''Superman'' is an ongoing

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

series featuring the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

as its main protagonist. Superman began as one of several anthology features in the

National Periodical Publications National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...

comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 in June 1938. The strip proved so popular that National launched Superman into his own self-titled comic book, the first for any

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

, premiering with the

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

Summer 1939. Between 1986 and 2006 it was retitled, ''The Adventures of Superman'', while a new series used the title ''

''. In May 2006, it was returned to its original title and numbering. The title was canceled with issue #714 in 2011, and was relaunched with issue #1 the following month which ended its run in 2016. A fourth series was released in June 2016 and ended in April 2018, while the fifth series was launched in July 2018 and ended in June 2021. The series was replaced by ''Superman: Son of Kal-El'' in July 2021, featuring adventures of Superman's son, Jon Kent.

Publication history

''Superman'' volume 1

Due to the Superman character's popularity after his premiere in ''Action Comics'' #1,

National Allied Publications National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...

decided to launch an entirely new magazine featuring a single character, which at that time was unprecedented. ''Superman'' #1 appeared on the shelves in the summer of 1939. Superman now also had the distinction of being the first ever hero-character featured in more than one comic magazine. By issue #7, Superman was being hailed on the covers as the "World's Greatest Adventure Strip Character".

Perry White Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the ''Daily Planet''. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and ...

, a supporting character who had originated on the Superman radio program was introduced into the comic book in issue #7 (October 1940). Editor

Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features a ...

began his long association with the title with issue #11 (July–August 1941).Mort Weisinger's run on ''Superman''
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

first appeared as a named character in the story "Superman versus The Archer" in ''Superman'' #13 (Nov.–Dec. 1941). In the early 1940s, ''Superman'' was selling over a million copies per month. By 1942, artist

Wayne Boring Wayne Boring (June 5, 1905 – February 20, 1987) was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon. Biography Early life and career Boring attend ...

, who had previously been one of Shuster's assistants, had become a major artist on Superman. ''Superman'' #23 (July–August 1943) featured the first Superman comic book story written by someone other than Jerry Siegel. The story "America's Secret Weapon!" was written by Don Cameron despite bearing Siegel's signature. Siegel introduced

Mister Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' '' Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he en ...

in issue #30 (September 1944). A more detailed origin story for Superman was presented in issue #53 (July 1948) to mark the character's tenth anniversary. Another part of the Superman mythos which had originated on the radio program made its way into the comic books when

kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

was featured in a story by

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatur ...

and Al Plastino. ''Superman'' was the first DC title with a letters column as a regular feature beginning with issue #124 (September 1958). In the view of comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstei ...

, artist

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

became the definitive artist of Superman in the early 1960s with a "new look" to the character that replaced Wayne Boring's version. Writer

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...

and Swan crafted the story "Superman's Race With the Flash!" in ''Superman'' #199 (Aug. 1967) which featured the first race between the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

and Superman, two characters known for their super-speed powers.

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...

became the title's editor with issue #233 (January 1971)Julius Schwartz's run on ''Superman''
at the Grand Comics Database and together with writer

Denny O'Neil Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...

and artist Curt Swan streamlined the Superman mythos, starting with the elimination of

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

Elliot S. Maggin Elliot S. Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin (born 1950), is an American writer of comic books, film, television, and novels. He was a main writer for DC Comics during the Bronze and early Modern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is ...

began his long association with the title with the story "Must There Be a Superman?" in issue #247 (Jan. 1972). Writer Cary Bates, in collaboration with Swan, introduced such characters as the

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

Terra-Man in issue #249 (March 1972) and the

Vartox Vartox is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Vartox bears a striking resemblance to Scottish actor Sean Connery and his name and appearance are regarded as an allusion to the 1974 film '' Zardoz'' which starred Connery. Publication hist ...

in issue #281 (Nov. 1974). Issues #272 (Feb. 1974), #278 (Aug. 1974), and #284 (Feb. 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format. ''Superman'' #300 (June 1976) featured an out-of- continuity story by Bates and Maggin which imagined the infant Superman landing on Earth in 1976 and becoming a superhero in 2001. The tale was an inspiration for

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ex ...

's '' Superman: Red Son'' limited series published in 2003. DC's parent company

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

reinstated the byline for

Jerry Siegel Jerome Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996)Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He is the co-creator of Superman, in ...

and

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster (; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992), professionally known simply as Joe Shuster, was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 (c ...

which had been dropped decades earlier and the first issue with the restored credit was ''Superman'' #301 (August 1976).

Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...

and Swan created the

Master Jailer Dan the Dyna-Mite Dan Turpin Damien Darhk The enigmatic Damien Darhk is an elusive and dangerous criminal mastermind and enemy of the Teen Titans. He makes his first appearance in ''Titans'' #1 (March 1999). Claiming to be a major player in t ...

character in issue #331 (January 1979). The bottle city of Kandor, which had been introduced in 1958, was restored to normal size in a story by Len Wein and Swan in ''Superman'' #338 (August 1979). The series reached issue #400 in October 1984. That issue featured work by several popular comics artists including the only major DC work by Jim Steranko as well as an introduction by noted science-fiction author

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

. ''Superman'' ran uninterrupted until the mid-1980s, when DC Comics instituted a line-wide relaunch with the 1985 event maxi-series ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...

''. Folding their vast multiverse into a single shared

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Acc ...

, Superman and his supporting cast would receive a massive overhaul at the hands of writer/artist John Byrne. One last story, which also marked the end of Schwartz's tenure as editor of the series, was published to give a send-off to the former status quo:

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

's '' Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?'' The story's first part saw publication in ''Superman'' #423, which would be the last issue before the title was relaunched with its legacy numbering as ''The Adventures of Superman''. ''Superman'' was relaunched with a new #1 issue in a second volume in 1986, and was published concurrently with ''The Adventures of Superman''.

1986 revamp

''The Adventures of Superman'' was numbered from issue #424 (January 1987) to issue #649 (April 2006), for a total of 228 monthly issues including issue #0 (October 1994) published between issues #516 and #517 as a tie-in to the '' Zero Hour'' limited series and issue #1,000,000 (November 1998) as a tie-in to the ''

DC One Million ''DC One Million'' is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled, weekly miniseries and through special issues of almost all of the "DCU" titles published by DC Comics in November 1998. It featured a vision of the DC Univer ...

'' limited series and nine Annuals published between 1987 and 1997. When the series was relaunched in late 1986 under its new title, the creative team initially was writer

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

and artist

Jerry Ordway Jeremiah Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books. He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' ...

. John Byrne replaced Wolfman with issue #436 (January 1988) and Ordway became both writer and artist with issue #445 (October 1988). Writer/artist

Dan Jurgens Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...

worked on the title from 1989–1991.

Hank Henshaw Henry "Hank" Henshaw is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and normally goes by the name Cyborg Superman. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, he has in recent years also been an enemy ...

, a character who would later become the Cyborg Superman, first appeared in issue #466 (May 1990). By the late 1980s, the plots of the Superman books were often linked. To coordinate the storyline and sequence of event, from January 1991 to January 2002, "triangle numbers" (or "shield numbers") appeared on the cover of each Superman comic book. During these years, the Superman storylines ran with the story continuing through the titles ''Superman'', ''Action Comics'' and later in two further series, '' Superman: The Man of Steel'' and '' Superman: The Man of Tomorrow''. Jerry Ordway returned as writer of the title with issue #480 (July 1991).

Tom Grummett Thomas Grummett (born 1959) is a Canadian Cartoonist#Comic books, comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as ''Teen Titans, The New Titans'', ''Superman (comic book)#1986 revamp, The Adventures o ...

drew part of #480 and became the main artist on the series with the following issue. The series participated in the crossover storyline "Panic in the Sky" in 1992. During their run on ''The Adventures of Superman'', Grummett and Ordway (along with editor

Mike Carlin Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Early life Carlin attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, ...

and others) were the architects of "

The Death of Superman "The Death of Superman" is a crossover story event 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 Kese ...

" storyline, in which Superman died and was resurrected. It was during that storyline, that Grummett and writer

Karl Kesel Karl Kesel (born January 7, 1959, Victor, New York) is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow artis ...

, created the new

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

in ''The Adventures of Superman'' #500 (June 1993). Other crossovers the series participated in included '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time'', '' The Final Night'', and ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, a ...

''. As of the start of 2002, the integration between the Superman titles became less frequent, and the remaining issues of ''The Adventures of Superman'' commonly carried self-contained stories. Issue #600 (March 2002) was a double-sized special featuring Superman combating Lex Luthor. The final issue (#649) was part of a three-part crossover with ''Superman'' and ''Action Comics'', an homage to the Earth-2 Superman in the wake of events in the

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

''Infinite Crisis''. For its last two years, ''The Adventures of Superman'' was written by

Greg Rucka Gregory Rucka (born November 29, 1969) is an American writer known for the series of novels starring his character Atticus Kodiak, the creator-owned comic book series '' Whiteout'', ''Queen & Country'', '' Stumptown'' and '' Lazarus'', as well as ...

. His stories included the villain

Ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

, the attempted assassination of

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

and a number of Mister Mxyzptlk appearances.

''Adventures of Superman'' volume 2

''Adventures of Superman'' was relaunched on April 29, 2013. Unlike the previous volume, the new series is not set in the mainstream DC Universe continuity but instead features anthology style stories with rotating creative teams in the same format as the second '' Legends of the Dark Knight'' series. It is released as a digital-first comic with print publication to follow. The first story was to have been written by

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

and drawn by

Chris Sprouse Chris Sprouse (born July 30, 1966) is an Americans, American comics artist. Sprouse has worked for multiple publishers and has won two Eisner Awards for his work on ''Tom Strong'', a series he created with writer Alan Moore. Early life Chris Spro ...

and

Karl Story Karl Story (born 1967) is an American comic book artist specializing in inking. He is one of the original members of Atlanta's Gaijin Studios. Over a career of almost two decades, he has worked on books such as ''Nightwing'', ''Batman'', ''Star ...

. Card's participation in the project became an issue. DC Comics responded to a petition about to be dropped with a statement that it supported freedom of expression and that the personal views of individuals associated with the company were not the views of the company. Illustrator Chris Sprouse left the project due to the media attention and some comic book stores announced a boycott. Card's Superman story was dropped and was replaced by a story written by Jeff Parker. The relaunched ''Adventures of Superman'' series came to an end with issue #17, released in September 2014.

Return to the original title

'' volume 2 reached issue #226 (April 2006) and was then canceled as part of the linewide ''

'' event. ''The Adventures of Superman'' was returned to its original title, ''Superman'', with issue #650 (May 2006), as a part of the "

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...

" banner. ''Superman'' had a crossover with ''Action Comics'', titled " Up, Up and Away!" co-written by

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He serve ...

and

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the '' Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts'' and '' Superman.'' Early lif ...

with art by

Pete Woods Peter Woods is an American comic book artist, known for his work on titles such as '' Backlash'', ''Deadpool'', ''Robin'', ''Catwoman'', ''Amazons Attack'', and ''Action Comics''. Career Woods worked as an intern for Wildstorm comics in April 19 ...

. This storyline told of Clark Kent attempting to protect Metropolis without his powers until eventually regaining them. Busiek became the sole writer of the series with issue #654 (September 2006) and

Carlos Pacheco Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14 November 1961 – 9 November 2022) was a Spanish comics penciller. After breaking into the European market doing cover work for Planeta De Agostini, he gained recognition doing work for Marvel UK, the England-based bra ...

became the series' artist. The series participated in the weekly series ''

Countdown to Final Crisis ''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of the last issue of '' 52 ...

'', giving a different perspective on certain events shown in the weekly title, such as the events preceding the death of

New God The New Gods are a fictional extraterrestrial race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' ...

Lightray. Busiek and Pacheco developed an extended storyline featuring

Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

coming into conflict with Superman. The plotline concluded in ''Superman Annual'' #13.

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

painted the covers for issues #675 (June 2008) through #685 (April 2009). James Robinson replaced Busiek with issue #677 (August 2008). Robinson's run on the title began with "

The Coming of Atlas "The Coming of Atlas" is a comic book story arc, from DC Comics, by writer James Robinson and artists Renato Guedes and José Wilson Magalhães, featuring Superman. This is Robinson's first story arc on the ''Superman'' title, as ongoing writer a ...

" story arc and began a link between ''Superman'', ''Action Comics'', and ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

'' that started a long-form narrative with the ''

New Krypton "New Krypton" is a 2008–09 comic book story arc featuring character Superman, published by American company DC Comics; it was written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Sterling Gates, with art by Gary Frank, Alex Ross, Renato Guedes, Jamal ...

'' event. The majority of Robinson's run featured Mon-El and the

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

as the featured characters, while Superman himself had gone to live on the planet New Krypton. Robinson's last full issue was #699, tying into ''

Last Stand of New Krypton This is a list of comic books featuring Superman and related characters. Ongoing titles featuring Superman in a starring role ''Action Comics'' ''Action Comics'' began in 1938. ''Action Comics'' #1 featured the introduction of Superman. Thirteen ' ...

'', and he finished his run in a short story in issue #700 (August 2010) that returned Superman to Earth.Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 341: "The 700th issue of ''Superman'' was fifty-six pages long...comicdom's talented writers created very special Superman tales...James Robinson brought his epic run to an end...new ''Superman'' writer J. Michael Straczynski gave a preview of his much-anticipated run that would begin in the following issue". ''Superman'' #700 also saw writer

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ( ...

, a self-professed Superman fan who feels a personal connection to the character, take over writing duties with a short story in the issue, and his run on the title began with issue #701. Artist

Eddy Barrows Eduardo Barros (born August 18, 1967) is a Brazilian comic book artist, better known by his pen name of Eddy Barrows. He is best known for his work at DC Comics on such titles as ''Birds of Prey'', ''Countdown to Adventure'', ''Action Comics'', '' ...

, a previous ''Action Comics'' artist and one of the artists on the ''

War of the Supermen ''Superman: War of the Supermen'' is an American comic book limited series from DC Comics that serves as the culmination to the ''Superman'' line-wide event '' New Krypton''. The series began on Free Comic Book Day 2010, with a zero-issue released ...

'' event, was Straczynski's artistic collaborator. Straczynski and Barrows began a year-long story entitled " Grounded" that sees Superman begin a long walk across the United States to regain the connection with his adopted home that he feels he lost while away on New Krypton. The series ended with issue #714 (October 2011), prior to DC Comics'

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

company wide reboot and relaunch.

''Superman'' volume 3

DC Comics launched ''Superman'' volume 3 with issue #1 in September 2011 (

d November 2011), as part of

. The first three issues saw

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...

doing the scripting and breakdowns. Dan Jurgens began to co-write and draw ''Superman'' with

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography ...

. Their first issue was #7 (May 2012). As of September 2012's issue #0,

Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely ''Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans ...

and

Kenneth Rocafort Kenneth Rocafort (born 1983) is a Puerto Rican illustrator of comic books, known for his work on titles including ''Superman'', '' Red Hood and the Outlaws'', '' Astonishing Tales: Wolverine/Punisher'', '' ''Teen Titans', '' ''The Ultimates' ...

became the creative team.

John Romita Jr. John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr. Early ...

draw the ''Superman'' series in collaboration with writer Geoff Johns in 2014. Romita Jr.'s ''Superman'' pencils were inked by Klaus Janson. Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent was revealed to the world in a storyline by writer

Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...

in 2015. This series ended its run with the release of issue #52 (July 2016).

''Superman'' volume 4

As part of the

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...

relaunch, ''Superman'' Volume 4 began with issue #1 in June 2016 (cover dated August 2016), including a one-shot DC Rebirth special ''Superman: Rebirth'' #1.

Peter J. Tomasi Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book editor and writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. As an editor, he oversaw numerous comic books featuring the Justice League, including series starring various members of that team such as Batman, ...

and Patrick Gleason are the creative team, with the ''Superman'' series shipping twice-monthly. This volume's 34th issue was also the 800th issue of the ''Superman'' series as a whole, with a variant cover done by Tony S. Daniel to commemorate the occasion. The series ended its run with issue #45 (April 2018).

''Superman'' volume 5

A fifth series under the direction of Brian Michael Bendis was released in July 2018 and ended its run in June 2021 with issue #32.

''Superman: Son of Kal-El''

''Superman: Son of Kal-El'', written by

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literature and language a ...

and art by John Timms, replaced the ''Superman'' title in July 2021. The monthly series conclude in December 2022, with 18 issues and one annual. The series follows the adventures of Jon Kent, the son of Superman and Lois Lane, as he is entrusted with the protection of Earth. Jon came out as bisexual in the fifth issue of the series, starting a relationship with his male reporter friend Jay Nakamura.

''Superman'' volume 6

A new ongoing ''Superman'' comic book series will launch in February 2023 from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell.

''Annuals''

The ''Superman'' series had ''Annuals'' published since 1960. Eight issues of ''Superman Annual'' were published starting in winter 1960. An additional four issues were published from 1983 to 1986 and the numbering continued from the 1960 series. ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985) featured the story "

For the Man Who Has Everything "For the Man Who Has Everything" is a comic book story by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, first published in ''Superman Annual'' #11 (1985). It contains the first appearance of the Black Mercy, a magical, extraterrestrial, plant-like org ...

" by Alan Moore and

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

. When the original ''Superman'' series was retitled as ''The Adventures of Superman'', both it and ''Superman'' (vol. 2) received ''Annuals'' relaunched with #1 issues. ''The Adventures of Superman Annual'' ran for nine issues from 1987 to 1997. After ''The Adventures of Superman'' was restored to its original title as ''Superman'', its ''Annuals'' continued the (vol. 2) ''Annuals''.

Collected editions

''Superman''

* ''Superman Archives'' ** Vol. 1 collects ''Superman'' #1–4, 272 pages, 1989, ** Vol. 2 collects ''Superman'' #5–8, 272 pages, 1990, ** Vol. 3 collects ''Superman'' #9–12, 272 pages, 1991, ** Vol. 4 collects ''Superman'' #13–16, 224 pages, 1994, ** Vol. 5 collects ''Superman'' #17–20, 224 pages, March 2000, ** Vol. 6 collects ''Superman'' #21–24, 216 pages, July 2003, ** Vol. 7 collects ''Superman'' #25–29, 240 pages, April 2006, ** Vol. 8 collects ''Superman'' #30–35, 256 pages, October 2010, * ''Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus'' ** Vol. 1: includes ''Superman'' #1–7; 784 pages, June 2013, ** Vol. 2: includes ''Superman'' #8-15; 750 pages, July 2016, ** Vol. 3: includes ''Superman'' #16–24; 720 pages, December 2016, ** Vol. 4: includes ''Superman'' #25-33; 768 pages, May 2017, ** Vol. 5: includes ''Superman'' #34-42; 768 pages, January 2018, *''The Superman Chronicles'' ** Vol. 1: includes ''Superman'' #1; 208 pages, February 2006, ** Vol. 2: includes ''Superman'' #2–3; 192 pages, February 2007, ** Vol. 3: includes ''Superman'' #4–5; 192 pages, August 2007, ** Vol. 4: includes ''Superman'' #6–7; 192 pages, February 2008, ** Vol. 5: includes ''Superman'' #8–9; 192 pages, August 2008, ** Vol. 6: includes ''Superman'' #10–11; 192 pages, February 2009, ** Vol. 7: includes ''Superman'' #12–13; 168 pages, July 2009, ** Vol. 8: includes ''Superman'' #14–15; 168 pages, April 2010, ** Vol. 9: includes ''Superman'' #16–17; 192 pages, June 2011, ** Vol. 10: includes ''Superman'' #18–19; 168 pages, September 2012, * ''Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives'' ** Vol. 1 includes ''Superman'' #122–126, 224 pages, May 2005, ** Vol. 2 includes ''Superman'' #127–131, 240 pages, March 2006, ** Vol. 3 includes ''Superman'' #132–139, 408 pages, July 2013, * ''Showcase Presents: Superman'' ** Vol. 1 includes ''Superman'' #122–133, 560 pages, October 2005, ** Vol. 2 includes ''Superman'' #134–145, 560 pages, June 2006, ** Vol. 3 includes ''Superman'' #146–156; ''Superman Annual'' #3–4, 560 pages, April 2007, ** Vol. 4 includes ''Superman'' #157–166, 544 pages, September 2008, * ''Adventures of Superman: José Luis García-López'' collects ''Superman'' #294, 301–302, 307–309 and 347; ''DC Comics Presents'' #1–4, 17, 20, 24, and 31, and ''All-New Collectors' Edition'' #C-54, 360 pages, April 2013, . * ''Adventures of Superman:

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...

'' collects ''Superman'' #367, 372, 375; ''Superman Special'' #1–2; ''Action Comics'' #539–541, 544–546 and 551–554; and ''DC Comics Presents Annual'' #3, 392 pages, January 2013, . * ''Superman: Up, Up, and Away!'' includes ''Superman'' #650–653, 192 pages, September 2006, * ''Superman: Camelot Falls'' ** Vol. 1 collects ''Superman'' #654–658, 128 pages, July 2008, ** Vol. 2 collects ''Superman'' #662–664, 667 and ''Superman Annual'' #13, 128 pages, March 2009, * ''Superman: The Third Kryptonian'' collects ''Superman'' #668–670 and the backup story from ''Superman Annual'' #13, 128 pages, October 2008, * ''Superman: Redemption'' includes ''Superman'' #659 and 666, 112 pages, January 2008, * ''Superman: 3-2-1 Action'' includes ''Superman'' #665, 160 pages, April 2008, * ''Superman: Shadows Linger'' collects ''Superman'' #671–675, 144 pages, January 2009, * ''Superman: The Coming of Atlas'' collects ''Superman'' #677–680 and '' 1st Issue Special'' #1, 128 pages, April 2010, * ''Superman: New Krypton'' ** Vol. 1 includes ''Superman'' #681, 176 pages, May 2009, ** Vol. 2 includes ''Superman'' #682–683, 160 pages, September 2009, * ''Superman: Mon-El'' ** Vol. 1 collects ''Superman'' #684–690, 224 pages, February 2011, ** Vol. 2 collects ''Superman'' #692–697; ''Superman Annual'' #14; and ''Superman Secret Files and Origins 2009'', 224 pages, October 2011, * ''Superman: Codename: Patriot'' includes ''Superman'' #691, 144 pages, April 2011, * ''Superman: Nightwing and Flamebird'' Vol. 2 includes ''Superman'' #696, 208 pages, October 2011, * ''Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton'' ** Vol. 1 includes ''Superman'' #698, 168 pages, November 2011, ** Vol. 2 includes ''Superman'' #699, 128 pages, March 2012, * ''Superman: Grounded'' ** Vol. 1 collects ''Superman'' #700–706, 168 pages, May 2012, ** Vol. 2 collects ''Superman'' #707–711 and 713–714, 168 pages, December 2012,

''The Adventures of Superman''

* ''Superman: The Man of Steel'' ** Vol. 2 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #424–426, 224 pages, November 2003, ** Vol. 3 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #427–429, 208 pages, October 2004, ** Vol. 4 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #430–431, 192 pages, September 2005, ** Vol. 5 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #432–435, 208 pages, November 2006, ** Vol. 6 includes ''The Adventures of Superman Annual'' #1, 208 pages, March 2008, ** Vol. 7 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #436–438, 192 pages, February 2013, ** Vol. 8 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #439–440, 240 pages, January 2014, ** Vol. 9 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #441–444, 280 pages, November 2016, * ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #445, 462 and 466, 190 pages, July 1994, * ''Superman: Exile'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #451–456, 304 pages, June 1998, * ''Superman: Eradication! (The Origin of the Eradicator)'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #460, 464–465, 160 pages, November 1995, * ''Superman: Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #472–473, 176 pages, September 1996, * ''Superman: Time and Time Again'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #476–478, 206 pages, October 1994, * ''Superman: Panic in the Sky'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #488–489, 188 pages, March 1993, * ''The Death of Superman'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #496–497, 172 pages, January 1993, * ''World Without a Superman'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #498–500, 240 pages, April 1993, * ''The Return of Superman'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #500–505, 480 pages, September 1993, * ''The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #496–505, 784 pages, September 2007, * ''Superman: The Death of Clark Kent'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #523–525, 320 pages, May 1997, * ''Superman: The Trial of Superman'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #529–531, 272 pages, November 1997, * ''Superman: The Wedding and Beyond'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #541, 192 pages, January 1998, * ''Superman: Transformed!'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #542 and 545, 197 pages, April 1998, * ''Superman vs. the Revenge Squad'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #539, 542–543, 144 pages, February 1999, * ''Superman: No Limits!'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #574, 212 pages, November 2000, * ''Superman: Endgame'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #576, 180 pages, January 2001, * ''Superman: 'Til Death Do Us Part'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #577–578, 228 pages, December 2001, * ''Superman: Critical Condition'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #579–580, 196 pages, February 2003, * ''Superman: Emperor Joker'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #582–583, 256 pages, January 2007, * ''Superman: President Lex'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #581, 244 pages, June 2003, * ''Superman: Our Worlds at War'' ** Vol. 1 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #593–594, 264 pages, September 2002, ** Vol. 2 includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #595, 264 pages, September 2002, * ''Superman: Our Worlds at War Complete Edition'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #593–595, 512 pages, June 2006, * ''Superman: Return to Krypton'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #589, 606, 212 pages, February 2004, * ''Superman: Ending Battle'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #608–609, 192 pages, May 2009, * ''Superman: Godfall'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #625–626, 112 pages, September 2004, * ''Superman: Unconventional Warfare'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #627–632 and backup stories from #625–626, 160 pages, February 2005, * ''Superman: That Healing Touch'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #633–638, 168 pages, August 2005, * ''Day of Vengeance'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #639, 224 pages, December 2005, * ''Superman: Ruin Revealed'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #640–641, 644–647, 139 pages, * ''Superman: Sacrifice'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #642–643, 192 pages, January 2006, * ''Superman: Infinite Crisis'' includes ''The Adventures of Superman'' #648–649, 128 pages, July 2006,

''The New 52''

* ''Superman'' ** Vol. 1: ''What Price Tomorrow?'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #1–6, 144 pages, November 2012, ** Vol. 2: ''Secrets and Lies'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #7–12 and ''Superman Annual'' (vol. 3) #1, 176 pages, July 2013, ** Vol. 3: ''Fury at World's End'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #0, 13–17, 192 pages, January 2014, ** Vol. 4: ''Psi-War'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #18-24, and ''Superman Annual'' (vol. 3) #2, 224 pages, August 2014, ** Vol. 5: ''Under Fire'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #25-31, 176 pages, February 2015, ** Vol. 6: ''The Men of Tomorrow'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #32-39, 256 pages, August 2015, ** Vol. 1: ''Before Truth'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #40-44, 224 pages, April 2016, ** Vol. 2: ''Return to Glory'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #45-52, 320 pages, October 2016, *Relaunched ''Adventures of Superman'' series (2013-2014) ** Vol. 1: collects ''Adventures of Superman'' (vol. 2) #1-5, 168 pages, April 2014, ** Vol. 2: collects ''Adventures of Superman'' (vol. 2) #6-10, 168 pages, October 2014, ** Vol. 3: collects ''Adventures of Superman'' (vol. 2) #11-17, 160 pages, March 2015,

''DC Rebirth''

* Vol. 1: ''Son of Superman'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #1-6 and ''Superman: Rebirth'' #1, 176 pages, January 2017, * Vol. 2: ''Trials of the Super Son'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #7-13, 168 pages, April 2017, * Vol. 3: ''Multiplicity'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #14-17 and ''Superman Annual'' #1, 144 pages, August 2017, * Vol. 4: ''Black Dawn'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #20-26, 176 pages, November 2017, * Vol. 5: ''Hopes and Fears'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #27-32, 144 pages, April 2018, * Vol. 6: ''Imperius Lex'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #33-36 and #39-41, 168 pages, August 2018, * Vol. 7: ''Bizarroverse'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #42-45 and material from ''Superman Special'' #1, 156 pages, November 2018, ''Superman'' (vol. 4) has also been released in four deluxe hardcovers: * ''Superman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #1-13 and ''Superman: Rebirth'' #1, 336 pages, September 2017, * ''Superman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 2'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #14-26 and ''Superman Annual'' #1, 360 pages, May 2018, * ''Superman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 3'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #27-36, 240 pages, December 2018, * ''Superman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 4'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 4) #37-45, ''Superman Special'' #1 and a story from ''Action Comics'' #1000, 280 pages, May 2019,

''DC Universe''

* Vol. 1: ''The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 5) #1-6, 168 pages, February 2019, * Vol. 2: ''The Unity Saga: The House of El'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 5) #7-15 * Vol. 3: ''The Truth Revealed'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 5) #16-19, ''Superman: Heroes'' #1, ''Superman: Villains'' #1 * Vol. 4: ''Mythological'' collects ''Superman'' (vol. 5) #20-28 * Vol. 5: ''The One Who Fell'' collects ''Action Comics'' (vol. 1) #1029, ''Superman'' (vol. 5) #29-32

References

External links

''Superman'' sales figures
for 1960–1987 at The Comics Chronicles. {{DC Rebirth, state=collapsed DC Comics titles 1939 comics debuts 1986 comics endings 1987 comics debuts 2006 comics endings 2006 comics debuts 2011 comics endings 2011 comics debuts 2016 comics endings 2016 comics debuts 2018 comics endings 2018 comics debuts Comics by Dan Jurgens Comics by George Pérez Comics by J. Michael Straczynski Comics by Len Wein Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Paul Kupperberg Comics by Peter J. Tomasi Golden Age comics titles Superman titles