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Death and Return of Superman 2016 Edition #3
Superman: Reign of the Supermen
SUPERMAN IS DEAD.
But now, four mysterious beings appear--all with the powers and abilities of the Man of Steel! One claims he is a clone from the DNA of Superman. Another--half-man and half-machine--says he is Superman with a cyborg body. Still another, a cold redeemer of justice, states that he alone has the right to wear the "S" shield. And, finally, an armored figure who says he fights with the heart and soul of Superman.
Who is the true Superman?
DAN JURGENS ( LOIS & CLARK), JERRY ORDWAY (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), LOUISE SIMONSON ( THE MAN OF STEEL) and others introduce four new Supermen to the DC Universe. The third of four volumes chronicling the epic saga of the Death and Return of Superman, collecting ACTION COMICS #687-688, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500-502, SUPERMAN #78-79, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5, THE MAN OF STEEL #22-23 and THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #2!
But now, four mysterious beings appear--all with the powers and abilities of the Man of Steel! One claims he is a clone from the DNA of Superman. Another--half-man and half-machine--says he is Superman with a cyborg body. Still another, a cold redeemer of justice, states that he alone has the right to wear the "S" shield. And, finally, an armored figure who says he fights with the heart and soul of Superman.
Who is the true Superman?
DAN JURGENS ( LOIS & CLARK), JERRY ORDWAY (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), LOUISE SIMONSON ( THE MAN OF STEEL) and others introduce four new Supermen to the DC Universe. The third of four volumes chronicling the epic saga of the Death and Return of Superman, collecting ACTION COMICS #687-688, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500-502, SUPERMAN #78-79, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5, THE MAN OF STEEL #22-23 and THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #2!
338 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2016
60 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Dan Jurgens
2,229 books285 followersDan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
October 13, 2019
Third in DC's reprints of the Death of Superman storyline. This volume introduces the 4 new Supermen, Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and the Cyborg Superman. 2 of the 4 Supermen introduce their own supporting cast and it's obvious they were always intended as spin-offs. The book reprints 3 months of Superman comics (The Superman books functioned together as a weekly comic back in the 90's.) plus 2 annuals. The annuals that year were part of an annual-wide crossover called Bloodlines featuring these aliens who sucked humans' cerebral fluid out which somehow turned one human per book into a metahuman. 99% of these characters were terrible and never seen again. These annuals were no different. The books definitely have some dated artwork and dialogue but are still worth a read.
September 30, 2018
. . . I’m SUPERMAN!
Although I own The Return of Superman, it was a learning experience to read Reign of The Supermen. It’s nice to read something from years ago!
Each Superman has a job to do regardless of who their boss is.
October 17, 2023
Superman: Reign of the Supermen
Mere weeks after Superman lost his life defeating Doomsday, four new superheroes appear. One claims to be a clone of Superman, one is the Man of Steel, one styles himself the Last Son of Krypton and the fourth appears to be a cyborg replacement.
As the world comes to terms with these four Supermen, Lois hold her doubts as to which of the four is actually her fiance, Clark Kent.
Bold graphics and the mysterious appearance of each Superman makes this an interesting collection, but it is when doubts as to the behaviour of the new heroes begin to become apparent that this graphic novel kicks into high gear, propelling readers inwards to 'The Return of Superman '.
Mere weeks after Superman lost his life defeating Doomsday, four new superheroes appear. One claims to be a clone of Superman, one is the Man of Steel, one styles himself the Last Son of Krypton and the fourth appears to be a cyborg replacement.
As the world comes to terms with these four Supermen, Lois hold her doubts as to which of the four is actually her fiance, Clark Kent.
Bold graphics and the mysterious appearance of each Superman makes this an interesting collection, but it is when doubts as to the behaviour of the new heroes begin to become apparent that this graphic novel kicks into high gear, propelling readers inwards to 'The Return of Superman '.
July 17, 2022
This one was kinda here and there. Some parts was amazing and some parts was just a big what is going on?
I do like the idea of seeing the world with multiple supermans, but I can't wait to see the real one return.
I do like the idea of seeing the world with multiple supermans, but I can't wait to see the real one return.
April 17, 2022
Note: While this collection is called "Reign of the Supermen," it only collects the first third of that storyline - the rest are collected in "The Return of Superman." As a result, my thoughts here are limited to this collection, not the story as a whole.
Collecting the initial setup of Reign of the Supermen, this volume is exactly what I hoped it would be after reading Funeral for a Friend. All of the bonkers elements of 90s Superman comics are back, and this time we have four protagonists to give this story direction and momentum. I was actually surprised to see as much character development as I did in this early stage - Superboy, The Last Son of Krypton, and Steel all have great moments of action and self-reflection, each becoming better heroes as they go along. I loved the mentor-mentee relationship between Steel and Superboy, and wish we got to see more of it play out in this volume. The Last Son of Krypton, who I expected to like the least, was written by Roger Stern to be genuinely compelling, his inner monologue executed in a way that makes sense both in the moment and with what we learn about him later. I also enjoyed the Cyborg's presence in this book. Jurgens did a fantastic job with his characterization, keeping him at a distance at times so the audience doesn't know what's going on in his head. Part of me wishes we didn't get any narration from him at all, but the way it plays out doesn't hurt the story.
The art ranges from decent to pretty solid, my favorite pencils coming from Jurgens, Breeding, and Grummett. I didn't care for Newell's work on one of the Bloodlines issues, but that may just be me. Jon Bogdanove's more stylistic approach to the Man of Steel issues made for some awesome pages, but there were a few really awkward poses I didn't care for.
A few more positives: Lex Luthor II continues to entertain. Tana Moon was a surprisingly nice addition. And Steel's interaction with Lois Lane? *chef's kiss*
One of the more annoying aspects of the book is the inclusion of the Bloodlines issues that didn't have anything to do with the main story. I get they came out during the event, and I'm usually in favor of including as much of a story in these collections as possible, but the setup for them wasn't all that interesting and I kept wanting to get back to the actual narrative. Props to Jurgens for using his Annual issue to advance a story he was already telling, but it's still a long detour from what I want to be reading. Honestly, I'll probably skip over these issues whenever I read the volume again. Lois's ex is an annoying character and his inclusion is pointless. While the dated nature of this comic is usually part of its charm, there are a few actions by Superboy that feel like an instant lawsuit by today's standards. My final negative is the volume just kinda ends. I understand why the next volume starts where it does due to the title, but if you're reading this book in isolation it feels like it just stops. Maybe this volume should've been called Reign of the Supermen Part 1 and end a little later, with The Return of Superman being Part 2. But I digress.
While not a perfect volume, if you have any interest in this story whatsoever, I encourage you to check it out.
Collecting the initial setup of Reign of the Supermen, this volume is exactly what I hoped it would be after reading Funeral for a Friend. All of the bonkers elements of 90s Superman comics are back, and this time we have four protagonists to give this story direction and momentum. I was actually surprised to see as much character development as I did in this early stage - Superboy, The Last Son of Krypton, and Steel all have great moments of action and self-reflection, each becoming better heroes as they go along. I loved the mentor-mentee relationship between Steel and Superboy, and wish we got to see more of it play out in this volume. The Last Son of Krypton, who I expected to like the least, was written by Roger Stern to be genuinely compelling, his inner monologue executed in a way that makes sense both in the moment and with what we learn about him later. I also enjoyed the Cyborg's presence in this book. Jurgens did a fantastic job with his characterization, keeping him at a distance at times so the audience doesn't know what's going on in his head. Part of me wishes we didn't get any narration from him at all, but the way it plays out doesn't hurt the story.
The art ranges from decent to pretty solid, my favorite pencils coming from Jurgens, Breeding, and Grummett. I didn't care for Newell's work on one of the Bloodlines issues, but that may just be me. Jon Bogdanove's more stylistic approach to the Man of Steel issues made for some awesome pages, but there were a few really awkward poses I didn't care for.
A few more positives: Lex Luthor II continues to entertain. Tana Moon was a surprisingly nice addition. And Steel's interaction with Lois Lane? *chef's kiss*
One of the more annoying aspects of the book is the inclusion of the Bloodlines issues that didn't have anything to do with the main story. I get they came out during the event, and I'm usually in favor of including as much of a story in these collections as possible, but the setup for them wasn't all that interesting and I kept wanting to get back to the actual narrative. Props to Jurgens for using his Annual issue to advance a story he was already telling, but it's still a long detour from what I want to be reading. Honestly, I'll probably skip over these issues whenever I read the volume again. Lois's ex is an annoying character and his inclusion is pointless. While the dated nature of this comic is usually part of its charm, there are a few actions by Superboy that feel like an instant lawsuit by today's standards. My final negative is the volume just kinda ends. I understand why the next volume starts where it does due to the title, but if you're reading this book in isolation it feels like it just stops. Maybe this volume should've been called Reign of the Supermen Part 1 and end a little later, with The Return of Superman being Part 2. But I digress.
While not a perfect volume, if you have any interest in this story whatsoever, I encourage you to check it out.
February 3, 2018
Another solid read. Characters develop and the different supermen are all interesting and have their own Stories. Luthor is still a bit annoying and the casual use of words like 'love' when referring to Supergirl is still jarring.
The art is great and the writing solid. Again this was better than the first book and the tales of the ordinary people were the most interesting. The designs of the Supermen were very much of their time, in particular super-sunglasses.
I thought the character of Superboy was the best realized. The Nativity caused by youth and inexperience rang true.
As I have read it, this series has grown on me.
The art is great and the writing solid. Again this was better than the first book and the tales of the ordinary people were the most interesting. The designs of the Supermen were very much of their time, in particular super-sunglasses.
I thought the character of Superboy was the best realized. The Nativity caused by youth and inexperience rang true.
As I have read it, this series has grown on me.
March 11, 2018
With a lot more action than "Funeral for a Friend" (how hard could that be), "Reign of Supermen" gives us 4 challengers to the still vacant "Superman" title. The book covers their origin stories (Except for Cyborg Superman) and how they influence/are influenced by Metropolis' citizens. While all of them resemble Superman in a way, there appears to be something missing in each to be fully recognized as the "real" Superman. People start taking sides about who's the true "Man of Steel" and the 4 characters eventually meet with eachother as to figure out their true intentions. What will happen? Guess I'll find out in "Return of Superman".
March 19, 2023
2/5
ni siquiera se porque empece a leer esto pero fue re denso y me metio en bloqueo lector
ni siquiera se porque empece a leer esto pero fue re denso y me metio en bloqueo lector
July 12, 2017
It feels a bit dated now but the emergence of 4 different supermen after his supposed death seems like an interesting concept.
July 20, 2022
English/Spanish review:
This was pretty good. The book introduces four strong Superman supporting characters to the general lore. That only feature already makes this pretty amazing.
Obviously I'm reading this in the future so I already know who these guys identities are but I can imagine that this thing was HUGE back in that moment. The mistery around this four personalities is the main reason to read this,I know it sounds like I'm stating the obvious by sayig this but,what I mean is that apart from that,the plot's not that good.
The first half of the book was nice but then,and I'll get this out of my chest: those vampire aliens sucked,if they lasted one or two issued they'd been fine but,oh god,they were repetitive: Come into scene,would kill homelesses until it was main character of the issue time,person comes back to life powered up + mind wiped,one Supes comes into scene to fight designated person (yeah,after half an issue) and then they end up fighting the aliens just for them to fly away again. We'll catch you,evil martians!!! Jeez. (This paragraph will be copy-pasted into The Return of Superman since this happens there as well).
There's some minor issues apart from that: secondary characters that'll go nowhere since some guys here were clearly intended to be spin-offs and they were...blehg,didn't contribute shit to the book.
The art was mostly fine but much of it was dated. There's lot of panels with faces with really ugly,badly done eyes and,well,hugely dated stuff,like,Clinton propaganda?
Core read to the Superman mythos tho.
Español:
Bastante bueno. El libro presenta cuatro personajes secundarios fuertes de Superman en la tradición general. Esa única característica ya hace que esto sea bastante sorprendente.
Obviamente,estoy leyendo esto en el futuro,así que ya sé quiénes son las identidades de estos boludos,pero puedo imaginar que esto era ENORME en su momento. El misterio en torno a estas cuatro personalidades es la razón principal para leer esto,sé que suena como si estuviera afirmando lo obvio al decirlo,pero lo que quiero decir es que,aparte de eso, la trama no es está tan bien.
La primera mitad del libro fue agradable,pero,y me voy a sacar esto del pecho: esos aliens vampiros son una verga,si duraban una o dos ediciones,bueeno, pero,dios,eran repetitivos: entraban en escena,matan vagabundos hasta que le toque al personaje principal de turno,la persona vuelve a la vida con poderes + mente borrada,un Supes entra en escena para luchar contra persona designada (sí ,después de la mitad del número) para terminar luchando contra los aliens solo para que se les vuelvan a escapar. ¡¡¡Os atraparemos,malvados marcianos!!! Dios,las bolas por el piso. (Este párrafo se copiará y pegará en [libro: El regreso de Superman|116197] ya que esto se repite ahí).
Aparte de eso,hay algunos problemas menores: personajes secundarios que no irán a ninguna parte, ya que algunos tipos estaban claramente destinados a ser spin-offs y eran... blehg,no contribuyeron un pingo al libro.
El arte estaba en su mayor parte bien,pero,gran parte envejeció mal. Hay muchos paneles con caras con ojos realmente feos,mal hechos y, bueno,cosas que envejecieron cómo el orto,como,¿propaganda de Clinton?
Es núcleo de los mitos de Superman de todas maneras.
This was pretty good. The book introduces four strong Superman supporting characters to the general lore. That only feature already makes this pretty amazing.
Obviously I'm reading this in the future so I already know who these guys identities are but I can imagine that this thing was HUGE back in that moment. The mistery around this four personalities is the main reason to read this,I know it sounds like I'm stating the obvious by sayig this but,what I mean is that apart from that,the plot's not that good.
The first half of the book was nice but then,and I'll get this out of my chest: those vampire aliens sucked,if they lasted one or two issued they'd been fine but,oh god,they were repetitive: Come into scene,would kill homelesses until it was main character of the issue time,person comes back to life powered up + mind wiped,one Supes comes into scene to fight designated person (yeah,after half an issue) and then they end up fighting the aliens just for them to fly away again. We'll catch you,evil martians!!! Jeez. (This paragraph will be copy-pasted into The Return of Superman since this happens there as well).
There's some minor issues apart from that: secondary characters that'll go nowhere since some guys here were clearly intended to be spin-offs and they were...blehg,didn't contribute shit to the book.
The art was mostly fine but much of it was dated. There's lot of panels with faces with really ugly,badly done eyes and,well,hugely dated stuff,like,Clinton propaganda?
Core read to the Superman mythos tho.
Español:
Bastante bueno. El libro presenta cuatro personajes secundarios fuertes de Superman en la tradición general. Esa única característica ya hace que esto sea bastante sorprendente.
Obviamente,estoy leyendo esto en el futuro,así que ya sé quiénes son las identidades de estos boludos,pero puedo imaginar que esto era ENORME en su momento. El misterio en torno a estas cuatro personalidades es la razón principal para leer esto,sé que suena como si estuviera afirmando lo obvio al decirlo,pero lo que quiero decir es que,aparte de eso, la trama no es está tan bien.
La primera mitad del libro fue agradable,pero,y me voy a sacar esto del pecho: esos aliens vampiros son una verga,si duraban una o dos ediciones,bueeno, pero,dios,eran repetitivos: entraban en escena,matan vagabundos hasta que le toque al personaje principal de turno,la persona vuelve a la vida con poderes + mente borrada,un Supes entra en escena para luchar contra persona designada (sí ,después de la mitad del número) para terminar luchando contra los aliens solo para que se les vuelvan a escapar. ¡¡¡Os atraparemos,malvados marcianos!!! Dios,las bolas por el piso. (Este párrafo se copiará y pegará en [libro: El regreso de Superman|116197] ya que esto se repite ahí).
Aparte de eso,hay algunos problemas menores: personajes secundarios que no irán a ninguna parte, ya que algunos tipos estaban claramente destinados a ser spin-offs y eran... blehg,no contribuyeron un pingo al libro.
El arte estaba en su mayor parte bien,pero,gran parte envejeció mal. Hay muchos paneles con caras con ojos realmente feos,mal hechos y, bueno,cosas que envejecieron cómo el orto,como,¿propaganda de Clinton?
Es núcleo de los mitos de Superman de todas maneras.
December 1, 2022
I mean, it was annoying to go on this entire journey and have like, 0 functional plot or answers. In my opinion.
I imagine this was quite the epic, and people were eagerly awaiting who was the real Superman and what the reveal was, and which issue and I guess once I figured out it wasn't going to happen, it was like 'oh okay this is lame'
Steel was fine. His little gang war was very much like the Black Lightning TV show for me, and then Myriad and Lex and I haven't read enough DC comics from this era to know why Lex Luthor has his own private mutated Supergirl thing or what's going on with that.
I have a lot of questions. I guess I need to find the next collected volume to wrap up the story here. But it took me almost a month to slog through this and while there was some emotional impact to bits of it here and there, it just wasn't... it was just less.
On the up sides of it, there was some good emotional impact of the people in Clark's life reacting to having lost him, and what that means and what that looks like. Not a lot, but a little bit. The weird aliens that eat spinal fluid could have been interesting. If they didn't seem like a random afterthought.
Superboy was... odd. But he wasn't a detractor to the story it would have been really interesting to see him interact with the Kents or for them to somehow approach him learning something.
Tldr: I was left cold, but I can see what it might have been like to maybe been part of it back in the day and why it might have been a heck of a ride.
I imagine this was quite the epic, and people were eagerly awaiting who was the real Superman and what the reveal was, and which issue and I guess once I figured out it wasn't going to happen, it was like 'oh okay this is lame'
Steel was fine. His little gang war was very much like the Black Lightning TV show for me, and then Myriad and Lex and I haven't read enough DC comics from this era to know why Lex Luthor has his own private mutated Supergirl thing or what's going on with that.
I have a lot of questions. I guess I need to find the next collected volume to wrap up the story here. But it took me almost a month to slog through this and while there was some emotional impact to bits of it here and there, it just wasn't... it was just less.
On the up sides of it, there was some good emotional impact of the people in Clark's life reacting to having lost him, and what that means and what that looks like. Not a lot, but a little bit. The weird aliens that eat spinal fluid could have been interesting. If they didn't seem like a random afterthought.
Superboy was... odd. But he wasn't a detractor to the story it would have been really interesting to see him interact with the Kents or for them to somehow approach him learning something.
Tldr: I was left cold, but I can see what it might have been like to maybe been part of it back in the day and why it might have been a heck of a ride.
February 5, 2024
Reign of the Supermen was good, soapy entertainment when it came out on a weekly basis, a 20-part story which built across the four Superman titles, their four individual storylines (one for each pretender Superman) gradually and effectively converging. For presumably solid commercial reasons, DC have split that 20-part story up: this is the first 8 episodes, covering the phase when each title is very much focused on an individual "Superman" with connective tissue mostly provided by Lois and Lex and their reactions to each of the four.
With hindsight it's pretty clear that the question "which is the real Superman?" is a red herring and the answer is "none of the above". Honestly even without hindsight that was fairly obvious - but the characters and storyline were engaging enough for it not to matter. Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett on Superboy, and Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove on Steel, pay no more than lip service to the idea that their guys might be the "real thing" - they are working hard to set up viable characters for solo spin-offs and use their issues wisely: Kesel's snotty dickhead Superboy is more readable than stoical Steel but the latter has Jon Bogdanove's outrageously hefty cartooning on its side. Roger Stern and Jackson Guice's episodes also establish their anti-heroic vigilante "Superman" and make a bit of an effort to build a mystery, which long time readers could feel at least slightly pleased at solving. But if Lois Lane is calling you a fascist it's a fair bet you aren't the guy. That leaves Dan Jurgen's cyborg Superman, whose issues are thin and repetitive, for reasons which become obvious in the final volume - Jurgens' issues were always a bit feeble, so this reader at least didn't notice anything unusual at the time.
(There are also two issues of the terrible Bloodlines crossover - the one where aliens turn random humans into new superheroes - whose inclusion here is completism of the worst kind: they kill the main story's momentum as they're extra-sized issues which deliberately can't do anything to advance the actual plot.)
There's entertainment here but as a story it's a bit of a missed opportunity. You have gestures towards the idea that these four are aspects of Superman, or what Superman would be without some positive factor or other, but it doesn't cohere thematically because the various comics are pulling at cross-purposes - two want to set up new books, two want to look like they're advancing the plot. And there's so much going on that the supporting cast strands of Funeral For A Friend - the near-death of Jon Kent; Luthor's plans; et al - are almost entirely dropped. The original way this material was collected - all 20 episodes; no Bloodlines - was a great deal more effective.
With hindsight it's pretty clear that the question "which is the real Superman?" is a red herring and the answer is "none of the above". Honestly even without hindsight that was fairly obvious - but the characters and storyline were engaging enough for it not to matter. Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett on Superboy, and Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove on Steel, pay no more than lip service to the idea that their guys might be the "real thing" - they are working hard to set up viable characters for solo spin-offs and use their issues wisely: Kesel's snotty dickhead Superboy is more readable than stoical Steel but the latter has Jon Bogdanove's outrageously hefty cartooning on its side. Roger Stern and Jackson Guice's episodes also establish their anti-heroic vigilante "Superman" and make a bit of an effort to build a mystery, which long time readers could feel at least slightly pleased at solving. But if Lois Lane is calling you a fascist it's a fair bet you aren't the guy. That leaves Dan Jurgen's cyborg Superman, whose issues are thin and repetitive, for reasons which become obvious in the final volume - Jurgens' issues were always a bit feeble, so this reader at least didn't notice anything unusual at the time.
(There are also two issues of the terrible Bloodlines crossover - the one where aliens turn random humans into new superheroes - whose inclusion here is completism of the worst kind: they kill the main story's momentum as they're extra-sized issues which deliberately can't do anything to advance the actual plot.)
There's entertainment here but as a story it's a bit of a missed opportunity. You have gestures towards the idea that these four are aspects of Superman, or what Superman would be without some positive factor or other, but it doesn't cohere thematically because the various comics are pulling at cross-purposes - two want to set up new books, two want to look like they're advancing the plot. And there's so much going on that the supporting cast strands of Funeral For A Friend - the near-death of Jon Kent; Luthor's plans; et al - are almost entirely dropped. The original way this material was collected - all 20 episodes; no Bloodlines - was a great deal more effective.
May 26, 2018
Totally passable. It's basically an introduction to the four Supermen that have taken over justice-serving duties in Metropolis. I wanted the story focused more on Cyborg Superman/Hank Henshaw, but I'm guessing he has a pivotal role to play in "The Return" and that's why nothing was revealed about his origins. They also didn't give us anything specific on the visor guy. Let's hope there will be revelations in the next one.
The narrative has nothing special to offer, some gang wars and alien monsters just to give an excuse for the wannabes to have a story of their own. It was actually very boring until Superboy's encounter with Steel, that is after the middle of the story. The focus is then shifted to the Cyborg, about whom not much has been revealed and that keeps it interesting. Even if you don't know him from later stories, you still get the ominous aura that surrounds him, despite his seemingly good intentions. I must say, I have a thing for this character (anyone selling his/her copy of "Tales of the Sinestro Corps", please let me know!).
All in all, it isn't necessary to read it, but you might as well just to warm up for the big events of "The Return of Supes".
The narrative has nothing special to offer, some gang wars and alien monsters just to give an excuse for the wannabes to have a story of their own. It was actually very boring until Superboy's encounter with Steel, that is after the middle of the story. The focus is then shifted to the Cyborg, about whom not much has been revealed and that keeps it interesting. Even if you don't know him from later stories, you still get the ominous aura that surrounds him, despite his seemingly good intentions. I must say, I have a thing for this character (anyone selling his/her copy of "Tales of the Sinestro Corps", please let me know!).
All in all, it isn't necessary to read it, but you might as well just to warm up for the big events of "The Return of Supes".
August 15, 2023
As I've said in my other reviews on these rereads... If I was going to make a Top Twenty list of my all time favorite Superman stories of all time... The trilogy of The Death of Superman, Funeral for a Friend, and Reign of Superman would be pretty high up there.
Of the four supposed fill-in Supermans I think my favorites in terms of overall story are Superboy and Steel. (I was CLEARLY in the majority there since they were greenlit for their own spin-offs by the time their second issues hit the stands.) Erradicator just felt like he was there... and even at the time I actively disliked Cyborg. Even before the revelation of his true identity dropped. I mean part of that is because you're supposed to but still... it made what comes next much less of a surprise.
That being said Suprman #69 MIGHT be my favorite single issue of The Reign of the Supermen story as a whole.
While not essential reading... it is nice that they included ALL the Bloodlines crossovers. (I guess they learned their lesson after they took heat for leaving them out of the Knightfall/Knightquest trades. And there is mattered since many of the Gotham New Bloods appear in that story.)
Of the four supposed fill-in Supermans I think my favorites in terms of overall story are Superboy and Steel. (I was CLEARLY in the majority there since they were greenlit for their own spin-offs by the time their second issues hit the stands.) Erradicator just felt like he was there... and even at the time I actively disliked Cyborg. Even before the revelation of his true identity dropped. I mean part of that is because you're supposed to but still... it made what comes next much less of a surprise.
That being said Suprman #69 MIGHT be my favorite single issue of The Reign of the Supermen story as a whole.
While not essential reading... it is nice that they included ALL the Bloodlines crossovers. (I guess they learned their lesson after they took heat for leaving them out of the Knightfall/Knightquest trades. And there is mattered since many of the Gotham New Bloods appear in that story.)
November 7, 2021
This mid-point of the Death of Superman storyline is okay. I have not been impressed with the storyline very much so far (see my reviews of the previous two volumes). And, the reasons why are still present here, jut not as much. The street-level gang storylines just don't seem to fit the Superman story, and they are written so poorly they remain painful to read.
However, here we start to drift away from that and more into the mystery of the origins of the 4 Supes replacements. SuperBoy is insufferable, and the heavy-handed Fascist Superman is too much. However, I have been enjoying the Henry Irons, aka Steel, stories and the Cyborg Superman issues also have some interesting formats to them.
There are 2 of the DC Annuals that were running the terrible Bloodlines storyline that are completely useless, fyi.
The art is fine enough. I like Bogdanove here (which is interesting because I'm not a fan of his Marvel work). The rest is standard 90s DC house style stuff.
Overall, an uneven set of issues, but not as bad as the first two volumes.
However, here we start to drift away from that and more into the mystery of the origins of the 4 Supes replacements. SuperBoy is insufferable, and the heavy-handed Fascist Superman is too much. However, I have been enjoying the Henry Irons, aka Steel, stories and the Cyborg Superman issues also have some interesting formats to them.
There are 2 of the DC Annuals that were running the terrible Bloodlines storyline that are completely useless, fyi.
The art is fine enough. I like Bogdanove here (which is interesting because I'm not a fan of his Marvel work). The rest is standard 90s DC house style stuff.
Overall, an uneven set of issues, but not as bad as the first two volumes.
September 4, 2023
Superman is still believed to be dead, until four different characters emerge that are believed to be the Man of Steel come back to life.
Two claim to be the actual Superman (an excessivly violent visor wearing individual and a overly govermment accomodating cyborg Superman). A young hot head horny kid claims to be a clone of Supes.
The fourth, a Steel Armour wearing man, doesn't claim to be Superman, just that he's inspired by him, funningly enougth the one that seems to act more in accordance with the real Man of Steel.
This portion of the saga is addictive anda gripping read overall, even if some portions of the writing and artwork show their age a bit. Still, I was a well written arc, and takes somewhat unexpected turns.
The only issues I didn't really care for were the two annuals (one from Action Comics and another from the Superman title), which focused on a "Bloodlines" arc that felt tacked on and filler-like.
Overall, I felt the saga got back on track, and got me really looking forward to "Return of Superman".
7.0/10.
Two claim to be the actual Superman (an excessivly violent visor wearing individual and a overly govermment accomodating cyborg Superman). A young hot head horny kid claims to be a clone of Supes.
The fourth, a Steel Armour wearing man, doesn't claim to be Superman, just that he's inspired by him, funningly enougth the one that seems to act more in accordance with the real Man of Steel.
This portion of the saga is addictive anda gripping read overall, even if some portions of the writing and artwork show their age a bit. Still, I was a well written arc, and takes somewhat unexpected turns.
The only issues I didn't really care for were the two annuals (one from Action Comics and another from the Superman title), which focused on a "Bloodlines" arc that felt tacked on and filler-like.
Overall, I felt the saga got back on track, and got me really looking forward to "Return of Superman".
7.0/10.
June 16, 2025
I think they did a good job here in sort of creating a metaphor for Superman: Even 4 very powerful men, with their own qualities, who are seemingly trying their best, are not the equal of the one and only Superman.
And what I really like is that it's not hitting you over the head with that point. The story just kind of shows you this stuff happening.
Here's my personal ranking of the Supermen:
Visor Superman: The most ruthless and interesting of the bunch, he seems VERY confused about who he is and will just powderize some criminal's bones because, fuck it, I guess he came out of the box pre-fed-up with nonsense.
Cyborg Superman: For all intents and purposes, seems the most like actual Superman, but with some computer-y enhancements and, of course, a chrome, terrifying skullface, which has been a staple of cyborgs for like forever.
Superboy: We have Guy Gardner, we don't really need this dude.
Steel: Sorry, I think he's the best in terms of values and so on, but he's Iron Man. We're familiar with Iron Man.
And what I really like is that it's not hitting you over the head with that point. The story just kind of shows you this stuff happening.
Here's my personal ranking of the Supermen:
Visor Superman: The most ruthless and interesting of the bunch, he seems VERY confused about who he is and will just powderize some criminal's bones because, fuck it, I guess he came out of the box pre-fed-up with nonsense.
Cyborg Superman: For all intents and purposes, seems the most like actual Superman, but with some computer-y enhancements and, of course, a chrome, terrifying skullface, which has been a staple of cyborgs for like forever.
Superboy: We have Guy Gardner, we don't really need this dude.
Steel: Sorry, I think he's the best in terms of values and so on, but he's Iron Man. We're familiar with Iron Man.
December 18, 2020
My hopes had been lowered after reading Funeral for a Friend but, Reign of the Supermen picks up the story well. It adds a layer of questioning to the new post-Superman world and introduces some solid characters in the form of Man of Steel and Superboy.
The style of writing is very similar to the previous volume in that it is a little rambling and goes from character to character with the slow building of an arc. The difference here is that the style suits the story being told.
Man of Steel feels like an Iron-man rip off but, is written well enough to encourage interest.
Superboy appears to just be another iteration of thst idea too but, once again, the characterisation done by the writer makes him worth reading. His relationship with Man of Steel also leaves enough questions open to make you want to know more.
Volume 4: The Return of Superman will hopefully bring together all of the threads of this wider story arc and lead to a satisfactory conclusion.
The style of writing is very similar to the previous volume in that it is a little rambling and goes from character to character with the slow building of an arc. The difference here is that the style suits the story being told.
Man of Steel feels like an Iron-man rip off but, is written well enough to encourage interest.
Superboy appears to just be another iteration of thst idea too but, once again, the characterisation done by the writer makes him worth reading. His relationship with Man of Steel also leaves enough questions open to make you want to know more.
Volume 4: The Return of Superman will hopefully bring together all of the threads of this wider story arc and lead to a satisfactory conclusion.
April 29, 2024
"There are four guys out there who claim to be Superman - the kid who says he's a clone of Superman, the cyborg who claims he's Superman rebuilt, the fascist in shades. And the Man of Steel the fortune teller said is Superman returned in a different body."
This one is fun, but I was interested in some of the storylines and characters more than others.
Clone Superboy is a blast and his parts are all entertaining. But the story as a whole is so fractured amongst all the different "Supermen" and supporting characters that it doesn't move very quickly. And the stuff with the shapeshifting demon things draining spinal fluid from people is just so random, it definitely does not help the pacing issues.
The art in this volume - which is across multiple monthly titles - is also hit-or-miss.
Not my favourite, but an important moment in Superman canon as it introduces a number of important characters, like Steel and the new (at the time) incarnation of Superboy.
This one is fun, but I was interested in some of the storylines and characters more than others.
Clone Superboy is a blast and his parts are all entertaining. But the story as a whole is so fractured amongst all the different "Supermen" and supporting characters that it doesn't move very quickly. And the stuff with the shapeshifting demon things draining spinal fluid from people is just so random, it definitely does not help the pacing issues.
The art in this volume - which is across multiple monthly titles - is also hit-or-miss.
Not my favourite, but an important moment in Superman canon as it introduces a number of important characters, like Steel and the new (at the time) incarnation of Superboy.
August 8, 2018
Whereas the previous volume Superman: Funeral for a Friend dealt in part with various "civilians'" reactions to Superman's death, this one features the emergence of four "Men of Steel". The result is more action but at the risk of seeming like filler before The Return of Superman, the next book in the story arc. Most interesting to me are Lois Lane's attempt to determine which, if any, are the true Superman, and what that has done to her and to Clark Kent's parents. I am interested to see where the story heads and for some kind of resolution to the tale.
P.S. I still hate the portrayal of Supergirl, though she does not feature in this book nearly as much.
P.S. I still hate the portrayal of Supergirl, though she does not feature in this book nearly as much.
July 28, 2023
Now we’re talkin’. This here is where the Death of Superman stuff really kicks into the wacky fun stuff.
You get not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 replacement Supermen! It’s bonkers and I love it.
Cyborg Superman, what if Superman was the Terminator. Kinda mid but fun villain.
The Man of Steel, what if Superman was Iron Man. One of the most fleshed out characters and really stuck around over the years. A little stereotype-y but I’m glad they at last tried some representation here.
The Man of Tomorrow, what if Superman was a jerk and had goggles. Lame then, lame now.
Superboy-er-Man, what if Superman had a “rad” teen clone. I’d argue he helped usher in the WWE attitude era. Fun stuff there.
Good but not great comics here folks, worth the read.
You get not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 replacement Supermen! It’s bonkers and I love it.
Cyborg Superman, what if Superman was the Terminator. Kinda mid but fun villain.
The Man of Steel, what if Superman was Iron Man. One of the most fleshed out characters and really stuck around over the years. A little stereotype-y but I’m glad they at last tried some representation here.
The Man of Tomorrow, what if Superman was a jerk and had goggles. Lame then, lame now.
Superboy-er-Man, what if Superman had a “rad” teen clone. I’d argue he helped usher in the WWE attitude era. Fun stuff there.
Good but not great comics here folks, worth the read.
July 14, 2025
Es un recopilatorio de una etapa de transición en la historia de Superman, similar a "Un mundo sin Superman", pero en este vemos emerger a 4 personajes que dicen ser Superman: Superboy (un clon de Superman), el hombre de acero (Steel, un personaje creado a partir de John Henry, un héroe afroamericano de enorme tenacidad y corazón), el último hijo de Kripton (el Superman del visor) y el enigmático Superman Cyborg (parece un Terminator con capa, y con algunas características similares a Cyborg de los Jóvenes Titanes y la Liga de la justicia).
Aquí se presenta la antesala al Regreso de Superman, por lo que es un infaltable si eres seguidor del Hombre de Acero, o también si te interesa Green Lantern, y quieres tener referencia a personajes importantes en la Guerra de Sinestro.
Aquí se presenta la antesala al Regreso de Superman, por lo que es un infaltable si eres seguidor del Hombre de Acero, o también si te interesa Green Lantern, y quieres tener referencia a personajes importantes en la Guerra de Sinestro.
September 24, 2018
Such an awful waste of time. Not only is this obnoxious in how wordy it is, but even the Supermen trying to replace the dead Superman are boring. I was sooooooo looking forward to what potential Cyborg Superman would have, and he’s just boring, all the way around, in this book.
The book is so bland—the whole event, after the major “Death” arc, has been boring and empty.
But the two stars come from the good, solid art style that I’ve enjoyed not only here, but pretty much throughout the entire series. I just expected so much more from this famous story, and it has become so disappointing—just like the “Clone Saga” from the Spider-Man series.
The book is so bland—the whole event, after the major “Death” arc, has been boring and empty.
But the two stars come from the good, solid art style that I’ve enjoyed not only here, but pretty much throughout the entire series. I just expected so much more from this famous story, and it has become so disappointing—just like the “Clone Saga” from the Spider-Man series.
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April 9, 2019As much as I dislike The Death of Superman - for killing Superman and bringing him back a year later, for kickstarting other meaningless hero “deaths” - some of the stuff it spawned was decent. Case in point: Reign of the Supermen. Here, we see the four replacement Supermen emerge in the wake of Superman’s death: Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman. Two of these characters - Superboy and Steel - I really like, so I enjoyed reading their beginnings. The story unfolds organically and has some exciting moments. This was a good direction to take the story, even if it’s obvious some of these new characters were created for spin-offs.
March 6, 2019
Pretty fun, though a bit disorganized.
We've got four Supes each one doing their own thing in their own series in parallel. The Superboy one (cloned by Cadmus) is like Grunge from Gen13, foolish teenager that is easily manipulated and exploited. The half-machine is mostly like the original but suffers from memory loss. Henry Irons, Steel, I like the most, he does not even claim he's the real deal, just does his job protecting the city. And the last one, Eradicator, does not get much "screen time", just kills a few criminals to establish his potential evilness.
We've got four Supes each one doing their own thing in their own series in parallel. The Superboy one (cloned by Cadmus) is like Grunge from Gen13, foolish teenager that is easily manipulated and exploited. The half-machine is mostly like the original but suffers from memory loss. Henry Irons, Steel, I like the most, he does not even claim he's the real deal, just does his job protecting the city. And the last one, Eradicator, does not get much "screen time", just kills a few criminals to establish his potential evilness.
April 28, 2019
Collects ACTION COMICS #687-688, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500-502, SUPERMAN #78-79, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #22-23 and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #2
There was one issue of this collection that I bought as a kid, and that was "Adventures of Superman" issue #500.
This volume is a mixture of great and boring. The new characters and their designs are great. They mystery is great. A lot of the extra characters and subplots that have been forgotten since the 1990's...very boring.
There was one issue of this collection that I bought as a kid, and that was "Adventures of Superman" issue #500.
This volume is a mixture of great and boring. The new characters and their designs are great. They mystery is great. A lot of the extra characters and subplots that have been forgotten since the 1990's...very boring.
June 22, 2021
Reading Superman books from the 90s really shows me how much cooler Marvel was than DC. These do not hold up well at all and read like 60 year olds trying to sound young. The story here made little sense, especially how characters acted to the news of four new "Supermen". The dialogue was atrocious. Editorially it was also a mess as characters had casts in one chapter and didn't in others and that's just a small part of it. The art was great at times and terrible in others. Overall, the character obviously deserved better.
March 2, 2025
With Superman dead, four new characters appear all wearing the big S, but who is the real deal?
I found this storyline to be a lot of fun. All the new characters clashing and causing turmoil in Metropolis was exciting and dramatic. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of John Henry aka "Steel". Superboy is perhaps a bit too crude by more modern standards, but I found his bragadocious behaviour to be pretry funny. He's full of "90s" energy.
Lois Lane struggling with the death of Clark continued to be well done in this part of the Death of Superman storyline.
I found this storyline to be a lot of fun. All the new characters clashing and causing turmoil in Metropolis was exciting and dramatic. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of John Henry aka "Steel". Superboy is perhaps a bit too crude by more modern standards, but I found his bragadocious behaviour to be pretry funny. He's full of "90s" energy.
Lois Lane struggling with the death of Clark continued to be well done in this part of the Death of Superman storyline.
September 28, 2018
I just didn't care for the stories here. (The Man of) Steel is great, the other Supermen... not too interesting. I thought the concept of each "Superman" representing different parts of Superman's personality was great but ultimately found myself disappointed with the execution (bc Eradicator is a fascist, Superboy an annoying kid, Cyborg Superman interesting but I know about Hank Henshaw already.
I'm quite ready for Return and the close of the arc.
I'm quite ready for Return and the close of the arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2023
I've loved the death and return of Superman storyline for over 30 years and nothing has changed. It was always a given that Superman's demise wouldn't be permanent but I don't think the creative teams and editorial staff of the Superman books get enough credit for the unique and compelling story they were able to build around it. There are characters introduced here who are still key components of the Superman mythos today, decades later. That doesn't happen by accident.
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