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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Not much story except "indestructible man that nobody can beat, walks across America".
The Death of Superman is obviously a keystone in the Superman canon; however, if you’re expecting any kind of story depth, then go elsewhere. But then again, the lack of depth kind of the point, isn’t it?
This volume is a kill-first-ask-questions-later kind of read. A mysterious, rage-filled being dubbed Doomsday breaks free (from where, we don’t know) and heads for Metropolis (for what reason, we don’t know) cutting a wide swath of destruction in his wake (you guessed it—we don’t know). The Justice League cannot stop him, and Superman, being of equal if not lesser strength, can’t seem to stop him either.
There is no back-story to Doomsday—he just appears and destroys. The entirety of this seven-issue run is simply Doomsday beating up the JLA and Superman, while causing as much mayhem as possible. All we get from Doomsday are grunts and giggles as he flings vehicles and leaps through the air, miles at a time. One can assume he’s arrived to kill Superman, but that assumption is not necessarily true. While it’s heavily implied that Doomsday is heading for Metropolis, Superman tries to stop him several times along the way. Doomsday attacks Superman, but only because Superman gets in his way. He doesn’t take the time to kill Superman until the two of them arrive together in Metropolis. Is there some hidden reason for the final battle being staged in Metropolis? It doesn’t appear so; aesthetics seem to overrule logic.
The reason for seven issues of plot-less violence is part marketing ploy and part lack of ideas. The marriage of Clark and Lois in the 90’s prime-time soap opera The Adventures of Lois and Clark unfortunately corresponded with D.C.’s marriage of the two characters. D.C., being owned by Warner Brothers, was forced to delay the marriage for a year so that the comics did not interfere with the show: hence a lack of immediate plot ideas. Also, readership for Superman was down: hence the shock value.
Now don’t get me wrong, the whole reason I read this book as a kid and re-read it now is because of that shock value. There’s simply no other reason to read this one. But The Death of Superman is as far as I got as a kid and now I’m moving on to the two trade paperback follow-ups: World Without a Superman and The Return of Superman. Presumably, The Death of Superman was the shoot-first-ask-questions-later book, while World Without a Superman will be the questions-answered book.
No questions are answered in this volume and Superman’s death holds almost no emotional impact, despite the final image of Lois sobbing while clutching a dying Kal-El. Superman eventually returns, as he always does, and in the case of this storyline, he returns less than a year after his demise. I’m sure World Without a Superman holds more emotional resonance, but the idea that superheroes never truly die is epitomized by this entire run. Superman was never really in any true danger, and the readers knew it the whole time. I wasn’t reading this run as it was published (considering I was five-years-old at the time), but based on the publicity surrounding the storyline, I’m sure everyone expected the return of Superman, and rightly so. How can you kill off this staple of Americana? The answer is, of course, that you can’t, which significantly lessons the impact of this storyline.
What The Death of Superman lacks in plot, though, it makes up in style. The closer we get to Superman’s death, the fewer panels are utilized, opening up the scenery to the viewer. The third to final issue employs three panels per page, the second to final issue employs two panels per page, and the final issue employs one panel per page. Unfortunately, the paneling is more interesting than the death of the main character. When Gwen Stacy died in The Amazing Spiderman, the Bronze Age of comics was ushered into existence. When Superman died, not much happened. I’m not sure what that comparison means, but it’s probably important.
This volume is a kill-first-ask-questions-later kind of read. A mysterious, rage-filled being dubbed Doomsday breaks free (from where, we don’t know) and heads for Metropolis (for what reason, we don’t know) cutting a wide swath of destruction in his wake (you guessed it—we don’t know). The Justice League cannot stop him, and Superman, being of equal if not lesser strength, can’t seem to stop him either.
There is no back-story to Doomsday—he just appears and destroys. The entirety of this seven-issue run is simply Doomsday beating up the JLA and Superman, while causing as much mayhem as possible. All we get from Doomsday are grunts and giggles as he flings vehicles and leaps through the air, miles at a time. One can assume he’s arrived to kill Superman, but that assumption is not necessarily true. While it’s heavily implied that Doomsday is heading for Metropolis, Superman tries to stop him several times along the way. Doomsday attacks Superman, but only because Superman gets in his way. He doesn’t take the time to kill Superman until the two of them arrive together in Metropolis. Is there some hidden reason for the final battle being staged in Metropolis? It doesn’t appear so; aesthetics seem to overrule logic.
The reason for seven issues of plot-less violence is part marketing ploy and part lack of ideas. The marriage of Clark and Lois in the 90’s prime-time soap opera The Adventures of Lois and Clark unfortunately corresponded with D.C.’s marriage of the two characters. D.C., being owned by Warner Brothers, was forced to delay the marriage for a year so that the comics did not interfere with the show: hence a lack of immediate plot ideas. Also, readership for Superman was down: hence the shock value.
Now don’t get me wrong, the whole reason I read this book as a kid and re-read it now is because of that shock value. There’s simply no other reason to read this one. But The Death of Superman is as far as I got as a kid and now I’m moving on to the two trade paperback follow-ups: World Without a Superman and The Return of Superman. Presumably, The Death of Superman was the shoot-first-ask-questions-later book, while World Without a Superman will be the questions-answered book.
No questions are answered in this volume and Superman’s death holds almost no emotional impact, despite the final image of Lois sobbing while clutching a dying Kal-El. Superman eventually returns, as he always does, and in the case of this storyline, he returns less than a year after his demise. I’m sure World Without a Superman holds more emotional resonance, but the idea that superheroes never truly die is epitomized by this entire run. Superman was never really in any true danger, and the readers knew it the whole time. I wasn’t reading this run as it was published (considering I was five-years-old at the time), but based on the publicity surrounding the storyline, I’m sure everyone expected the return of Superman, and rightly so. How can you kill off this staple of Americana? The answer is, of course, that you can’t, which significantly lessons the impact of this storyline.
What The Death of Superman lacks in plot, though, it makes up in style. The closer we get to Superman’s death, the fewer panels are utilized, opening up the scenery to the viewer. The third to final issue employs three panels per page, the second to final issue employs two panels per page, and the final issue employs one panel per page. Unfortunately, the paneling is more interesting than the death of the main character. When Gwen Stacy died in The Amazing Spiderman, the Bronze Age of comics was ushered into existence. When Superman died, not much happened. I’m not sure what that comparison means, but it’s probably important.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Y'know, this was just a weird one to get into and I have no idea what happened at the end. Superman died, but what actually happened? It was all a bit anticlimactic. Heesh.
There's a whole load of chaos and destruction, but not much else. I didn't particularly feel anything for the characters (I wasn't things familiar with a bunch of these Justice Leaguers... in fact, maybe things would have ended differently if Wonder Woman and Batman turned up?) and, well, it just all felt like there was an idea to kill Superman and it didn't really matter how we got there.
To top it all off... I didn't love the art - just too garish and inconsistent (particularly Superman and Doomsday grappling and suchlike).
Anyhoo, this is the first Superman yarn I've read and maybe it just wasn't a great place to start.
There's a whole load of chaos and destruction, but not much else. I didn't particularly feel anything for the characters (I wasn't things familiar with a bunch of these Justice Leaguers... in fact, maybe things would have ended differently if Wonder Woman and Batman turned up?) and, well, it just all felt like there was an idea to kill Superman and it didn't really matter how we got there.
To top it all off... I didn't love the art - just too garish and inconsistent (particularly Superman and Doomsday grappling and suchlike).
Anyhoo, this is the first Superman yarn I've read and maybe it just wasn't a great place to start.
Superman has been my favorite comic book hero for a long time but I was pretty disappointed with this. There are a couple great pages but the rest was a letdown.
An amazing graphic novel.
Honestly, what more could be said about this that hasn't been. It is Superman's darkest hour, in which he literally gives his life for the world he loves.
Amazing art. Amazing story.
Honestly, what more could be said about this that hasn't been. It is Superman's darkest hour, in which he literally gives his life for the world he loves.
Amazing art. Amazing story.
A standard story, one of the best-selling stories of all time in comics, The Death of Superman is a strange story, broad in its majesty but light on meaning and consequences (they brought Supes back, after all).
What's most interesting here is the set-up, where Superman has to answer a question about violence re: problem-solving. Little does he know that he'll be defending the world with his life later in the day, but the shadows across his features forecast that a fight to the death will be coming. But this short examination of how he uses his powers sets up a hidden conflict about how glorified his actions in comics, despite their non-pacifist nature. Holding onto that argument throughout the story will keep you invested and also shed some light on why his ultimate sacrifice is a sacrifice, and how he might've been able to solve his dilemma another way.
What's most interesting here is the set-up, where Superman has to answer a question about violence re: problem-solving. Little does he know that he'll be defending the world with his life later in the day, but the shadows across his features forecast that a fight to the death will be coming. But this short examination of how he uses his powers sets up a hidden conflict about how glorified his actions in comics, despite their non-pacifist nature. Holding onto that argument throughout the story will keep you invested and also shed some light on why his ultimate sacrifice is a sacrifice, and how he might've been able to solve his dilemma another way.
Death of Superman was a weak story with a couple nice multipanel spreads, but I’m giving this 2 stars only because of the nostalgia factor. I picked this up at a comic convention this weekend, having not seen it since middle school. I’ve read several series which were written miles better than this. I really enjoyed this trade when I was young, but the comic medium has come a long way since then. Interesting as I reread this, I didn’t know Blue Beetle was inspiration for Watchmen’s Nite Owl. It’s very clear now that I’m an adult and have read both.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes