|
Reign of the Supermen (1993) |
 After three months, the four Superman titles returned, now starring four
different contenders to the name of Superman: a cyborg Superman, an African-American who had
built his own armor (not unlike Marvel's
Iron Man), a new Superboy, and a Kryptonian who
was actually the formerly-seen Eradicator. Fans debated who they thought was the real
Superman. The four contenders had various adventures in their respective books, perhaps none
more memorable than the cyborg Superman saving President Bill Clinton and receiving his
official endorsement.
The storyline culminated with the arrival of Mongul, the space tyrant,
known to Superman readers. His arrival was an apocalypse: his ship destroyed Coast City,
the home of
Green Lantern, along with its millions of
inhabitants. To make matters worse, Mongul was joined by the cyborg Superman. All the while,
another Superman had made his appearance, one wearing an all-black suit.
The black-costumed Superman, it turned out, was the real one, resurrected
by Kryptonian machinery in the Fortress of Solitude: the explanation was rather convoluted.
He had long hair upon his reappearance, and would retain this feature after the storyline's
conclusion. Along with the three remaining replacements and Green Lantern, Superman fought and
defeated both Mongul and the cyborg. Superman returned to his old costume, to Lois, and to
Metropolis, keeping his long hair.
The storyline would have major implications beyond Superman's long-haired
return. The new Superboy, a clone from Cadmus, and the iron-clad metalworker, renamed Steel,
would remain a permanent part of Superman mythos. The cyborg, revealed to have been a minor
character from an old issue, would remain a major foe of Superman, for the time being eclipsing
Lex Luthor. Perhaps most seriously, the destruction of Coast City would lead Green Lantern to
madness and to villainy, first in
his own "Emerald Twilight" storyline
and then in the DC Universe-wide crossover
Zero Hour.
The storyline would also have major implications for the American comics
industry. Superman's death had garnered major attention in the mainstream press, with
Superman #75 garnering tremendously inflated prices on the very day of its release.
Comic book stores ordered Superman's return in excess, anticipating a windfall of sales and
expecting to sell extra copies at similarly inflated prices. Unfortunately, every other comic
book store, so it seemed, did the same. Superman's return, especially Adventures of
Superman #500 and the first four titles of "Reign of the Superman," were ordered in
outrageous numbers, becoming virtually worthless overnight. It was the singlemost important
incident in the crash of the speculator market and the resulting decrease in comic book sales,
which would continue for years.
|
| IMAGE | TITLE | DESCRIPTION | STATUS |
| Action Comics #687-692: no data entered |
| Action Comics #687 | cover-dated June 1993 | 0 |
| Action Comics #687 | cut-out cover | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #22-27: no data entered |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #22 | cover-dated June 1993 | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #22 | cut-out cover | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #78-83: no data entered |
| Superman (second series) #78 | cover-dated June 1993 | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #78 | cut-out cover | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #501-505: no data entered |
| Adventures of Superman #501 | cover-dated June 1993 | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #501 | cut-out cover | 0 |
| Action Comics Annual #5, Adventures of Superman Annual #5, Superman Annual (second series) #5, Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #2: participates in the (generally rather bad) Bloodlines crossover running through DC's 1993 annuals (all of those annuals introduced new characters); no creator data entered; cover-dated 1993 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #2 | stars Steel; introduces Edge | 0 |
| Action Comics #688 | | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #23 | | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #79 | | 0 |
| Superman Annual (second series) #5 | stars the Cyborg Superman; introduces Myriad | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #502 | | 0 |
| Action Comics #689 | | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #24 | | 0 |
| Action Comics Annual #5 | stars the Last Son of Krypton / the Eradicator; introduces Loose Cannon | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #80 | | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #503 | | 0 |
| Action Comics #690 | | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #25 | | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #81 | | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #504 | | 0 |
| Action Comics #691 | | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman Annual #5 | stars Superboy; introduces Sparx | 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #26 | | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #82 | | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #82 | "chromium" cover | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #505 | Superman returns to Metropolis | 0 |
| Adventures of Superman #505 | holographic cover | 0 |
| Action Comics #692 | | 0 |
Larger Version Available
| The Return of Superman | collects the storyline
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]
| 0 |
| Superman: The Man of Steel #27 | cover-dated November 1993 | 0 |
| Superman (second series) #83 | cover-dated November 1993 | 0 |
