Rating:  -
Well, about 10 years after this storyline's debut, I finally get around to taking a serious look at it. When DC announced Superman's impending "death" in the early `90s, I went through some serious denial. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I was insulted. For one, this was the Man of Steel... sure, kryptonite could harm him, and some characters could give him a serious challenge, but no one could truly kill Superman. But even if I had to accept this "inevitable" death, what made it even worse was that it came at the hands of a brand-new villain, that came from out of nowhere, with no backstory. I was furious with DC for not putting forth the effort of developing a logical story by which one of Superman's long-time foes, such as Lex Luthor or Mr. Mxyzptlk would send him to the great beyond. Sure, it could be argued that, if those heroes hadn't killed Superman by that point, they would never be the ones to do it, but honestly: work with what you have! In any case, DC achieved what they set out to do. The story drew national media attention, sales went through the roof, and the subsequent storylines had major impacts on the Superman mythos - so much so that I felt I could no longer avoid this book.
After reading the affordable DEATH OF SUPERMAN trade, I can say that I'm not very impressed with it. The story, from Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, and others, is a simple affair: an unknown threat emerges from an unknown location with an unknown agenda, smacks the Justice League around, and fights Superman to both of their deaths. It certainly is not very involved, to the point that when Supes finally kicks the bucket, I simply shrugged. The art isn't that great either - while the pencillers, such as Jon Bogdanove, Jackson Guice, and Dan Jurgens are okay, their work is pretty flat as a whole, and the layouts slide from multi-panel pages to repeated splash pages, which results in very little story for such a big event. In fact, my biggest complaint is that, for such a supposedly major event, DC didn't go out of their way to get some major artists and writers on board. I mean, this is the DEATH of FREAKIN' SUPERMAN (!!!!!!), yet we're stuck with the regular series creators putting out an apparent rush-job. Though I have to admit, if I were a creator who could pick and choose assignments, there's no way I'd have let myself get wrapped up in this hypefest. This was not some storyline that delivered drama or emotion... it was done purely to boost sales, and the simple, boring product shows it.
The only good that came out of this storyline was the excellent follow-up trade collection THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN, which provides more story and higher-quality art for your dollar.
Rating:  -
Superman has become one of the most beloved comic book characters of all time. In his words, he has come to stand for "truth, justice, and the American way." When faced with an obstacle, he would always overcome. That is, until he came face-to-face with his deadliest adversary: Doomsday.
"The Death of Superman" is an exciting, action-packed and emotionally-exhilirating graphic novel that depicts the Man of Steel in the most destructive fight of his life. No adversary before or since has been able to go toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel for so long and so hard. Hell-bent on death, Doomsday will stop at nothing until everone and everything in it's path is destroyed.
In the seven comics collected from the various "Superman" and "Justice League" comic books, we see the greatest of the superheroes meet his untimely demise in a duel to the death that takes everything he has, and sacrifice himself to save the people of Metropolis.
If you're a fan of Superman, or of comic books and graphic novels in general, "The Death of Superman" is one of the finest ever created. Fans will not be disappointed.
Grade: A+
Rating: -
Doomsday is coming!
This is the first comic book I ever read, shortly after it was released on TPB. Of all the things I read as a kid, this one always stuck with me the hardest.
Is it the greatest Superman story ever written? Maybe not. But it's a legendary story for good reason.
Rating: -
To me this is greatest story ever told in comic books for the ones that I have read (which isn't too many though).
When this happened Doomsday was a new character I believe who had never been seen in comic books before.
Dan Jurgens and others got together and created a villain the likes of which the comic book world hadn't seen since the FFs arch foe Dr. Doom. In fact this is probably why they called him 'Doomsday' because they realized they had created a monster who was on the same level as Victor Von Doom.
A follow on set of books called 'Superman / Doomsday Hunter Prey' revealed the unimaginable origin of Doomsday.
This is pure genius as far as comic books go.
I would like to make a movie about this story and I'll play Doomsday.
Jeff Marzano
Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey
Spider-Man - The '67 Collection (6 Volume Animated Set)
Jonny Quest - The Complete First Season
Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series
Rating: -
To begin, it should be noted that 'The Death of Superman' is not a complete story. It is the first part of a story that ended many volumes and several years later in another Superman story called 'Hunter/Prey'. Technically this volume should be read first, followed by 'World Without a Superman', then 'The Return of Superman' and finally as I stated earlier, 'Hunter/Prey'.
Also of interest if you liked these stories would be the earlier Superman issues which establish the origins of Hank Henshaw, aka Cyborg Superman, who appears in 'World Without a Superman' and 'Hunter/Prey'.
Basically if you read this book alone, it will be nothing more than a very long fist fight between Doomsday and Superman with a bunch of questions left unaswered, which seems to be a complaint of many reviewers here; the story doesn't move very far and doesn't really have that much story present.
It's a valid complaint since this is all you're getting if you buy this book here, but it should be known that if you're willing to invest the money in all the books, you'll be treated to one of the most epic and interesting Superman stories ever told. For instance the villian Doomsday, who seems like little more than an evil Hulk rip-off in this story, gets established with a unique and sorrowful origin by the end of the series (I won't give away any details other than to say that he is sort of like an abused child to the hundreth power) which might actually make you feel sorry for him. And the Cyborg Superman is one of the vilest and most dangerous villians Superman has ever faced.
I do recommend this book. Just remember; if it seems incomplete when you finish it, it's because it is!
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