The pivotal story that forever alters the relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman is collected here for the first time. Max Lord has taken over Supermans mind and has him in his total thrall. With his peers and loved ones threatened, Superman is helpless. But not Wonder Womanwho must battle past the Man of Steel and decisively end the threat.Her actions, and the repercussions, are explored in this controversial saga that leads into INFINITE CRISIS.

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