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Superman Post-Crisis #50
Superman: Ending Battle
Can Superman save his friends and family now that his secret identity has been revealed?
Superman's secret identity has only ever been known to a select few. That all changed the day Manchester Black, a gifted telekinetic, uncovered Clark Kent's alter-ego, setting in motion one of the hardest days in Superman's life.
Looking to avenge his prior defeat at the hands of Superman, Manchester Black amasses an army of super-villains. Over the course of 24 hours, Black's army of villains systematically attack all those close to Superman until they meet in an epic showdown.
Collects SUPERMAN #185-186, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #608-609, THE MAN OF STEEL #130-131, ACTION COMICS #795-796.
Superman's secret identity has only ever been known to a select few. That all changed the day Manchester Black, a gifted telekinetic, uncovered Clark Kent's alter-ego, setting in motion one of the hardest days in Superman's life.
Looking to avenge his prior defeat at the hands of Superman, Manchester Black amasses an army of super-villains. Over the course of 24 hours, Black's army of villains systematically attack all those close to Superman until they meet in an epic showdown.
Collects SUPERMAN #185-186, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #608-609, THE MAN OF STEEL #130-131, ACTION COMICS #795-796.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2009
8 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,718 books2,409 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 21, 2023
Whilst it struggles to execute a coherent and interesting plot, Johns manages to nail some of the character moments that are scattered amongst the garbage fire narrative. In between the incessant fighting and combat, Superman is allowed to have moments where his personality shines through, a reminder to the reader why they decided to pick up a Superman comic in the first place. That's not to say it always works. Great character work can easily be suffocated and undermined by a bad story, and that's what happens here a lot of the time. An unfortunate drop of the ball, there are way better Supes stories out there.
May 29, 2021
This was pretty okay and its like one of those Batman Hush type stories where all of Clark villains start attacking his friends and family as they know now that Clark is Superman and so its a race and constant battle to save his close ones and in between that you see him fighting all his greatest villains and its a challenge and some of them particularly Neutron are a challenge and even Lex knows and its a fun face off there and then we come to know of the man behind it all: Manchester BLACK. So its upto Clark to fight through them all and save his wife and will he be forced to abandon his morals and become his "Injustice" version? Its a good story in that sense as it shows will Superman break and does a good job answering. My only complain is that since it has too many writers the writing gets mucky and weird when the writing switches but overall a good concept not the best but Johns portions were cool and then the ending wow! The art was decent throughout!
March 14, 2024
... One of the worst Superman stories I think I've ever read.
To start with, it's a bloated, vapid mess. Five of these eight issues are wasted on trotting out a cavalcade of random supervillains for the Man of Steel to fight-- all of whom are witless pawns in Manchester Black's overall scheme. So none of them have any real motivation for doing what they're doing... making Superman's inevitable DEFEAT of them ring hollow and pointless. It's five issues of filler, achieving nothing more than to satisfy Geoff Johns' fetish for dragging forgotten villains like Master Jailer and Neutron out of mothballs.
Now, there IS one pretty good issue in here: a Joe Kelly Action Comics where Supes confronts Lex Luthor-- discovering that Lex knows his secret identity, but then realizing he's NOT the mastermind behind the villain attacks. It's a wonderful confrontation, but it doesn't last very long before the villain brigade ropes Superman back into another boring fight. (Sadly, any real consequences to Lex learning Clark's secret are never explored, as he has his mind wiped at the end of the story.)
But the last two issues of this arc are genuinely shameful. It's two straight issues of shocking cruelty, nihilism, and violence... all to end on the exact same moral lesson that "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" conveyed in a single issue, WITHOUT psychically torturing Lois Lane.
How fitting that this shallow, mean-spirited junk would be the final wrap-up for the Jeph Loeb/Joe Kelly era: a period of Superman stories desperate to prove how cool and relevant they were, but without anything substantive going on under the surface. This story is the apotheosis of gimmick-y millennial comic book garbage.
To start with, it's a bloated, vapid mess. Five of these eight issues are wasted on trotting out a cavalcade of random supervillains for the Man of Steel to fight-- all of whom are witless pawns in Manchester Black's overall scheme. So none of them have any real motivation for doing what they're doing... making Superman's inevitable DEFEAT of them ring hollow and pointless. It's five issues of filler, achieving nothing more than to satisfy Geoff Johns' fetish for dragging forgotten villains like Master Jailer and Neutron out of mothballs.
Now, there IS one pretty good issue in here: a Joe Kelly Action Comics where Supes confronts Lex Luthor-- discovering that Lex knows his secret identity, but then realizing he's NOT the mastermind behind the villain attacks. It's a wonderful confrontation, but it doesn't last very long before the villain brigade ropes Superman back into another boring fight. (Sadly, any real consequences to Lex learning Clark's secret are never explored, as he has his mind wiped at the end of the story.)
But the last two issues of this arc are genuinely shameful. It's two straight issues of shocking cruelty, nihilism, and violence... all to end on the exact same moral lesson that "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" conveyed in a single issue, WITHOUT psychically torturing Lois Lane.
How fitting that this shallow, mean-spirited junk would be the final wrap-up for the Jeph Loeb/Joe Kelly era: a period of Superman stories desperate to prove how cool and relevant they were, but without anything substantive going on under the surface. This story is the apotheosis of gimmick-y millennial comic book garbage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2024
Superman: Ending Battle
Someone has worked out that Superman is Clark Kent and, one by one, Kent's friends and family are targeted by supervising out for revenge. Even when he discovers who is behind this scheme, Superman is tested to his absolute limits and despairs that, at his darkest, he may not be able to do the right thing.
A fantastic book. Almost faultless. The red herrings have been well set up and Johns has finally shown Superman at his breaking point. The artwork and attention to detail is superb and the return to the red and yellow "S" shield feels earned and is a sign of better things to come.
Someone has worked out that Superman is Clark Kent and, one by one, Kent's friends and family are targeted by supervising out for revenge. Even when he discovers who is behind this scheme, Superman is tested to his absolute limits and despairs that, at his darkest, he may not be able to do the right thing.
A fantastic book. Almost faultless. The red herrings have been well set up and Johns has finally shown Superman at his breaking point. The artwork and attention to detail is superb and the return to the red and yellow "S" shield feels earned and is a sign of better things to come.
August 27, 2025
"Ending Battle" є сюжетом 2002 року який відбувався у всіх серіях Супермена. Над сценарієм працювали Джеф Джонс, Марк Шульц, Джо Кейсі та Джо Келлі.
Історія розпочинається з того, що на Піта Роса та Лану Ленґ, яка тоді була його дружиною, нападають двоє поганців, Супс рятує їх та перемагає нападників, але дуже швидко стає зрозуміло, що усі близькі Кларку Кенту люди є в небезпеці і що хто б за цим не стояв він знає, що Кларк це Супермен. І впродовж наступних номерів Супс рятує своїх знайомих та вступає у сутички з лиходіями різної категорії.
І загалом якби цей сюжет до самого кінця був таким, то я б його описав, як непоганий, фановий, але дещо простуватий, який легко та ненапряжно читається. З головних плюсів можу виділити 4 номер історії в якому Супс знаходить Лекса оскільки думає, що він за всім стоїть, і президент США справді знає, що Супермен це Кларк Кент, однак не він стоїть за цим, ба ба більше, Лютор сам опиняється під прицілом... Еліти. Угу, як виявляється за всім стоїть Манчестер Блек, який вирішив помститися Супсу за "What's So Funny". Також сподобалося дуже класна сутичка Супса з Монґулом, Бізаро, якого Блек зробив розумним, Срібною Банші та Майстер Джейлером, про якого я вперше дізнався тут.
З мінусів я, мабуть виділю лінію з політиком у номерах Кейсі, який виступає проти металюдей і каже, що вони творять все що захочуть, не знаю, мені здалося це досить зайвим. А також рішення Лоїс покинути сховок просто тому, що так треба сюжету, попри те, що в попередніх номерах вона сама переконувала людей, що у сховку потрібно залишитися.
Однак я готовий закрити очі на це через Action Comics #796 від Джо Келлі, який є останнім номером в цьому сюжеті і який інакше як розйоб та велич не опишеш. У ньому нарешті відбувається конфронтація між Супсом та Блеком і більше я не скажу тому, що це треба прочитати самому.
Знаєте, не кожен персонаж і не кожен комікс здатен подарувати настільки сильні емоції після яких так і хочеться сказати: "саме заради цього я читаю комікси". Однак Супермену вкотре вдалося змусити мене це сказати.
"Ending Battle" більшу частину часу є доволі простуватим, але фановим сюжетом, в якому Супермен бореться з ордою різних поганців, однак коли настає пора фінального акту то він стріляє з усіх гармат і я однозначно раджу цей сюжет, як мінімум через цей фінал.
Історія розпочинається з того, що на Піта Роса та Лану Ленґ, яка тоді була його дружиною, нападають двоє поганців, Супс рятує їх та перемагає нападників, але дуже швидко стає зрозуміло, що усі близькі Кларку Кенту люди є в небезпеці і що хто б за цим не стояв він знає, що Кларк це Супермен. І впродовж наступних номерів Супс рятує своїх знайомих та вступає у сутички з лиходіями різної категорії.
І загалом якби цей сюжет до самого кінця був таким, то я б його описав, як непоганий, фановий, але дещо простуватий, який легко та ненапряжно читається. З головних плюсів можу виділити 4 номер історії в якому Супс знаходить Лекса оскільки думає, що він за всім стоїть, і президент США справді знає, що Супермен це Кларк Кент, однак не він стоїть за цим, ба ба більше, Лютор сам опиняється під прицілом... Еліти. Угу, як виявляється за всім стоїть Манчестер Блек, який вирішив помститися Супсу за "What's So Funny". Також сподобалося дуже класна сутичка Супса з Монґулом, Бізаро, якого Блек зробив розумним, Срібною Банші та Майстер Джейлером, про якого я вперше дізнався тут.
З мінусів я, мабуть виділю лінію з політиком у номерах Кейсі, який виступає проти металюдей і каже, що вони творять все що захочуть, не знаю, мені здалося це досить зайвим. А також рішення Лоїс покинути сховок просто тому, що так треба сюжету, попри те, що в попередніх номерах вона сама переконувала людей, що у сховку потрібно залишитися.
Однак я готовий закрити очі на це через Action Comics #796 від Джо Келлі, який є останнім номером в цьому сюжеті і який інакше як розйоб та велич не опишеш. У ньому нарешті відбувається конфронтація між Супсом та Блеком і більше я не скажу тому, що це треба прочитати самому.
Знаєте, не кожен персонаж і не кожен комікс здатен подарувати настільки сильні емоції після яких так і хочеться сказати: "саме заради цього я читаю комікси". Однак Супермену вкотре вдалося змусити мене це сказати.
"Ending Battle" більшу частину часу є доволі простуватим, але фановим сюжетом, в якому Супермен бореться з ордою різних поганців, однак коли настає пора фінального акту то він стріляє з усіх гармат і я однозначно раджу цей сюжет, як мінімум через цей фінал.
July 24, 2024
An interesting premise that loses steam a bit through the middle, but the ending was fantastic.
Spoilers:
Manchester Black is one of the best and most underrated Superman villains. He was amazing in this.
Spoilers:
Manchester Black is one of the best and most underrated Superman villains. He was amazing in this.
September 1, 2014
Ye gods this is disjointed.
Basically 7 or 8 issues of.
HERE IS A HUGE VILLAIN RANDOMLY APPEARING FROM SUPERMANS PAST!
THEY FIGHT!
SUPERMAN PUNCHES THE VILLAIN AND WINS!
HERE IS ANOTHER HUGE VILLAIN FROM SUPERMANS PAST!
PUNCH!
WIN!
Until the escalating cascade of 40 or 50 villain/punch combos brings us to the final villain of the piece, who Superman defeats BY NOT PUNCHING!
It's like, symbolic, innit.
Tosh.
Basically 7 or 8 issues of.
HERE IS A HUGE VILLAIN RANDOMLY APPEARING FROM SUPERMANS PAST!
THEY FIGHT!
SUPERMAN PUNCHES THE VILLAIN AND WINS!
HERE IS ANOTHER HUGE VILLAIN FROM SUPERMANS PAST!
PUNCH!
WIN!
Until the escalating cascade of 40 or 50 villain/punch combos brings us to the final villain of the piece, who Superman defeats BY NOT PUNCHING!
It's like, symbolic, innit.
Tosh.
July 25, 2012
Though this story was much darker then I like my Superman stories to be, it truly spoke to the character of Superman and what he stands for.
January 31, 2021
Again a comics that you can avoid. The art is horrendous and all over the place. Was never able to finish this.
May 26, 2024
This was such a disappointment. I don't understand the point of making superheroes fight their entire roster like this its so boring and bland. But hey, at least you can't call it a Batman Hush knockoff, since this was going on at just about the exact same time.
This was just a nothing book that had Superman fight his rogues gallery of characters like Neutron, Atomic Skull, Jail Master, Mongul, Silver Banshee, the Elite, Bizarro, and more characters (some more memorable than others). The new suit is kind of fun, the red and black insignia, a darker blue pallet, and the black "s" on his back instead of the more comforting yellow. Definitely reflects what you're about to read: a grim dark take on a beloved character that is known for being about positivity and light.
Superman calling people idiots felt kind of odd, but it didn't really break the story. Superman wanting to lock somebody behind bars forever kind of did. Part of the Superman ideology is that anyone can change, even some of the most despicable enemies he's faced. Putting them in jail so they'll "never breathe fresh air again" (something he actually says in this book) is so out of character for one of the most thoughtful and compassionate people in all of fiction.
I am not a Geoff Johns fan. But he and Kelly might be some of the better writers in this story, for all their flaws. Johns was able to get some Superman elements right, but he heightened everything up, just like he normally does for the DC characters he writes. Everything's a bit of a parody of itself, to the point where you feel like you're reading someone trying to DESCRIBE these characters to you, not show you who they are with their actions and dialogue.
Kelly wrote a great scene between Lex and Clark in the middle of the arc. I happen to think that when Kelly has a good vision of what to write, he actually writes a damn good story. Some of his stuff in the early 00s had a lot of my favorite moments for Superman. And seeing Lex know Clark and Superman are one and the same is a really fun dynamic to play around with, something that Kelly really worked with. Too bad it doesn't change anything in the dynamic since his mind is wiped at the end of the book.
I HATED what they did here to Lois. At the end of the book, when the villain behind all of this is revealed, they show all this miserable stuff happening to Lois, as well as a scene similar to what Ron gets in the 7th Harry Potter book with Hermione and Harry, but instead its Clark and Wonder Woman. Blech. The worst type of pairing in the history of the DC mythos, can't some coworkers just be friends and not want to bang each other? Clark and Diana have NOTHING in common other than their super powers being vaguely similar.
But more importantly, it sucks to see such a strong female protagonist like Lois insecure about Diana, and also being like tortured by her father??? Wtf. It really shows what the men writing these books knew about great female characters, which is to say nothing since Lois is put in some really shitty moments in this book. That and every time she talks its about her spouse more or less. Too bad, I love a Lois who's confident and speaks her mind, but is also thoughtful and a great judge of character. She's perfect for Clark which is why its so nice to see them married and interact constantly.
I liked how Clark asked Lois to call around and let his loved ones know they were in danger, it shows the difference between someone like him and Bruce. Batman Hush shows Bruce in a spot where he wants to solve things on his own, to be independent as usual. Clark brings his loved ones together when he knows how serious this foe is going to be. It just shows who Superman is in this book and its a rare character moment that shines through here.
Anyway, I probably won't read this one any time soon, if ever again, because it was rough.
This was just a nothing book that had Superman fight his rogues gallery of characters like Neutron, Atomic Skull, Jail Master, Mongul, Silver Banshee, the Elite, Bizarro, and more characters (some more memorable than others). The new suit is kind of fun, the red and black insignia, a darker blue pallet, and the black "s" on his back instead of the more comforting yellow. Definitely reflects what you're about to read: a grim dark take on a beloved character that is known for being about positivity and light.
Superman calling people idiots felt kind of odd, but it didn't really break the story. Superman wanting to lock somebody behind bars forever kind of did. Part of the Superman ideology is that anyone can change, even some of the most despicable enemies he's faced. Putting them in jail so they'll "never breathe fresh air again" (something he actually says in this book) is so out of character for one of the most thoughtful and compassionate people in all of fiction.
I am not a Geoff Johns fan. But he and Kelly might be some of the better writers in this story, for all their flaws. Johns was able to get some Superman elements right, but he heightened everything up, just like he normally does for the DC characters he writes. Everything's a bit of a parody of itself, to the point where you feel like you're reading someone trying to DESCRIBE these characters to you, not show you who they are with their actions and dialogue.
Kelly wrote a great scene between Lex and Clark in the middle of the arc. I happen to think that when Kelly has a good vision of what to write, he actually writes a damn good story. Some of his stuff in the early 00s had a lot of my favorite moments for Superman. And seeing Lex know Clark and Superman are one and the same is a really fun dynamic to play around with, something that Kelly really worked with. Too bad it doesn't change anything in the dynamic since his mind is wiped at the end of the book.
I HATED what they did here to Lois. At the end of the book, when the villain behind all of this is revealed, they show all this miserable stuff happening to Lois, as well as a scene similar to what Ron gets in the 7th Harry Potter book with Hermione and Harry, but instead its Clark and Wonder Woman. Blech. The worst type of pairing in the history of the DC mythos, can't some coworkers just be friends and not want to bang each other? Clark and Diana have NOTHING in common other than their super powers being vaguely similar.
But more importantly, it sucks to see such a strong female protagonist like Lois insecure about Diana, and also being like tortured by her father??? Wtf. It really shows what the men writing these books knew about great female characters, which is to say nothing since Lois is put in some really shitty moments in this book. That and every time she talks its about her spouse more or less. Too bad, I love a Lois who's confident and speaks her mind, but is also thoughtful and a great judge of character. She's perfect for Clark which is why its so nice to see them married and interact constantly.
I liked how Clark asked Lois to call around and let his loved ones know they were in danger, it shows the difference between someone like him and Bruce. Batman Hush shows Bruce in a spot where he wants to solve things on his own, to be independent as usual. Clark brings his loved ones together when he knows how serious this foe is going to be. It just shows who Superman is in this book and its a rare character moment that shines through here.
Anyway, I probably won't read this one any time soon, if ever again, because it was rough.
November 17, 2024
First of all, these artists are the laziest people I've ever had the unfortunate...misfortune (!) to read their work! What the hell was all that?? There were panels that were literally flashing lights and you're like, whutt?? Who?? Huh?? Who the heck hit that guy??
And the dialogue, oh my God. What the heck was all that?? TV presenter insulting Amanda Waller and a senator on live TV! Why?? Literal freaking insults just because! The other conversations were not much better! In fact, I think the only person I liked listening to was Bizarro (Bizarro Bizarro and clear headed Bizarro)...and that's saying a lot if that was the only person that managed to make some sense 🤦🏿♂️
As for the plot, yeah, it's dated. It's an old story, so, I'll let that pass. Do superheroes REALLY help us or do they just invite trouble by simply existing and then clean up the trouble? Should superheroes exist? Should superheroes kill? It's authors being all meta and in 2024, I'm tired of it. Either write good superhero stories without all your guilty philosophy or STOP writing superhero stories. Write something else.
But, like I said, it's dated. It must have felt like groundbreaking plotting back in 2002.
And Clark SCARED Mxyzptlk AWAY?? OK, as much as I hated that, it was a bit funny, gotta admit.
I think that's why I'm giving it 3 stars.
And the dialogue, oh my God. What the heck was all that?? TV presenter insulting Amanda Waller and a senator on live TV! Why?? Literal freaking insults just because! The other conversations were not much better! In fact, I think the only person I liked listening to was Bizarro (Bizarro Bizarro and clear headed Bizarro)...and that's saying a lot if that was the only person that managed to make some sense 🤦🏿♂️
As for the plot, yeah, it's dated. It's an old story, so, I'll let that pass. Do superheroes REALLY help us or do they just invite trouble by simply existing and then clean up the trouble? Should superheroes exist? Should superheroes kill? It's authors being all meta and in 2024, I'm tired of it. Either write good superhero stories without all your guilty philosophy or STOP writing superhero stories. Write something else.
But, like I said, it's dated. It must have felt like groundbreaking plotting back in 2002.
And Clark SCARED Mxyzptlk AWAY?? OK, as much as I hated that, it was a bit funny, gotta admit.
I think that's why I'm giving it 3 stars.
July 24, 2025
DNF- For now…
I can’t lie, as much as I loved Geoff John’s in the past, I blame stories like this on why people think Superman is boring. I swear one issue was literally back to back bad guy shows up causes havoc, dramatic Superman entrance to defeat so called villains with little to no adversity what so ever. Now respin that theory for 22 pages and you got yourself a snooze fest. I was enjoying one part though and that was Lois. Shes the goat, very little bad representations of her. The villains were cool… sometimes? I mean some of them showed up and I swear I had flashbacks to my elementary school doodles. Actually one time in Middle School we had a make a superhero/villain out of an element and I swear the one I made popped up in this book, I’d like a percentage of commission for that, lmao. The point is they’re boring mostly. I think my biggest gripe about this is it feels too safe. I didn’t feel Superman was in any real danger at all. Of course keep in account I didn’t make it all the way through.
The art, I’ve seen a lot of people crap on the art. Which I see their point but I really liked what little I read from Geoff John’s The Flash that I didn’t mind it so much. Besides that god awful suit. Holy cow, maybe Im just old fashioned but I HATE the symbol. It’s so boring!
Super unsatisfactory. 1/5
I can’t lie, as much as I loved Geoff John’s in the past, I blame stories like this on why people think Superman is boring. I swear one issue was literally back to back bad guy shows up causes havoc, dramatic Superman entrance to defeat so called villains with little to no adversity what so ever. Now respin that theory for 22 pages and you got yourself a snooze fest. I was enjoying one part though and that was Lois. Shes the goat, very little bad representations of her. The villains were cool… sometimes? I mean some of them showed up and I swear I had flashbacks to my elementary school doodles. Actually one time in Middle School we had a make a superhero/villain out of an element and I swear the one I made popped up in this book, I’d like a percentage of commission for that, lmao. The point is they’re boring mostly. I think my biggest gripe about this is it feels too safe. I didn’t feel Superman was in any real danger at all. Of course keep in account I didn’t make it all the way through.
The art, I’ve seen a lot of people crap on the art. Which I see their point but I really liked what little I read from Geoff John’s The Flash that I didn’t mind it so much. Besides that god awful suit. Holy cow, maybe Im just old fashioned but I HATE the symbol. It’s so boring!
Super unsatisfactory. 1/5
July 21, 2025
Outside of the anti-metahuman senator plot (I have to assume this was part of the larger Superman narrative at the time and I just haven’t read it, but I’ve never heard of this guy), I think this is a pretty top notch story. I love a comic where a hero has to run a gauntlet of their rogues. The collision of Superman with the life of Clark Kent here is really interesting. Always cool to see creative teams come together to pull off a coherent crossover. And the big reveal on who put it all together is something I won’t spoil here, but it’s one of my favorite Superman antagonists. Sure it’s a bit silly and “smashing action figures together” at times, but it’s a lot of fun and has a lot of great character work. The very end shows why Injustice Superman would never happen with the true Superman years before that game ever came out. Good stuff!
August 24, 2025
A Daredevil: Born Again-type story where Supes finds his life falling to pieces, motivated by a prime mover with a serious score to settle against the big red \S/. Spoiler: it's Manchester Black. I liked the slugfest issues, especially Adventures #608, but the last couple issues where he reveals himself were a miss for me. Black's whole thing is that he wants to push Superman to his breaking point, but that can't/won't/will never happen for the sake of Superman's ~85 year mythology. Fortunately, Black puts himself back on the shelf after this, probably for the best-- I just don't think he works as a recurring villain. Loved Derec Aucoin and Pasqual Ferry's artwork on this. Something about the way Ferry draws Metropolis really does it for me. And those Kevin Nowlan covers... wow!
July 31, 2017
Eu reconheço que não é a melhor história do Superman mas eu amo demais.
É assim que se faz um superman. O confronto final com o vilão da história, que não posso falar porque é legal se surpreender, é genial. Aquilo ali limpa o chão com Injustice e o Superman do DCEU.
Também é lindo os momentos onde a Lois descreve o Superman e diz porque o ama.
Ver o homem de aço ser colocado no limite de tudo, contra praticamente todos os seus vilões atacando quem ama é legal de se ver. Mostra o lado bom do personagem, o quanto ele se importa com todo mundo, até com os professores que ele teve na escola, mas mesmo assim, não vai matar por ninguém.
É assim que se faz um superman. O confronto final com o vilão da história, que não posso falar porque é legal se surpreender, é genial. Aquilo ali limpa o chão com Injustice e o Superman do DCEU.
Também é lindo os momentos onde a Lois descreve o Superman e diz porque o ama.
Ver o homem de aço ser colocado no limite de tudo, contra praticamente todos os seus vilões atacando quem ama é legal de se ver. Mostra o lado bom do personagem, o quanto ele se importa com todo mundo, até com os professores que ele teve na escola, mas mesmo assim, não vai matar por ninguém.
July 9, 2023
Manchester Black goes to ultimate lengths to prove that Superman is just as human as everyone else. This story goes a long way to prove Superman is better than us and he is. Clark Kent's friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances are all targeted by a who's who of villainy all in the same day as Manchester Black pushes Superman to his limits. This was a solid story that showed who Clark really is. I was liked that there was a complete story told here and the ending was impactful. Black proves to be an incredible nemesis for Superman. There was some really good artwork here but I'm not a Duncan Rouleau fan. Overall, an emotional roller coaster with a ton of great fight scenes.
December 27, 2023
Una historia interesante que se alarga innecesariamente. La premisa, "que pasaria si alguine descubre que Clark Kent es Superman" siempre estuvo ligada al "porque Superman necesita una identidad secreta". En esta historia se aborda eas premisa, pero queda en la superficia en pos de la accion sin limites, y aqui si que no tiene limites. El final, no obstante, es coherente con, creo yo, lo que "ese" personaje es y fue desde su presentacion. EN fin, divertida historia pero demasiado alargada para mi gusto.
April 3, 2024
Someone has discovered Superman's identity and is going after everyone Clark Kent has ever known. He has to wade through tons of villains including unnamed analogues of Marvel villains. It's a nonstop never ending battle for 8 issues. The villain is someone that was an analog for a member of a group from Wildstorm. For those of you who've are in the know from this era, know of who I'm speaking. There's a certain issue that is one of the best single issue Superman stories ever written IMO. This is not that story though. This is just fine and a bit one note.
March 25, 2019
Ktoś odkrył, że Superman to Clark Kent i nasyła złoczyńców na ludzi bliskich Clarkowi, więc Clark zbiera ludzi w jedno miejsce i leci wkurwiony szukać winnego. Nawet Mr Mxyzptlk też się pojawia, ale widzi, jaki Clark jest wkuriowny, więc ma 'nope' i bez niczego mówi swoje imię od tyłu, żeby zniknąć. Tu jest również pokazane, dlaczego nie lubię Injustice, bo pokazują to, co kanoniczny Clark robi, kiedy Lois zostaje zabita.
August 22, 2019
Manchester Black's journey comes to and end. It's a story about Superman's identity being revealed and a gauntlet of villains fighting him to get to his loved ones.
I consider this the passing of the torch from the old guard to Geoff Johns as the head of the DCU with this story, in some ways.
I consider this the passing of the torch from the old guard to Geoff Johns as the head of the DCU with this story, in some ways.
May 4, 2017
This wasn't a great story, but it was action packed and lots of fun. Manchester Black is under utilized as a villain, so it was nice to see him get some play.
June 18, 2021
Du pur et bon Superman. Un condensé de qui il est, pourquoi il est, plein de rebondissements sans trop de longueurs avec en prime toute sa rogue gallery.
March 11, 2024
⭐️3.5
March 23, 2013
When I first heard the plot of Superman: Ending Battle, I thought it would be much better. Instead we get a disjointed eight part story of Clark Kent's acquaintances, friends, and allies being attacked systematically by random supervillains.
It turns out the villain is Manchester Black, who has figured out Superman's secret identity. What entails is a lot of fights, but not enough. With a title and cool plot, I wanted more action.
One of the best fights in the book is where Superman takes on a horde of new and unknown villains. He takes them all on with super ease, but they begin to wear him down. The fight scene is sort of ruined by the subplot of a Senator who is against metahumans. He really didn't need to be there and he ruined the flow.
I was hoping for a few more badass scenes of Superman, and I could point out only one. Superman knocks Neutron into space and then uses him later as a weapon against more villains.
I think the only thing that would have made this better would be if each part of the 8 part story was a different fight against a team of villains, and if the art wasn't so inconsistent. I didn't care for Rouleau's art, which is a bit cartoony with stretched faces. He did the art for part 4 and 8, and it kind of ruined the finale for me.
Even though Superman does fight a lot in this volume, I still think it needed a few more badass moments from the Man of Steel. They could have shown him go into full power mode and deliver fear into the hearts of his enemies, to show how truly powerful he was.
All in all, Superman: Ending Battle is only okay. It had a few good moments, but I feel the artwork for parts 4 and 8 were lame and it needed more "cool" moments for Superman.
It turns out the villain is Manchester Black, who has figured out Superman's secret identity. What entails is a lot of fights, but not enough. With a title and cool plot, I wanted more action.
One of the best fights in the book is where Superman takes on a horde of new and unknown villains. He takes them all on with super ease, but they begin to wear him down. The fight scene is sort of ruined by the subplot of a Senator who is against metahumans. He really didn't need to be there and he ruined the flow.
I was hoping for a few more badass scenes of Superman, and I could point out only one. Superman knocks Neutron into space and then uses him later as a weapon against more villains.
I think the only thing that would have made this better would be if each part of the 8 part story was a different fight against a team of villains, and if the art wasn't so inconsistent. I didn't care for Rouleau's art, which is a bit cartoony with stretched faces. He did the art for part 4 and 8, and it kind of ruined the finale for me.
Even though Superman does fight a lot in this volume, I still think it needed a few more badass moments from the Man of Steel. They could have shown him go into full power mode and deliver fear into the hearts of his enemies, to show how truly powerful he was.
All in all, Superman: Ending Battle is only okay. It had a few good moments, but I feel the artwork for parts 4 and 8 were lame and it needed more "cool" moments for Superman.
December 12, 2023
My favorite weird thing about this book: Geoff Johns' name appears on the cover larger than the titular hero and spotlighted far above the names of the book's other writers. Oh, and the artists are totally ignored on the cover.
And by "favorite weird," I mean, wow, that's disrespectful and wildly unnecessary. Particularly since Johns' chapters are, by far, the least appealingly written. The entire book is ... I mean, it's fine. It's mediocrity - Manchester Black knows Superman is Clark and targets Clark's friends and family. It's somewhere between the 90s "Death of Clark Kent" storyline and the 90s Batman story where Bane broke Batman ("Knightfall"? Never read it myself.). Joe Casey attempts some narrative structure and meta-commentary in his two chapters, which are essentially just time-killing brawl sequences. Mark Schultz brings strategic thinking and science-based theory to his chapters (the best of the book). Joe Kelly brings the emotion and heart to the finale. Johns, eh..., sorry, this Master Jailer doesn't sell as a threat to Superman.
The art is fine mostly, rarely special, but generally solid. The fight sequences aren't always clear, sometimes I think intentionally, but the character work is readable and the characters remain distinguishable.
In the end, it's a long book - too long, really. Eight chapters - seven of which are basically Superman fighting his way through his rogues gallery to get to the emotional payoff (which has this wildly unnecessary "imagined" fight in it) before paying it off with a very good emotional finale about what drives Superman and what Lois Lane means to him.
And by "favorite weird," I mean, wow, that's disrespectful and wildly unnecessary. Particularly since Johns' chapters are, by far, the least appealingly written. The entire book is ... I mean, it's fine. It's mediocrity - Manchester Black knows Superman is Clark and targets Clark's friends and family. It's somewhere between the 90s "Death of Clark Kent" storyline and the 90s Batman story where Bane broke Batman ("Knightfall"? Never read it myself.). Joe Casey attempts some narrative structure and meta-commentary in his two chapters, which are essentially just time-killing brawl sequences. Mark Schultz brings strategic thinking and science-based theory to his chapters (the best of the book). Joe Kelly brings the emotion and heart to the finale. Johns, eh..., sorry, this Master Jailer doesn't sell as a threat to Superman.
The art is fine mostly, rarely special, but generally solid. The fight sequences aren't always clear, sometimes I think intentionally, but the character work is readable and the characters remain distinguishable.
In the end, it's a long book - too long, really. Eight chapters - seven of which are basically Superman fighting his way through his rogues gallery to get to the emotional payoff (which has this wildly unnecessary "imagined" fight in it) before paying it off with a very good emotional finale about what drives Superman and what Lois Lane means to him.
November 1, 2009
A very routine story--Superman's secret identity is discovered--leads to a mixed bag of fights between our hero and many, many villains (Mr. Mxyzptlk shows up, and does nothing). Some of the creative teams across this story splintered four ways do good: Geoff Johns' plots are ho-hum, but his dialogue is warm. Joe Kelly and Duncan Rouleau deliver on the meaty parts of the story, though Rouleau's art is too cartoony at times. The other writers are saddled with having to talk about Steel or being given plotting chores for mindless fights. Reading the many-headed crossover as a whole is a jarring, acquired taste that works fine if you aren't looking for auteurs' singular vision.
November 3, 2012
Remember when Geoff Johns wrote a hopeful, proactive Superman who relied on his human relationships and not the mopey hopeless god in a cape who is currently inhabiting the nu52? This was a bittersweet read, as this is the Superman (and Clark and Lois) that I love, and one I wish would show up again in the nu52. Also, an amazing Lois Lane, again, which seems to happen sparingly since the reboot. A lot of action, but the heart of it is that Superman, while with enormous powers, has a huge heart with which he cares about so many, and that while Kryptonite can hurt or even kill him, in the end, it's through the people he loves that one can hurt him most.
July 9, 2018
Loved this period of Superman when his chest "S" crest had the black background. Really loved DC comics period of around 1997 to 2011. Haven't really been to thrilled with DC ever since the New 52 began. Have yet to read much of the Rebirth material. But will. But I'd rather read or re-read the stuff from pre-2011.
Collecting these older Superman trades for a re-read. Not sure if I've read everything collected here.
Collecting these older Superman trades for a re-read. Not sure if I've read everything collected here.
September 4, 2015
A good Superman tale. Only disappointment is that it doesn't completely live up to the epic potential of the premise (all of Superman's greatest foes attack him en masse at the direction of a mysterious villain). Might have been better with a single author, too (instead of four!). Still good, though.
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July 24, 2014This is why I love Superman. Driven to the farthest breaking point, he doesn't break his morals and kill the bad guy. Stories like this just make me more sad at how disappointing "Man of Steel" was for the Superman character.
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