Well, most of that failed.
Many new titles ended were quickly cancelled (some after just a year), creators missed their marks (“Flash: The Fastest Man Alive”), and delays crushed some brilliant visions (“Wonder Woman” – now that it’s finally done…go read it!).
But for fans of Big Blue, the last few years have been filled with some of the best stories in the Man of Steel’s 70 year history. From epic battles spanning time and space to quiet moments with Lois Lane, both “Superman” and “Action Comics” continue to rise above today’s rather unspectacular mainstream market.
Unlike many series currently crowding comic shop shelves with obscure references to confusing continuity and incessant tie-ins, the “Superman” line from DC Comics has been streamlined in a way that continues to excite longtime fans and makes it easily accessible to new and casual readers.
Instead of trying to reintroduce Superman for the 21st Century, the books have pulled from nearly seven decades of “super-lore” to distill the best elements from each character, place, era, and concept, and created a “super-verse” that reflects and respects the stories that have come before—but doesn’t rely on them.
And those sources aren’t limited to the comics, as many ideas and images have made their way from various super-media outside the four-color page. Just look at the new Fortress of Solitude for an example, a spitting image of the crystal citadel from 1978’s “Superman: The Movie.”
Along with this ideology, fans have seen a return of classic characters and concepts that range from the supporting cast (Steve Lombard), to the most vicious of villains (General Zod, Jax-Ur), and from the weirdest places (Bizarro World) to long-time disregarded locales (Argo City).
In just the last few years, longtime baddies Brainiac, Bizarro, and General Zod have also been reintroduced as updated versions of their most classic incarnations—the Frankenstein monster Bizarro, the cold, information collecting Brainiac, and the Kryptonian warlord General Zod.
Furthermore, reboots that removed Superman from founding the Legion of Super-Heroes (the 31st Century’s premier hero team) and the bottled city of Kandor’s Kryptonian population have been reversed—not to usher in a return to the Silver Age of Comics, but to offer more storytelling possibilities and expand the Superman mythos.
Somehow, the creative forces at DC have found a way to embrace the old without making it feel nostalgic or repetitive.
In a word, Superman is perfectly…iconic.
But this is all thanks to a superstar team of creators working to make sure the Man of Steel lives up to his title as the world’s greatest superhero.
Since IC, DC has kept a steady stream of industry heavyweights at the helm of Superman’s adventures. Among those creators are regular series writers Geoff Johns (“Infinite Crisis,” “Green Lantern”) and James Robinson (“Starman”) on “Action” and “Superman,” respectively, who have been joined by writers Kurt Busiek (“Trinity”) and Richard Donner (director of Superman: The Movie) and artists Gary Frank (Hulk), Adam Kubert (Ultimate X-Men), Pete Woods (Catwoman).
So if you’ve been reading “Superman” and “Action Comics,” you’ll agree that the last few years have been a blast. And if you haven’t, it’s never too late to start! Go check out the latest trades like “Superman: Last Son” or “Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes” and pick up the latest issues following the “New Krypton” arc as the survivors of Kandor make Earth their new home.
It’s a great time to be a Superman fan.
Frank DeAngelo wrote this wearing the Superman pajama pants he received for Christmas. Follow him on twitter at @modernheart.
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