Superman

Superman is published by DC Comics. Current price per issue is $2.50.

Last Issue

 * Superman #650: 15 Mar 2006

Current Issue

 * Superman #651: 12 Apr 2006

Next Issue

 * Superman #652: 10 May 2006

Status
Published monthly. 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.

Superman also appears monthly in Action Comics, Adventures of Superman and Superman/Batman. Superman frequently has storylines that carry over from and are continued in Action and Adventures.

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 #651
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

Collections

 * Superman: For Tomorrow, vol. 1 - Collects #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 #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


 * Superman: The Journey - Collects #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

Creative Team
Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster.

Issue #220: Writer: Mark Verheiden, Penciler: Tony S. Daniel, Inker: Marlo Alquiza, Colorist: Rod Reis, Letterer: Rob Leigh, Assistant Editor: Jeanine Schaefer, Editor: Eddie Berganza.

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.


 * Superman: For Tomorrow TP: 03 May 2006
 * Superman #652: 10 May 2006
 * Superman #653: 14 Jun 2006
 * Superman #654: 12 Jul 2006

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