Essential Stories To Read To Get Ready For ‘Superman’

DC Studios’ Superman is now less than a month away from hitting theaters. We’re excited to see the beginning of this new universe, especially since the film looks to be the most faithful adaptation of the Man of Steel to date.

To get ready, the Comicon team has our recommendations for stories to read before the movie hits theaters.

All-Star Superman

Writer-director James Gunn has specifically cited the Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely classic as one of the direct inspirations for the film. Frankly, we get it. It’s a twelve issue distillation of all the best things about Superman, showing readers why Superman is the inspiring hero that we look up to. But beyond that, the story also gives us spotlights on Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Parasite, Krypton and more. It’s a love letter to Superman, the concept and the character, and one of the best single stories you could read featuring the character.

Kingdom Come

Many fans would point you to Action Comics #775 (AKA What’s So Funny about Truth, Justice and the American Way? or Superman Vs The Elite) to talk about Superman’s relevance today, but my pick would be Kingdom Come, the Mark Waid written, Alex Ross painted dystopian thriller about Superman fading into the background when edgier, more modern heroes dominate the spotlight with their violent methods. It’s a beautifully illustrated story, but Waid also shows why Superman is still an icon we need to look to for hope. 

(And really those first two choices are why Waid and Morrison’s aborted Superman 2000 pitch is one of the great missed opportunities in comics history.)

Superman & The Legion of Super-Heroes

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s run on Action Comics is still held in high regard for many fans but the pinnacle of their run is Superman & The Legion of Super-Heroes. Seemingly a nostalgia fueled science fiction story, the story is actually an examination of why Superman stands for all people, no matter their race, origin, religion or other background. It takes the scifi lens of the Legion’s thirtieth century and turns it back on the present day. It’s only become more relevant in the days since it was published as well.

Okay, but it actually is a kick-ass science fiction superhero action story.

Death & Return of Superman

The 1992 epic story is still held up thirty three years later as a Superman gold standard because it’s that good. A year long weekly epic written by Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern and Karl Kesel, with art by a massive stable of fantastic pencillers, inkers and colorist (yes, singular), this is beginning to end one of the greatest Superman stories ever told. On top of that, by taking Superman out of the equation for nearly 9 months, you can get a better understanding of why he has one of the best supporting casts in comics, as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, the Kents, Luthor and more take the spotlight.

Superman: Red & Blue

Do you want to see the greatest writers and artists in comics tell short, impactful stories about the Man of Steel? This relatively recent miniseries took six issues to give creatives a chance to do exactly that. There isn’t a single stinker in the bunch with incredible art, gorgeous covers and some of the most impactful Superman writing in ages.

JLA #6-7

Early in Morrison’s run on JLA with artist Howard Porter, they told a story of a group of fallen angels invading Earth, intending to destroy the planet so the Presence (essentially the Judeo-Christian God) could start over. The League stood in opposition. This story stands out for one moment, in which Superman- in his short-lived electric form- stood up to the leader of the fallen angels and said no more… And then after two issues of humanity and humility from Clark Kent he wrestles an angel.

And wins.

Justice League America #1-5

Superman isn’t the only hero starring in Superman. The series features four others, and the most prominent in the trailers is Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Gardner is the most divisive and abrasive of the Green Lanterns. To understand Guy, one of the best places to look is Justice League America (later Justice League International) from JM DeMatteis, Keith Giffen and Kevin Maguire. From page one, Gardner styles himself as the leader of this new League. Unfortunately he’s far from the leader, and that leads to a confrontation between Guy and Batman that’s become a legend…

The Terrifics

Michael Holt was a utility player for much of his existence, until the wake of the Metal event. Metal found Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl drawn together as a de facto found family and science heroes. The Terrifics from Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis and more gave a group of random heroes a purpose beyond just being supporting characters, and is one of the strongest spotlights for Metamorpho and Terrific in recent years.

Hawkgirl: Once Upon A Galaxy

Hawkgirl is one of the most difficult characters to understand out there. She’s had multiple incarnations (literally) who all couldn’t be more different from one another. In 2023 Jadzia Axelrod and Amancay Nahuelpan gave Kendra Saunders the best spotlight she’s had in years. The story finds Kendra drawn into an intergalactic conflict with an alien princess known as Galaxy, and doing what she does best- kicking ass!