Split Titles Era (2001-2003)

December 2001's issues (carrying a February 2002 cover-date) of DC's super-hero comics featured covers that incorporated the series' titles into the artwork, a gimmick designed to increase attention and thus sales. For the Superman family of titles, the opportunity was taken to split the four series (Superman, Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, and Superman: The Man of Steel) apart, ending the longstanding practice of having the Superman titles continue into one another. The "S"-shield on the cover -- which featured the year and a number as if the given issue were combined with the other Superman titles into a single series -- thus came to an end as well.
The Batman family of titles (as well as Marvel's X-Men and Spider-Man) had never been so linked, outside of specific storylines. The great advantage of linking the titles had always been continuity: as awkward as it was to keep the various titles indexed, one knew precisely which story came before which. The great disadvantage of linking the titles had always been that the different creative teams created inconsistencies in both writing and art, with each title often having subplots that only ran in that title -- and thus that were only featured in every fourth "chapter" or so of the onrunning story. In addition, these "chapters" might not reference the chapter previous, even when subsequent "chapters" had similar themes. Any tade paperback collection revealed these problems easily enough. The fact that Superman comics were still distributed on newstands, despite the rise of the direct market, meant that a newstand either had to order all four titles or none at all. The simple solutions of having a single weekly title, or running any given storyline through the various linked titles -- or publishing each title weekly for bursts only when a story or storyline was complete -- all smacked in the face of traditional comics publishing. And so, for better or worse, the Superman titles were split for the first time in over a decade.
The split titles featured a number of interesting stories, though none were as consistently successful as those in Superman by writer Jeph Loeb and penciller Ed McGuinness. In the seventh month of split titles, that team departed Superman. While the other titles' teams continued, the best writer brought in with Superman's 1999 new direction was gone. Loeb had participated in numerous changes to the Superman mythos, from the reconstruction of Metropolis by B13 technology to Our Worlds at War, as well as Lex Luthor becoming President of the United States, President Luthor learning Superman's identity, and Superman entering psychotherapy. Also the writer of the influential Superman for All Seasons, Loeb's presence would be felt for quite some time on Superman's world.
The same month as Jeph Loeb's final issue (cover-dated August 2002) came the one-hundredth and final issue of Superboy. While the series had not been particularly memorable for some time, its demise helped accentuate the feeling that an era -- or at least a sub-era, was ending.
The following month (cover-dated September 2002) saw the Superman titles united for the "Return to Krypton II" storyline. This time, Jeph Loeb -- who had participated in the original "Return to Krypton" storyline -- was absent.
For several months thereafter, the titles were split again, each carrying seperate stories. Among the notable developments in this time was Chuck Austen's work as a fill-in writer: he would go on to script more Superman work in subsequent eras. Also of note, at the end of these split months following "Return to Krypton II," was the mini-series entitled Superman: Day of Doom. Looking back on Superman's death, it featured the return of longtime Superman-writer Dan Jurgens to the character.
The Superman titles united again for the "Lost Hearts" storyline, running through December 2002's issues (cover-dated February 2003).
The following month (January 2003) would see a restructuring of the Superman titles. That month saw, as well as the well-promoted Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure and a new creative team for Superman, the final issue of Superman: The Man of Steel. The youngest regular Superman title was put to pasture with #134, continuing into the one-shot Superman Vs. Darkseid: Apokolips Now!, offered the same month. While the new direction begun with Superman: The 10-Cent Adventure is covered in the following era, the demise of Superman: The Man of Steel in the same month is logically included here.
A few months later, in March 2003, the Supergirl title also came to an end with #80 (cover-dated May 2003). That title's final six-issue storyline, entitled "Many Happy Returns," had begun in #75 and was split in terms of publication between 2002 and 2003. Featuring the paradoxical return of the Silver Age Supergirl, who interacted humorously with the present Supergirl and the world around her, the storyline not only gained considerable attention but was also of high quality. While it was too late to save the title, the storyline was shortly collected in a trade paperback. Though split between this era and the next, it is logically included here.
This era, then, running -- just over a year -- from the Superman titles' split in December 2001 (cover-dated February 2002) to January 2003's demise of Superman: The Man of Steel, was uniquely one of endings. While the Batman family of titles was expanding, the Superman family of titles was shrinking. While new mini-series would take the place of Superman: The Man of Steel, one of the four ongoing Superman titles was still gone. The offshoot titles of Superboy and, not long thereafter, Supergirl would not be replaced, however. Creatively, this era of endings was marked most dramatically by the departure of Jeph Loeb midway through 2002. The next era, by contrast, would be one of new -- if not entirely satisfying -- starts.

IMAGE	TITLE	DESCRIPTION	STATUS
1. Full Coverage
Action Comics #786-791, Adventures of Superman #599-604, Superman (second series) #177-182, Superman: The Man of Steel #121-126: no cover art data entered
Superman (second series) #177, Adventures of Superman #599, Superman: The Man of Steel #121, and Action Comics #786: participates in "Full Coverage" (in which DC incorporated the titles themselves into the artwork of every cover featuring a February 2002 cover-date); feature self-contained, standalone stories; features no Superman "S"-shield with the year and number in it on the cover, a practice that went back eleven years and was here ended
Superman (second series) #177-178, 181-183: Jeph Loeb script
Superman (second series) #177-178, 181-183: Cam Smith inks
without indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #177	while trying to answer his Christmas e-mail, Superman is confronted with a battle between Metallo and the new Toyman, who claims that Metallo's parts belong to him; Ed McGuinness and Kevin Maguire pencils	0
Adventures of Superman #599-605: Joe Casey script
without indicia Larger Version Available	Adventures of Superman #599	after saving a Russian submarine from the bottom of the ocean, Superman visits the captain at his farm in Russia, where the two share a touching conversation before the captain passes away; Derec Aucoin art	0
without indicia Larger Version Available	Superman: The Man of Steel #121	Superman battles the Royal Flush Gang; Geoff Johns script; Todd Nauck pencils; Lary Stucker inks	0
Action Comics #786-790, 792: Joe Kelly script
without indicia Larger Version Available	Action Comics #786	Superman is kidnapped by an alien (maquarading as a suicide jumper) to help save her world from the tyrant Kanjar Ro, who has inslaved her people; although the planet orbits a red sun, Superman does his bit to help them save themselves; Pascual Ferry pencils; Scott Hanna inks	0
2. Newly Split Titles
Adventures of Superman #600-602; Supergirl (third series) #71: José Marzan, Jr. inks
	Adventures of Superman #600	with Lex Luthor missing, a man (with a bad wig) calling himself Alex Luthor plans to bring down the world's economy; Superman discovers him and realises it's Lex with a nanobot inside his head, causing the problem; features The Complete Story of Superman pin-up; Mike Wieringo pencils; with this issue, the new cover trade dress design commences; cover-dated March 2002	0
Superman (second series) #178, 181-183: Ed McGuinness pencils
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #178	Superman helps Jonathan and Martha Kent open their new General Store in Smallville; suspicious of Superman's motivations, Lex receives an envelope of Top Secret 30-year-old photos showing the Kryptonian rocketship landing on the Kent farm -- and Lex deduces that Clark Kent is Superman; cover-dated March 2002	0
Superman: The Man of Steel #122-128, 132, 134: Mark Schultz script
	Superman: The Man of Steel #122	when Earthquake attacks the Steelworks in search of the Entropy Aegis, Steel dons the armor, but the suit begins to control him; Professor Hamilton, in service to the Cybermoths, kidnaps Natasha; Lois's mother spies her daughter with Superman, and confronts her about having an "affair"; Darryl Banks pencils; Kevin Conrad inks; cover-dated March 2002	0
Batman: Gotham Knights #27 (cover-dated March 2002), featuring (in its main story) Superman visiting Batman (then a fugitive from justice as Bruce Wayne), occurs here
Superman (second series) #179-180: Jeph Loeb and Geoff Johns script
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #179	stopping a criminal in Harlem, Superman is confronted by a black superhero called Muhammad X, who isn't happy about Superman showing his face in Harlem; Superman is troubled by Muhammad X's words and his attitude and opinions; Ariel Olivetti art; cover-dated April 2002	0
Action Comics #787-788: "Jikei Ketsuki: Mercy, Love, and Blood" storyline; Pascual Ferry pencils; Scott Hanna inks
	Action Comics #787	in Japan, with Jimmy to report on increased meta-human criminal activity, Clark goes into action as Superman, meets two so-called heroes by the names of Byakko and Gunshin, and is confronted by an old foe called Tokai, who now calls himself Sakki; cover-dated March 2002	0
	Action Comics #788	as he lies dying, Superman remembers when Tokai (Sakki) went bad; Byakko and Gunshin save him, reluctantly; Superman tries to talk them out of their methods and somewhat succeeds, but while his marraige to Lois is saved, Byakko and Gunshin's is not so lucky, as Gunshin fights and is killed by Sakki; cover-dated April 2002	0
Adventures of Superman #601-602: "Cult of Persuasion" storyline; Pete Woods pencils
	Adventures of Superman #601	Superman saves a space shuttle from disaster, while Cole Parker is given super-powers by a mysterious visitor inside Strykers Island Prison, allowing him to escape; as Persuasion, Cole Parker recruits men to his cause and attacks the Daily Planet; Lois tells Clark she needs more time away from him; cover-dated April 2002	0
	Adventures of Superman #602	Cole Parker (a.k.a. Persuasion) attacks the Daily Planet building with his new army; when Superman fights back, he underestimates Parker's new power level and the battle continues until Parker is sucked into a portal to another dimension he himself opened up, perhaps a portal that leads to Krypton; cover-dated May 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #180	Lois, Clark, and Jimmy, on assignment in Eastern Europe, stay at the castle of Count Rominoff to get his opinion of General Zod, but the Count is a vampire who tries to lure Superman into being his next victim; Ian Churchill pencils; Norm Rapmund inks; cover-dated May 2002	0
Superman: The Man of Steel #123-125: "Gangs of Metropolis" storyline
	Superman: The Man of Steel #123	the Steelworks, Cybermoths, and LexCorp all try to get control of the evolving B13 technology, and all seem to think the key to doing so is Steel's Aegis armor; the Cybermoths, under the control of the Overmind, have the upper hand when Earthquake seems to destroy Superman; Yvel Guichet pencils; Dexter Vines inks; cover-dated April 2002	0
	Superman: The Man of Steel #124	Steel uses Shrewface and Mr. Bloat to get him into the B13 nerve central, while Talia Head enlists Metallo to stop them; Superman goes head to head with the Overmind, who is revealed to be in service to Brainiac 13 himself; Josh Hood pencils; Marlo Alquiza, Andy Lanning, & Walden Wong inks; cover-dated May 2002	0
	Superman: The Man of Steel #125	the battle rages on in the nerve centre of the B13 technology until the Overmind is double-crossed by Earthquake, leading to his defeat; Overmind is revealed to be Professor Hamilton, who blames his cybernetic arm for brainwashing him, so Superman removes it; Yvel Guichet pencils; Dexter Vines and Sean Parsons inks; cover-dated June 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #181	Superman and Bizarro have the minds mysteriously switched into each other's bodies; with help from the Martian Manhunter, Superman discovers some of the history behind Bizarro's origins, before a freak lightning strike returns them back to themselves; cover-dated June 2002	0
Action Comics #789-790: "Man & Beast" storyline
	Action Comics #789	Kancer locates Superman in his Clark Kent disguise and is set upon by Krypto; vanishing back to Pokolistan, Superman and Krypto chase Kancer, worried that he'll reveal Superman's secret identity to General Zod, but find there a demonic Guy Gardner; Duncan Rouleau pencils; Marlo Alquiza inks; cover-dated May 2002	0
	Action Comics #790	Guy Gardner, demon ruler of the Gorge, tempts Superman to take his place in order to save himself; seeing a chance to redeem himself with his "father," Cancer takes the throne himself, freeing Guy and thwarting Zod of a chance to learn Superman's secret; Duncan Rouleau and Keron Grant pencils; Marlo Alquiza inks; cover-dated June 2002	0
Adventures of Superman #603-605: "Mirror, Mirror" storyline, featuring the characters from Earth-1 (introduced in JLA: Earth 2)
Adventures of Superman #603, 605: Carlos Meglia art
	Adventures of Superman #603	a Mrs. Fuller gives birth to a baby boy who flies straight up out of the hospital and begins causing massive energy surges; after a few failed attempts, Superman grabs the baby at super-speed and flies him into his Fortress of Solitude, but he is soon interrupted by the arrival of Ultraman; cover-dated June 2002	0
	Adventures of Superman #604	Superman and a Fortress robot try and stop Ultraman, who continues to try to kill the super-baby; Superwoman and Owlman also appear; confusion reigns, until the baby speaks, revealing that Brainiac has found a new host!; Carlos Meglia, Sanford Greene, & Paco Herrera pencils; Carlos Meglia, Walden Wong, & Carlos Cuevas inks; cover-dated July 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Adventures of Superman #605	Brainiac takes over the Fortress of Solitude, expanding it to huge proportions and threatening the whole world; Owlman uses Brainiac's biological and emotional weaknesses from his genetic ties to Ultraman, and bluffs Brainiac into escaping into the Phantom Zone, where Superwoman suffocates him; Carlos Pacheco and Jesús Meriño cover; cover-dated August 2002	0
	Action Comics #791	Clark receives an invitation to M.C. at his old High School's homecoming dance in Smallville, bringing back painful memories of his own homecoming dance where he befriended a large girl named Marge, only to lose her tragically in an accident; Benjamin Raab script; Derec Aucoin art; cover-dated July 2002	0
Superman (second series) #182-183: "The Secret" storyline
	Superman (second series) #182	Lois digs up evidence on Luthor's foreknowledge of the Imperiex War, leading to her confrontation with Luthor himself, who calls in the favor she owes him (going back to Superman #151, Loeb's first issue on the title); Lois unfaithfully gets around this by passing the by-line to Clark; cover-dated July 2002	0
Superman (second series) #183: Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith cover
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #183	Lex Luthor denies the Daily Planet's exposé on him, leading the JLA to visit the White House lawn with press present to have Martian Manhunter telepathically scan Luthor to determine if he is telling the truth, which he (surprisingly) is; Perry White fires Clark Kent from the Daily Planet for the story, but will continue to secretly employ Clark; cover-dated August 2002	1
Superman: The Man of Steel #126-127: "Pantheon" storyline
	Superman: The Man of Steel #126	a group representing the gods approaches Superman to join their ranks in an effort to make them popular again; he refuses, but Lois, miles away being interviewed, is granted goddess status as the Goddess of Integrity; Yvel Guichet and Kevin Sharpe pencils; Dexter Vines and Walden Wong inks; cover-dated July 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman: The Man of Steel #127	while Superman battles the gods who have given his wife super-powers, goddess-powered Lois confronts Wonder Woman, who prevents Lois from raising her dad from the dead, before returning to normal; Yvel Guichet pencils; Walden Wong inks; Michael Golden cover; cover-dated August 2002	0
Action Comics #792: Pascual Ferry pencils
	Action Comics #792	when the man at the Train Station, who sells Clark Kent his newspaper every day, suddenly goes missing, Clark begins to worry; he and Lois do some investigating and discover that Valentin got into some trouble trying to make some money for his pregnant daughter; Mark Morales inks; Pascual Ferry and Cam Smith cover; cover-dated August 2002	0
3. Return to Krypton II
Action Comics #793; Adventures of Superman #606, 610; Superman (second series) #184; Superman: The Man of Steel #128; Superman Vs. Darkseid: Apokolips Now! #1: Kilian Plunkett cover
Superman (second series) #184, Adventures of Superman #606, Superman: The Man of Steel #128, Action Comics #793: "Return to Krypton II" storyline
Adventures of Superman #606, Superman (second series) #184: Geoff Johns script; Pascual Ferry and Cam Smith art
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman (second series) #184	Jor-El takes Superman back to Krypton; cover-dated September 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Adventures of Superman #606	Jor-El and Superman battle the Rao zealots; cover-dated September 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman: The Man of Steel #128	Karl Kerschl art; cover-dated September 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Action Comics #793	Pascual Ferry and Mark Morales art; cover-dated September 2002	0
	Superman: Return to Krypton	collects Superman (second series) #166-167, Adventures of Superman #589, Superman: The Man of Steel #111, Action Comics #776, Superman (second series) #184, Adventures of Superman #606, Superman: The Man of Steel #128, and Action Comics #793 (in that order); softcover [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	1
4. More Split Months
Action Comics #794-796, Adventures of Superman #607-609, Superman (second series) #185-187, Superman: The Man of Steel #130-131: no data entered
	Superman (second series) #185		0
	Superman (second series) #186		0
	Superman (second series) #187		0
Superman (second series) #188, Superman: The Man of Steel #129: Chuck Austen script
Superman (second series) #188: Tom Raney & Scott Hanna cover
	Superman (second series) #188	focuses on Lois Lane; Pascal Alixe & Ray Snyder art	0
5. Day of Doom
Superman: Day of Doom #1-4: Dan Jurgens script; Dan Jurgens and Bill Sienkiewicz art and cover; published weekly
Superman: Day of Doom #1-3: cover-dated January 2003
	Superman: Day of Doom #1	Ty Duffy, working for The Daily Planet, investigates Superman's death for its anniversary, interviewing Booster Bold and Blue Beetle	0
	Superman: Day of Doom #2	Ty Duffy talks with Jimmy Olsen, a paralyzed victim of Doomsday, and the Prankster (who relates the amusing story of how second-string Superman villains claimed responsibility for Doomsday following his and Superman's death)	0
	Superman: Day of Doom #3	Superman investigates the bombings along Doomsday's route to Metropolis (begun in #1); Superman visits Steel at the Steelworks; Ty Duffy talks with Perry White and verbally fights with Superman	0
	Superman: Day of Doom #4	Clark talks with Lois about his feelings over the anonymous victims of Doomsday; Remnant, responsible for the bombings, captures Ty Duffy; Superman battles Remnant and wonders if his influence leads to more Doomsdays or less attacks like that on Coast City; cover-dated February 2003	0
	Superman: Day of Doom	collects Superman: Day of Doom #1-4 with covers; softcover; published in 2003 [REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]	1
6. Lost Hearts
Superman #189, Adventures of Superman #611, Superman: The Man of Steel #133, Action Comics #798: "Lost Hearts" storyline; John Van Fleet cover; cover-dated February 2003
Superman #189, Action Comics #798: Pascual Ferry art
Superman #189, Superman: The Man of Steel #133: Geoff Johns script
	Superman (second series) #189		0
Action Comics #797-798; Adventures of Superman #611: Joe Kelly script
	Adventures of Superman #611	Dwayne Turner and Danny Miki art	0
	Action Comics #798		0
	Superman: The Man of Steel #133	no art data entered	0
7. Superman Vs. Darkseid
	Superman: The Man of Steel #134	final issue; Jon Bogdanove cover; 32 pages; cover-dated March 2003	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Superman Vs. Darkseid: Apokolips Now! #1	Superman, Supergirl, Kara, Superboy, Krypto, and the Eradicator go to Apokolips to fight Darkseid in order to free Steel from the Entropy Aegis; no writing data entered; art by Mike McKone, Marlo Alquiza, Larry Stucker, and Cam Smith; cover-dated March 2003	0
ACTION COMICS
	Action Comics #794		0
	Action Comics #795		0
	Action Comics #796		0
Action Comics #797: Renato Arlem and Marlo Alquiza art; Pascual Ferry cover
	Action Comics #797	Superman returns to therapy to deal with his execution of General Zod amidst General Zod's return	0
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
	Adventures of Superman #607		0
	Adventures of Superman #608		0
	Adventures of Superman #609		0
Adventures of Superman #610: Joe Casey script
Adventures of Superman #610: Derec Aucoin art
	Adventures of Superman #610	Superman helps a child in Guatemala	0
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
	Superman: The Man of Steel #129	tells the rather interesting story of a black cop who becomes the friend, with homosexual overtones, of Superman until he dies in the line of duty; Pascal Alixe art; Dave Johnson cover	1
	Superman: The Man of Steel #130		0
	Superman: The Man of Steel #131		0
Superman: The Man of Steel #132: John Lucas and Walden Wong; cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesús Meriño
	Superman: The Man of Steel #132	as Metropolis celebrates Superman, Mr. Mxyzptlk arrives	0
SUPERBOY
Superboy (third series) #95-100: no data entered
	Superboy (third series) #95		0
	Superboy (third series) #96		0
	Superboy (third series) #97		0
	Superboy (third series) #98		0
	Superboy (third series) #99		0
	Superboy (third series) #100	final issue; contains a main story (with a Superman appearance, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan DiDio, with art by John McCrea and James Hodgkins), and an 8-page story (by the original creators on the title, featuring Karl Kesel writing, Tom Grummett pencils, and Karl Kesel inks); about 38 pages; Bill Sienkiewicz cover; cover-dated August 2002	0
SUPERGIRL
Supergirl (third series) #65-70: no data entered
	Supergirl (third series) #65		0
	Supergirl (third series) #66		0
	Supergirl (third series) #67		0
	Supergirl (third series) #68		0
	Supergirl (third series) #69		0
	Supergirl (third series) #70		0
Supergirl (third series) #71-72, 76-80: Peter David script
Supergirl (third series) #71: Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs cover
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Supergirl (third series) #71	In Mexico, Supergirl, Mary Marvel, and Buzz battle the sorceress Tara (an ally of the Demon Mother) -- then Supergirl is hurled back in time to the Aztecs; Jamal Igle pencils; cover-dated August 2002	0
without titles or indicia Larger Version Available	Supergirl (third series) #72	Supergirl, Mary Marvel, and Buzz battle the Aztec serpent god Quetzlcoatl; Leonard Kirk & Robin Riggs art & cover; cover-dated September 2002	0
Supergirl (third series) #73-75: no data entered
	Supergirl (third series) #73		0
	Supergirl (third series) #74		0
Supergirl (third series) #75-80: "Many Happy Returns" storyline
	Supergirl (third series) #75		0
Supergirl (third series) #76-80: Ed Benes & Alex Lei art
Supergirl (third series) #76-77: Bob Haynes cover
	Supergirl (third series) #76		0
	Supergirl (third series) #77		0
	Supergirl (third series) #78	Ed Benes cover; cover-dated March 2003	0
	Supergirl (third series) #79	our continuity's Supergirl lives eight years in DC's Silver Age, marrying Superman and having a child; Ed Benes and Alex Lei cover that mimics that of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7; published on Wednesday, 26 February 2003	1
	Supergirl (third series) #80	final issue; Supergirl returns to the mainstream DC universe, losing her life and her daughter, and retires; John Romita & Jose Marzan cover; cover-dated May 2003; published on Wednesday, 19 March 2003	1
	Supergirl: Many Happy Returns	collects Supergirl (third series) #75-80; softcover	0

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