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January 26, 2015

Metropolis Mailbag: Favorite issues?

comics-and-big-titties-deactiva asked:

Favorite Superman single issues?

When I finish this dang blog, I’ll do a post with my top 10 favorite issues from this whole era. So far, some contenders are:

  • Superman #1: Superman gets his ass kicked by Metallo, as lavishly depicted by John Byrne and Karl Kesel. I should go back and add pictures to that post some day because I’m pretty sure every page from that issue has an awesome moment. Superman #3 (the start of the “Superman in Apolokips” saga) is amazing too.

  • Adventures of Superman #440: Superman gets ready for his hot date with Wonder Woman, and… that's about it. Significant because it's the issue where Jerry Ordway (as Byrne's co-writer) pre-configures the entire narrative style that all future Superman writers of this era will follow. I'm kind of torn between this one and Adventures #445, Ordway's "real" first issue as solo writer, featuring the most disturbing interpretation of Brainiac ever: a hobo serial killer.

  • Superman #18: The pseudo-epilogue to World of Krypton, reuniting the same team of Byrne and Mike Mignola. Actually, pretty much every issue drawn by Mignola could go in this list.

  • Superman #30: Superman grows a sweet beard and becomes a farmer in space. A quiet moment during the Exile in Space, in contrast with my other favorite from this storyline: the epic climax in Action Comics Annual #2, with space gladiator Superman.

  • Action Comics #644: The epic climax of the Matrix saga. Or maybe Action #649, the epic climax of the Brainiac saga. Or maybe Action #652, the epic climax of the Eradicator saga. George Perez is amazing at drawing epic climaxes, is my point.

  • Action Comics #660: The amazingly-written death of Lex Luthor, which is sandwiched between the engagement issue (Superman #50) and the "Superman tells Lois" issue (Action #662), both strong contenders. I'm leaning towards Luthor's death right now (I did write 1,500 words about that one) but that could change.

tl;dr dunno, ask me later

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