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Death and Return of Superman 2016 Edition #2
Superman: Funeral for a Friend
A WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN
Superman was Earth's greatest hero until he sacrificed his life to stop the monster known only as Doomsday. Now the world and those who loved him must learn how to continue on without the Man of Steel. In this time of need, heroes like Supergirl, the Guardian and Gangbuster rise to the challenge and try to continue the Last Son of Kryton's legacy. But can they really fill the void left by Superman's death?
As the planet mourns the man who symbolized the best humanity had to offer, Ma and Pa Kent truly grieve the death of their only son, while Lois Lane shoulders on the only way she knows how...by being a reporter. Through all this, a greater mystery begins to unfold, where is Superman's body?
DAN JURGENS (SUPERMAN: LOIS & CLARK), JERRY ORDWAY (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), LOUISE SIMONSON (SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL) and many more continue this seminal moment in the history of the DC Universe and the world itself. The second of four volumes chronicling the epic saga of the Death and Return of Superman. Collects ACTION COMICS #685-686, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #498-500, JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #70, LEGACY OF SUPERMAN #1, SUPERGIRL/LEX LUTHOR SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN #76-77 and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #20-21!
Superman was Earth's greatest hero until he sacrificed his life to stop the monster known only as Doomsday. Now the world and those who loved him must learn how to continue on without the Man of Steel. In this time of need, heroes like Supergirl, the Guardian and Gangbuster rise to the challenge and try to continue the Last Son of Kryton's legacy. But can they really fill the void left by Superman's death?
As the planet mourns the man who symbolized the best humanity had to offer, Ma and Pa Kent truly grieve the death of their only son, while Lois Lane shoulders on the only way she knows how...by being a reporter. Through all this, a greater mystery begins to unfold, where is Superman's body?
DAN JURGENS (SUPERMAN: LOIS & CLARK), JERRY ORDWAY (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN), LOUISE SIMONSON (SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL) and many more continue this seminal moment in the history of the DC Universe and the world itself. The second of four volumes chronicling the epic saga of the Death and Return of Superman. Collects ACTION COMICS #685-686, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #498-500, JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #70, LEGACY OF SUPERMAN #1, SUPERGIRL/LEX LUTHOR SPECIAL #1, SUPERMAN #76-77 and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #20-21!
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
78 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Dan Jurgens
2,231 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 83 reviews
December 16, 2022
The writers of the four Gospels do not spend a great deal of time on the events of Easter Saturday, the day Jesus spent being dead. From a narrative perspective that's the right choice. But alas, the Bible did not have eight weeks of comics and a SUPERGIRL AND TEAM LUTHOR special to fill.
In 1993, Funeral For A Friend had two jobs. One is to supply the Death of Superman story with the emotional beats the actual "Death" sequence largely sacrificed for punching. The second was to fake readers (and the media) out for as long as possible with the idea that Superman might actually stay dead for a while. The two jobs reinforce each other - the more cynical readers are about the imminent return of our guy, the less likely they are to tolerate extended mourning sequences; the longer the comic spends wearing black, the more likely people are to accept "he's dead" as the status quo.
At the time, the story did both these jobs pretty well - it was a weird but novel experience buying an 8-part weekly story in which the main character was dead throughout and where his plot barely moved forward, and this extended coda definitely worked to signal that DC were serious about this whole thing. Now, of course, it's a bit more awkward. Not because Superman turns out - gasp -not to be dead, but because Funeral For A Friend is only likely to be read as the second act of a huge storyline, and that's really not the context it worked in.
The Superman creative teams used these eight weeks first to cover various obvious story beats - is Superman dead? Is Doomsday? How does anyone actually know? Then a couple of issues of the funeral, and then an extended plot in which the Cadmus Project nick Superman's corpse and Lois and Luthor end up getting it back, while the Kents try and come to terms with the death of their son. Doesn't take a genius to spot the filler arc there, but everything else is handled well in a hankies-out TV movie style, especially Pa Kent's grief.
But the Cadmus Project stuff is a good indicator of why FFAF is such an awkward fit as part of a cohesive story. Pre-Doomsday, the Superman titles were four monthly comics which made up one weekly soap opera: individual writers had their own plot strands and pet characters and would push subplots along while coming together for the big line-wide arcs. Jerry Ordway issues would feature bar owner Bibbo; Louise Simonson would handle orphan Keith; and so on. It worked remarkably well, giving Superman a huge supporting cast that could juggle multiple minor stories and keep important strands - like Lex Luthor's identity - simmering without dominating.
It's a terrible fit for a modern single-volume experience, though - having had to suspend normal operations during the "Death" story, "Funeral" sees all the creators check back in with their regular cast and move their plots along. "Death" stood alone in a way "Funeral" simply doesn't. To readers not following these casts week by week the story wanders bizarrely, focusing on half forgotten characters like Gangbuster or Guardian because that's what the Super-titles did. (Throwing in two specials designed to spotlight even MORE of the supporting cast doesn't help)
This is not the comics' fault - pre-00s comics mostly weren't written as discrete trade-size stories and any collection from the 80s or 90s will have a load of loose ends. But with the 90s Superman titles the loose ends were the point and the appeal, which is why so little of them has been anthologised. It's a strange quirk of publishing fate that DC's single most repackaged 90s story came out of an editorial nook so stubbornly resistant to story packaging: Funeral For A Friend is where that shows.
In 1993, Funeral For A Friend had two jobs. One is to supply the Death of Superman story with the emotional beats the actual "Death" sequence largely sacrificed for punching. The second was to fake readers (and the media) out for as long as possible with the idea that Superman might actually stay dead for a while. The two jobs reinforce each other - the more cynical readers are about the imminent return of our guy, the less likely they are to tolerate extended mourning sequences; the longer the comic spends wearing black, the more likely people are to accept "he's dead" as the status quo.
At the time, the story did both these jobs pretty well - it was a weird but novel experience buying an 8-part weekly story in which the main character was dead throughout and where his plot barely moved forward, and this extended coda definitely worked to signal that DC were serious about this whole thing. Now, of course, it's a bit more awkward. Not because Superman turns out - gasp -not to be dead, but because Funeral For A Friend is only likely to be read as the second act of a huge storyline, and that's really not the context it worked in.
The Superman creative teams used these eight weeks first to cover various obvious story beats - is Superman dead? Is Doomsday? How does anyone actually know? Then a couple of issues of the funeral, and then an extended plot in which the Cadmus Project nick Superman's corpse and Lois and Luthor end up getting it back, while the Kents try and come to terms with the death of their son. Doesn't take a genius to spot the filler arc there, but everything else is handled well in a hankies-out TV movie style, especially Pa Kent's grief.
But the Cadmus Project stuff is a good indicator of why FFAF is such an awkward fit as part of a cohesive story. Pre-Doomsday, the Superman titles were four monthly comics which made up one weekly soap opera: individual writers had their own plot strands and pet characters and would push subplots along while coming together for the big line-wide arcs. Jerry Ordway issues would feature bar owner Bibbo; Louise Simonson would handle orphan Keith; and so on. It worked remarkably well, giving Superman a huge supporting cast that could juggle multiple minor stories and keep important strands - like Lex Luthor's identity - simmering without dominating.
It's a terrible fit for a modern single-volume experience, though - having had to suspend normal operations during the "Death" story, "Funeral" sees all the creators check back in with their regular cast and move their plots along. "Death" stood alone in a way "Funeral" simply doesn't. To readers not following these casts week by week the story wanders bizarrely, focusing on half forgotten characters like Gangbuster or Guardian because that's what the Super-titles did. (Throwing in two specials designed to spotlight even MORE of the supporting cast doesn't help)
This is not the comics' fault - pre-00s comics mostly weren't written as discrete trade-size stories and any collection from the 80s or 90s will have a load of loose ends. But with the 90s Superman titles the loose ends were the point and the appeal, which is why so little of them has been anthologised. It's a strange quirk of publishing fate that DC's single most repackaged 90s story came out of an editorial nook so stubbornly resistant to story packaging: Funeral For A Friend is where that shows.
February 19, 2022
Great artwork, mostly clean content...but, overall, rather action-less and uninteresting. Add to that a scene with a demon of sorts--in an otherwise mostly innocent collection; seriously, the only other moral issues are two or three profanities--and, this is definitely not the best DC Comics or even Superman has to offer.
May 1, 2021
This was a slog to get through.
I just don't understand what this era of Superman was all about. Do people enjoy it?
First, of all, many of the characters talk like 1930's gangsters. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in the 90s. The dialogue is more hokey than a Bronze Age teen superhero book. Every "th" is replaced with a "d." It's impossible to read at times.
The characters aren't exactly A-level, either. Bippo? Gangbuster? A bunch of Morlock knock-offs called the "Underworld?" And this ditzy Supergirl alien and Irish-ogre "Lex Luthor" are insufferable. Did the 90s need a 64 page special just about them?! That seems excessive even in the pre-bubble-burst early 90s.
The art is okay. Some very house-style stuff, nothing ground-breaking or particularly stand-out. Which is surprising given the amount of specials and a #500 collected here.
I've heard this was the stronger point of the Death o Superman storyline. If that's true...yikes.
I just don't understand what this era of Superman was all about. Do people enjoy it?
First, of all, many of the characters talk like 1930's gangsters. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in the 90s. The dialogue is more hokey than a Bronze Age teen superhero book. Every "th" is replaced with a "d." It's impossible to read at times.
The characters aren't exactly A-level, either. Bippo? Gangbuster? A bunch of Morlock knock-offs called the "Underworld?" And this ditzy Supergirl alien and Irish-ogre "Lex Luthor" are insufferable. Did the 90s need a 64 page special just about them?! That seems excessive even in the pre-bubble-burst early 90s.
The art is okay. Some very house-style stuff, nothing ground-breaking or particularly stand-out. Which is surprising given the amount of specials and a #500 collected here.
I've heard this was the stronger point of the Death o Superman storyline. If that's true...yikes.
September 25, 2019
Seeing everybody from the Justice League to Lois Lane to the Kents grieve was superb and
powerful.especially when all the heroes gather and even the sadness of Lex Luthor was well done. But everything else?
Not so much.
I basically rushed to the ending cause it dragged so much and it focused on so many unimportant characters and story arcs.
So its more of a 2.5 stars.
powerful.especially when all the heroes gather and even the sadness of Lex Luthor was well done. But everything else?
Not so much.
I basically rushed to the ending cause it dragged so much and it focused on so many unimportant characters and story arcs.
So its more of a 2.5 stars.
June 16, 2022
Not sure why people hate this series so much. Maybe I'm Superman bias. The emotional moments throughout the book from Lois and all the other superheroes was outstanding. Not very much action, so I guess it's hard to keep going with the drawn out non action scenes, but I think that's why I liked it. It's a world without Superman!
The story arc of Supergirl and Lex makes it so you can't wait until he gets exposed. It made me hate someone in a comic, which is great. You can say this is a filler book but I feel without it, the actual death and return isn't a big deal.
The story arc of Supergirl and Lex makes it so you can't wait until he gets exposed. It made me hate someone in a comic, which is great. You can say this is a filler book but I feel without it, the actual death and return isn't a big deal.
September 28, 2021
Es remarcable el darse cuenta que pese a ser todo un libro sin Superman (a excepción del sueño de Jonathan Kent), la historia este tan bien llevada entre los personajes que quedaron vivos luego del ataque de Doomsday. Y no solo los miembros de la Liga de la Justicia, sino todos aquellos personajes que forman parte de la historia del Hombre de Acero en un rol secundario... Bibbo, Maggie, Turpin, Hamilton... vigilantes u entidades como Cadmus, STAR Labs, El Guardian, Gangbuster, Dubbilex... el infaltable Lex Luthor (II) con su enamorada Supergirl Matrix... y la familia cercana al hombre de acero, Los Kent, Lois, Jimmy Olsen...
Los funerales son para los que quedan vivos. Y en este nos percatamos de como los personajes nombrados son parte esencial en la narrativa de esta serie. Sintetizando la historia: Con la muerte de Superman, Lex Luthor se encarga de organizar el funeral de su mayor enemigo. A dicho funeral asiste todo Metrópolis y otros tantos héroes. Podemos ver las secuelas en la Liga de la Justicia y en los vigilantes de Metrópolis. En determinado momento el cadáver de Superman es robado de su tumba, y Lois junto a Luthor y la policía se proponen recuperarlo. Mientras tanto Jonathan Kent parece muy afectado por la muerte de su hijo, provocandole un paro cardíaco que lo reúne con su hijo en el más allá... También tenemos el especial de Supergirl & Team Luthor, donde Lex pide el permiso para desplegar a sus unidades sobre Metrópolis para cubrir el trabajo del Hombre de Acero... con todas las artimañas que se pueden esperar.
Con narrativa muy llevadera, y ya habiéndola leído en otras ocasiones, la historia avanza sobre el mundo sin Superman. Recorriendo el luto por los personajes y por momentos con puntos muy sentimentales para el lector.
Los funerales son para los que quedan vivos. Y en este nos percatamos de como los personajes nombrados son parte esencial en la narrativa de esta serie. Sintetizando la historia: Con la muerte de Superman, Lex Luthor se encarga de organizar el funeral de su mayor enemigo. A dicho funeral asiste todo Metrópolis y otros tantos héroes. Podemos ver las secuelas en la Liga de la Justicia y en los vigilantes de Metrópolis. En determinado momento el cadáver de Superman es robado de su tumba, y Lois junto a Luthor y la policía se proponen recuperarlo. Mientras tanto Jonathan Kent parece muy afectado por la muerte de su hijo, provocandole un paro cardíaco que lo reúne con su hijo en el más allá... También tenemos el especial de Supergirl & Team Luthor, donde Lex pide el permiso para desplegar a sus unidades sobre Metrópolis para cubrir el trabajo del Hombre de Acero... con todas las artimañas que se pueden esperar.
Con narrativa muy llevadera, y ya habiéndola leído en otras ocasiones, la historia avanza sobre el mundo sin Superman. Recorriendo el luto por los personajes y por momentos con puntos muy sentimentales para el lector.
February 6, 2018
How odd. The second one without any Superman at all in it is LOADS better than the first volume which is essentially a long Superman fight.
This one really has some emotional impact and for such a mainstream comic I was surprised to see such a focus on the friends and family of superman. Of course there were some moments that were better than others. Lex Luthor and his sexism is still annoying and feels oddly out of time. There were other moments of sexism as well that were commented on and subject to a reaction. It was like an issue volume.
I liked the way the plot was developing, there were clues in there and the fighting over the body and the way Lex was trying to manipulate the city to get more power was also very well done.
The art seemed better suited to the tale as well and I found myself really engrossed in all the stories in here. I particularly liked the tale of the Kents as it skirted the edges of metaphor, dream and death.
The funeral itself was oddly subdued. I thought the interactions of the crowd were really interesting. I did find myself wondering where all these superhero friends were as he was being beaten to death. The Flash in particular was a bit of a let down.
This was a nicely paced book. A good read and better than the opener.
This one really has some emotional impact and for such a mainstream comic I was surprised to see such a focus on the friends and family of superman. Of course there were some moments that were better than others. Lex Luthor and his sexism is still annoying and feels oddly out of time. There were other moments of sexism as well that were commented on and subject to a reaction. It was like an issue volume.
I liked the way the plot was developing, there were clues in there and the fighting over the body and the way Lex was trying to manipulate the city to get more power was also very well done.
The art seemed better suited to the tale as well and I found myself really engrossed in all the stories in here. I particularly liked the tale of the Kents as it skirted the edges of metaphor, dream and death.
The funeral itself was oddly subdued. I thought the interactions of the crowd were really interesting. I did find myself wondering where all these superhero friends were as he was being beaten to death. The Flash in particular was a bit of a let down.
This was a nicely paced book. A good read and better than the opener.
May 31, 2017
2.5-3 stars
Seeing the shock and grief of not only Lois, Jimmy, and the Kents, but also the Justice League and Metropolis as a whole was superb! Well done.
But after the 35-50% mark it began to drag for me -- the Project Cadmus stuff was too silly and the Underworlders side arc still doesn't feel tied to the main arc in any identifiable way. The Lex and Supergirl plot line is somewhat interesting, but I found myself racing to end of this volume just so I could move on to the next, and even the last panel "cliffhanger" wasn't enough to let me walk away with anything more than relief that I was done. Which is a shame considering how strong the beginning was. It's sad when the last metaphorical taste in your mouth isn't a sweet one.
Seeing the shock and grief of not only Lois, Jimmy, and the Kents, but also the Justice League and Metropolis as a whole was superb! Well done.
But after the 35-50% mark it began to drag for me -- the Project Cadmus stuff was too silly and the Underworlders side arc still doesn't feel tied to the main arc in any identifiable way. The Lex and Supergirl plot line is somewhat interesting, but I found myself racing to end of this volume just so I could move on to the next, and even the last panel "cliffhanger" wasn't enough to let me walk away with anything more than relief that I was done. Which is a shame considering how strong the beginning was. It's sad when the last metaphorical taste in your mouth isn't a sweet one.
March 17, 2017
There's still parts of this story arc that get me all sniffly...there's a human focus that's very welcome.
As always, I think Supergirl should have punched Lex in the nuts long before she actually does.
As always, I think Supergirl should have punched Lex in the nuts long before she actually does.
November 21, 2020
Es interesante ver las secuelas de la muerte de Superman.
Guion: 6,5
Dibujo: 7
Guion: 6,5
Dibujo: 7
October 16, 2023
Superman: Funeral for a Friend
Superman lies dead. Slowly, world leaders and superheroes from around the world converge on Metropolis to bid farewell to its great champion. As crime rates soar, people feel the need to fill the void. Gangbuster, the Thorn and Supergirl are all eager to bring calm and hope back to the streets of the Big Apricot. Meanwhile, Lois Lane and Jonathan and Martha Kent privately mourn Clark's loss, wondering if they'll ever cope with the loss of the man they loved so dearly.
This important series of comics really looks at the impact that Superman as a character has had on the psyche of popular culture, as well as reinforcing the ideals that Superman stood for. Highlights include Guy Gardner reluctantly wearing the mourning band despite his antagonistic relationship with Superman and Jonathan Kent's near death quest to save his son.
Superman lies dead. Slowly, world leaders and superheroes from around the world converge on Metropolis to bid farewell to its great champion. As crime rates soar, people feel the need to fill the void. Gangbuster, the Thorn and Supergirl are all eager to bring calm and hope back to the streets of the Big Apricot. Meanwhile, Lois Lane and Jonathan and Martha Kent privately mourn Clark's loss, wondering if they'll ever cope with the loss of the man they loved so dearly.
This important series of comics really looks at the impact that Superman as a character has had on the psyche of popular culture, as well as reinforcing the ideals that Superman stood for. Highlights include Guy Gardner reluctantly wearing the mourning band despite his antagonistic relationship with Superman and Jonathan Kent's near death quest to save his son.
May 21, 2025
While Jurgens and other writers have interesting things to say about obsession and loss, this entire story is undermined by the fact that Superman simply doesn't stay dead. The quick resurrection (less than one year) means that all this mourning and grief feels like it was for nothing. No one really learns a lesson from Superman dying. It happened because it was just a thing that could happen.
January 31, 2018
Overall I was not happy with this book because it was mainly filler until Superman came back. The last story in the book was really well done though so I give this book two stars instead of one.
August 28, 2018
3.5 mixed bag of good and ok. Mostly solid art, and I thought Adventures of Superman 500 set up Reign of the Supermen excellently.
March 26, 2021
Some good ideas but they are stretched out so thin that it’s a chore to finish.
January 27, 2023
A study of Metropolis in mourning, its greatest heroes and foes trying to reconcile themselves with the void left by the Son of Krypton. The story is understandably a bit of downer, and can seem slow at times. It does pick up towards the end, as the revelations about Superman's imminent return begin to trickle in.
November 22, 2020
This volume includes some genuinely heartfelt moments, as different characters try to come to terms with a world without Superman, but otherwise it's pacing is not so great. It might work in the context of the wider Death and Return of Superman story arc but as a standalone graphic novel it includes some issues which feel like filler. There are also characters included who are almost complete unknowns for people, like myself, who are not fully conversant with the DC universe.
It is in this volume where I start to see evidence of some people's criticism of this story arc as being an example of the worst of the 90s comic book boom.
Hopefully the follow up, Reign of the Supermen, will not dissappoint and will reverse that trend.
It is in this volume where I start to see evidence of some people's criticism of this story arc as being an example of the worst of the 90s comic book boom.
Hopefully the follow up, Reign of the Supermen, will not dissappoint and will reverse that trend.
November 18, 2017
[Possible Spoilers] Although the first volume ("Death of Superman") left me extremely uninterested since it was a fist fight for the biggest part of the comic, "Funeral for a Friend" created so many diverse emotions. You realise that Superman was indeed a beacon of hope and justice, and now humanity is going through uncharted waters. Heroes, civilians, criminals, the Kents, Lois Lane, Luthor, you can really see how much they were affected by Superman's presence.
Although I was never a huge Superman fan, through this comic I see the reasons why Superman is one of greatest superheroes of all time.
Although I was never a huge Superman fan, through this comic I see the reasons why Superman is one of greatest superheroes of all time.
June 21, 2016
This book showcases how the world reacts and mourns to the death of Superman. Doesn't hold up the best nowadays, although I do like the undergrounders and Cadmus. The subplot at the end where Johnathan Kent has a heart attack and goes after Superman's spirit to bring it back from Heaven was really dumb.
June 5, 2018
Overall, I think this collection did a decent job of showing how much Superman was missed. Batman talking about the Kryptonite ring and all the heroes putting on the armbands were both particularly gut-wrenching. I also thought it did a credible job of introducing Luthor (for someone who hasn't read a lot of the previous comics). It ended on a cliffhanger so I'm curious to see where this goes.
February 25, 2018
What makes this story so compelling is the wide variety of mixed emotions which play on every character from Superman's loved ones to his enemies, and how each character is actually studied and developed. It's very powerful reading.
June 3, 2025
I think I've identified the problem that DC Comics created for itself: In resetting things, they killed Superman, and when the dust cleared, they had:
The Guardian: A golden man Captain America but with a shittier shield and sillier origin.
The Newsboys: Kid clones of a bunch of scientists who are annoying as fuck and basically run around in a lab like it's 1920s Brooklyn.
Supergirl: An incarnation that's made out of goo and seems SO STUPID as to believe Lex Luthor is a good guy.
The Underworlders: No, not like cool satanists, mutants who live in the sewers. Probably an attempt to capitalize on the mutant craze happening at Marvel, but, like, these guys are just shit like a really big frog and a guy who is Thing from Fantastic Four with weird shit on his head. And a goat man. Which does sound satan-y, but believe me, he's not that cool.
Gangbuster: A guy whose uniform is straight out of Superpro who punches bad guys a lot and struggles with...I don't know, deciding if he enjoys punching bad guys a lot or just some.
Guy Gardner: Real dumb haircut aside, a super annoying character who pretends to be badass and definitely isn't, he's just a big softy inside, except he's not. It's like, outside he's this gruff asshole, and inside he's also an asshole, just more of a wuss.
Now, there were a few good characters they could've spent more time with:
Booster Gold/Blue Beetle: If shipping was a thing in the early 90s and in mainstream comics, these two would've been shipped harder than an overnight package from Chine with a 40000% tariff.
Ma and Pa Kent: I mean, not the most compelling characters, but I think there's a lot of good story in the idea of the world mourning their son, and them having a very different relationship with him and seeing him in a completely different way.
Honestly, and I'm such an old man for saying this: I would happily read a Ma and Pa Kent, post-death story that stands on its own. Without, you know, horseshit about traveling through the afterlife or whatever the fuck that was.
There's an emotional component here that I think is fascinating and worth developing. Where is my mini series about an elderly couple mourning their dead son!? How was this not compelling comics by now!?
But, like, whatever. Why do that when you could just have weird science fuck around in the sewer?
DC's problem is that they tried to clear the board, and they cleared the board of the more compelling characters to make room for storylines and characters that I just could not be fucked to care about. I do not care if Guy Gardner comes around to respect Superman. I do not care about the Guardian project or project cadmus or Cadbury Project Egg or whatever that shit is.
In 350+ pages, there's like ONE PAGE of Batman. Wha...how...oh, whatever. You guys just keep doing what you're doing, I guess. Fuck it.
The Guardian: A golden man Captain America but with a shittier shield and sillier origin.
The Newsboys: Kid clones of a bunch of scientists who are annoying as fuck and basically run around in a lab like it's 1920s Brooklyn.
Supergirl: An incarnation that's made out of goo and seems SO STUPID as to believe Lex Luthor is a good guy.
The Underworlders: No, not like cool satanists, mutants who live in the sewers. Probably an attempt to capitalize on the mutant craze happening at Marvel, but, like, these guys are just shit like a really big frog and a guy who is Thing from Fantastic Four with weird shit on his head. And a goat man. Which does sound satan-y, but believe me, he's not that cool.
Gangbuster: A guy whose uniform is straight out of Superpro who punches bad guys a lot and struggles with...I don't know, deciding if he enjoys punching bad guys a lot or just some.
Guy Gardner: Real dumb haircut aside, a super annoying character who pretends to be badass and definitely isn't, he's just a big softy inside, except he's not. It's like, outside he's this gruff asshole, and inside he's also an asshole, just more of a wuss.
Now, there were a few good characters they could've spent more time with:
Booster Gold/Blue Beetle: If shipping was a thing in the early 90s and in mainstream comics, these two would've been shipped harder than an overnight package from Chine with a 40000% tariff.
Ma and Pa Kent: I mean, not the most compelling characters, but I think there's a lot of good story in the idea of the world mourning their son, and them having a very different relationship with him and seeing him in a completely different way.
Honestly, and I'm such an old man for saying this: I would happily read a Ma and Pa Kent, post-death story that stands on its own. Without, you know, horseshit about traveling through the afterlife or whatever the fuck that was.
There's an emotional component here that I think is fascinating and worth developing. Where is my mini series about an elderly couple mourning their dead son!? How was this not compelling comics by now!?
But, like, whatever. Why do that when you could just have weird science fuck around in the sewer?
DC's problem is that they tried to clear the board, and they cleared the board of the more compelling characters to make room for storylines and characters that I just could not be fucked to care about. I do not care if Guy Gardner comes around to respect Superman. I do not care about the Guardian project or project cadmus or Cadbury Project Egg or whatever that shit is.
In 350+ pages, there's like ONE PAGE of Batman. Wha...how...oh, whatever. You guys just keep doing what you're doing, I guess. Fuck it.
March 28, 2022
Funeral for a Friend, as well as the entire Death and Return of Superman Saga in general, are an interesting time capsule of 90s Superman comics. Readers (like myself) who have no context of this era are going to have to swallow a lot of wierd things really quickly, including the existence of an underground civilization of mutants under Metropolis, Lex Luthor's red-maned son running Lexcorp after Lex's "death" (except it's not really his son, but Lex's mind cloned into a new body that everyone else thinks is his son), and Supergirl dating Lex Luthor (except it's not Superman's cousin Kara, but a shape-shifting alien that happens to look exactly like her). It's a lot to take in, for sure. But if you can handle it, you're in for a wild ride.
Funeral for a Friend in particular stands out from the rest of the books in this storyline, as it's probably the least re-readable on its own. If you want to read an isolated book from this event, you're probably going to pick up The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, or The Return of Superman. Funeral is the odd middle chapter that, while necessary to give Clark's death full weight, doesn't have much of a draw as an isolated read. It's a bunch of Lois, the Kents, and other Superman supporting characters being sad for twelve issues, and while I'm all for illustrating character grief in the wake of tragedy, it can be a tad repetitive. There are some iconic moments for sure, like Bibbo's Hail Mary prayer, but this definitely didn't need to go on for twelve issues.
Things I liked: oddly enough, pretty much everything going on with Lex Luthor. It was fun seeing how Superman's death affected him, being robbed of his ultimate triumph by a mindless brute. The fact that he's in a cloned younger body with long hair is an odd aesthetic, but after I sat with it for a while I kinda dug it. The Justice League has some nice moments (though they still hadn't quite figured out Guy Gardner's character yet), and I liked a lot of the Pa Kent stuff towards the end. Also, the transition into Reign was pretty awesome.
Things I didn't like: how repetitive some things were, especially with people around Lois. On at least three occasions, people are like "alas! Poor Lois! She was there when Superman died. Plus Clark is still missing!" Almost verbatim, every time. Also the way they supposedly resurrect Clark (not a spoiler, the character's been resurrected for nearly thirty years at this point) at the end of this wasn't how I would've wanted it to happen.
Funeral for a Friend is a fun look into the weird period of Superman continuity of the 90s, but I can't recommend it in isolation. If you're going to experience it, definitely read it as part of a Death of Superman readathon.
Funeral for a Friend in particular stands out from the rest of the books in this storyline, as it's probably the least re-readable on its own. If you want to read an isolated book from this event, you're probably going to pick up The Death of Superman, Reign of the Supermen, or The Return of Superman. Funeral is the odd middle chapter that, while necessary to give Clark's death full weight, doesn't have much of a draw as an isolated read. It's a bunch of Lois, the Kents, and other Superman supporting characters being sad for twelve issues, and while I'm all for illustrating character grief in the wake of tragedy, it can be a tad repetitive. There are some iconic moments for sure, like Bibbo's Hail Mary prayer, but this definitely didn't need to go on for twelve issues.
Things I liked: oddly enough, pretty much everything going on with Lex Luthor. It was fun seeing how Superman's death affected him, being robbed of his ultimate triumph by a mindless brute. The fact that he's in a cloned younger body with long hair is an odd aesthetic, but after I sat with it for a while I kinda dug it. The Justice League has some nice moments (though they still hadn't quite figured out Guy Gardner's character yet), and I liked a lot of the Pa Kent stuff towards the end. Also, the transition into Reign was pretty awesome.
Things I didn't like: how repetitive some things were, especially with people around Lois. On at least three occasions, people are like "alas! Poor Lois! She was there when Superman died. Plus Clark is still missing!" Almost verbatim, every time. Also the way they supposedly resurrect Clark (not a spoiler, the character's been resurrected for nearly thirty years at this point) at the end of this wasn't how I would've wanted it to happen.
Funeral for a Friend is a fun look into the weird period of Superman continuity of the 90s, but I can't recommend it in isolation. If you're going to experience it, definitely read it as part of a Death of Superman readathon.
August 16, 2023
This second volume of the "Death of Superman" saga focuses on how the world reacts to Superman's demise - not only the leaguers, closest friends and family, but Metropolis as a whole.
Some heroes, like Gangbuster (a terribly silly character - Punisher-lite, if you will), Guardian, and a Luthor-mentored Supergirl, inspired and worried by the absence of a Superman, try to step up in order to attempt to maintain Metropolis' glory and relative sense of security, to little avail, as they can't seem to be enougth to really effectively counter the consequences of his absence.
The writers that worked in these issues have a bit of a herculean task ahead of them - to attempt to write compelling stories that revolve around Superman, but without him. They mostly suceed addequately, especially when they focus on the grieving of family and friends. However, there are far too many issues dedicated to that, and the writing most of the time isn't nearly as deep or mature to render it the necessary gravitas and depth, instead giving off a vibe of shallow TV soap drama, rather than prestige TV or truly moving comics.
To make matters worse, an action plot that reeks of unnecessary filler is thrown in, that involves Project Cadmus' attempts to have jurisdiction over the Man of Steel's body, and when failing so, goes to the lengths of stealing it. Its far from an interesting plot, and somewhat overextended.
Perhaps when read at the moment of release, in the zeitgeist of it all, it might have felt more exciting, less overextended and repetitive, but when read in bulk, one can't help wishing it was half the length.
So, overall, a decent read, but I honestly was eager to finish it, and get to the "Rise of the Supermen" part of the saga.
I have heard that this portion of the "Death of Superman" saga isn't collected in the omnibus. If its true, its a bit of a big omission, but its absence probably makes for a better flow when reading the saga in bulk.
5/10 for me.
Some heroes, like Gangbuster (a terribly silly character - Punisher-lite, if you will), Guardian, and a Luthor-mentored Supergirl, inspired and worried by the absence of a Superman, try to step up in order to attempt to maintain Metropolis' glory and relative sense of security, to little avail, as they can't seem to be enougth to really effectively counter the consequences of his absence.
The writers that worked in these issues have a bit of a herculean task ahead of them - to attempt to write compelling stories that revolve around Superman, but without him. They mostly suceed addequately, especially when they focus on the grieving of family and friends. However, there are far too many issues dedicated to that, and the writing most of the time isn't nearly as deep or mature to render it the necessary gravitas and depth, instead giving off a vibe of shallow TV soap drama, rather than prestige TV or truly moving comics.
To make matters worse, an action plot that reeks of unnecessary filler is thrown in, that involves Project Cadmus' attempts to have jurisdiction over the Man of Steel's body, and when failing so, goes to the lengths of stealing it. Its far from an interesting plot, and somewhat overextended.
Perhaps when read at the moment of release, in the zeitgeist of it all, it might have felt more exciting, less overextended and repetitive, but when read in bulk, one can't help wishing it was half the length.
So, overall, a decent read, but I honestly was eager to finish it, and get to the "Rise of the Supermen" part of the saga.
I have heard that this portion of the "Death of Superman" saga isn't collected in the omnibus. If its true, its a bit of a big omission, but its absence probably makes for a better flow when reading the saga in bulk.
5/10 for me.
November 26, 2024
Superman is dead, so this volume features his supporting cast trying to deal with his absence. Almost everyone is included: other heroes from the JLA, Metropolis' own Gangbuster and the Thorn, his family, his colleagues, the weird monster people who live underneath Metropolis... Yeah, I could have done without the weird monster people who live underneath Metropolis.
The problem with rating books based on your enjoyment of them is that you can't be objective. This comic book is objectively not very good, but I did like it. I would say that stylistically it goes back to before the triangle era, following the daily lives of various Metropolis citizens in an episodic, dispersed way that reminds me of a soap opera. It seems to me the writers, especially Roger Stern, have become incredibly verbose, with some pages being fillled to the brim with dialogue. The plot is not particularly interesting as it mostly deals with people's attempt to steal Superman's body and clone him or Luthor's various machinations.
Young Australian Lex Luthor I'm-not-the-old-Luthor-I-promise is the protagonist of this volume in my opinion. This book continues his REVOLTING relationship with Matrix Supergirl. Eventually I became so outraged by their romance that I started to enjoy it, the same way you can't look away from a car crash. Another storyline that is featured prominently is that of Pa Kent having a heart attack and his subsequent hospitalization. The writers tried for "heart-wrenching drama" and missed the mark by about a mile. If his hallucinations on the cusp of death made me feel anything it was hilarity. You shouldn't go into reading this book with high expectations, but if you've been enjoying the post-Crisis Superman comics there is no reason why you wouldn't like this one.
The problem with rating books based on your enjoyment of them is that you can't be objective. This comic book is objectively not very good, but I did like it. I would say that stylistically it goes back to before the triangle era, following the daily lives of various Metropolis citizens in an episodic, dispersed way that reminds me of a soap opera. It seems to me the writers, especially Roger Stern, have become incredibly verbose, with some pages being fillled to the brim with dialogue. The plot is not particularly interesting as it mostly deals with people's attempt to steal Superman's body and clone him or Luthor's various machinations.
Young Australian Lex Luthor I'm-not-the-old-Luthor-I-promise is the protagonist of this volume in my opinion. This book continues his REVOLTING relationship with Matrix Supergirl. Eventually I became so outraged by their romance that I started to enjoy it, the same way you can't look away from a car crash. Another storyline that is featured prominently is that of Pa Kent having a heart attack and his subsequent hospitalization. The writers tried for "heart-wrenching drama" and missed the mark by about a mile. If his hallucinations on the cusp of death made me feel anything it was hilarity. You shouldn't go into reading this book with high expectations, but if you've been enjoying the post-Crisis Superman comics there is no reason why you wouldn't like this one.
May 5, 2020
This collection was a reminder of why I stopped reading comics in the 90's. We have some middling art and a long drawn out story-line that doesn't have any moments that could be considered"interesting" or "good character development". I think this event - the aftermath of Superman dying - could have resulted in some interesting stories but instead we get muddled confusing characters that were so bad none of them lasted into past the 90's. As a few examples - it starts off with some Justice League stories and heroes like Bloodwynd and Maxima are ones I never heard of and have never been heard from since. We have waaaay too many issues with the Guardian and I still have no idea who he is or what his character is. He was just a two dimensional "hero ready to fight!". That's how weak these characters were.
We have what I guess is a fake Supergirl being controlled by a cloned Lex Luthor, we have an evil head of Cadmus doing evil things for this evil branch of the US government. We have Lois crying every other panel and people seeming to not care that Clark Kent is dead. We have Pa Kent dying and having a dream sequence where he saves his son's soul.
It's all so confusing because the writer's do a crappy job of building off past history and do an even worse job of making characters or stories that last beyond the issue you are reading. It was really hard to read these stories. there was no joy, there was no intelligence, it felt like writers going through the motions.
It was painful to read these stories. They are the worst of what the 90's was and were the kind of stories that drove readers, like me, away from DC.
We have what I guess is a fake Supergirl being controlled by a cloned Lex Luthor, we have an evil head of Cadmus doing evil things for this evil branch of the US government. We have Lois crying every other panel and people seeming to not care that Clark Kent is dead. We have Pa Kent dying and having a dream sequence where he saves his son's soul.
It's all so confusing because the writer's do a crappy job of building off past history and do an even worse job of making characters or stories that last beyond the issue you are reading. It was really hard to read these stories. there was no joy, there was no intelligence, it felt like writers going through the motions.
It was painful to read these stories. They are the worst of what the 90's was and were the kind of stories that drove readers, like me, away from DC.
August 12, 2023
As good as The Death of Superman is... I think the need two story arcs are even better. To me, the two most interesting things about Superman is that in spite of his cosmic powers, he really does want to just be Clark Kent. The second is, his amazing and wide-ranging supporting cast. Which is what makes it unsurprising that what is one of my all-time favorite Superman stories of all time doesn't really have much Superman in it at all.
It tells the story of how not only one how Metropolis as a whole reacts to Superman's passing but all those people connected to the Man of Steel. From friends, family and allies like Lois Lane, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Gangbuster, Bibbo Bibbowski, Guardian, and the Newsboy Legion and some of his enemies like Lex Luthor, Lobo, Prankster and Cadmus Director Paul Westfield. It's a story that- while there are villains it is almost secondary.
My only major complaint is that apart from an issue of Justice League- we didn't get the rest of the DCU's reactions to Big Blue's passing. Those stories DO exist. There were brief mentions and some emotional fallout in Guy Gardener=Warrior, some of the Batbooks, and Wonder Woman however they are NOT included in this collection. Granted- if they had done that they would have had to split Funeral for a Friend up into two volumes. So maybe that's a good call. (Though given Clark and Diana's Post-Crisis/Pre-Zero Hour History maybe they should have reprinted the Wonder Woman story.)
It tells the story of how not only one how Metropolis as a whole reacts to Superman's passing but all those people connected to the Man of Steel. From friends, family and allies like Lois Lane, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Gangbuster, Bibbo Bibbowski, Guardian, and the Newsboy Legion and some of his enemies like Lex Luthor, Lobo, Prankster and Cadmus Director Paul Westfield. It's a story that- while there are villains it is almost secondary.
My only major complaint is that apart from an issue of Justice League- we didn't get the rest of the DCU's reactions to Big Blue's passing. Those stories DO exist. There were brief mentions and some emotional fallout in Guy Gardener=Warrior, some of the Batbooks, and Wonder Woman however they are NOT included in this collection. Granted- if they had done that they would have had to split Funeral for a Friend up into two volumes. So maybe that's a good call. (Though given Clark and Diana's Post-Crisis/Pre-Zero Hour History maybe they should have reprinted the Wonder Woman story.)
June 3, 2025
Me parece de no creer la poca calificación que tiene este cómic, no sé que esperaba la gente. La historia abarca, como es debido, la mayoría de las consecuencias por la muerte de superman, como afectó a la ciudad, al mundo, y principalmente, a sus seres queridos, por ello termina por ser un cómic sumamente emocional, cargado de drama y de introspección, algunos podrían ver la subtrama de cadmus como "relleno" pero ciertamente me parece mas que todo una excusa para darle tiempo al luto de los personajes, al duelo por el que están pasando, también sirve de catalizador para que tomen alguna clase de iniciativa, pues funciona como la gota que derrama el vaso.
Hay paneles en este cómic que te dejan marcado por lo tristes e impactantes que son, respeto mucho lo serio que se tomaron este trabajo, pues no es solo un funeral, es todo el duelo que el universo de DC tendrá que pasar luego de la muerte del superheroe mas grande de todos. Sí, el cómic no es perfecto, pues lleva el foco de la historia hacia algunos personajes pero se lo quita a otros que me llamaron demasiado la atención, como los miembros de la liga, fuera de eso he de admitir que me sorprendió bastante la calidad de esta historia, 8/10.
Hay paneles en este cómic que te dejan marcado por lo tristes e impactantes que son, respeto mucho lo serio que se tomaron este trabajo, pues no es solo un funeral, es todo el duelo que el universo de DC tendrá que pasar luego de la muerte del superheroe mas grande de todos. Sí, el cómic no es perfecto, pues lleva el foco de la historia hacia algunos personajes pero se lo quita a otros que me llamaron demasiado la atención, como los miembros de la liga, fuera de eso he de admitir que me sorprendió bastante la calidad de esta historia, 8/10.
July 5, 2025
Just like The Death of Superman before it, Funeral for a Friend takes an idea that's categorically interesting on paper and utterly squanders it with a completely confused execution and a parade of frustrating storytelling decisions.
Superman stories are always at their best when they focus on how the man part of his title is what makes him super, and Funeral for a Friend feels like sweaty backpedaling in the wake of a story that dunderheadedly crammed the canonical death of our most iconic and powerful godhead into a question of "who punch hardest?". Since they forgot to make Superman's death have anything to do with what actually made him an interesting or important character, it seems that DC's creative team decided they'd do this retroactively by having a ton of characters simply talk about what made Superman interesting and important. If this weren't pat enough, the material is swaddled in a thick layer of total nonsense—what takes eight or so issues could have been accomplished in three or four, and would have saved us page after page of I'M WALKIN' HEAH-level dialogue.
Reading this alongside Superman: For All Seasons and All-Star Superman was perhaps a mistake.
4/10
Superman stories are always at their best when they focus on how the man part of his title is what makes him super, and Funeral for a Friend feels like sweaty backpedaling in the wake of a story that dunderheadedly crammed the canonical death of our most iconic and powerful godhead into a question of "who punch hardest?". Since they forgot to make Superman's death have anything to do with what actually made him an interesting or important character, it seems that DC's creative team decided they'd do this retroactively by having a ton of characters simply talk about what made Superman interesting and important. If this weren't pat enough, the material is swaddled in a thick layer of total nonsense—what takes eight or so issues could have been accomplished in three or four, and would have saved us page after page of I'M WALKIN' HEAH-level dialogue.
Reading this alongside Superman: For All Seasons and All-Star Superman was perhaps a mistake.
4/10
April 2, 2025
Part 2 of this quatrology. Part 1 was very much about the fight between Superman and Doomsday. This volume is the emotional angle. In the immediate aftermath we follow the Justice League who liase the funeral for a friend.
We see Lois dealing with the death of her lover, but her contemporaries thinking about Clark Kent's departure, missing in action.
Luthor and his Supergirl trying to fill the void, along with others such as Gangbuster.
And then the elderly Kents. The saddest of them all. Having to watch their son's funeral and yet kept away from the proceedings. Not because of any nastiness, people just don't know who and what they are. Lois attended as a reporter, no such comfort for them.
I did feel that some of the stories were prolonged, but overall the volume captured the essence of the aftermath of Superman's death. 8/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
We see Lois dealing with the death of her lover, but her contemporaries thinking about Clark Kent's departure, missing in action.
Luthor and his Supergirl trying to fill the void, along with others such as Gangbuster.
And then the elderly Kents. The saddest of them all. Having to watch their son's funeral and yet kept away from the proceedings. Not because of any nastiness, people just don't know who and what they are. Lois attended as a reporter, no such comfort for them.
I did feel that some of the stories were prolonged, but overall the volume captured the essence of the aftermath of Superman's death. 8/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent
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