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Superman Post-Crisis #27
Superman: The Death of Clark Kent
When Kenny Braverman, a childhood friend and the bitter rival of Clark Kent, learns the true identity of Superman, the former Smallville resident devises a plan of revenge and retribution. As Conduit, a kryptonite-radiating super villain, Kenny sends an assortment of heavily armed assassins and killer robots after the people who matter most in Clark's life. Now as Superman fights devastating battle after devastating battle, the Man of Steel comes to a heartbreaking realization: in order for his friends and family to live, his secret identity must die.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Dan Jurgens
2,245 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 5, 2012
A brand new character is created that Superman has actually known all his life and scares him enough to make him go on the run. Yep, it was as bad as it sounds.
August 26, 2022
Part of my comic book reread project. Continued from Superman: Zero Hour.
The review for this particular story is marked way below if you want to skip to it. But first here's what's been going on since the "Zero Hour" story. Last time on Superman, Conduit and Supes knocked open Supes' old tomb during their battle which revealed Superman's body was still in it, and he was...
DUN DUN DUUNNNNN!!!
This is an 11 issue story arc that doesn't have its own trade paperback for some reason, probably because it gets a little ridiculous and really messes up the Superman character, and DC might like to forget that it's out there. He doesn't behave like Superman at all throughout most of this. All tests conclude that the body in the tomb is the real Superman and the one who has been saving everyone since he came back from the dead is off just a tad. So, Supes flies off to solve this mystery, but instead of approaching his enemies and being like "Sup? Did you do that," he throws tantrums and tears shit up to try to intimidate them into confessing. However, he's wrong more often than the CDC, WHO, FDA, and Dr. Fauci combined, and just can't seem to get to the bottom of the mystery. Plus, some of his conclusions are just ridiculous. I know he's no Batman, but it doesn't take a genius to see his two plus two is coming up with five in some of these scenarios. My favorite example is when he goes after the Eradicator who is not exactly an enemy anymore (though certainly not a friend either). Supes pops in and starts beating the hell out of him without even saying what the big deal is.
This is not how he behaves. Once the Eradicator figures out he's upset about the dead body and someone messing with his head, he's all like "What?! That's what this is all about?! You're a tard!" Then he gives us the best line in the story:
Supes then goes after Lex Luthor who is nothing but a vegetable right now, Brainiac who is also in a coma, and Darkseid who tells him he wouldn't attack Superman until he'd paid his debt to him. (Superman recently saved Darkseid's life from Doomsday.) Supes asks about the Cyborg whose death he witnessed with his own eyes (though the Cyborg is really in a Darkseid horcrux, but that's neither here nor there). Darkseid then gives Superman a clue without telling him he's giving him a clue, zaps him back to Earth, considers the debt repaid, and begins to scheme. Superman figures out that there was a hint, but jumps to the wrong conclusion and seeks out Mister Mxyzptlk who is known for showing up every 90 days like clockwork and it isn't time for him to visit again. Seriously, it seems like he'd be able to predict when Mxy's involved in anything, but it baffles him almost every time. Why can't one of The Daily Planet's top reporters figure out how to use a calendar? And how about Darkseid's clue?
Maybe Batman could figure it out, but I don't mean the real world Batman; I mean the 1960's Adam West version who deals with the Riddler's riddles like so:
Batman: Look, a pair of joking riddles!
Chief O'Hara: What does a turkey do when he flies upside down?
Robin: He gobbles up!
Commissioner Gordon: What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun!
Batman: Obviously. So let's combine these answers. What kind of creature would gobble up a bird in a tree?
O'Hara: Mother of mercy! A cat !
Batman: Yes. The criminal catalyst in this affair, the Catwoman!
Gordon: Riddler, Joker, Penguin, and the Catwoman too. The sum of the angles of that rectangle is too monstrous to contemplate!
Batman: We've been given the plainest warning. They're working together to take over... the entire world!
Anyway, back on Earth Superman steals the Superman corpse, does his own tests, comes up with the same results, then acts a damn fool by trying to beat and burn the body into oblivion. Everyone else just assumes he's gone nuts (which would also be my assessment). Then it turns out that Brainiac actually is the culprit. He comes out of his coma, does a bunch of mental tom fuckery with hallucinations and shit which makes Supes look even more unhinged. They battle, Supes convinces Brainiac he's still his former human self, Milton Fine (a "theatrical carnival sideshow" mentalist), so he subconsciously defeats himself since Brainiac believes Brainiac can't be defeated, but Milton Fine can be beaten... Brainiac is then taken to a mental institution to chill as Milton Fine. Whatever.
The story in and of itself is actually a good idea, but a couple of things just didn't work well. First was Superman not behaving in character. He doesn't lead with his fists; he always pursues a non-violent solution before attacking, even with his enemies.
Second, this was very high drama. Everything, EVERYTHING, from all of the characters is addressed with the same level of passion that Luke Skywalker uses to whale on Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.
I'd hate to see these people at breakfast.
"Clark! My eggs... I wanted them fried over hard, but... the yolks are runny!"
"NO! Only a maximum blast of my heat vision can save us! One side. Fry, yolks. FRY! GEEEEYYAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Dudes, chill the fuck out!
After "Dead Again" is a series of short stories with longer running soap opera narratives interwoven into the bigger tale. Orphan Keith's mother shows up to say goodbye to him then immediately drops dead from Aids. Perry and Alice White adopt him, and we periodically get some sermonizing on how older white people adopting a 10-year-old black kid is good and noble, and they explore the difficulties of such an arrangement, etc. Don't get me wrong; I love that Perry took Keith in, but the racism, bullying, and how you're supposed to deal with it is slammed right in your face. Anyone who disagrees is a horrible human being and put in their proper place pretty quickly. The message is fine, but the delivery is extremely heavy handed and obnoxious.
As for the short tales, Supergirl visits the Kents in Smallville and ends up fighting a tractor that's gone crazy at the county fair. Yes, I'm sorry to say you read that correctly. A vampiress who was once a friend of Jimmy Olsen's preys on him against her will, but she hooks up with some magician guy who is losing control of some vortex he manages which can destroy the whole universe, but once they get together, the vortex sucks the vampire spirit out of her, and he's able to control the maelstrom again. Yes, you read that correctly also; I'm sorry. Shadowdragon, a martial artist with a suit that's able to elude Superman, steals the files on Superman's body, and gives them to someone who will make trouble for Supes later. 100 thieves, a collection of the lamest of lame-ass villains in the DC universe, try to ruin Christmas in Metropolis. The Toyman explains he started killing children because they wouldn't buy his action figure. Lois tracks down and helps capture a serial killer. Deathtrap tries to capture and hold Superman and Mr. Miracle so he can convince the world his prisons are the best and they should buy from him; he almost succeeds, but not quite. Agent Liberty helps Superman stop Arclight from killing a ton of reporters. Guy Gardner goes crazy, but Superman stops him.
We also find out how Metropolis was rebuilt after Lex Luthor blew it to hell before Zero Hour. Are you ready for this? Okay. Superman and a bunch of heroes spend a day rebuilding what they can which doesn't accomplish much, but at least it's a start. Then some magician babe named Zatanna shows up (secretly summoned by Lord Satanus). They have to go to the heart of the city which is where The Daily Planet building was, and J'onn J'onzz forms a telepathic link between her, Superman (whose brain contains the blueprints of the city because he's scanned it all with his x-ray, telescopic, and microscopic vision in his travels), and Perry White who is the soul of the city because he knows its hopes, dreams, whatever, and he loves it, warts and all. The other heroes stand around them holding hands in a circle, Zatanna uses that as a focal point to draw on the auras for all the world's heroes everywhere. Then she says some magic incantation which is just a bunch of words spelled backwards, and presto, change-o, INSTANT CITY!
Anyway, Conduit escapes somewhere during all of this, but it's covered up because he escaped from one of Deathtrap's supposedly inescapable prisons. In the last few issues, Clark, and the people closest to him start getting notes simply saying "I know," and now we're up to...
THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT.
This is mostly fighting, so there really isn't a lot to this story as far as plot is concerned. and that's the end of that. In the aftermath, Lois catches up with the Kents, and they convince Superman to resume being Clark Kent again. Jimmy gets rescued, Pipeline is dismantled, Shadowdragon, feeling that he was betrayed by Conduit who used SD's info to go after Clark Kent instead of Superman (and it seems odd that SD can't put two and two together here, but as I've mentioned many times before, this is the DC universe where a pair of glasses is enough to fool everybody and his mother), introduces a virus into the internet which destroys any reference to Superman in the world, so now all his medical info is gone forever as well as any news stories which pisses Lois off because half of those had her byline. Since the Kents' farmhouse was destroyed, they decided to RV around the country 25 years before it became the "in" thing.
One last thing: Lex Luthor's body is taken from Star Labs, and he is mysteriously resurrected, bigger, badder, and balder than ever.
This is my favorite version of Lex. Not the original, old, fat man. Not his cloned "son" with the long, red hair and beard. Young, fit, and bald Lex. It's the same brain in all of them, but this is how Luthor should look, and it's great to have him back. How it happens... well, that will be covered in a later review... Or maybe in the Underworld Unleashed side story; I can't remember. (Give me a break; I haven't read these in probably 25 years.)
Sponsor spots:
Well, it looks like I covered all the good ones in some Batman reviews, but here's one for the Blockbuster Video Game Championship.
Ah, Blockbuster. Wow, what a difference! I miss going to the video rental stores. I'd sometimes try to peek into the back rooms while the proprietor wasn't looking, but Blockbuster didn't have one of those. That was only one small part of the charm, though. I just enjoyed perusing the new releases, or trying to decide on an oldie but goodie. However, I'm one of the most indecisive mahfahs around, and I'd sometimes spend an hour there and nearly walk out with nothing, but I'd eventually make a purchase. Still, it was a way to pass an afternoon after school from time to time, riding my bike to the shopping center, and going to the video store, or the arcade nearby. Good times. Simpler times. I'm glad I had sense enough to appreciate them.
Next checkpoint: The Trial of Superman.
The review for this particular story is marked way below if you want to skip to it. But first here's what's been going on since the "Zero Hour" story. Last time on Superman, Conduit and Supes knocked open Supes' old tomb during their battle which revealed Superman's body was still in it, and he was...
DUN DUN DUUNNNNN!!!
This is an 11 issue story arc that doesn't have its own trade paperback for some reason, probably because it gets a little ridiculous and really messes up the Superman character, and DC might like to forget that it's out there. He doesn't behave like Superman at all throughout most of this. All tests conclude that the body in the tomb is the real Superman and the one who has been saving everyone since he came back from the dead is off just a tad. So, Supes flies off to solve this mystery, but instead of approaching his enemies and being like "Sup? Did you do that," he throws tantrums and tears shit up to try to intimidate them into confessing. However, he's wrong more often than the CDC, WHO, FDA, and Dr. Fauci combined, and just can't seem to get to the bottom of the mystery. Plus, some of his conclusions are just ridiculous. I know he's no Batman, but it doesn't take a genius to see his two plus two is coming up with five in some of these scenarios. My favorite example is when he goes after the Eradicator who is not exactly an enemy anymore (though certainly not a friend either). Supes pops in and starts beating the hell out of him without even saying what the big deal is.
This is not how he behaves. Once the Eradicator figures out he's upset about the dead body and someone messing with his head, he's all like "What?! That's what this is all about?! You're a tard!" Then he gives us the best line in the story:
Supes then goes after Lex Luthor who is nothing but a vegetable right now, Brainiac who is also in a coma, and Darkseid who tells him he wouldn't attack Superman until he'd paid his debt to him. (Superman recently saved Darkseid's life from Doomsday.) Supes asks about the Cyborg whose death he witnessed with his own eyes (though the Cyborg is really in a Darkseid horcrux, but that's neither here nor there). Darkseid then gives Superman a clue without telling him he's giving him a clue, zaps him back to Earth, considers the debt repaid, and begins to scheme. Superman figures out that there was a hint, but jumps to the wrong conclusion and seeks out Mister Mxyzptlk who is known for showing up every 90 days like clockwork and it isn't time for him to visit again. Seriously, it seems like he'd be able to predict when Mxy's involved in anything, but it baffles him almost every time. Why can't one of The Daily Planet's top reporters figure out how to use a calendar? And how about Darkseid's clue?
Maybe Batman could figure it out, but I don't mean the real world Batman; I mean the 1960's Adam West version who deals with the Riddler's riddles like so:
Batman: Look, a pair of joking riddles!
Chief O'Hara: What does a turkey do when he flies upside down?
Robin: He gobbles up!
Commissioner Gordon: What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun!
Batman: Obviously. So let's combine these answers. What kind of creature would gobble up a bird in a tree?
O'Hara: Mother of mercy! A cat !
Batman: Yes. The criminal catalyst in this affair, the Catwoman!
Gordon: Riddler, Joker, Penguin, and the Catwoman too. The sum of the angles of that rectangle is too monstrous to contemplate!
Batman: We've been given the plainest warning. They're working together to take over... the entire world!
Anyway, back on Earth Superman steals the Superman corpse, does his own tests, comes up with the same results, then acts a damn fool by trying to beat and burn the body into oblivion. Everyone else just assumes he's gone nuts (which would also be my assessment). Then it turns out that Brainiac actually is the culprit. He comes out of his coma, does a bunch of mental tom fuckery with hallucinations and shit which makes Supes look even more unhinged. They battle, Supes convinces Brainiac he's still his former human self, Milton Fine (a "theatrical carnival sideshow" mentalist), so he subconsciously defeats himself since Brainiac believes Brainiac can't be defeated, but Milton Fine can be beaten... Brainiac is then taken to a mental institution to chill as Milton Fine. Whatever.
The story in and of itself is actually a good idea, but a couple of things just didn't work well. First was Superman not behaving in character. He doesn't lead with his fists; he always pursues a non-violent solution before attacking, even with his enemies.
Second, this was very high drama. Everything, EVERYTHING, from all of the characters is addressed with the same level of passion that Luke Skywalker uses to whale on Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi.
I'd hate to see these people at breakfast.
"Clark! My eggs... I wanted them fried over hard, but... the yolks are runny!"
"NO! Only a maximum blast of my heat vision can save us! One side. Fry, yolks. FRY! GEEEEYYAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Dudes, chill the fuck out!
After "Dead Again" is a series of short stories with longer running soap opera narratives interwoven into the bigger tale. Orphan Keith's mother shows up to say goodbye to him then immediately drops dead from Aids. Perry and Alice White adopt him, and we periodically get some sermonizing on how older white people adopting a 10-year-old black kid is good and noble, and they explore the difficulties of such an arrangement, etc. Don't get me wrong; I love that Perry took Keith in, but the racism, bullying, and how you're supposed to deal with it is slammed right in your face. Anyone who disagrees is a horrible human being and put in their proper place pretty quickly. The message is fine, but the delivery is extremely heavy handed and obnoxious.
As for the short tales, Supergirl visits the Kents in Smallville and ends up fighting a tractor that's gone crazy at the county fair. Yes, I'm sorry to say you read that correctly. A vampiress who was once a friend of Jimmy Olsen's preys on him against her will, but she hooks up with some magician guy who is losing control of some vortex he manages which can destroy the whole universe, but once they get together, the vortex sucks the vampire spirit out of her, and he's able to control the maelstrom again. Yes, you read that correctly also; I'm sorry. Shadowdragon, a martial artist with a suit that's able to elude Superman, steals the files on Superman's body, and gives them to someone who will make trouble for Supes later. 100 thieves, a collection of the lamest of lame-ass villains in the DC universe, try to ruin Christmas in Metropolis. The Toyman explains he started killing children because they wouldn't buy his action figure. Lois tracks down and helps capture a serial killer. Deathtrap tries to capture and hold Superman and Mr. Miracle so he can convince the world his prisons are the best and they should buy from him; he almost succeeds, but not quite. Agent Liberty helps Superman stop Arclight from killing a ton of reporters. Guy Gardner goes crazy, but Superman stops him.
We also find out how Metropolis was rebuilt after Lex Luthor blew it to hell before Zero Hour. Are you ready for this? Okay. Superman and a bunch of heroes spend a day rebuilding what they can which doesn't accomplish much, but at least it's a start. Then some magician babe named Zatanna shows up (secretly summoned by Lord Satanus). They have to go to the heart of the city which is where The Daily Planet building was, and J'onn J'onzz forms a telepathic link between her, Superman (whose brain contains the blueprints of the city because he's scanned it all with his x-ray, telescopic, and microscopic vision in his travels), and Perry White who is the soul of the city because he knows its hopes, dreams, whatever, and he loves it, warts and all. The other heroes stand around them holding hands in a circle, Zatanna uses that as a focal point to draw on the auras for all the world's heroes everywhere. Then she says some magic incantation which is just a bunch of words spelled backwards, and presto, change-o, INSTANT CITY!
Anyway, Conduit escapes somewhere during all of this, but it's covered up because he escaped from one of Deathtrap's supposedly inescapable prisons. In the last few issues, Clark, and the people closest to him start getting notes simply saying "I know," and now we're up to...
THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT.
This is mostly fighting, so there really isn't a lot to this story as far as plot is concerned. and that's the end of that. In the aftermath, Lois catches up with the Kents, and they convince Superman to resume being Clark Kent again. Jimmy gets rescued, Pipeline is dismantled, Shadowdragon, feeling that he was betrayed by Conduit who used SD's info to go after Clark Kent instead of Superman (and it seems odd that SD can't put two and two together here, but as I've mentioned many times before, this is the DC universe where a pair of glasses is enough to fool everybody and his mother), introduces a virus into the internet which destroys any reference to Superman in the world, so now all his medical info is gone forever as well as any news stories which pisses Lois off because half of those had her byline. Since the Kents' farmhouse was destroyed, they decided to RV around the country 25 years before it became the "in" thing.
One last thing: Lex Luthor's body is taken from Star Labs, and he is mysteriously resurrected, bigger, badder, and balder than ever.
This is my favorite version of Lex. Not the original, old, fat man. Not his cloned "son" with the long, red hair and beard. Young, fit, and bald Lex. It's the same brain in all of them, but this is how Luthor should look, and it's great to have him back. How it happens... well, that will be covered in a later review... Or maybe in the Underworld Unleashed side story; I can't remember. (Give me a break; I haven't read these in probably 25 years.)
Sponsor spots:
Well, it looks like I covered all the good ones in some Batman reviews, but here's one for the Blockbuster Video Game Championship.
Ah, Blockbuster. Wow, what a difference! I miss going to the video rental stores. I'd sometimes try to peek into the back rooms while the proprietor wasn't looking, but Blockbuster didn't have one of those. That was only one small part of the charm, though. I just enjoyed perusing the new releases, or trying to decide on an oldie but goodie. However, I'm one of the most indecisive mahfahs around, and I'd sometimes spend an hour there and nearly walk out with nothing, but I'd eventually make a purchase. Still, it was a way to pass an afternoon after school from time to time, riding my bike to the shopping center, and going to the video store, or the arcade nearby. Good times. Simpler times. I'm glad I had sense enough to appreciate them.
Next checkpoint: The Trial of Superman.
January 7, 2025
I KNOW
Pretty intriguing story in which a villain named Conduit (who went to high school with Clark) threatens to reveal Superman’s secret identity and tries to murder everyone who was ever close to him. This is the most vulnerable I have seen Supes, as he’s powerless to stop much of what Conduit is planning, and since he’s practically invulnerable, the only way he can be hurt is by hurting those he loves instead.
The main theme is jealousy and how comparing yourself to other’s accomplishments can poison your identity and outlook on life. Conduit also came up in second place with Clark aroundc and he’s extra pissed because he found out that Kent is actually Superman so he feels like he was cheated out of his potential. The art is not too bad but the story does get a little ridiculous at times and it relies on A LOT of suspension-of-belief. I think it’s strongest when it’s deconstructing the balancing act between the dual identities of Clark and Superman and what they both mean to him.
May 5, 2022
Alright, this could have been so very good. Conduit, who was a high school frenemy of Clark Kent, deduces that Clark is Superman. Now enraged that he was never beaten fairly, he decides to kill all who Clark loves and then the man himself. Intriguing? Yes. Great idea? Yes. Execution? Pretty awful. The myriad of writers decide to make Conduit too powerful, too rich, too connected, etc and his plans get too complicated and and fizzle out as they become laughably bad. Throw in some stupid plot holes and some average art and the story takes a nose dive. Overall, a great concept that went off the rails quickly.
June 24, 2013
Very similar to Superman: Ending Battle, (which would come later by Geoff Johns) Superman finds his life turned upside down when an old high school chum figures out his secret identity and radiates kryptonite.
Superman has Lois and his parents go on the run, while Superman battles this new foes and his organization, intent on destroying the Man of Steel.
To be honest, this wasn't the best Superman story. Not even close. The story seems really stretched out, as it could have been done in half the pages. They kept the story longer than it should have been, overly melodramatic, and there were only a few cool parts.
Overall, not one of the man of Steel's better stories.
Superman has Lois and his parents go on the run, while Superman battles this new foes and his organization, intent on destroying the Man of Steel.
To be honest, this wasn't the best Superman story. Not even close. The story seems really stretched out, as it could have been done in half the pages. They kept the story longer than it should have been, overly melodramatic, and there were only a few cool parts.
Overall, not one of the man of Steel's better stories.
March 22, 2011
What happens when one of Superman's enemies learn of his true identity as Clark Kent? All hell breaks loose is what. I liked this book. It dated itself with the artwork and dialogue but it was a fun read. Lots of villains are on the scene as Clark Kent races around the country trying to save everyone he loves - his parents, Lois, Jimmy, Lana and Pete are just a few of those who are threatened by this discovery.
I've enjoyed the comics by Dan Jurgens that I've read so far.
I've enjoyed the comics by Dan Jurgens that I've read so far.
July 5, 2013
Interesting, but dated and weird. I'm not sure I agree with the book's conclusion; I've always thought of Clark as the mask for Superman, and Jurgens doesn't really raise a convincing argument. And the villain here is horrible.
January 5, 2016
The first graphic novel I've ever read.
I thought it was the death of Superman. Boy was I wrong.
I thought it was the death of Superman. Boy was I wrong.
January 23, 2016
Seriously? BraverMAN? Revenge because daddy did not love him? So effing lame!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews