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Superman (vol. 2)
Encyclopedia
Superman was an ongoing comic book
series featuring the DC Comics
superhero
of the same name
. The second volume of the previous ongoing Superman title
, the series was published from cover dates January 1987 to April 2006, and ran for 228 issues (226 monthly issues along with two specials published outside the concurrent numbering). This series was launched after John Byrne revamped the Superman character in 1986 in The Man of Steel
limited series
, introducing the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
version of the Superman character.
After that limited series, Action Comics returned to publication and Superman vol. 2, #1 was published. The original Superman series (volume 1) became The Adventures of Superman
starting with issue #424. Superman vol. 2 continued publishing until March of 2006. At that point, DC revived the original Superman series, giving The Adventures of Superman its original title and canceling the second Superman series in the process.
was revamped after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the previous continuity before that series (colloquially referred to as "pre-Crisis") was voided. Because of this, old established characters were given the opportunity to be reintroduced in new ways. Re-introductions of classic villains were part of the new Superman series' first year, featuring the first post-Crisis appearances of villains such as Metallo
and Mxyzptlk. The historic engagement of Lois Lane
and Clark Kent
was one of the major events in the book's run. The hallmark of the run, however, was the storyline The Death of Superman
. The actual death issue was published in this series' 75th issue, and would be a major media and pop culture event with the issue going on to sell over 3 million copies.
As the main series featuring the flagship character of the DC Universe, the series crossed over with a number of different line-wide crossover stories including Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, The Final Night, and Infinite Crisis
.
In 1999, Superman, along with the other three titles, were revamped with Jeph Loeb
replacing longtime writer Dan Jurgens. During Loeb's run on the series he introduced audiences to Imperiex
, introduced a Bizarro
created by The Joker and also helped with a controversial storyline in which Superman's arch nemesis, supervillain Lex Luthor
, became the President of the United States
. Loeb's run on the series also included the massive crossover event Our Worlds at War
, which saw the destruction of Topeka, Kansas
, serious damage to Clark Kent's nearby hometown of Smallville, and Superman adopting a costume of more somber colors to mourn the heavy loss of life during the event. Loeb's run ended with issue #183 dated August 2002.
More attention was brought to the series when it was announced that superstar artist Jim Lee
, who had recently concluded the highly popular Batman
story arc Batman: Hush
with Jeph Loeb, would be providing the artwork for a story by writer Brian Azzarello
. The story, Superman: For Tomorrow, ran for twelve issues and received high acclaim, reflected in the publication of an Absolute Edition hardcover in May of 2009.
With the publication of issue #226 (May 2006), the series was canceled as part of the company-wide Infinite Crisis event. The Adventures of Superman was returned to its original title, Superman, with issue #650 the following month.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series featuring the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
of the same name
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. The second volume of the previous ongoing Superman title
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
, the series was published from cover dates January 1987 to April 2006, and ran for 228 issues (226 monthly issues along with two specials published outside the concurrent numbering). This series was launched after John Byrne revamped the Superman character in 1986 in The Man of Steel
The Man of Steel (comic book)
The Man of Steel is a six-issue comic book limited series released in 1986 by DC Comics, several months after the twelve-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths completed. The Man of Steel was written and penciled by John Byrne and inked by Dick Giordano.-Overview:The mini-series was...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, introducing the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
version of the Superman character.
After that limited series, Action Comics returned to publication and Superman vol. 2, #1 was published. The original Superman series (volume 1) became The Adventures of Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
starting with issue #424. Superman vol. 2 continued publishing until March of 2006. At that point, DC revived the original Superman series, giving The Adventures of Superman its original title and canceling the second Superman series in the process.
Publication history
Because the DC UniverseDC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
was revamped after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the previous continuity before that series (colloquially referred to as "pre-Crisis") was voided. Because of this, old established characters were given the opportunity to be reintroduced in new ways. Re-introductions of classic villains were part of the new Superman series' first year, featuring the first post-Crisis appearances of villains such as Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
and Mxyzptlk. The historic engagement of Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
and Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
was one of the major events in the book's run. The hallmark of the run, however, was the storyline The Death of Superman
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
. The actual death issue was published in this series' 75th issue, and would be a major media and pop culture event with the issue going on to sell over 3 million copies.
As the main series featuring the flagship character of the DC Universe, the series crossed over with a number of different line-wide crossover stories including Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, The Final Night, and Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
.
In 1999, Superman, along with the other three titles, were revamped with Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
replacing longtime writer Dan Jurgens. During Loeb's run on the series he introduced audiences to Imperiex
Imperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
, introduced a Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
created by The Joker and also helped with a controversial storyline in which Superman's arch nemesis, supervillain Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
, became the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Loeb's run on the series also included the massive crossover event Our Worlds at War
Our Worlds at War
"Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David...
, which saw the destruction of Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, serious damage to Clark Kent's nearby hometown of Smallville, and Superman adopting a costume of more somber colors to mourn the heavy loss of life during the event. Loeb's run ended with issue #183 dated August 2002.
More attention was brought to the series when it was announced that superstar artist Jim Lee
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
, who had recently concluded the highly popular Batman
Batman (comic book)
Batman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27, published in May 1939. Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication in the spring of 1940...
story arc Batman: Hush
Batman: Hush
Hush is a 2002-2003 comic book story arc that ran through the Batman monthly series. It was written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams and colored by Alex Sinclair. The story depicts a mysterious stalker called Hush, who seems intent on sabotaging Batman from afar, and it...
with Jeph Loeb, would be providing the artwork for a story by writer Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
. The story, Superman: For Tomorrow, ran for twelve issues and received high acclaim, reflected in the publication of an Absolute Edition hardcover in May of 2009.
With the publication of issue #226 (May 2006), the series was canceled as part of the company-wide Infinite Crisis event. The Adventures of Superman was returned to its original title, Superman, with issue #650 the following month.
Key issues
- Superman vol. 2, #1: The first post-Crisis appearance of Metallo.
- Superman vol. 2, #11: The first post-Crisis appearance of Mxyzptlk.
- Superman vol. 2, #12: The first post-Crisis appearance of Lori LemarisLori LemarisLori Lemaris is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman comic books. Lori is a mermaid from Tritonis, a city in the undersea lost continent of Atlantis.-Silver Age:...
. - Superman vol. 2, #50: Lois and Clark become engaged.
- Superman vol. 2, #75: "The Death of Superman"
- Superman vol. 2, #77: Final issue of "Funeral for a Friend". Believed to be final issue of Superman after his death.
- Superman vol. 2, #82: Identity of the real Superman revealed.
- Superman vol. 2, #100: "The Death of Clark Kent"
- Superman vol. 2, #123: First appearance of Superman's Blue Energy suit and powers.
- Superman vol. 2, #204-215: "Superman: For Tomorrow"
- Superman vol. 2, #226: Final issue.
Annuals
From 1987 to 2000, twelve annual issues of the series were published by DC Comics. Beginning with the second annual, their stories tied into the crossovers or themes that were running through DC's annuals that year. These were:- Superman vol. 2, Annual #2 (1988) - "Private Lives"
- Superman vol. 2, Annual #3 (1991) - "Armageddon 2001Armageddon 2001"Armageddon 2001" was a 1991 crossover event storyline published by DC Comics. It ran through a self titled, two issue limited series and most of the annuals DC published that year from May through October...
" - Superman vol. 2, Annual #4 (1992) - "Eclipso: The Darkness WithinEclipso: The Darkness WithinEclipso: The Darkness Within was a 1992 comic book mini-series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics. It featured the heroes of the DC Universe fighting against Eclipso. Issue #1 debuted July 1992, and was created and co-plotted by Robert Loren Fleming and Keith Giffen...
" - Superman vol. 2, Annual #5 (1993) - "Bloodlines: OutbreakBloodlines (comics)"Bloodlines" was a 1993 comic book story arc published by DC Comics. It was an intracompany crossover that ran through DC's superhero annuals and concluded with a two-issue 'Bloodbath' miniseries written by Dan Raspler. The antagonists were a race of monstrous xenomorph-like aliens, incorrectly...
" - Superman vol. 2, Annual #6 (1994) - "Elseworlds AnnualSuperman: The Feral Man of SteelSuperman: The Feral Man of Steel is a DC Comics Elseworlds special published in 1994. Written by Darren Vincenzo, pencilled by Frank Fosco and inked by Stan Woch.In 19th century India Kal-El is raised by wolves...
" - Superman vol. 2, Annual #7 (1995) - "Year One"
- Superman vol. 2, Annual #8 (1996) - "Legends of the Dead Earth"
- Superman vol. 2, Annual #9 (1997) - "Pulp Heroes"
- Superman vol. 2, Annual #10 (1998) - "Ghosts"
- Superman vol. 2, Annual #11 (1999) - "JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!"JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!" is a DC Comics crossover event published in the various DC annuals in 1999.-Synopsis:The apes of Gorilla City have declared open hostility on the rest of the world; using technology that can turn humanoids into apes. The JLA must deal with this and the resulting crises...
" - Superman vol. 2, Annual #12 (2000) - "Planet DC"
Collected editions
| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Death of Clark Kent | Superman vol. 2, #99-102 Superman: The Man of Steel #43-46 Action Comics Action Comics Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined... #709-711 Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Superman: The Man of Tomorrow is the title of a comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 16 issues from 1995 to 1999, featuring the adventures of Superman. At the time, the four Superman titles were released weekly with an intertwining story... #1 |
May 1997 | TPB |
| Our Worlds at War Our Worlds at War "Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David... Collects Our Worlds at War Book 1 (ISBN 978-1563899157) and Our Worlds at War Book 2 (ISBN 978-1563899164), both published in September 2002 |
Superman vol. 2, #171-173 Action Comics #780-782 The Adventures of Superman #593-595 Impulse Impulse (DC Comics) Impulse is an identity shared by three comic book superheroes published by DC Comics.-Publication history:Kent Shakespeare was the first DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted in Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 4 #12 . Bart Allen is the second DC Comics superhero known as Impulse, he debuted... #77 JLA: Our Worlds at War #1 Superboy Superboy (Kon-El) Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally... #91 Supergirl Supergirl Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out... #59 Superman: The Man of Steel #115-117 Wonder Woman Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.... #172-173 World's Finest Comics World's Finest Comics World's Finest Comics was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled World's Best Comics for its first issue; issue #2 switched to the more familiar name... : Our Worlds at War #1 Young Justice Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team first appeared in Young Justice: The Secret , before graduating to their ongoing monthly series... #36 |
June 2006 | TPB |
| Godfall | Superman vol. 2, #202-203 Action Comics #812-813 The Adventures of Superman #625-626 |
September 2004 | TPB HC |
| For Tomorrow Volume 1 | Superman vol. 2, #204-209 | August 2005 | TPB HC |
| For Tomorrow Volume 2 | Superman vol. 2, #210-215 | August 2005 | TPB HC |