Superman Blue, Volume 1

Superman (1987) #122-125

by Dan Jurgens, Ron Frenz, Karl Kesel (Illustrator)

The classic SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE is finally collected into a graphic novel for the very first time!
When the sun temporarily goes out, the classic Superman as we know him temporarily loses his powers...but when they return, they are not at all what the Man of Steel expects! Clark Kent is suddenly transformed into a being of crackling blue energy, complete with a new set of abilities and a totally different look! But that's not where the story ends...
The villainous Cyborg Superman and Toyman split the Man of Steel into two beings, Superman Red and Superman Blue! So who is the real Clark Kent? And will Metropolis now have two protectors?
Collected for the first time in graphic novel form, SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE brings back the one true Man of Steel! Collects SUPERMAN #122-125, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #545-547, ACTION COMICS #732-734, SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL #67-69 and SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9.

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

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 17, 2018

About the author

Dan 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.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly better than I remembered it being when I originally read it back in the 90's. The beginning could have been set up better, especially why Superman's powers were changing. If I remember correctly, Superman lost his powers during Final Night due to the sun going dark and when they came back they started to change. Slowly, Superman's powers become energy based and he has to learn different ways to defeat his foes. The Superman books of the 90's had this strange soap opera type of storytelling where subplots would focus on random characters of Metropolis. That trend continues here with the introduction of Scorn and the focus on the 90's version of Kandor. The decision was made to make Kandor an amalgamation of random aliens captured by a magician, Talos. Thankfully, Geoff Johns came along and retconned Kandor back into a miniaturized city of Kryptonians in the aughts. All in all, the storytelling and art was better than I remembered.

Hopefully DC will follow through and reprint the rest of the Superman Blue / Red story. They don't have the best track record when it comes to reprinting multiple volumes of a story.

[Willie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 90s were such a strange and struggling time for comics, and collections from that time period often read as unfinished and disjointed because of the focus on long term soap opera style storytelling that they used at the time. I started reading this out of nostalgia but the surprising fact of the matter is, it still holds up and feels like a modern piece.

Comics are constantly changing and are in many ways about change. That is evident here as Superman had to discover new powers and a new look that was considered very controversial at its time, but is definitely fun to read about now that we're looking at it in the rear view mirror. The topics of political unrest, and conflicting philosophies on how news media should be handled, still feel topical and relevant now, probably two decades after this was published.

Anyway. As a Superman Fan I really enjoyed this. Glad they collected it. Can't wait till Superman Red shows up.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, whoever thought I would get nostalgic for Superman Red/Blue? There's actually a lot here for hardcore Superman fans to enjoy - political and social unrest in the Bottle City of Kandor, the semi-return (and weird, never-before-noticed-by-me homoerotic subtext of his overtures towards Superman) of Talos, post-Zero Hour Atom, Perry White kicks cancer's ass, Scorn, Bibbo - such a strange time and place, 90's DC Comics. Can't wait for the next volume of this so's I can indulge unhealthy appetites again.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Man of Steel is No More

Superman finds his powers mutating to such a point where Superman is a being of pure energy and Clark Kent is a truly vulnerable human being. Coping with this sudden change proves troublesome, especially when a crisis in Kandor forces Superman into desperate action before his powers are proved.

The striking colouring and confident artwork add a lot to the book, showing the strangeness as Clark faces up to the sudden loss of his status quo.

[Tyson Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright, but at times it was hard to follow. Also the plot seemed to drag on longer than it should have.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, more like 3.5 (I couldn't quite give it that fourth star). This book caught my attention because, on the back, it stated that Clark Kent was newly married. And... okay, I'm a sucker for Lois/Clark, and for any stories that are more Clark-focused than Superman-focused. And, while I certainly got some of that, the focus of this story arc is (obviously and understandably) Superman's new powers. And, yeah... I have to say, this was an enjoyable, page-turning read. I was actually surprised by how quickly I got through it, as I've been in a bit of a reading slump here lately. New powers is something you don't get from most Superman reads, and honestly, I prefer it that way. I like good, old-fashioned Superman. But, at the same time, it was fun to see Superman thrown into situations and dilemmas that were 100-percent new. I'm actually kind of curious how this fits into the larger Superman canon, because to me, it read as an interesting what-if, more than something that's actually a part of Superman's timeline. But if not, I would also not be frustrated with it. Superman's an alien; his powers are going to be unpredictable. But I'm also glad that this energy-take on Superman wasn't permanent. I also didn't quite understand the whole Bottle City of Kandor/Tolos thing.... What happened to Brainiac? Honestly, I really like that whole story, with a part of Krypton being saved--but through deplorable means (captivity)--and Superman wanting to be able to properly save them but not actually having the technology to do so (hence why the bottle stays in the Fortress of Solitude). I think I've heard at some point that Kandor is actually freed, but I haven't read those issues yet. But all of that makes sense and has some nice heartfelt conflict. This other thing... eh. Again, I'm curious where the different plot points fit into the overall canon, but as a fun comic book read, this definitely fits the bill, and I imagine I'll be reading future volumes because my curiosity has been piqued and I want to know how everything plays out.

[Nate]

Does it get more 90’s than Superman Blue? I’m a latecomer to comics, so I have zero nostalgia for this era, but I’ve thought it was ridiculous from the moment I heard about it. Superman becomes an electric energy being and wears a blue containment suit. Yeah… definitely the 90’s! And while I won’t pretend I’m reading this book for any reason other than historical curiosity, I have to say it’s not half bad. Superman had four titles in the 90’s which would often crossover to tell larger stories, while focusing on side characters. They were very soap opera in tone. These issues are very much that, being continuity-heavy and with several ongoing plotlines. I’ve read my share of 90’s Superman comics so I wasn’t lost (even if I didn’t care about the stuff with Jimmy and Scorn). The Superman Blue stuff is wonky, at least in the beginning when little to no explanation is given for the power shift, but it gets moving once he has the new suit. There are fun cameos from Booster Gold and Atom, while the Kandor plot provides excitement in the latter half. Superman's personality doesn't change with the new powers, which is good. The art is solid, too, with Stuart Immomen standing out the most. Basically, nostalgia and/or tolerance for soap opera Superman comics will inform your enjoyment of this. I love Superman and can usually tolerate cheesiness in his stories, so I enjoyed it for what it is. Still not a fan of the blue suit, though.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a regular Superman comics reader when this story was serialized, and my memories of it are that the creators rushed through the power change a bit and just accepted the new status quo too easily, but this book was better than I thought it would be. Yes, Superman rolls into his new status quo too quickly (the scene with Ma and Pa embracing his new look without any questions was a bit too pat), but he has a lot on his plate, so there isn't much time to labor over the "why" of it all. It's fun to see teenage Atom again and another short Booster Gold/Superman team-up. I always liked the 90s incarnation of Kandor and it's great to see the expansive 90s supporting cast again, with the weekly pace giving the creators a little more room to give Superman's world more flavor via its colorful personas (although I recall Ceritak and Ashbury eventually starting to get too much page time and their plots NEVER seemed to tie back to Superman's life in any way). It's fun to see Superman struggling with his new powers, although he seems to get a handle on them maybe a little too quickly. The art is solid throughout.

[Philmore Olazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little known fact, I really love Superman. He is my favorite superhero. His powers, his costume, his story, and his cast of colorful side characters. I love all of that.

Back in the 90's DC was trying to re-invent the character, since he wasn't selling that much at the time. And they came up with a bold solution, change his powers and costume.

This volume doesn't tell us much as to why his new electric powers manifest and we just get to it with him changing suddenly. Superman must now try to adapt to his unsual situation, that affects, not only his hero work, but his personal life as well.

We have a new character, Scorn from the bottled city of Kandor. He's very fun.

Funny enough, I really like this version of Superman. The changes make him quite interesting and they change how his story is told in an interesting way. I'll see what can be done to continue reading the adventures of this Superman Blue any other way since DC hasn't published a Vol. 2

[Dallas Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman at the Turn of the Century!

This was a fun reboot for what the character could become and also gives some great shift ups of what Superman was doing at this point in the run!

I honestly loved this form and seeing Superman come into new powers and adjusting to how different they are and how they fit in his life and role as a hero!

Overall this book is fun and adds some interesting elements to Superman's mythos!

The villains of Scorn and Metallo are handled beautifully here! Honestly maybe my favorite version of Metallo ever?! (I've read most Superman runs!)

A lot of this book is 90s in the best way, loved what was going on with Atom and Booster Gold!
The annual at the end was way too macho bs imo and the fact this doesn't contain, or will likely ever continue, the next part of this saga is a big let down.

Overall a super read!

[Clay Bartel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1996, the Final Night event took place. Within this event, the Sun is blocked out by a sun eater, and Superman loses his powers.

In 1997, in issue Superman #122, Superman is powerless and must find a way to reignite his powers. He eventually develops his Blue Superman energy powers. This story eventually concludes 65 issues later with the Millennium Giants event and final Superman Forever issue where Superman regains his original powers.

Rather than review each of these issues individually, I'm going to simply say that this entire Blue Superman run of over 65 issues is absolutely one of my favorite story arcs and I highly recommend you track down the entire run in singles as most of this arc hasn't been collected yet.

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun chance to revisit the origins of Superman Blue, the costume and powers change that DC comics visited upon Superman in the 90s. While this volume doesn’t collect all the adventures of the energy powered version of the Big Blue, it is certainly emblematic of the books at that time. Somewhat simple and fun, the new powers and struggles of Superman were a breath of fresh air for the character.

They don’t really hold up as well compared to some modern stories or the best of the genre, but still an entertaining read.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superman Blue wasn't a bad idea. Superman Blue was executed poorly. The idea that Superman's powers change after Final Night made sense and was actually cool visually. How this team of writers put it altogether was disastrous. Scorn and a riot in Kandor was not a good way to get this idea over. It was lame. Added to that you have the typical DC 90s cheesiness. The art was good for the era though. Overall, a shining example of my Superman struggled gaining fans in the 90s.

[ISMOTU · Rating 4 out of 5]

A controversial storyline but I like it. The massive shake-up to Superman's status quo is well told by a bevy of talented creators. The lightning suit is very 90's but not so much that it's cringe-worthy. The furor caused by this storyline came just as I was getting into comics seriously but again I think it's a fun story with nice art.

[Mitty Finholdt · Rating 3 out of 5]

No geral foi bem interessante ver os novos poderes do Clark, a nova roupa, e ele se adaptando a isso. Porém mais pra metade da história eu passei a ficar entediada com todo o conflito do Tolos, Kandor e então aquele who que foi matar o Jimmy. Sem falar que as justificativas eram muito doidas, eu mal conseguia levar essas paradas a sério kkkkkk ai os anos 90... sdds

[MCitizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice to see a change in the boy scout

Only wish it stuck. Supes is as op as you can get. Definitely not Street level. In this energy form he could travel anywhere regardless of the color of sun and still ashave his powers, right? (Something I have yet to dc address)

[Raj Aich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty nostalgic to read this series again.

[Wiccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I hoped it would be.

[mayleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️3.5

[Allen Setzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good stories in here that save this run. I still hate this transformed Superman and powers.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story gets way more hate than it deserves and I hope DC continues to release the further volumes.

Edit: 2022/12/17

This was even better on my second reading. I love this era of Superman and this direction the book takes the character was interesting and exciting. I really wish DC would continue collecting the Superman Blue storyline but it seems they've abandoned it for now. A shame because I would love to continue reading through this story.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this 3 stars but liked it enough to keep reading.

It's interesting to see Clark get new powers. It's a little goofy how he gets them and how he adapts. But I like the story and the way he adapts to the changes. The stuff with Kandor gets to be repetitive and the monster that comes out just takes away from the Clark stuff. It feels like a retread of the Reign of the Supermen and that wasn't great to begin with. Still, I'm looking forward to read the next one.

[Stewart Mitchell]

I know this is widely considered to be one of the weakest Superman “eras” of all time, but I actually really enjoyed it. I never got a chance to read the whole Blue storyline as a kid, so it’s really cool that DC decided to reprint it now.