What's the greatest Superman story ever told?
>>82475805
/thread.
>>82475618
That "Man of Steel" story with Witt and Superman being friends
Superman For All Seasons is pretty up there.
>>82475618
This is the real answer, everyone else is a pleb.
>>82475618
For All Seasons or Peace On Earth
>>82476032
It was good until the ending, that killed the story for me
>>82476095
Grant Morrison actually gave that ending to Mark Millar. He said it's the best Superman idea he ever had.
>>82476158
See, in a more open, on-going story, I might not have minded it. But here, it made everything a closed time loop and robbed every character of agency. Nothing mattered because it had already happened and needed to happen in order for the story to happen, the whole thing is pointless
>>82475618
If we're talking about comics? Every issue of Superman Adventures.
If all media counts? The Donner Superman movies.
>>82475618
The one where he dies
>>82475871
this and peace on earth for me
>>82476221
That's what makes it interesting. By "destroying" Superman and creating a "perfect" society without him, Luthor created a world in which people thought sending a super powered being back through time was the solution to their problems. By creating a society that didn't need Superman...Luthor created a society that needed Superman. Its the ultimate "fuck you" to everything Luthor stands for.
>>82475618
New Testament?
>>82475618
No debate
>>82476413
>we never saw him tear Batman a new one for kidnapping a 12 year old
>>82475891
>>82475805
Fucking casuals, you fuckers never even read any of the silver age shit its homaging. Its completely lost on you.
>>82476548
That would be in consideration if it wasn't for Gary "Sameface Master" Frank
>>82476032
goddamn casual, it literally cant be since its an elseworld deconstruction
>>82476095
I really love time like loops in fiction though.
Really niggers?
There is absolutely no debate. This blows even ASS out of the water.
/thread
>>82476413
I prefer this one
>>82476834
Secret Identity fucking sucks
>>82476233
>The Donner Superman movies.
Where he's a loner with no real personality that is just 100% MUH LOIS as his entire character? No thanks.
>>82476366
I was surprised when I read this issue, knowing Ennis' dislike for superheroes, I was surprised that Ennis can write an excellent Superman.
>>82476032
>I've only read elseworlds because somehow an expanded continuity frightens me
lol
>>82476834
>>82475805
>>82476032
AUs do not count by default because the neglect or alter parts of Superman's history and character for their own conveinince, you all are casual faggots
>>82476938
this, unironically
>>82476860
>tfw I made that and never saved it on my laptop
Disney's Hercules
>>82476960
???
Superman is a message, backstory is irrelevant.
>>82476834
this one is good, but its not the best
>>82475618
Birthright
>>82477417
>>82477417
>>82477432
Can't decide between these three.
>>82476221
>it made everything a closed time loop and robbed every character of agency. Nothing mattered
But that isn't really true. Why would it repeating mean nothing mattered?
>>82475618
That one issue where he tricks everyone into thinking that he can turn people into glass.
>>82477468
>>82477468
>>82477597
What kind of surname is Breeding?
>>82476960
If anything all Star is even more of a superman story than canon stories, since it exists in a continuity that cannot be influenced by the real world context or isn't suffocated by other characters intervention like the regular DCU.
>>82475618
Of all the Superman stories I reread it's either All Star Superman or Up, Up, & Away. They hit all the right buttons with the character.
>>82477884
post more of this, my friend.
>>82477432
Everything about this cover confuses me
>>82477884
This
No idea what the best is but the chuck austen run is underrated.
Peace On Earth was beautiful
>>82478673
I picked it up recently in this colletion: http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Greatest-Super-Heroes-Paul-Dini/dp/1401202551
Worth every penny. Cost me ~45 australian.
The wonder woman and shazam stories were amazingly done, too.
So, uh, what exactly is Lex's problem with Superman?Is it all really because Superman made Lex bald?
Is Superman going to be a bigger deal 10,000 years from now than Gilgamesh?
>>82476960
>AUs do not count by default because the neglect or alter parts of Superman's history and character for their own conveinince,
So they're exactly like canon stories?
For me is Superman Beyond.
>Higher than ever stakes
>Brief exploration of the comological nature of the dcu and mind blowing cosmic stuff
>Great metacommentary about the relevance of superman for the universe in a literal and metaphorical sense.
>Arguably the biggest fight in scale in the history of the DC Multiverse, maybe even fiction in general
And, in spite of the enormity of the situation, it manages to be extremely personal for superman. And the ending may be one of the most hopeful messages that could possibly be published in a comic.
Also the narration is 11/10. This book is fantastic.
Batman V Superman
>>82477884
Now kiss.
>>82476960
>muh canon
Stories and character are far more compelling and important than stupidy continuity.
>>82476032
This is the most plebian answer. It's not even Millar's best Superman work.
>>82478811
possibly, but someone else may come along and take his place ala hercules being replaced by superman.
Impossible to predict, because what other character in history is known in such a widespread manner? Not counting 'recent' religions, e.g. jesus and cross, Supes is probably the most recognized character in our society as whole. In percentage wise of people who have ever lived, I think the supes symbol would be recognised the most, if only because of the population explosion in recent times.
You could of course make argument for the golden arches of mcdonalds or something similar, but they're not really character related.
>>82476032
Kek, that one thread had me in fucking stitches. First time I had read it through, too.
>>82478861
>And, in spite of the enormity of the situation, it manages to be extremely personal for superman. And the ending may be one of the most hopeful messages that could possibly be published in a comic.
This so fucking much. Pic related.
I loved Supes Beyond.
>>82477432
Is "big wheel" slang for something or is he literall a big wheel?
Normally I wouldn't ask such a silly question, but with Jimmy Olsen you never know...
>>82479099
Archaic slang. Implies that someone is so important that he is the biggest wheel on the carriage.
>>82476938
This.
Seriously
>>82479099
>>82478861
Are you talking about the Final Crisis tie-in?
>>82479194
Not the guy, but how is that not painfully obvious?
>>82479246
There's another superman beyond as well. But it has no place in a thread about best Superman stories.
>>82477432
>Christopher_Reeve.jpg
>>82479382
yes, but that superman beyond has literally nothing to do with anything in that guys comment. Did you even read it?
>>82478996
>>82478811
I don't think the superhero age is ever ending. Superheros are the epitome of humanity's hero worship and and Superman is the epitome of superheros. Also such stories will have more permanence thanks to digital media. If you time traveled 10,000 years into the future wearing a Superman t-shirt they very well might get the reference. I think that is an exciting idea.
But maybe I'm wrong and Superman will be largely forgotten once the USA stops being a big deal. Then again I don't think many people in other countries care much about "the American Way" tacked on to Superman over the years. Maybe he will ended up transcending America.
>>82479246
I searched "Superman Beyond" after reading that comic and there were two, a two-parter and a one-shot.
>>82476834
This. Patrician choice.
>>82479490
>after reading that comic
*after reading that post
>>82479425
>If you time traveled 10,000 years into the future wearing a Superman t-shirt they very well might get the reference. I think that is an exciting idea.
That made me smile.
> Then again I don't think many people in other countries care much about "the American Way" tacked on to Superman over the years. Maybe he will ended up transcending America.
He already kinda is. It's still gonna take a hell of a long time to lost the connection he has with the US, if even totally possible.
>>82479490
Well I was assuming that whomever would reply would have actually read the comic.
But that's my mistake for thinking for half a second that /co/ actually reads comics.
>>82479425
When humanity begins augmenting itself and becoming more super, able to run as fast as a car or endure conventional weaponry, Superman himself becomes more super.
I wouldn't be surprised if with technology advancing the way it is, when Superman is celebrating his 200th anniversary, we're seeing his stories adopt the variety and physics-defying zaniness of his comics from the 50s and 60s, simply by virtue of the fact that what was "Super" to us in 2016 is mundane a century from now.
To say nothing of how Superman is the hero's hero. Any superhero story or setting can be set up expediently simply by adopting his archetype as a base.
>Superman is a working man's fantasy, using muscle to beat up fatcats.
>Batman is a fatcat's fantasy, putting poor criminals and environmental activists in prison.
Is this accurate?
>>82476032
>>82476834
Secret Identity and Red Son are fantastic stories, but they're not Superman stories.
They use Superman, yes, but they aren't about him like For All Seasons or All Star Superman.
>>82479425
> If you time traveled 10,000 years into the future wearing a Superman t-shirt they very well might get the reference
Made me think of this, which was a good issue btw.
>>82479686
Superman is already well beyond physical possibility.
>>82478785
You'll get a few different answers to this.
My personal favorite is that Superman is a constant reminder to Lex that he's a selfish asshole, and he can't stand that. Lex surrounds himself with yes men, bribes and buys his way out of trouble, and there's this one guy, that everybody loves, that goes "Lex if you wanted you could be so much better than you are" and deep down Lex knows that and can't deal with it.
>>82479869
Lex is super capable though. I don't think you get that way without constantly trying to be better than you are. I mean, I always saw that as Lex's most definitive attribute. He wants to be the best, either by improving himself or sabotaging others.
>>82476938
I'm one of those weird people who loved man of steel but I don't think it really can be considered one of the best superman stories ever.
>>82480161
It's not weird. Normies loved it. MoS simply catches a lot of flak among the hardcore fans that wished they had a Superman so righteous that he makes Jesus Christ look bad.
>>82480450
My only gripe with it is that they basically morally handicapped superman by making the kents so insecure and sheltering (I don't know if that's a real word btw english is not my first language). Like I'm not one of those guys who thinks that the kents were paranoid or evil (Inb4 people misinterpreting the maybe scene again), but comic book superman basically hit the jackpot with them. I mean, I seriously doubt there is any non superhero character more righteous and kind than them in comics. Other than that, I think the movie had a lot of great moments that really managed to capture the humanity of superman. (The first flight, , the first time he attacks Zod, etc, the "you are my son" bit, etc.).
>>82478785
Lex can only see Superman as better than himself and it eats at him.
It's funny because Superman never presents himself as better than anyone, it's actually pretty core to his character.
>>82480161
>>82480450
>>82480636
I read first 6 issues of birthright last night (which is fucking fantastic) and I can see how much that influenced MoS.
I feel Snyder misinterpreted Pa Kent's angst in the comic which is why we got weird Kent parents.
>>82480766
>I feel Snyder misinterpreted
MoS and BvS in a sentence.
>>82480984
shut up
>>82478861
This. Superman Beyond was great.
>>82480984
BvS was more of an inability to present. There were cool themes, motivations, arcs and ideas. But they didn't flow well, most people couldn't keep up and the haphazard editing destroyed immersion.
MoS had poor Kents and again some really poorly inserted scenes (kissing on rubble, he's hot comment).
In fact, the he's hot comment is right from the comics, but just done wrong in the movie.
I've also realized we have seen Clark Kent on screen for all of 5 minutes across 5 hours of movies.
>>82476894
I'm pretty sure you haven't seen those movies
>>82479686
>Kyle, you can never live up to Superman
>welp guess I'll go murder everybody and blame it on something I ate
>>82476548
I enjoyed that Braniac story. Also it had the bestJonathan Kent death
>>82477417
>>82477432
What happens in these stories anyway?
>>82482321
They are "what if"s. One is about Superman outliving earth and humanity, and the other one is about Superman suddendly getting so weakened for unknown reasons he decides to dissapear.
Both are about what it means to be Superman in such extreme circumstances. I read them out of recommendation from some thread here and I'm glad I did.
I like to see #387 as Superman's equivalent to "What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" (and yes, I'm aware that comic by Alan Moore exists).
Even though I enjoy all of the stories already mentioned in this thread, we wouldn't have any of it if it wasn't for Action Comics #1
>>82478785
Depends on what you read. But commonly, he hates Superman because people say he inspires hope, but how can he? He's not human and his achievements are not something a human can ever do. Lex Luthor wants to fulfill that position as someone who should lead humanity.
>>82477514
Because if events changed, it wouldn't have lead to a future where Superman could be sent back. It is predestined by his being there. Nothing anyone does mattered
My favorite Supes comics are
- All Star
- For the man who has everything
- Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow
- Up up and away
- Last son
- Secret identity
- Peace on earth
- For all seasons
- What's so funny about the truth, justice and american way
I think the greatest is Secret Identity. It focuses on family relationship, Superman still helping people throughout his life yet still being smart to prevent getting caught by the Govt again. And it's a story that spans from his high school days to an old man.
I'm a Ross fanboy and all, but Peace on Earth is just above average. It doesn't bring anything new to the character. And it's pretty predictable, because it would've been pretty dumb to make a comic where Superman can solve every global problem including famine.
>>82476095
>>82476158
>>82476221
The ending would have been much better if he landed in Kansas this time.
>>82479772
That's how most good Superman stories are. He's the driving force behind the plot, he's not the plot itself.
>>82484082
>predestination means nothing matters
No it doesn't.
>>82483377
I don't mind a bittersweet story, but Jesus, they just fucking massacred everyone, didn't they?
>>82479565
Is that Omni-Man that I see?
>>82479565
Speaking of the Wildstorm heroes, does Mr Majestic exist in New 52?
>>82478673
I don't know if I have a favorite Superman story, but if I do, this would be my pick.
It's a beautiful story, in every sense.
>>82475805
Is it safe to like ASS again?
Ive always enjoyed Superman Under a Green Sun
>>82478785
Lex blames Superman for his baldness that he thinks Superman caused because he was jealous of Lex's genius.
Injustice
:^)
>>82484892
yup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIKYRZc9A1M
>>82485017
He sure does. So does Helspont (who got his ass handed to him by Superman).
>>82476158
It'd be good if Superman for Lex Luthor to reform and turn good and save the world and then his bloodline became the champions of humanity turning Earth into the paradise of Krypton and then sending back the end result of all that goodness which kick-starts the process in a time loop.
But no Luthor stayed evil and so it was a weird self defeating loop instead of a transcendent thing.
I feel like Morrison would have saved it until he had everything else good enough. Millar just rushed it into production.
fuck you all, I am going to storytime the best superman story and you are gunna like it you fucking children I will feeed you all knowledge and candy ungrateful shits
and while I do this I will hate watch arrow, fuck you felicity I hate you I hate you
this one is dedicate to that namefriend that always does Obscure Curt Swan storytimes. I love you you crazy bastard, you are the lifeblood of /co/
>>82488779
dope. thanks OP
>threads about greatest Superman stories
>Superman #400 is never mentioned
>The Exile At The Edge Of Eternity is never mentioned
I know Superman #400 is essentially a mini anthology and Exile at the Edge of Eternity is not really about Superman himself, but still.
There is no other single issue of another ongoing series with that type of creator credits, even if most of them only do pin-ups.
>>82478905
http://screenrant.com/batman-v-superman-best-story-movie/
>>82476919
Not that anon, but I don't think it's being frightened as much as it is not wanting to have to read 100s of issues just to get a general sense of whats going on in the DC/Marvel/whatever universe.
I speak for myself too because I read both elseworlds and standard runs or whatever you wanna call em. I read pretty much whatever characters I like and the best runs suggested by folks here. Injustice for example, it's not exactly the best written series out there, but its still fun as hell to read. I don't think people should be deterred from reading what they want simply because they're not investing enough in the whole universe of 100s of characters and teams and other shit. They can turn off people from even wanting to read comics at all, lol.
>>82475618
As much as I love Superman and have always, I've never found a single story that I consider to be "the greatest". All-Star is pretty great, but it's almost not even a story. It's just a collection of ideas that best exemplify his character.
holy fuck im back, this fucking shitty ass program, imma finish the best story time you children
>>82488952
This is my favorite title page of all time.
>>82490256
fuck felicity
>>82476366
This and Action Comics #775 are my two favorite stand-alone Superman stories ever. I think either one could show you the appeal of the character if you had no prior frame of reference.
>>82484840
Not him, but yes it does. If you travel to the future, everything in the past at the point you arrive has already happened. You come back - it's because you were always going to, because that's what you already would have going to done. You no longer have any choice, or free will, or anything like that. Everything - your decisions, your innermost thoughts, the chemical reactions going on in your body's cells, the points in space and time at which exotic particles from our sun pass through you at particular angles and speeds - everything happens just as it always was going to happen.
Nothing matters, because you're no longer alive, just a complicated puppet. It doesn't matter that you were alive until you chose to go into the future, only that you aren't any more. Really it's surprising more stories about time travel aren't about the removal of free will, because that's the kind of thing you'd think people would be all over for the analogies to whatever year it is politics.
>>82490505
Compare two time loops. One where you decided to release a zombie virus and one where you didn't. The former becomes a hellscape that repeats for eternity. The latter becomes a utopia that repeats for eternity. One is good. One is bad. Just because only one of these choices can exist doesn't make the zombie apocylpse not bad or the utopia not good.
>>82479809
Superman is a telekinetic with some energy projection abilities.
>>82476897
>"Superman is probably the one superhero that I can muster up any genuine enthusiasm for." - Garth Ennis from a letters page of Preacher
>>82475618
Grounded.
so in summary, Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow is the best superman comic, followed by the swamp thing crossover, and then For The Man Who Has Everything. You are welcome children. I love you all, stop being shits
>>82490225
lewd
>>82490732
And telekinesis isn't real.
>>82476894
We're talking about the old Superman, not Snyderman.
>>82477884
Up, Up, And Away bored me to fucking tears.
>>82481132
I think you need to stop thinking of them like you did when you saw them at 3 years old.
Does he have a single non familial scene of legitimate interaction with anyone other than Lois?
>>82490958
no you are lewd senpai
>>82490394
>Batman and Robin beating the barrier with sticks
>>82476938
Kill yourself.
>>82490498
>who cares if we are about to die, let's fuck
>>82490988
I wouldn't say it bored me, but it was very generic. Best part is the confrontation between him and Luthor at the end. Everything leading up to that point is just Super-wank.
>>82478785
Superman is the death of humanity.
Humanity has nothing to aspire to be with Superman on Earth. It has nothing to overcome. It has nothing to strive to beat.
Superman is the end of everything. He is the end of human ambition. He is the death of the animal called Human.
>>82490609
heh
