Friday, May 23, 2003

Superman | Comics

When his own birth planet Krypton was about to be doomed soon, Kal-El's parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth on a rocket, in hopes that their civilization will live and reborn once again through Kal-El, who would successfully carry on their legacy to a new world. When his rocket landed on Earth, he was found and later raised by a kindly couple of Smallville, Kansas, Jonathan and Martha Kent. He became their adoptive son and unknown to his origin of birth Kal-El eventually became Clark Kent.

As he grows to his maturity, he slowly discovers that he has great powers and superior abilities within him which differentiate him from the fellow humans of Earth. He chooses to use his godly gifts to help the inhabitants of his adoptive planet and anyone in need, as the last son of Krypton became Superman, the Man of Steel, who fights for truth, justice and American way! Not only he is one of the most powerful beings in the universe but he also has a down to Earth attitude that makes him more human than anyone else.

superman dc comics
Superman | Comics

Birthright
Clark created the Superman persona to maintain his own personal life while fighting the evil at the same time and making a difference with his unique abilities, with a costume designed by Martha Kent. He joins at the newspaper Daily Planet in Metropolis as a reporter alongside stubborn fellow reporter Lois Lane, naive photographer Jimmy Olsen and his editor Perry White. It is after his first public appearance as Superman, he came in conflict with Lex Luthor, who got jealous of the Man of Steel.

Clark starts investigating on Luthor about a corporate sabotage as he and Lois were invited for an interview session. Lex discovers that Superman has a weakness to green Kryptonite and creates mass hysteria of him being an alien invader who is here to conquer Earth. To back up this claim, he even staged a false Kryptonian invasion on Metropolis using his vast fortune and all the advanced tech he could get his hands on. Superman's unmatched bravery and ever so selfless act of heroism made people see through the deception and foil Luthor's plan.

Secret Origin
Back in his days from Smallville, Clark Kent was visited by Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes who took him to a tour to their time of the 30th Century. Moving to Metropolis afterwards the tour to future, to pursue a career of a reporter at Daily Planet helped him to conceal his secret identity from everyone while saving the world. Here, he encountered super-villain Metallo and Parasite, who really put his powers to the test but just like always with his greater goodness and unmatched strength, Superman saves the day and stands victorious.

Worlds Finest
His visit to Gotham City was followed by an encounter with Batman, whom he thought a criminal at first. Though it is still debatable if they first met when going up against the criminal Magpie, or when Deathstroke attempted to kill Bruce Wayne and the Crime Syndicate paid them a visit, it was truly a fortunate event for them both as years of fighting for justice these two became the best of friends. They were joined by the Amazon warrior Wonder Woman as they were chasing after Bizarro and Ra's al Ghul. As she joined their fold, they became The Trinity of superheroes of the world.

Justice League: Year One
Sometimes, the situation led to even global scale disasters which are more than Superman can handle alone. During an invasion of the alien Appellaxian race, this duo was aided by Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, with whom they later formed the Justice League. These seven magnificent heroes became the biggest icons of hope to people and the champions of justice to all. Over the years of their adventure, many fellow superheroes joined the honorable rank of the League and made it greater than it ever was.

Most often, when the everyday super villains attempts to wreck havoc Superman is always there to save the day. His presence in Metropolis also introduced a number of influential super-criminals to step in and pose as a challenge to the Man of Steel. He faced challenges like Bloodsport, Chemo, Fearsome Five, Mister Mxyzptlk, Rampage and Silver Banshee in his career and successfully takes down each one of them. Among all of them, Lex Luthor became a recurring enemy for him.

Superman quickly came to know of an enemy from the planet Apokolips, known as the New God Darkseid, who had his eyes set on Earth to rule over. It was at that time, when Clark also came to know a being that calls herself Supergirl but later learned that she was actually from the Time Trapper's Pocket Universe. He encounters Eradicator and Mongul afterwards, with the former building Fortress of Solitude for him and the latter thrown him in an intergalactic battle arena known as Warworld.

As he was dying of cancer, Luthor fakes his death in a plane crush and then a young man came to claim himself as Luthor's son but was actually the villain in a new cloned body. A blast from Krypton came in the form of Brainiac, a Coluan scientist named Vril Dox who seeks to gather knowledge and collect worlds. Helming Warworld, Brainiac returns capturing Metron, then sends Draaga, Matrix Supergirl and Maxima to lead an invasion that Superman thwarted with help from the other heroes of Earth.

Death of Superman
A Kryptonian monstrosity called Doomsday emerges from a crushed shuttle beneath the surface and starts destroying everything on its sight. When confronted, it decimated the combined force of Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Bloodwynd, Maxima, Fire, Ice and Green Lantern Guy Gardner. As it was heading toward Metropolis, Superman confronted it but the monster bested him in physical prowess. In a final attempt to stop his menace, Superman unleashed many powerful blows to put him down but then also collapsed from his severe injuries, finally dying in Lois' arms.

Clark Kent also went missing in action along with a hundred few other civilians following the incident, who died during the Doomsday battle. Superman was publicly given an honorable burial and his unexpected sudden death has devastated all of his friends and family alike. Around the same time four different individuals with somewhat similar appearance and abilities arrive at the scene, all claiming to be Superman. They were actually Cyborg Superman, Eradcator, Steel and Superboy, all of whom then slowly starts proceeding with revealing their true intentions.

Return of Superman
With efforts from The Eradicator, Superman actually revives in a regeneration matrix and then makes his return to the land of the living but remained slightly amnesiac. While he was still struggling to get a grip on his power, Cyborg Superman destroys Coast City, prompting him to face the villain with Superboy, Supergirl and Steel at his side. This confides Lois into believing that this one is the real deal. Green Lantern Hal Jordan also showed up to help them defeat Mongul and the power of Superman is restored later by The Eradicator.

Hunter/Prey
When a call for help from Apokolips reaches out to Earth, Superman goes in to investigate the source of the signal and find out that the abomination that killed him is back and the monster even defeated the dreaded Darkseid in duel after withstanding his powerful Omega Beams. As he and Darkseid worked together to defeat Cyborg Superman, the fight with Doomsday is taken to the planet of Calaton. With help from the hero Waverider, Superman sends the beast to a time just before everything ends.

Following the events of The Final Night, Lois Lane and Clark Kent finally reconciles by tying the knot which has been always getting delayed for various reasons. Superman was still powerless from his previous battle and without a sun in order to charge his body but he then regains his powers with help from the New Gods. Lex Luthor turns himself to the authority for his many criminal endeavors and Superman Revenge Squad is formed in the meantime by five of his old enemies.

Emperor Joker
After accidentally losing a bet to The Joker, Mister Mxyzptlk lost almost all of his power and the clown re-shaped the entire universe in his own twisted image. Everyone from JLA to Superman's worst enemies are changed and their roles are reversed. The Joker also kept torturing Batman and killing him over and over again, which finally gave Superman the idea to defeat the maniac. In the end, Joker lost the power, everything is reverting back to normal and The Spectre transferred the haunting memories from Batman to Joker.

President Luthor
Following his role in solving the crisis of Final Night, Luthor got very popular among everyday folks and then became the President of the United States, which seriously upsets Superman. In an attempt to learn the true history of Krypton, he travels to the Phantom Zone back in time with Lois but they are forced to return with their pet, Krypto, when the erratic Kryptonian General Zod starts wrecking havoc. Krypto becomes too powerful under Earth's sun and he almost killed Mongul, leading Superman to take him to his Fortress.

The Elite
A new band of Meta-Human superheroes called the Elite enters the scene of super crime-fighting that starts enforcing justice worldwide with extreme measures. They do not share the same vision as big-blue while fighting crime and in an encounter with Superman, things got rough. This led to a stand-off, where Coldcast, The Hat, Menagerie and their telepathic leader Manchester Black did a number on him. Ultimately, Superman had to show them the fault in their ways by fighting them in their own brutal manner.

Our Worlds at War
A while ago, Mongul came to Earth seeking help from Superman to stop the impeding threat of the cosmic being Imperiex and then Eradicator returns to warn everyone about the same threat. Luthor forms an uneasy alliance with Darkseid so that the forces of Apokolips can help Earth fight the armada of Imperiex probes. The Justice League, Justice Society and Young Justice take a stand only to fail miserably against the invading force. Steel and a newly-reformed Suicide Squad is sent to the Watchtower to revive Doomsday but the monster savagely beat down everyone.

Luthor also hired Manchester Black for his powerful telepathic abilities to brainwash Doomsday into fighting alongside Superman against the invasion of Imperiex. The behemoth did so and he eventually perished into the battle after inflicting heavy damage onto the invading armada. With the sacrifice of Strange Visitor, the threat is finally thwarted but then Brainiac 13 arrives to take its power. At the end of the war, Luthor handed over Doomsday to Darkseid as payment for his debt during the war.

Ending Battle
Manchester Black eventually makes a return to test his buddy Superman's limits by endangering the life of people he cared about most. He even sent The Elite to kill President Luthor and then Superman had to face Cyborg Superman after fighting The Elite. Black then assembled a team of mind-controlled super-villains like Atomic Skull, Bizarro, Evil Star, King Shark, Master Jailer, Metallo, Mongul, Neutron and Silver Banshee to beat down the Man of Steel but that plan also failed in the end.

At one point, Black even tricked him into believing that he killed Lois Lane in his absence so that Superman would finally loose his cool and try to kill him in retaliation by breaking out of his mild mannered shell. Instead, Superman holds back his own after seeing the lying corpse of Lois and promises to continue his never ending battle forever to honor her memory. Realizing his defeat, Manchester then erased the memory of Luthor regarding Superman's identity and then killed himself to end his nonsensical game.

For Tomorrow
After a trip from space with Kyle Rayner, Superman returns to Earth to discover that one million people have suddenly gone missing, including his wife Lois Lane. Calling it the "Vanishing", he goes to the Middle East to investigate the source of this catastrophic event. There he faced a meta-human being named Equus, who was fighting for the tyrannical General Nox and found a machine that caused the "Vanishing". This time, the device vanishes another three thousand people after being used by Equus.

Superman brings the device to his Fortress of Solitude with an intent to use it on him so that he can find Lois Lane by going inside of  the "Vanishing". Realizing this at the last moment, Batman sends Wonder Woman to stop him immediately and following an intense battle among the two, Superman manages to get on the other side. He finds Lois alive and well in there but is soon haunted by the presence of Equus and his new master, General Zod. After defeating Zod in a combat, Superman successfully brings everyone back to Earth safe and sound.

Supergirl From Krypton
When an incoming Kryptonite meteorite was heading towards Earth, Superman was held responsible and Batman aided him to get out of this mess. Declared as "Public Enemies", this two survived a massive onslaught of heroes and villains alike and then stopped the asteroid in space. However, chunks of remaining pieces were scattered into the ocean beds. So, they starts doing the clean-up and then Batman find a Kryptonian rocket that brought Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El to Earth.

Batman's still skeptical about her origin while Wonder Woman takes her to Themyscira to train her for battle. Eventually, Darkseid sends an army of Doomsday clones to invade Paradise Island and kidnaps Kara. With help from Big Barda, The Trinity travels to Apokolips. There, Wonder Woman and Barda fights the Female Furies, Superman tries to resonate with a brain-washed Kara and Batman successfully blackmails Darkseid to give Kara up. Back on Earth, Kara decides to take the mantle of Supergirl and follow her cousin's footstep of being a hero.

Sacrifice
Superman is under the impression that he has just fought Brainiac, whereas the Justice League informed him that he actually beaten Batman to near death. It was discovered that he was manipulated by Maxwell Lord and when Wonder Woman confronted him, he refuses to let the big-blue go free without him being killed. As Max took over the mind of Man of Steel, he gave Diana a tough beat-down to even stand against him. To free her close friend from Max Lord's control, Diana snaps his neck.

Infinite Crisis
In search for his "Perfect Earth", Alexander Luthor Jr. of Earth-Three comes to New Earth and employs the Secret Society of Super-Villains to keep the heroes of this world busy battling. Kal-L of Earth-Two gets into a fight with Superman of this world, as the former believed that the latter is the one responsible for the death of his wife Lois Lane. Superboy-Prime suddenly attacks Superboy of New Earth and their battle led to the death of many other heroes of Teen Titans as well as Superboy himself in the end.

Metropolis becomes a warzone with every super-villains rampaging on it and then Doomsday was released amidst the chaos but was subdued by the Supermans. Superboy-Prime decides to destroy this whole universe and then files to Oa. Many members of the Green Lantern Corps died trying to stop the maniac until Superman of two Earths finally takes him away to neutralize with help from the red sun. Prime is taken to custody by the Corps, Superman of Earth-Two dies and Clark Kent remains powerless after the battle.

Last Son
A ship arrived in Metropolis with a boy, possibly from Krypton, whom Lois and Clark decided to adopt as their son after naming him Christopher. Keeping an eye on it, Luthor sends Bizarro to retrieve the boy for him. Turns out, the boy's real name is Lor-Zod and he is the biological son of General Zod. Many of the criminals from Phantom Zone is released and Superman is trapped in it. Lex Luthor formed the Superman Revenge Squad with Bizarro, Parasite and Metallo to help his nemesis save the day.

Brainiac
Upon confronting a drone of Brainiac, Superman realized that he never truly fought the villain. Instead, he always encountered many of his probes all the time. Because of her memories of the menace Kandor, Supergirl is actually afraid of Brainiac. As he attempt to thwart one of Brainiac's invasion on a planet, Superman ends up getting captured and discovers Kandor along with many other bottled cities. Their fight reaches Earth and the villain is easily defeated before delivering one last blow to the Man of Steel.

For more information on Superman comics series, you can check out these links below.

Superman (Comics) Wikipedia


Superman (Comics) DC Wikia



jim lee superman
The Last Son of Krypton

Here is your links to buy "Superman" comics from DC Comics on Amazon.

The Superman Chronicles Vol 01 (Softcover)


Superman – The Action Comics Archives Vol 01


The Superman Chronicles Vol 02


Superman Archives Vol 01


The Superman Chronicles Vol 03


The Superman Chronicles Vol 04


Superman Archives Vol 02


Superman – The Action Comics Archives Vol 02


The Superman Chronicles Vol 05


The Superman Chronicles Vol 06


Superman Archives Vol 03


The Superman Chronicles Vol 07


The Superman Chronicles Vol 08


Superman Archives Vol 04


Superman – The Action Comics Archives Vol 03


Superman Archives Vol 05


Superman Archives Vol 06


Superman – The Action Comics Archives Vol 04


Superman Archives Vol 07


Superman – The Action Comics Archives Vol 05


Superman Archives Vol 08


Superman for All Seasons (Softcover)


Superman for All Seasons (Hardcover)


Superman – Kryptonite (Softcover)


Superman – Kryptonite (Hardcover)


Superman – Birthright (Softcover)


Superman – Birthright (Hardcover)


Superman – The Odyssey


Superman/Shazam – First Thunder


JLA – Year One


Superman – Tales of Bizarro World

Superman – Tales from the Phantom Zone

Superman – Bottle City of Kandor

A fictional superhero from the pages of comic books that is undoubtedly the most renowned and popular character of them all; Superman is created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in 1933. The character rights were sold to DC Comics in 1938 and then he debuted on the pages of Action Comics issue #1 that same year. The following of that is literally history as the character started many ongoing monthly series, storylines, events and many more limited series. The few that are quite popular among the fans are All-Star Superman, Superman – Earth One and Superman for all Seasons. In the wake of The New 52, the Man of Steel received a slightly different origin in the Prime Earth timeline; a result of the “Flashpoint” event.

superman lois lane
Superman With Lois Lane

Other than that, Superman also appeared on Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited as well as a few live-action TV Series of his own. There was a series of Superman movies in the 70-80’s era, portrayed by actor Christopher Reeve and then Brandon Routh took the mantle in Superman Returns (2006). In 2013, Henry Cavill donned the cape and appeared on Man of Steel, thus giving birth to the DC Extended Universe; a franchise of films based on DC Comics. He also appeared on 2016’s Batman v Superman – Dawn of Justice, the first ever live-action movie to feature Superman alongside Batman, Wonder Woman and the villainous Doomsday!
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