"The Death of Superman" is a crossover story event mostly featured in DC Comics' Superman-related publications. The crossover, which originated from editor Mike Carlin and writers Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel, began in December 1992 and lasted until October 1993. It was published in Superman, Action Comics, The Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, Justice League America, and Green Lantern. Since its initial publication, "The Death of Superman" has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
Development began after a planned story, in which Clark Kent (Superman) and Lois Lane would be married, was postponed to coincide with a similar storyline in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. While pitching possible replacements, Ordway jokingly suggested that they should kill Superman. As Superman comic sales had declined in recent years, the writing teams felt the character had been taken for granted and decided to temporarily kill him to emphasize his importance. They wanted the crossover to surprise readers and show Superman is not invincible.
"The Death of Superman" is divided into three story arcs: "Doomsday!", "Funeral for a Friend", and "Reign of the Supermen!". The first arc chronicles Superman's fight with the monster Doomsday and concludes with his death. The second depicts Superman's fellow superheroes and the rest of the DC Universe mourning his death, ending with his adoptive father Jonathan Kent having a heart attack. The third sees the emergence of four Superman impostors before the original is resurrected. A number of characters in "The Death of Superman", such as Doomsday, Superboy, Cyborg Superman, Steel, and Eradicator, would recur in later DC publications.
When news broke that DC planned to kill Superman, a beloved cultural icon, "The Death of Superman" received unprecedented coverage from the mainstream media. Superman #75, which features Superman's death, sold over six million copies and became the top-selling comic of 1992, while Adventures of Superman #500, which began his resurrection and introduced his possible successors, went on to become the best-selling comic of 1993. Retrospective reviewers are divided on the story, with some finding it ambitious and influential, while others dismiss it as a publicity stunt.
The story has been adapted into various forms of media, including two novelizations in 1993 and a beat 'em up video game, The Death and Return of Superman, in 1994. A loose animated film adaptation, Superman: Doomsday, was released in 2007. A second animated adaptation was released as a two-part film, The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen, in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Publication history
Background
thumb|left|alt=A man with white hair, glasses, and a brown shirt sits at a table with a microphone; a card in front of him reads "Mike Carlin".|[[Mike Carlin at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007.]]
Superman is a superhero created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character debuted in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938, to immediate success, and the following year became the first superhero to headline his own comic book, Superman. Since his debut, Superman has been a cultural icon in the United States. The writing teams increased the romantic tension between Clark Kent (Superman's civilian identity) and Lois Lane in an effort to make the comics more appealing. Eventually, they had Kent propose to Lane and reveal he was Superman, and began to plan a storyline about their marriage.
The postponement disappointed the writing teams, as they had to put aside a year's worth of story planning and, according to Simonson, essentially had to come up with something at the last minute. and in the documentary film Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006), he recalled, "the world was taking Superman for granted, so we literally said 'let's show what the world would be like without Superman'". Jurgens formally pitched "The Death of Superman", and DC let the project move forward, which shocked Ordway.
The four issues showing Superman's fight with Doomsday feature a "countdown" of panels: the first has four per page, the second has three, the third has two, and the last simply comprises splash pages. Inker Brett Breeding conceived this, as he thought it would increase the suspense and speed of the action. Furthermore, Jurgens wanted to make an issue told through splash pages and the fight seemed like the perfect fit. because, as Ordway said, it "had to have consequences". and in 2018 said he still could not believe many did not. However, the teams delayed all Superman comics for three months to create the illusion that he had really been killed because DC's solicitation cycle would have spoiled the resurrection. Kesel replaced him afterward. There were several variants of issue #75: a standard newsstand edition; a direct market edition; and a collector's edition sold in a polybag with a black armband, poster, stickers, and a trading card, which cost more than the standard edition. Following the in-comics funeral, all the Superman publications went on hiatus until the release of The Adventures of Superman #500. Like Superman #75, collector's editions of The Adventures of Superman #500 came in polybags. One version had a translucent white bag with the red Superman logo, while another came in a black bag with a white logo.
Collected editions
DC published the story in three collected volumes from 1992 to 1993: The Death of Superman, World Without a Superman, and The Return of Superman. The Death of Superman was released in time for the 1992 Christmas shopping season and, according to comics historian Matthew K. Manning, is the bestselling trade paperback of all time. 1998, and 2004, respectively, while a recolored edition of The Death of Superman was released in 2013.
In September 2007, DC released an omnibus edition of the story, The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus. A new version of the omnibus edition was published in 2013, while another reissue was released in 2019.
An edition of The Death of Superman containing the DVD/Blu-ray versions of the 2007 film adaptation, Superman: Doomsday, was released in 2015. DC reissued "The Death of Superman" in four "New Edition" volumes on April 5, 2016: Superman: The Death of Superman; Superman: Funeral for a Friend; Superman: Reign of the Supermen; and Superman: The Return of Superman. DC published another collection, Superman: Doomsday, around the same time; it compiles comics that feature Doomsday's return.
Overview
Arcs
{| class="wikitable" width=100%
! scope="col" align="center" | Title
! scope="col" align="center" | Issues
! scope="col" align="center" | Cover dates
! scope="col" align="center" | Writers
! scope="col" align="center" | Pencilers
! scope="col" align="center" | Inkers
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5" | "Doomsday!"
| Action Comics #684
| rowspan="5" | December 1992 – January 1993
| Roger Stern
| Jackson Guice
| Denis Rodier
|-
| The Adventures of Superman #497
| Jerry Ordway
| Tom Grummett
| Doug Hazelwood
|-
| Justice League America #69
| Dan Jurgens
| Dan Jurgens
| Rick Burchett
|-
| Superman: The Man of Steel #18–19
| Louise Simonson
| Jon Bogdanove
| Dennis Janke
|-
| Superman #74–75
| Dan Jurgens
| Dan Jurgens; Brett Breeding
| Brett Breeding
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5" | "Funeral for a Friend"
| Action Comics #685–686
| rowspan="5" | January–June 1993
| Roger Stern
| Jackson Guice
| Denis Rodier
|-
| The Adventures of Superman #498–500
| Jerry Ordway
| Tom Grummett
| Doug Hazelwood
|-
| Justice League America #70
| Dan Jurgens
| Dan Jurgens
| Rick Burchett
|-
| Superman #76–77; 83
| Dan Jurgens
| Dan Jurgens
| Brett Breeding
|-
| Superman: The Man of Steel #20–21
| Louise Simonson
| Jon Bogdanove
| Dennis Janke
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="5" | "Reign of the Supermen!"
| Action Comics #687–691
| rowspan="5" | June–October 1993
| Roger Stern
| Jackson Guice
| Denis Rodier
|-
| The Adventures of Superman #501–505
| Karl Kesel
| Tom Grummett
| Doug Hazelwood
|-
| Green Lantern #46
| Gerard Jones
| M. D. Bright
| Romeo Tanghal
|-
| Superman #78–82
| Dan Jurgens
| Dan Jurgens
| Brett Breeding
|-
| Superman: The Man of Steel #22–26
| Louise Simonson
| Jon Bogdanove
| Dennis Janke
|}
"The Death of Superman" is divided into a trilogy of story arcs; the first is known as "Doomsday!", The final story arc, "Reign of the Supermen!", The title of this arc references Siegel and Shuster's first Superman story, "The Reign of the Superman". Despite the gap between the releases of "Funeral for a Friend" and "Reign of the Supermen!", no time passed within the continuity of the comics.
Characters
- Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent) is a superhero with a strong sense of justice, morality, and righteousness. He is the last remaining resident from the planet Krypton after his father, Jor-El, sent him to Earth in a small spaceship before the planet exploded.
- Jonathan and Martha Kent are Superman's adoptive parents who found him after his spaceship crash-landed on their farm. They raised him from his youth with a strong sense of morals and encourage him to use his powers for the betterment of humanity.
- Lois Lane is a reporter for the Daily Planet, a newspaper based in Metropolis. She is an ambitious woman who is strong and opinionated. As Clark's fiancée, she knows he is Superman.
- The Justice League International (Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Maxima, Fire, Ice, and Bloodwynd) is a team of superheroes who defend the world from catastrophic threats. She attempts to help Superman when Doomsday attacks.
- Guardian is a skilled fighter with enhanced strength and reflexes. He is accomplished at gymnastics and deduction, and defends himself with a golden helmet and shield.
- Doomsday is an ancient Kryptonian monster who, after escaping from his ancient prison, carves a murderous path of destruction across America. The name "Doomsday" comes from Booster Gold comparing his rampage to end times.
- Bibbo Bibbowski is the owner of the Ace o' Clubs bar in Metropolis. He admires Superman and identifies himself as the hero's biggest fan. When Doomsday attacks, Bibbowski assists Hamilton and Superman in their efforts to stop him.
- Cyborg Superman represents Superman's nickname "the Man of Tomorrow" and has a half-robotic body. A former astronaut, he holds a grudge against Superman, who saved him after a solar flare killed everyone in his spaceship crew. An enemy of Superman, Mongul is stronger than him, intelligent, and can use telekinesis.
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and a former fighter pilot. He gets his powers from a special ring that allows him to channel will power to create objects out of light.
Synopsis
Doomsday emerges from an underground bunker and encounters the Justice League International. He easily defeats them, but Superman arrives and the two fight across America. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are sent to cover the battle for television, while Lex Luthor dissuades Supergirl from joining the fight and convinces her that she is needed in Metropolis. Doomsday sees a commercial for a Metropolis wrestling competition and heads for the city.
Superman throws Doomsday on the mountain housing Project Cadmus, but fails to stop him from reaching Metropolis. Doomsday and an exhausted and badly injured Superman fight and strike each other with so much force that the shockwaves from their punches shatter windows. At the struggle's culminating moment in front of the Daily Planet building, both lay a massive blow upon each other, killing Doomsday and mortally wounding Superman. In the arms of a frantic Lane, Superman succumbs to his wounds and dies. Olsen, Justice League members Ice and Bloodwynd, and Guardian are also present at the end, with Olsen bitterly photographing Superman's fall.
Superman's death stuns and traumatizes the residents of the DC Universe. His funeral is attended by nearly every superhero, as well as some supervillains, then President Bill Clinton, and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Every hero wears a black arm band featuring Superman's crest. After the funeral, Project Cadmus steals Superman's body from his mausoleum to clone him, but Lane and Supergirl recover it. With Superman gone, the crime rate rises; the costumed heroes of Metropolis, including a team funded by Luthor, rise to fill in as protectors but are insufficient.
Jonathan Kent takes Superman's death the hardest. One night, while reading a newspaper story Lane wrote in Superman's honor, Jonathan begins to feel responsible for his son's death and has a heart attack in his wife Martha's arms. In a coma, Jonathan meets Superman in the afterlife and convinces him to come back, before reawakening. Meanwhile, four men claiming to be Superman—Steel, Cyborg Superman, Superboy, and Eradicator—emerge, and Lane discovers his grave is empty. Steel and Superboy are disproven as the original Superman, but Cyborg Superman and Eradicator both seem to recall some of his memories. Hamilton tests Cyborg Superman and concludes he is the real Superman.
A powerless Superman, wearing a black costume, escapes the matrix. Superboy asks Steel to help him fight Cyborg Superman, where Cyborg Superman launches a missile at Metropolis with the intent of destroying it and building a second Engine City in its place. Superboy manages to stop the missile before it strikes. Hal Jordan returns from space to find Coast City destroyed. Devastated, Jordan attacks Engine City and defeats Mongul.
Alternate versions
In an alternate story told in Tales from the Dark Multiverse, Lois Lane becomes enraged and bitter after the death of Superman by Doomsday's hands, believing the world failed him. After meeting the Eradicator, who failed to bring Superman back to life, Lois proposes that the two merge, turning Lois into the Eradicator. Taking extreme measures to 'make the world a better place', Lois kills Lex Luthor, the Joker and Batman and goes to fight Cyborg Superman. When the real Superman returns, only for him to be killed by Cyborg Superman, Lois kills the latter and continues her role as Earth's "savior".
Reception
At release
As DC did not reveal that Superman would be revived at the end of the story, many fans believed "The Death of Superman" had permanently killed Superman, a beloved cultural icon. Mark Potts of The Washington Post speculated the death would not last, but nonetheless expressed interest in what a world without Superman would be like.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) parodied "The Death of Superman" in a sketch in the seventh episode of its eighteenth season. The sketch depicts the casts of DC and Marvel attending Superman's funeral. Black Lightning, portrayed by Sinbad, tries to enter, but no one knows him even though he claims to have taught Superman how to fly. Den of Geek! named this the best of SNLs superhero-themed sketches.
The attention caused "The Death of Superman" to become an unforeseen success. Comic book retailers ordered five million copies of Superman #75 in advance and many people who had never read comics bought the issue hoping it would become an expensive collector's item. making it the bestselling comic book issue of 1992. Sales from Superman #75 doubled DC's market share in November 1992. The success of the event turned Jurgens, who had been an average writer and penciller, into an industry star.
The four bestselling issues of 1993 were The Adventures of Superman #500, Action Comics #687, Superman #78, and Superman: The Man of Steel #22. Additionally, the first installments of "Reign of the Supermen!" were among the top five bestselling comic books of June 1993. Valiant Comics timed the release of Bloodshot #1 to the release of #75, and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #1 to the release of The Adventures of Superman #500 to take advantage of the increased customers and boost sales. Both books included cover enhancements to attract customer attention. However, many retailers say The Adventures of Superman #500 was the beginning of a decline in the comic industry. Retailers and distributors were stuck with unsold copies, Indeed, each series' sales immediately declined following Superman's resurrection. Wizard compared the phenomenon to the New Coke debacle,
ComicsAlliance writer Chris Sims believed that most people bought Superman #75 just to see Superman's death, Brian Salvatore, writing for Multiversity Comics, believed the story was effective and "present[ed] some pretty compelling arguments for why Superman is the greatest superhero of all time, without ever really coming out and saying that". He also praised the characterization, forcing Superman to rely on pure instinct.
Conversely, The Escapists Bob Chipman described the event as a "dumb story full of crappy characters embodying almost all of the worst trends of dreadful [1990s] comics", and lamented its influence on subsequent Superman films and comics in general. Chad Nevett of Comic Book Resources called the story boring and jumbled, comparing issue #75 to "trading cards that intend[ed] to tell a story than an actual comic story". Morris did criticize its subplots as nonsensical and felt Doomsday was terribly designed, disagreeing with Sims that it was a definitive Superman story. Eradicator received a limited series,
In 2011, DC relaunched its entire comics line in an initiative called The New 52, which revamped the DC Universe and erased certain events. The relaunch altered Superman considerably, characterizing him as shorter-tempered and no longer married to Lois Lane. However, "The Death of Superman" remained intact in the new DC Universe. To coincide with the release of the animated film adaptation of the crossover in 2018, a 12-part Death of Superman webcomic series began, written by Simonson and illustrated by Cat Staggs, Joel Ojeda, and Laura Braga, among others. The first parts chronicle Superman's actions hours before Doomsday kills him; later parts follow Jimmy Olsen during the confrontation and the aftermath of Superman's death.
The "Infinite Frontier" relaunch had a 30th anniversary issue revolving around The Death of Superman which included reminiscings of the event, Superman fighting a Doomsday-like creature called Doombreaker, and a story set shortly after Superman's death where Guardian, Dan Turpin, and Maggie Sawyer tend to Superman's body in the morgue and Paul Westfield attempts to claim Superman and Doomsday's bodies for his own uses.
Adaptations
Novels
Stern wrote a novelization of "The Death of Superman", The Death and Life of Superman, in 1993. Additionally, Simonson wrote another adaptation, Superman: Doomsday & Beyond, around the same time. It features cover art by Alex Ross.
Film
- In the wake of "The Death of Superman", Warner Bros. acquired the rights to produce Superman films, and hired Jon Peters to write a script for a sequel to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). The script, called Superman Reborn, borrowed liberally from "The Death of Superman", including the fight between Superman and Doomsday, but Warner Bros. disliked it due to its similar themes to Batman Forever (1995). Later rewrites altered the story considerably and the film ultimately never came to fruition. Superman Lives, another canceled Superman film that would have been directed by Tim Burton, started as an adaptation of "The Death of Superman"; Warner Bros. executives believed the story was "the key" to revive the Superman franchise.
- Warner Bros. released an animated direct-to-video film adaptation, Superman: Doomsday, in 2007. Superman: Doomsday is loosely based on "The Death of Superman"; to fit within a 75-minute runtime, the story was condensed and greatly altered. For example, the Justice League is not present and most aspects of "Reign of the Supermen!" were removed. The film was a commercial success and started the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line of direct-to-video releases.
- The DC Extended Universe series of films contains references to "The Death of Superman", beginning with the appearance of Superman's black suit in Man of Steel (2013). The climax of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) draws narrative elements from "Doomsday!". In the film, Lex Luthor uses forbidden Kryptonian genetic engineering projects to combine General Zod's corpse with his own DNA, creating Doomsday. During their fight, Superman and Doomsday deliver killing blows, respectively, and both die. Jurgens received a "Special Thanks" credit at the end of the film. In Justice League (2017), the black suit reappears as an Easter egg in a deleted scene. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson explained that director Zack Snyder planned to have Superman wear the suit when he was resurrected in the film, but scrapped the idea in pre-production.
- A second animated film adaptation was made in two parts: The Death of Superman (2018) and Reign of the Supermen (2019), part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line and of DC Animated Movie Universe. Compared to Superman: Doomsday, the new adaptation is more faithful to the comic story.
Video games
Blizzard Entertainment and Sunsoft developed a video game based on the story, The Death and Return of Superman, which was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and in 1995 for the Sega Genesis. The Death and Return of Superman is a beat 'em up in which the player controls Superman and the Supermen as they attempt to save Metropolis.
Notes
References
External links
- "The Death of Superman" on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki