Superman: The Man of Steel, Vol. 9

Superman (1987) #19-22

by John Byrne (Author/Illustrator), Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern

In these tales from SUPERMAN #19-22, DOOM PATROL #10, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #2 and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #441-444, the mysterious Supergirl meets Superman for the first time! Plus, the Man of Steel faces Mr. Mxyzptlk, runs into the Doom Patrol and battles Metallo! And Lex Luthor is tricked into releasing criminals from the Phantom Zone--and it's up to Superman to clean up his mess.

Genres: Comics, Superman, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Fantasy

280 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.

Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good end to the Byrne era. Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Justice League, a crossover with the Doom Patrol and then finally The Supergirl Saga. The Supergirl Saga would have ramifications for years to come. It contains Matrix's origin and a real "Wow!" moment for Superman with how he deals with General Zod. In case it wasn't clear in a story from the 50th Anniversary in the previous volume, Byrne lets Maggie Sawyer's rainbow flag fly free and clear. Kudos to him. Also included is the return of bunch of goofy Jack Kirby characters from the 70s Jimmy Olson comic in the Cadmus Project, D.N.Alien, and the Newsboy Legion. They would soon be overused immensely in the intervening years.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice end (?) to the Byrne era, capped off by The Supergirl Saga, where Superman returns to the pocket universe where the pre-Crisis Superboy came from. It's kinda sad overall, but one continuity flub was that Lana, Pete Ross, et al., all knew Lex Luthor in that pocket universe, but here they have never heard of him when he shows up in Smallville.

Byrne was pretty upfront for the time in dealing with Maggie Sawyer's sexual orientation, which is nice. There's a rather stupid story about Superman and Jimmy Olsen trapped in another universe out in the deserts of Jordan that didn't make much sense.

Then there's a great story which pays homage to Jack Kirby's run on Jimmy Olsen in the early 70s, as well as Kirby and Joe Simon's Newsboy Legion. I thought that was a great story, written by Roger Stern.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid installment by John Byrne, though I have to admit I was kind of shocked by the ending. Superman actually being judge, jury, and executioner? Isn't the point of his character the fact that, even though he has the power to be all three, he believes in justice above all else--meaning that just because he can, doesn't mean he should, so he doesn't? Granted, in that universe, there was no one else, and the people he was judging had committed mass genocide of an ENTIRE PLANET... so... yeah, I suppose if DC wanted to give us the one time when Superman would compromise his morals... then, yes, that would be the situation. It was still very unsettling, though, and not my favorite interpretation of the character. That said, I enjoyed the rest of the graphic novel, and particularly had fun with the Mxy issue.

[Zachary King · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Byrne & Co. continue their run on Superman, redefining the character for a new age. In this volume, Superman meets Mr. Mxyzptlk, the Doom Patrol, and a new Supergirl from a parallel dimension. There's also an adoring tribute to Simon and Kirby with an annual that ties many of their creations together under the umbrella of the Cadmus Project. Interesting to see how many of the things in these issues continue to be a touchstone for Superman today (such as how he deals with a certain General Zod). Maybe not a great standalone, but fine stuff for those who have read all nine trades thus far.

[T.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best tales in this collection are a crossover with the 1980s Doom Patrol (vs. Superman's foe Metallo), and the Supergirl Saga that introduced the Lana Lang-lookalike Matrix Supergirl. I like Mr. Mxyzptlk too, but I felt like his and the other standalone stories in this set were a bit clunky. John Byrne's art is always nice to look at.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic late 80s post-Crisis Superman. Features some good storylines with classic (reimagined and new) characters. Parts of it were a little weak, but the Supergirl/Phantom Zone storyline would have ramifications for Superman for years to come. Definitely a must read for Superman fans.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and a nice ending to this Man of Steel set of volumes by John Byrne.
The book starts off a bit oddly, Seeing Mister Mxyzptlk in a more recent story than his first few appearances was a little less forgiving. He’s an incredibly odd and ridiculous character that I just cannot take seriously. I did however like the unique ways he thwarted Superman in this one, for instance turning the well-known characters on a billboard (Smurf’s, Flintstones, Micky Mouse etc.) into expies.
The following issues are much better and it was cool seeing Supergirl make appearances. There’s something about the classic look of the art and the writing that makes me feel like it really is peak Superman comics. I enjoyed the issue which included many JLA characters (Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel etc.).
I also enjoyed the Supergirl saga and learning more about the character and the other universe, but it could have been a little more exciting.
Overall I’m glad I completed collecting and reading the 9 volumes and very much enjoyed them! When I think of Superman, I always think of these comics and how much I liked them. I look forward to reading them all again in the future and would highly recommend.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

All the times I started Byrne’s run, here I finally finished it, which means I made it to the most controversial moment. I have known about it, but thought it best to wait until reading it before I rendered judgment. Now that I have… yeah, it is kinda terrible. I am appreciating how they are moving forward with it in its aftermath, but in the moment, it feels like Stuporman would have found another way.

In conclusion for Byrne’s time on the Big Blue Boy Scout, it does a lot to bring him into the modern era, but it never brings it to the height of other 80s books. Mostly good, without ever being great. And there is some bad such as that moment in this book.

I enjoyed reading the continuity and am happy to have finally finished this, but am hopeful for the triangle era to be a more cohesive and productive span of storytelling.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Middle East chapter is exposition heavy and lacking thrills, but the rest of the book is plenty of fun. The Supergirl Saga (which also has an exposition-overburdened middle chapter) obviously has a contentious ending, but I have the Exile omnibus and I know the aftermath played out very well, so it never bothered me. I loved seeing Cadmus and all those great Kirby (and Simon!) characters introduced into the mythos in Superman Annual 2, as well.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the end of the John Byrne run, in the late 1980s.
On the back cover, it advertises itself as The Supergirl Saga. Mixed in with that are some stand alone stories.
Some good stuff here, though Supergirl doesn't have that big a part in the overall volume.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, yeah a pretty big moment in Superman history does happen here but its surrounded by complete insanity. There were so many elements that are just off the wall that are too hard to look past. The art is pretty great. Overall, the book is 80s wackiness in full effect.

[ISMOTU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Byrne, Ordway, and company introduce a new Supergirl and have the Man of Steel team up with the Doom Patrol in this volume of Kryptonian adventures. We see the return of Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Newsboy Legion as well. The post-crisis Super-era is still going strong.

[Michael Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite hard to rate these Superman Man of Steel volumes. (1-9)

The John Byrne Superman stories are pretty steller but the team-up based Action Comics stories are average at best and the Adventure of Superman ones are mostly poor.

In hindsight i wish i had just read the Superman stories and skipped the rest

4\5 Superman
2.5\5 Action Comics
1.5 Adventures of Superman

[Brian Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to the Bryne era, including the introduction of Matrix Supergirl and Zod. This can be read alone if you have some understanding of that eras Superman, if not at least read the Man of Steel miniseries that started this era.

[Dallas Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can not believe the Supergirl Saga was real and part of this rebooted canon!
That was wild, brilliant, and traumatic!

There's some fun shenanigans and other characters featured for this final volume too!

[Connor McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent finale to Byrne's run that leads right into Exile.

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani · Rating 4 out of 5]

these stories are really really good, and i like they were still trying to explain in universe consistency after the fallout from crisis on infinite earths

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gems include Supes defeating Mxy w/ blackface, Cat trying to seduce Jimmy, Justice League & Doom Patrol team-ups, the post-Crisis debut of Cadmus Project, & the Supergirl Saga

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth it for the intro of this version of Supergirl. 🦸‍♀️

[Batusi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding volume that captures the humanity and heroism of Superman in classic late-80s storytelling.

Superman encounters a mysterious Supergirl, battles villains like Mr. Mxyzptlk and Metallo and faces a moral dilemma as he confronts three Phantom Zone criminals who have devastated a Pocket Universe Earth, ultimately deciding their fate as judge, jury, and executioner.

It's a perfect blend of action, character, and heart that makes this volume a terrific capstone for Byrne's memorable run.

[Acton Northrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supergirl's a blob from the Pocket Universe, and Superman's an executioner. One of the great mic drops in superhero comics. Ties off the last 2 years nicely and sets the stage for even greater things to come.

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say the Fantastic final volume in John Byrne's epic run on Superman from 1986 to 1988.