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Superman: Doomsday and Beyond
As Doomsday surfaced from within the Earth, pounding his way toward Metropolis, nobody anticipated that Superman would finally meet his match—that the Man of Steel would have to risk his own life to put a stop to Doomsday's destructive rage. Now all the world is in mourning.
What will happen to lois Lane, Ma and Pa Kent, and the rest of humankind? Where is Clark Kent? And what about all the rumors of Superman's retum? Is Superman's body really missing from its tomb in Centennial Park? And who are the four mysterious super-beings, each claiming to be Superman?
Here, for the first time, is the complete story. Relive the events leading up to and following Superman's epic battle with Doomsday. And witness, at last, the ultimate fate of the world's greates super-hero.
190 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Louise Simonson
964 books101 followersLouise Simonson (born Mary Louise Alexander and formerly credited as Louise Jones, when married to artist Jeff Jones) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman, and Steel. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Weezie".
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 14, 2025
A fun, children's novelization of the Death of Superman.
June 11, 2013
Superman Doomsday and Beyond: The Great YA Novel
Back in bygone days of the early 1990’s, Superman died. But don’t worry, he got better.
That old joke simplifies what is in essence, one of the greatest Superman stories ever told, and one that occurred quite by accident.
The various creators of the Superman comics had already done the unthinkable and had Clark Kent and Lois Lane get engaged, which shortly after caused him to finally take off the glasses and reveal his true heritage. With this, the stage was set for the Wedding of the Century. But then the Lois and Clark television show came on the air, and this storyline had to be shelved for a wee bit. What to do? Killing the Kryptonian, once a constant joke idea, suddenly became a very real option.
And it steamrolled. The concept and execution made the whole enterprise bigger and bigger, with tons of creators pulling out all the stops. Month after month, the battle to save Metropolis and the world from the monstrous creature Doomsday rapidly became a tour de force. Once Superman breathed his last, in the arms of his beloved Lois Lane, the next chapter began. A Funeral For A Friend featured Kal-El’s burial, and shortly after, four different people picked up the mantle of the S symbol, all leading up to the inevitable resurrection of the real steel.
Sales soared with this huge story. Fans went nuts, commoners checked out their LCS, and the DC Universe was never the same again. And suddenly every other comic started huge sweeping sagas, but none were even as close to greatness as this.
To promote the long neglected Superman, which finally got some DC attention with this deadly fight, they released an adult novel, which adapted all those comics into one hefty hardcover by legendary writer Roger Stern. And to capture the youth market, DC tapped another legendary writer, Louise Simonson, to do the YA novelization.
This was not an easy task. What was essentially a six months long tale has to boiled down to about 190 pages of slightly simplified story. Simonson very swiftly encapsulates the origin of Kal-El and introduces the main characters and the supporting cast. For someone like me, who loved and trilled to this era of Superman, it gives an unique excitement to see these wonderful people in a book, immortalized to the general public as being a part of the mythos. Simonson, with the set-up now accomplished, strikes right to the main point of this adaptation, the Superman / Doomsday battle. We are not even half way through and Kal is dead, Doomsday is defeated and everyone, except for the diabolical Lex Luther, is in mourning.
And when we hit the mid part, the four competing heroes sporting the S symbol appear. Superboy, a clone a Kal with an attitude. Steel, a man in armour channeling Kal’s spirit. The Kryptonian, a Kal made pure and deadly. And the Cyborg Superman, a Kal made living by the addition of robotic parts. Who, if any, are real? Cue suspenseful music.
Simonson makes this journey fun and enjoyable and emotional. While old Geeks like myself notice all the plot points and characterizations and abundant subplots that she has to jettison, a fairly complete story is still present. And while one hero guest star is not in the big battle probably due to licensing issues, making it all work is quite a triumph for Simonson. By the end, and this is not a spoiler, Superman is back amongst the living, flying high, with lady love Lois. This happened in the comics, and almost the exact same scenes are replicated here.
To help Simonson with this book is the liberal use of art from the stories all throughout, giving some visual aids as to the nature of the unfamiliar characters introduced to the public. In fact, one of the multiple highlights in this book is the two page spread featuring a gallery of the cast. It is right after the page listing, not only of all the comics this is based upon, but the creators as well. Classy move, much loved by this Geek.
As a launching pad for young fans into the wide world of Superman and comics, it is most excellent. Simonson brings the essence of what Clark is, all enveloped is one amazing adventure, to diehard fans and newbies alike.
And, by the way, Superman dies. But not for long.
Back in bygone days of the early 1990’s, Superman died. But don’t worry, he got better.
That old joke simplifies what is in essence, one of the greatest Superman stories ever told, and one that occurred quite by accident.
The various creators of the Superman comics had already done the unthinkable and had Clark Kent and Lois Lane get engaged, which shortly after caused him to finally take off the glasses and reveal his true heritage. With this, the stage was set for the Wedding of the Century. But then the Lois and Clark television show came on the air, and this storyline had to be shelved for a wee bit. What to do? Killing the Kryptonian, once a constant joke idea, suddenly became a very real option.
And it steamrolled. The concept and execution made the whole enterprise bigger and bigger, with tons of creators pulling out all the stops. Month after month, the battle to save Metropolis and the world from the monstrous creature Doomsday rapidly became a tour de force. Once Superman breathed his last, in the arms of his beloved Lois Lane, the next chapter began. A Funeral For A Friend featured Kal-El’s burial, and shortly after, four different people picked up the mantle of the S symbol, all leading up to the inevitable resurrection of the real steel.
Sales soared with this huge story. Fans went nuts, commoners checked out their LCS, and the DC Universe was never the same again. And suddenly every other comic started huge sweeping sagas, but none were even as close to greatness as this.
To promote the long neglected Superman, which finally got some DC attention with this deadly fight, they released an adult novel, which adapted all those comics into one hefty hardcover by legendary writer Roger Stern. And to capture the youth market, DC tapped another legendary writer, Louise Simonson, to do the YA novelization.
This was not an easy task. What was essentially a six months long tale has to boiled down to about 190 pages of slightly simplified story. Simonson very swiftly encapsulates the origin of Kal-El and introduces the main characters and the supporting cast. For someone like me, who loved and trilled to this era of Superman, it gives an unique excitement to see these wonderful people in a book, immortalized to the general public as being a part of the mythos. Simonson, with the set-up now accomplished, strikes right to the main point of this adaptation, the Superman / Doomsday battle. We are not even half way through and Kal is dead, Doomsday is defeated and everyone, except for the diabolical Lex Luther, is in mourning.
And when we hit the mid part, the four competing heroes sporting the S symbol appear. Superboy, a clone a Kal with an attitude. Steel, a man in armour channeling Kal’s spirit. The Kryptonian, a Kal made pure and deadly. And the Cyborg Superman, a Kal made living by the addition of robotic parts. Who, if any, are real? Cue suspenseful music.
Simonson makes this journey fun and enjoyable and emotional. While old Geeks like myself notice all the plot points and characterizations and abundant subplots that she has to jettison, a fairly complete story is still present. And while one hero guest star is not in the big battle probably due to licensing issues, making it all work is quite a triumph for Simonson. By the end, and this is not a spoiler, Superman is back amongst the living, flying high, with lady love Lois. This happened in the comics, and almost the exact same scenes are replicated here.
To help Simonson with this book is the liberal use of art from the stories all throughout, giving some visual aids as to the nature of the unfamiliar characters introduced to the public. In fact, one of the multiple highlights in this book is the two page spread featuring a gallery of the cast. It is right after the page listing, not only of all the comics this is based upon, but the creators as well. Classy move, much loved by this Geek.
As a launching pad for young fans into the wide world of Superman and comics, it is most excellent. Simonson brings the essence of what Clark is, all enveloped is one amazing adventure, to diehard fans and newbies alike.
And, by the way, Superman dies. But not for long.
April 13, 2012
Recuerdo que en su momento me gustó, aunque bastante menos que el comic. Y que me molestó que sacaran a los personajes de la Liga de La Justicia. Pero tendría que releerlo para hacer una crítica un poco más justificada, aunque quizás le terminaría bajando una estrellita por "básica". Como sea, fue un lindo libro para la época. Me pregunto si Santi se lo habrá terminado.
January 10, 2016
Siempre quise saber cómo había sido la muerte y resurrección Superman y un día encontré este libro en una mesa de saldos y me saqué esa duda. La verdad es que el libro solo sirvió para eso, ya que está pobremente escrito. Casi ni siquiera atrapa como novela de aventuras. Pero de igual forma, luego de leerlo me convertí durante un tiempo en fanático de Superman y comencé a leer sus comics.
February 20, 2020
Novelización ilustrada que fusiona la muerte de Superman, El reino de los Supermanes y El regreso de Superman junto con partes del origen en catorce capítulos.
December 2, 2008
OLD BOOKS ARE TOO CHEESY
May 15, 2010
Pretty entertaining. Not terribly believable, but then again the book was based on a comic book!
April 29, 2012
This is one of the best Superman stories to come out in years, even if I do hate the subject matter.
November 1, 2019
Novelización de La Muerte de Superman. Regalo paterno a Manu, probablemente.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews