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April 18, 2013 9:53 PM Subscribe
The 75 greatest Superman stories of all-time: 75-26, 25-1
- celebrating the 75th anniversary of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's debut of the character in ACTION COMICS #1. Everything you need to know about Superman in four panels. The Actual Best Superman Writer Ever Happy Anniversary Lois Lane. The $130 Check That Bought Superman.
DC Comics' New Superman Credit: "By Special Arrangement With The Jerry Siegel Family"
posted by Artw at 10:48 PM on April 18, 2013
posted by Artw at 10:48 PM on April 18, 2013
Ok, that Superman punching Jesus in the Ty Templeton link is the best thing ever . . . except for maybe this . . .
FWIW, I have a ton of love for Grant Morrison's take on Supes (JLA, DC One Million, All-Star, Action), my personal favorite Superman story is Loeb & Sale's Superman For All Seasons. That was the comic that finally made me "get" Superman in terms of what makes the character work.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:55 PM on April 18, 2013
FWIW, I have a ton of love for Grant Morrison's take on Supes (JLA, DC One Million, All-Star, Action), my personal favorite Superman story is Loeb & Sale's Superman For All Seasons. That was the comic that finally made me "get" Superman in terms of what makes the character work.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:55 PM on April 18, 2013
DC Comics' New Superman Credit: "By Special Arrangement With The Jerry Siegel Family"
Dear lord, that's clunky and awkward. I hope it doesn't last.
Honestly, though, when it comes to creator credits, I'd just be happy to see "Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger" happen in my lifetime.
posted by maqsarian at 11:18 PM on April 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Dear lord, that's clunky and awkward. I hope it doesn't last.
Honestly, though, when it comes to creator credits, I'd just be happy to see "Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger" happen in my lifetime.
posted by maqsarian at 11:18 PM on April 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
<3 the post title. That page is everything an origin story should be.
posted by CrystalDave at 11:55 PM on April 18, 2013
posted by CrystalDave at 11:55 PM on April 18, 2013
Have we already had the link to the trailer of the new movie? Looks decent, though, Zach Snyder.
posted by Sebmojo at 12:47 AM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sebmojo at 12:47 AM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Gods, that "75 greatest Superman stories of all-time" is awful. Far too many recent storylines, far too many event stories, things like Crisis on Infinite Earths which is not even a Superman story in the first place (but is rather a story in which Superman plays a part), Man of Steel in the top 5?
posted by MartinWisse at 1:30 AM on April 19, 2013
posted by MartinWisse at 1:30 AM on April 19, 2013
This thread is incomplete without a mention of "Superman vs Muhammad Ali."
I love that book.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:04 AM on April 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
I love that book.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:04 AM on April 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
Far too many recent storylines
More than half of them are over 30 years old. Almost half of them are over forty years old.
far too many event stories
There's a few of them - and I agree Crisis shouldn't be considered "a Superman story," that's a bit of a cheat to say the least. But there aren't that many.
Man of Steel in the top 5
The ideas advanced by Man of Steel were subversive and in many cases redefined the characters entirely - Clark became more human in his outlook, Krypton got more alien, Lois got tougher, Lex's morphing into "business tycoon" changed him from being just an evil scientist into an evil Renaissance man who was good at absolutely everything and thoroughly improved the character - and it's a good set of stories to boot. It absolutely deserves its top ten ranking.
Now, if you want to complain about something, complain that the absolutely dreadful Earth One made the list at all. That has negative Superman value.
posted by mightygodking at 7:45 AM on April 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
More than half of them are over 30 years old. Almost half of them are over forty years old.
far too many event stories
There's a few of them - and I agree Crisis shouldn't be considered "a Superman story," that's a bit of a cheat to say the least. But there aren't that many.
Man of Steel in the top 5
The ideas advanced by Man of Steel were subversive and in many cases redefined the characters entirely - Clark became more human in his outlook, Krypton got more alien, Lois got tougher, Lex's morphing into "business tycoon" changed him from being just an evil scientist into an evil Renaissance man who was good at absolutely everything and thoroughly improved the character - and it's a good set of stories to boot. It absolutely deserves its top ten ranking.
Now, if you want to complain about something, complain that the absolutely dreadful Earth One made the list at all. That has negative Superman value.
posted by mightygodking at 7:45 AM on April 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
I really don't like Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Technically it's got some great bits - even Alan Moore at his meh-est can't help but do good characterization and gripping moments - but ultimately, to me it's just a hollow killfest. It feels dirty to see Curt Swan drawing someone's spine get snapped. And then it's wrapped up in a chummy wink. Sure, it's an imaginary story (Aren't they all?) but tonally it's all over the place and leaves me with a gross feeling whenever I read it.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:19 AM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:19 AM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
I like it, especially the ending, but For The Man Who Has Everything is the better Moore Superman story.
posted by Artw at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2013
posted by Artw at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2013
Google is telling me goodcomics.comicbookresouces.com is a Reported Attack Page. Anyone know anything about that?
posted by bryon at 8:53 PM on April 19, 2013
posted by bryon at 8:53 PM on April 19, 2013
Yeah, the warning was coming up on Robot 6.
From Robot 6's twitter: Security warnings have been dealt with on the blog. Awaiting Google's removal of warning page. Apologies for any inconvenience.
posted by maqsarian at 10:08 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
From Robot 6's twitter: Security warnings have been dealt with on the blog. Awaiting Google's removal of warning page. Apologies for any inconvenience.
posted by maqsarian at 10:08 PM on April 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best Art Ever (This Week) - Superman 75th Anniversary Edition
posted by Artw at 10:00 AM on April 20, 2013
posted by Artw at 10:00 AM on April 20, 2013
The ideas advanced by Man of Steel were subversive and in many cases redefined the characters entirely - Clark became more human in his outlook, Krypton got more alien, Lois got tougher, Lex's morphing into "business tycoon" changed him from being just an evil scientist into an evil Renaissance man who was good at absolutely everything and thoroughly improved the character - and it's a good set of stories to boot. It absolutely deserves its top ten ranking.
Yeah. it's important, but it's not a good Superman story. It's the Marvelisation of Superman, where Luthor becomes a secondrate Kingpin, Kal-El gets Peter Parker's angst, Krypton was changed from guiding beacon of civilisation into a cold and sterile planet nobody misses (and which was ripped off from the movies as well), while Superman stops being humanity's hero and becomes America's cheerleader.
With a few exceptions, there haven't been any real Superman stories since 1986 and Man of Steel is to blame for it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:16 AM on April 20, 2013
Yeah. it's important, but it's not a good Superman story. It's the Marvelisation of Superman, where Luthor becomes a secondrate Kingpin, Kal-El gets Peter Parker's angst, Krypton was changed from guiding beacon of civilisation into a cold and sterile planet nobody misses (and which was ripped off from the movies as well), while Superman stops being humanity's hero and becomes America's cheerleader.
With a few exceptions, there haven't been any real Superman stories since 1986 and Man of Steel is to blame for it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:16 AM on April 20, 2013
I really don't like Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow.
I thought I was the only one. It's not so much that it was a "killfest", as the imaginary stories always had their share of death and destruction, but that it took the lazy way of making Mister Mxyzptlk from a prankster imp into a deadly psychotic manipulator, making every other Superman villain into his puppets.
And yet, large parts of it are perfect and having Lana Lang and Jimmy Olsen and Krypto all sacrifising themselves defending Superman was just perfect, sends a chill down my spine every time I read it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:23 AM on April 20, 2013
I thought I was the only one. It's not so much that it was a "killfest", as the imaginary stories always had their share of death and destruction, but that it took the lazy way of making Mister Mxyzptlk from a prankster imp into a deadly psychotic manipulator, making every other Superman villain into his puppets.
And yet, large parts of it are perfect and having Lana Lang and Jimmy Olsen and Krypto all sacrifising themselves defending Superman was just perfect, sends a chill down my spine every time I read it.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:23 AM on April 20, 2013
Federal Judge Affirms DC's Ownership Of Superboy, Multimillion Dollar Payout to Siegel Heirs
posted by Artw at 11:23 AM on April 20, 2013
posted by Artw at 11:23 AM on April 20, 2013
Have we already had the link to the trailer of the new movie? Looks decent, though, Zach Snyder.
Screencaps
posted by homunculus at 2:05 PM on April 20, 2013
Screencaps
posted by homunculus at 2:05 PM on April 20, 2013
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Alan Moore's For the Man Who Has Everything was awesome. As was his tale of Superman and Swamp Thing, in The Jungle Line. And Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? ("Lana? They hurt Lana!")
Although, for my money, the two greatest Superman stories were primarily about his worst enemy, Lex Luthor. The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman (mano-a-mano, under the red sun)! And, greatest of all, as noted in the post, The Death of Superman. (Lex Luthor as the Man in the Glass Booth. An arrogant monster. "Puny insects!")
My favorite Superboy story, however, is The Impossible Mission. Young Clark Kent travels back in time to prevent the assassination of Lincoln. The parsimony of this story, in which one time traveler defeats another, so that neither one can affect history, is very clever.
posted by SPrintF at 10:39 PM on April 18, 2013 [3 favorites]