Superman



Superman is published by DC Comics. Current price per issue is $2.99.

Last Issue

 * Superman #685: 25 Feb 2009

Current Issue

 * Superman #686: 25 Mar 2009

Next Issue

 * Superman #687: 29 Apr 2009

Status
Published monthly.

Superman also appears monthly in Action Comics and Superman/Batman. Superman frequently has storylines that are continued from and are continued in Action.

Main Characters

 * Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent - The last survivor of the planet Krypton, Superman has many powers on Earth, including flight, super-strength, super-speed, x-ray vision, heat vision, and invulnerability. (aka "The Man of Steel,' 'The Man of Tomorrow') - Superman

Allies

 * Lois Lane - Star reporter for the Daily Planet. Married to Clark Kent. - Lois Lane


 * Jimmy Olsen - Photographer and cub reporter for the Daily Planet. Has a 'signal watch' that can be used to contact Superman. Sometimes called "Superman's Pal" - Jimmy Olsen


 * Supergirl/Kara Zor-El - Superman's sixteen-year-old cousin from Krypton, newly arrived on Earth. has the same powers as Superman - Supergirl

Enemies

 * Lex Luthor - Founder and former CEO of Lexcorp, and former President of the United States. Disgraced and run out of office, he now works in the criminal underground as one of the key players in the revived Secret Society of Super-Villains. - Lex Luthor


 * Bizarro - An imperfect duplicate of Superman. Has all of Superman's powers, but in not very intelligent and thinks and acts in opposites. - Bizarro


 * OMACs - Regular people who are possessed by robotic shells that take them over in order to fight against super-heroes under the direction of an orbiting satellite.

Minor Characters

 * Perry White - Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet. - Perry White


 * Lana Lang - Clark Kent's high school sweetheart. Was briefly First Lady of the United States when her ex-husband, Pete Ross, became President after Lex Luthor's resignation. - Lana Lang


 * Krypto - A super-powered dog from a alternate/pocket universe Krypton. - Krypto


 * Martha (Clark) 'Ma' Kent - Superman's adoptive mother on Earth. - Martha Kent


 * Jonathan 'Pa' Kent - Superman's adoptive father on Earth. - Jonathan Kent


 * Jor-El - Superman's biological father from Krypton. Deceased. - Jor-El


 * Lara - Superman's biological mother from Krypton. Deceased. - Lara (Kryptonian)

Other Characters/Places/Things

 * Metropolis - Large city in the United States, and current city of residence of Superman. - Metropolis (comics)


 * Smallville - Kansas farming town where Clark Kent was raised on Earth. Current home to Martha & Jonathan Kent, and Superboy/Conner Kent. - Smallville


 * Krypton - Home planet of Superman/Kal-El. Was destroyed when its radioactive core went critical. - Krypton (Planet)


 * The Phantom Zone - Otherdimensional realm where criminals from Krypton were exiled. - Phantom Zone

Superman #686
This is the current issue, and therefore no story information will be posted about this issue. Please check your local comic shop for copies of this issue.

Superman #226
"Superman: This is Your Life" part 1 of 3. Infinite Crisis crossover. During a clash with his pre-Crisis Earth-2 counterpart, Superman experiences the life of Kal-L, a Superman who came of age during the Great Depression and became a super-hero during WWII. Continued in Action Comics #836.

Superman #225
"To Be a Hero." Infinite Crisis crossover. Superman battles Scorch and a number of other fire-wielding villains. Meanwhile, John Henry Irons comtemplates how to defeat the OMACs, and in deep space, Supergirl worries that she's not up to the task for which she has volunteered.

Superman #224
"Focus" - Infinite Crisis crossover. A group of OMACs attack Lex Luthor's jet as it flies over Alaska. Luthor battles against the OMACs until he can recover his battle armor and defeat them. Meanwhile, Superman fights the new Blackrock over the street of Las Vegas.

Superman #223
"Stones" - Infinite Crisis crossover. Talia recruits a new BlackRock from a Peruvian prison. Supergirl tells Superman of her intention to leave Earth with Donna Troy's group, then the two of them battle the new BlackRock together.

Superman #222
Lois & Clark meet with a scientist who claims that she inadventantly helped Max Lord develop the OMACs under the guise of a vaccination program. A group of OMACs attack them, but Clark/Superman fights them off, revelaing in the process that he is really one of the Superman Robots. The next day, Lois is attacked by an OMAC in their apartment, and the real Superman shows up to save her. Later, Bizarro retrieves something called the Black Rock for Luthor.

Superman #221
"Jimmy's Day." Villains United tie-in. Jimmy Olsen watches as Superman and Bizarro battle OMACs, and each other, over the streets of Metropolis. Cheetah recruits Bizarro to join the Secret Society, then Bizarro challenges Zoom to a super-speed race. Continued in Action Comics #831.

Superman #220
In Smallville, Superman and Superboy discuss their recent bouts of having been mind controlled (by Max Lord and Lex Luthor, respectively), but their conversation is cut short when John Henry (the former Steel) summons them to Superman's former antarctic Fortress of Solitude. When they arrive, they are attacked by The Eradicator, who blames them for their recent rampages, but an OMAC arrives and defeats The Eradicator

Hardcovers

 * DC Comics Classics Library: Superman — Kryptonite Nevermore! - Collects #233-238, 240-242. "This story turned Superman’s status quo on its head by featuring a story in which all Kryptonite was destroyed! But that leaves The Man of Steel anything but invulnerable as his powers slowly begin to fade and a doppleganger Superman arrives on the scene with strange powers of its own." - WorldCat - ISBN 1401220851


 * Superman: For Tomorrow, vol. 1 - Collects vol. 2 #204-209. "A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected -- not even Superman! But after a year, Superman is left with many questions. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: Just how far is Superman willing to go 'For Tomorrow?'" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401203515


 * Superman: For Tomorrow, vol. 2 - Collects vol. 2 #210-215. "Superman faces the mystery of how millions of people seemingly vanished without a trace -- including the love of his life, Lois Lane -- only to find that he may be partially responsible. But the solution to getting them back might prove too extreme, initiating a royal rumble with Wonder Woman! And after a battle with the deadly Equus, Superman comes face-to-face with the mysterious villain who has been responsible for turning his life upside-down!" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401207154


 * Absolute Superman: For Tomorrow - Collects vol. 2 #204-215. "A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected — not even Superman! Now, the Man of Steel must face the mystery of how millions of people vanished without a trace, only to find that he may be responsible. But the solution leads to a royal rumble with Wonder Woman! And after a battle with the deadly Equus, Superman comes face-to-face with the villain who has been responsible for turning his life upside-down!" - WorldCat - ISBN 140122198X - (forthcoming, April 2009)


 * Superman: Camelot Falls - Collects #654-658. "The Man of Steel has returned to Metropolis and must battle to rout Intergang out of Metropolis! He also faces trouble with Lois, looming problems involving Lana Lang, and a dangerous new discovery in Kazakhstan. Get ready for an action-packed saga that tears a swath across Eastern Europe!" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401212042


 * Superman: The Coming of Atlas - Collects #677-680, plus First Issue Special #1. "This is the battle to end all others as Superman faces off with Atlas, lost god of myth. And when Atlas stakes a claim on Metropolis, it’s up to Superman and Krypto to take Atlas down." - WorldCat - ISBN 1401221319

Trade Paperbacks

 * Superman: For Tomorrow, vol. 1 - Collects vol. 2 #204-209. "A cataclysmic event has struck the Earth. Millions of people have vanished without a trace. No one is left unaffected -- not even Superman! But after a year, Superman is left with many questions. For a hero who tries to have all the answers, it's torture. And, just as the action heats up and the stakes are raised, one huge question emerges: Just how far is Superman willing to go 'For Tomorrow?'" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401203523


 * Superman: For Tomorrow, vol. 2 - Collects vol. 2 #210-215. "Superman faces the mystery of how millions of people seemingly vanished without a trace -- including the love of his life, Lois Lane -- only to find that he may be partially responsible. But the solution to getting them back might prove too extreme, initiating a royal rumble with Wonder Woman! And after a battle with the deadly Equus, Superman comes face-to-face with the mysterious villain who has been responsible for turning his life upside-down!" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401204481


 * Superman: The Journey - Collects vol. 2 #217, 221-225. "After his first contact with an OMAC, Superman must contend with the arrivals of Bizarro and Zoom, before dealing once and for all with a souped-up Blackrock" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401209181


 * Superman: Up, Up and Away - Collects #650-653, plus Action Comics #837-840. "It is One Year Later...and no one has seen or heard from the Man of Steel. As Clark Kent concentrates on his career, the need for the Man of Steel has remained as strong as ever - especially now that Lex Luthor has returned to Metropolis, with his thirst for power fully intact." - WorldCat - ISBN 1401209548 - (forthcoming, September 2006)


 * Superman: Camelot Falls, vol. 1 - Collects #654-658. "The Man of Steel has returned to Metropolis and must battle to rout Intergang out of Metropolis! He also faces trouble with Lois, looming problems involving Lana Lang, and a dangerous new discovery in Kazakhstan." - WorldCat - ISBN 1401212050


 * Superman: The Third Kryptonian - Collects #668-670, plus Action Comics #847 and the back-up story from Annual #13. "Who — or what — is The Third Kryptonian?" - WorldCat - ISBN 140121987X


 * Superman: Camelot Falls, vol. 2 - Collects #662-664, 667-668 & Annual #13. "The Man of Steel defends Metropolis from harm, but now faces a dilemma: are his heroics only making things worse?" - WorldCat - ISBN 1401215661


 * Superman: Shadows Linger - Collects #671-675. "The new Insect Queen makes her debut – and that spells trouble for The Man of Steel." - WorldCat - ISBN 1401221254

Creative Team
Writer: Kurt Busiek. Artist: Carlos Pacheco.

Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster.

Publishing History
Reclaimed its original numbering (from Adventures of Superman) in March with issue #650. (Issue #226 was the final issue with the old/new numbering.)

Began publication in 1987. A previous series, also called Superman, was published from 1939-1986.

Order Codes
These are the order codes and prices as provided by Diamond Distribution. Your local comic shop should be able to order these for you.


 * JAN05 0280	SUPERMAN #215	$2.50
 * FEB05 0261	SUPERMAN #216	$2.50
 * MAR05 0384	SUPERMAN #217	$2.50
 * APR05 0319	SUPERMAN #218	$2.50
 * MAY05 0213	SUPERMAN #219	$2.50
 * JUN05 0345	SUPERMAN #220	$2.50
 * JUL05 0213	SUPERMAN #221	$2.50
 * AUG05 0195	SUPERMAN #222	$2.50
 * SEP05 0219	SUPERMAN #223	$2.50
 * OCT05 0232	SUPERMAN #224	$2.50

Future Publication Dates
Dates subject to change at the whims of the publisher or distributor. Please see the Diamond Shipping Lists for current information.


 * Absolute Superman: For Tomorrow HC: 29 Apr 2009
 * Superman #687: 29 Apr 2009
 * Superman #688: 28 May 2009
 * Superman #689: 24 Jun 2009

News & Features

 * 01 Mar 2009 - WC: James Robinson Panel
 * 07 Feb 2009 - James Robinson: Superman - Between Two Worlds (video)
 * 06 Feb 2009 - NYCC '09 - DC's Superman Panel w/ Adventure Comics News
 * 06 Feb 2009 - Inside the DCU: Superman and Wonder Woman with Matt Idleson (video)
 * 27 Jan 2009 - Replacement Heroes: Superman
 * 06 Jan 2009 - Supermen of Color: The Non-White Kryptonians
 * 05 Jan 2009 - New Krypton Times 6: Punching and Kicking
 * 30 Nov 2008 - New Krypton Times 3: Things Get Bad. Really, Really Bad
 * 11 Nov 2008 - The New Krypton Times 1: What's Going On?
 * 27 Sep 2008 - Baltimore Comic Con '08: Superman Panel
 * 26 Jul 2008 - SDCC '08 - Talking to the Superman/"New Krypton" Team
 * 24 Jul 2008 - SDCC '08 - "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" Panel
 * 23 May 2008 - Golden Age James Robinson II: Superman
 * 05 May 2008 - Guedes on Penciling Superman
 * 07 Jan 2008 - Inking Superman with Jesus Marino
 * 10 Oct 2007 - Kurt Busiek Reveals "The Third Kryptonian"
 * 26 Sep 2007 - Kurt Busiek on "The Third Kryptonian" and More
 * 23 Oct 2006 - Talking Superman with Kurt Busiek
 * 11 Jan 2006 - Superman's Busiek & Johns on One Year Later: 'Can't tell you!'

Links

 * DC Comics - Publisher's Website
 * Superman - GCD entry
 * Superman in the Comics - Section of the Superman Homepage pertaining to the comics
 * Superman - general Wikipedia entry for Superman