Superman

[Guest Respect The 'Taker]

It's been YEARS since i actually read a comic book, however i remember one of my favourites always being Superman: Man of Steel.

 

However, my knowledge of what happend to Superman died off when...well, he did. Back when Superman was killed by Doomsday, i ceased reading.

 

So my question is, faithful Illusion-ites, WHAT happend to Superman? Did he rise from the dead? Is he still around today?

 

Any info is appreciated, im just curious as to what really is going on with him these days.

 

Illusion

[Guest J*ingus]

Basically, he never really died, he was just hurt real bad and went into a really deathlike coma. Or something. Yeah, he's still around today in pretty much his good ol' form, despite DC trying to fuck up his character a thousand different ways.

[Guest DrTom]

I stopped collecting comics not long after the return of Superman was resolved. This is all from memory, and there might be a few chaps who recall it better than I do, but I think this will be pretty accurate.

 

When Superman was "killed" by Doomsday, he didn't really die. His body expended its store of solar energy, but even as he lay on the street, he was soaking up the sun's rays. Four faux Supermen originated in his absence: Superboy (a semi-successful attempt to clone Superman, with some interesting variances in his powers), The Cyborg (old Supes villain Hank Henshaw, who eventually masterminded the plot to destroy Coast City), Steel (John Henry Irons in an advanced metallic costume), and the Last Son of Krypton (the Eradicator).

 

It was the Eradicator who basically saved Superman. He took the collected energies from Superman's body in his tomb to regain corporeal form. He then took the body back to the Fortress of Solitude so that it could be revived with Kryptonian technology. The Eradicator, as one might expect, became the most brutal of the new Supermen.

 

Eventually, Coast City was destroyed by the Cyborg and Mongul, and numerous heroes went there to stop whatever else those two might have planned. Along for the journey was a man who looked like the original Superman, who had arrived on the scene in a suit of Kryptonian battle armor. He had little to speak of in the way of powers, but claimed to be the original Superman (as the others had, in various ways). He insisted on joining them in Coast City.

 

There were numerous battles in Coast City, and the mysterious new Superman ended up having an invisible Supergirl working with him. What was Coast City -- now dubbed Engine City -- was powered by a large rock of Kryptonite. The Cyborg was able to use a power tube and channel it as a ray, turning it on Superman. The Eradicator, still committed to the preservation of Kryptonian life, jumped in the way. The beam eventually tore him apart, but mixed with his own strange energies, it restored the true Superman's powers. He destroyed the Cyborg. Superboy and Steel went on to become regular heroes in the DCU (not sure if they still are, though).

 

Not long after his return, Superman began noticing that his powers were increasing. It turned out that he was absorbing solar energy faster than before, and eventually grew to aggrandized size. He had to have the Parasite leech the excess energy from him, which was dangerous because it made the Parasite stronger than Superman for a while.

 

(This is where I stopped collecting, so my knowledge of what happened over the next year or so is almost certainly spotty and fuzzy.)

 

Superman eventually noticed that he was still suffering some strange effects when it came to energy. Bullets started passing thru him, which made for a few embarrassing and problematic scenarios. Somehow, he became an "energy being," getting a completely new look with a pale blue (and later, red) suit. He could still become Clark Kent, but it was an actual metamorphasis using his energy powers, so Clark was a normal human. The blue and red energy Superman had different types of powers, but I don't remember the distinction anymore.

 

Eventually, all was made right with the world again, but you'll need someone else to fill you in on that part.

[Guest Respect The 'Taker]

Thanks Mods.

 

Bigger thanks to Dr.Tom's very precise story.

 

I actually remember when they changed Superman's suit to a light blue colour and the fans of the comic book went beserk and demanded he return to his original colours.

 

But that whole 'Death of Superman' story, was the bomb, i loved it.

 

Illusion

[Guest Sassquatch]

Are you sure you did this all off of memory Tom?

 

 

You pretty much covered everything about Supes' death and rebirth (in much detail I might add).

 

The Blue Superman acted more rationally in situations while the Red Superman would act hot headed in fights and was also more ruthless in some respect.

 

Nice job Tom (you too Jingus).

[Guest DrTom]

Are you sure you did this all off of memory Tom?

Positive. I collected all of the Death of Superman comics, as well as everything until shortly after he got the excess energy leeched off him by the Parasite (I think the "War for Metropolis," involving the dying cloned Luthor, was the current story arc when I stopped). I read many of the issues involving the red and blue energy Supermen at a job I had back in the day.

 

I never said I didn't have a good memory, though.

[Guest Sassquatch]

The "War for Metropolis" was a huge drop off for Superman in terms of sales which was right around the time Supes (and comics in general) went into the gutter in terms of sales.

 

Superman dropped the ball after the huge Death storyline that made DC the #1 comic book company for nearly two years. Superman #75 also the first time since 1987 that a DC book had clenched the #1 spot in the number of copies sold which was insane since Marvel had the X-Men craze.

[Guest Some Guy]

Tom, I was cleaning out my room and started to look through my old comics, I stopped with Zero Hour, so I just re-read the storyline and they specifcally say that Superman did die and could die again and probably not be brought back if he did.

 

I went to the Comic store to finally finish off my collection to retire it for good and saw a few things I'm cuious about. What was the "Dead Again" storyline? ANd the "Death of Clark Kent" deal all about?

[Guest DrTom]

SG, after Superman was revived from death, The Eradicator made it clear that it couldn't be done again. The destruction of the necessary equipment in the Fortress only made that more apparent. As for the two story arcs you mentioned, those are after my time as a reader and collector, so I can't help you on those counts.

[Guest EQ]

"Dead Again"

 

I've never heard of it...

 

"Death of Clark Kent"

 

I haven't actually read it, but I think it is something along the lines of Clark having to fake his death for some reason. Like I said, I didn't read it, I think I got that off the blurb on Amazon.com

 

Also... kudos to DrTom... that was a great recap of a very, very long and confusing storyarch.

 

I agree with Some Guy though. I'm pretty sure that Superman actually did die -- but yeah... the revival can't be redone. So if Supes dies again, he's fucked... not that dying the first time wouldn't fuck him over, but you know what I mean.

 

Can anyone explain the whole Doomsday evolving beyond death arc? I never got around to reading it.

[Guest Respect The 'Taker]

Can anyone explain the whole Doomsday evolving beyond death arc? I never got around to reading it.

Doomsday? Didn't the Cyborg hurl him into space in fear of him gaining consciousness after his fight with Superman?

 

Yep...we need Dr.Tom again

[Guest Some Guy]

Doomsday was created on Krypton by some green scientist. They created Doomsday and threw him out to the wolves, so to speak and he was ripped to shreds. They collected enough pieces to clone him and did it over and over again for 30 years or so until Doomsday could survive on his own. He evolved beyond death, anything that defeats him once cannot beat him again physically. It's in the "Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey book".

 

Doomsday? Didn't the Cyborg hurl him into space in fear of him gaining consciousness after his fight with Superman?

 

yes he did, and the Cyborg put a little box on the rock that Doomsady was tied to to transport himslf to if Superman beat him. So that's how Cyborg is in the Hunter/Prey book.

 

 

That's the "Dead Agian" thing I was wondering about, it seems to have gone on for about 9 or 10 books.

[Guest Respect The 'Taker]

Wow, that cover fuckin' rocks.

 

Illusion - Marks out for Superman