The Death of Superman

The Death of Superman (The Death and Return of Superman #1)

by
3.83 of 5 stars 3.83  ·  rating details  ·  6,101 ratings  ·  115 reviews
The story that drew national media attention when DC Comics killed their greatest hero is collected here. When a hulking monster emerges from an underground resting place and begins a mindless rampage, the Justice League is quickly called in to stop the colossal force of nature. But it soon becomes apparent that only Superman can stand against the monstrosity that has been...more
Paperback, 168 pages
Published April 14th 1993 by DC Comics (first published January 1993)
more details... edit details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
All-Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant MorrisonSuperman by Mark MillarAll-Star Superman, Vol. 2 by Grant MorrisonSuperman by Alan MooreSuperman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb
Best of Superman
7th out of 71 books — 76 voters
The Origin of Species by Charles DarwinHoly Bible by AnonymousThe Koran by AnonymousThe Communist Manifesto by Karl MarxThe Republic by Plato
The Most Influential Books in History
491st out of 661 books — 1,831 voters


More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
Greta is Erikasbuddy
Cult Classic Graphic Novel READ!



But am I impressed?



Not really because I know Superman is not really dead.



I think I was in 10th grade when Superman died. Then I think it was the very next year that they brought him back.....



I've never been INTO Superman until recently when I started watching Smallville. I've always liked the idea of Superman but never have been too thrilled with him.



The Death of Superman was just that. It was ok but I wasn't thrilled.



I was shocked to see that Lex Luthor had been...more
StoryTellerShannon
Superman may have met his match as some indestructible being (simply named “Doomsday”) filled with hate marches to Metropolis and obviously creates a path of destruction in its wake. Other JLA superheroes try to stop it but even as a group they are no match. Then Superman joins one JLA group and after they are defeated he's the only one left standing.

See Lois Lane with red hair. Watch Superman give his all against an impossible foe. See other JLA member get “pwned” even if they're third tiered s...more
Michael
Things to know before reading this book:
1. Supergirl in this one is not kara Zor el. its actually matrix, a shapeshifter from a pocket universe(yes you read that right) who was created by the lex Luthor of that universe to defend their world but ultimately got destroyed. DC comics at the time wanted superman to be the last son of krypton, which ment no kara Zor el, no krypto, no zod and the phantom zone criminals.
2. Lex Luthor in this book is actually lex Luthor junior, a clone of lex Luthor w...more
Andy
Jun 10, 2008 Andy rated it 1 of 5 stars
Shelves: comics
It's no wonder that this is the best selling comic book of all time. "The Death of Superman" combines everything I love about WWF pro wrestling with the tight plotting of a Michael Bay film. Forget all the psychological nuance of Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" comics, Superman is GOOD and that's all you need to know. And who is Doomsday? Where does he come from? Why does he want to kill Superman? Does it really matter? You might as well ask why Hulk Hogan needs to body slam his opponents or why Go...more
Helmut Barro
Also bitte...

Wie kann man dieses Comic als das beste Superman-Band beschreiben? Es ist letztlich nichts anderes als eine recht lahme Aneinanderreihung von Schlägen. Ein einziges Splash-Panel, sozusagen. Die Zeichnungen geben kaum etwas von der in den Dialogen stehenden Dynamik und Schnelligkeit, in der der Kampf geführt wird, wieder. Der Mann, der Planeten bewegt und Atombombenexplosionen überlebt wird verwundet, weil die Knochen von Doomsday so scharf sind? Wie bitte?

Laaaaaaangweilig. Und eines...more
Justin Liang
The Death of Superman by Dan Jurgens is a graphic novel about how the life of Metropolis changed forever. Somewhere in Earth, an evil lurks at an abandoned corridor which is located underground. It punches and punches its way out. Doomsday is here. Doomsday is the most vicious and evil creature that lurks on Earth. He kills and destroys anything he wants in sight. Is it enough for Superman to handle? All of Superman’s comrades and fallen to the sight of Doomsday. They were no match for Doomsday...more
Kirk
Most comic book fans know the story. DC was scheduled to do a Superman wedding run, but Louis & Clark was already going in that direction on television, so they figured killing Superman would be the next best way to boost sales.

So they set out to kill Superman (boost sales). But hey, DC had a bunch of titles that were selling like shit cakes dredged from a city gutter, so they decided to have the story arc cut across every shitty title they had in a desperate attempt to boost sales.

And it w...more
Nicolo Yu
At one time, this was the biggest event in comics. DC Comics killed the world’s first and greatest superhero in a crossover event that drove a record number of units out of newsstands and comic shops and probably made the biggest bubble among those who speculated in comics at that time... That bubble busted eventually, driving the entire comic industry to its knees.

Superman returned in another crossover event, but it proved that DC Comics was willing to gamble on such a risky gambit. At that tim...more
The_Mad_Swede
So, I finally got around to reading this "milestone" and "seminal" event in Superman's publishing history (after having had it and its two companion volumes World Without a Superman and The Return of Superman sitting on my shelf for ages); and my reaction to it? Ah well...

The story, while not without its interesting parts, fails on several levels in my opinion. First and foremost because it runs on for too long without really adding anything of real value to the story. I get it: Doomsday is one...more
Scott
The story here is simple: This crazy strong evil monster who's REALLY REALLY ANGRY arises from somewhere and beats up the Justice League, beats up America, and then beats up Superman until they both die. The end.

That's it. I'm totally serious. I mean come on! This was the Man of Steel. The Man of Tomorrow! Krypton's ichiban ass-kicking muchacho!! And the best death story they can give him is "a big monster punched him really hard"?!?

And Lex Luthor's like: "Punching him! Of course! Why didn't I t...more
Andrew
A bit more DC exploring for me. I read parts of this before through various friends having some of these issues. And of course the event was big enough that most everyone who had an ear for comics heard about the necessary events in this. Heck, this even got covered on the news.

It is funny just how big this event was even though in the long run it didn't seem to effect the title character, just introduce some new characters. I am not the biggest Supes fan. Though I am beginning to realize there...more
J.C.
The Death of an American Icon

In 1992 DC Comics killed off the superhero who brought comic books to their glory days. In a similar fashion, the death of Superman brought thousands upon thousands of new readers to the genre since Superman had become an American cultural icon. While short lived, this collection of comics represents a turning point in the comic industry, where no superhero was safe any longer. Shortly thereafter, DC Comics pulled a similar "stunt" with their other flagship hero, Bat...more
William Redd
This was such a defining moment in comics, the Death of Superman. The character that could supposedly live forever due to his alien metabolism was going to die. It was a huge deal. We all wondered how it could happen, and in the end we still wondered. Yeah, Doomsday was big and bad, but big enough and bad enough to end Superman? Even reading the final issue, something didn't quite fit. Also, having no idea what Doomsday was or why he was here added to the confusion. Of course, this stands as a d...more
Edward Lui
This comic is great for reading whenever you want to relax in a calm environment. As you can guess from the title, this is the death of Superman.
The arrival of Doomsday in Metropolis disrupts everyone. He breaks away, free from where he was being contained. As he gets closer and closer to Metropolis, he destroys everything in his way. This means people, cars, trucks, buildings, and even heroes from the Justice League. While this is happening, Superman is busy in an interview at a local highscho...more
Kurt
I read this when I was 12 or 13, around the time it was printed, and I remember being reasonably entertained. I didn't know who any of the minor DC characters were, but I remembered lots of action, and of course, it delivers on its promise to kill Superman in a dramatic way. Last night, I took this collection off the shelf to read it again, and.. it certainly does what it promises on the box. Superman dies at the end, in a series of effective splash pages that highlight the emotion of the events...more
Charles
Well, I decided to right a childhood wrong. Growing up in a house where comic books, (and violent ones at that) weren't really permitted, I decided to give this a go. Ok, so I'm 32 and it took a while to get to it, but I did enjoy it. Sadly not being full immersed in comic book culture, some of the characters referenced in this (i.e. JLA members who I have no idea who they are or their back story)were lost on this. Also, Lex is good now?! And in love with Supergirl!? Thankfully Wikipedia sort of...more
Mont'ster
"Stunt" is right - this graphic novel compilation of the much hailed "Death of Superman" is actually the seventh time that Superman has been "killed". Just one more reason that I have always preferred Batman.
Vanessa
The dialogue is trite and the art* is...let's just say of a bygone era. And no top drawer superhero in the comics world ever dies for long (cheer up, Human Torch fans) so it probably wasn't suspenseful even in 1993 when this first came out. It did make me a little sad, killing of an icon and all that so I'm going to cave and give it 3 stars which is probably one too many.

Apparently the publisher's claim that this is the "Best Selling Graphic Novel of All Time!" is also questionable.

*One except...more
Darren Vincent
Still holds up after all of these years.

The artwork isn't as impressive as I remembered it being the first time I read it, but the story is still good. I can still remember the first time I read that Superman was dead thinking 'that is just not right'. And that was knowing before reading it that he had already come back. There is just something about The Man of Steel losing a battle. And since then, many major comic characters have died and come back, but for some reason this is the only one th...more
Jeremy
This book showed superman up against an evil like no other, a huge cyclops that normal people could not destroy. But superman was the one to stop it. He did, but at the end he lost his life too. Superman is badass, he never gives up and keeps fighting to the very end. He did whatever he had to do to Defeat the Cyclops. From seeing superman do this, i gained the mind set of never giving up, whether it is on the field playing a sport, or in the class room, working on a problem, i won't give up on...more
Rick Sand
The Death of Superman is a fairly flat experience. A majority of the story is comprised of action sequences. By the final chapter, the story is down to one panel per page. The chapter of this story featuring the Justice League is probably the strongest, as it does get into the team dynamic and relationships such as Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.

Doomsday is a mindless villain, an expression of supercharged rage, a killing machine who busts free from his prison and immediately crushes a bird to de...more
Federiken Masters
Mar 05, 2010 Federiken Masters rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Niños de los 90s
Recommended to Federiken by: ¡Todo!
Uno de los tantos títulos que recuerdo con muchísimo cariño y fascinación pero que no sé qué tan bien habrá soportado el paso del tiempo. Sí sé que el impacto emocional que tuve al leer esta historieta de pibe fue fuertísimo. No había leído demasiadas historias de Superman hasta entonces pero sí las suficientes como para tenerlo como un héroe, un ícono, un semi-dios digno de admiración y todas esas sensaciones absolutas que tiene uno de pibe. Creo que siempre me había gustado Superman, pero fue...more
Michael
The issues collected in this book were published at the height of my foray into comic book collecting. However, I haven't read this ultra-popular (Best Selling Graphic Novel of All Time, and all) story until now, 15 years later. Back then I was too busy reading everything Image Comics popped out, and trying to keep with the Silver Surger and Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

Honestly, I wasn't missing much. As far as this being the story that tells the world of the death of the Superman, it's tripe. O...more
Travis
The build up is a bit uneven and I was annoyed that they created a brand new bad guy for this story, rather than use a known member of Superman's rogues gallery, but the final fight between him and Doomsday has an epic feel. It's all sheer brutal fight scene that trashes three quarters of Metropolis and is stretched over several issues.

Yes, it's a stunt and yes, we all knew he was coming back, but man, when the death scene happens it felt like I'd been punched in the gut.
After all, this is Supe...more
Shark
Jan 08, 2008 Shark rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone seeking exposure to the comic book medium.
This was the story that got me hooked on comic books. As a naive 11-year-old, I didn't realize that there were plans to bring Superman back to life shortly after his death, so the impact this story had on me was rather large. I remember getting a little choked up at the end as an American icon passed on. It's still an intense read for me, and it's a heck of a lot easier to accept (even knowing that he won't STAY dead) knowing that this death was at the end of an era when superheroes stayed dead...more
Mario
Honestly, the factors that took away from this book were its title and lack of suspense! I liked the artwork, but the last issue was its strongest. The artworks has inconsistencies also took away from the book. I thought the dialogue was too clunky and trite. Honestly, it was shock value, but it was in the 90s, and DC needed readers; also, the Return of Superman and Doomsday was a good set-up. This may had been the best selling graphic novel of all time, but it was not the greatest tale ever tol...more
Jamie Sigal
The only comic that ever made me cry, the story is told superbly, the art is incredible, and the emotion is palpable. The final fight with Doomsday is amazingly captured, and I truly enjoyed the expanding panels throughout the series until that final issue where every page was a splash-page (which means a full-sized drawing for those who don't know). The story was just that big and the expanding of the art helped to reflect that. If you've ever been a Superman fan then this is a must-read.
Magic Mike
This is what killed comic books. Sure it's the best selling comic book of all time, but it was so bad and so many people read it that it killed the reputation of comic books for years! So DC introduced a new character (with no character) called Doomsday to hit things and make noises. Then he eventually hits Superman and Superman hits him back. They both die. Except Superman can't die. So there's the next two volumes which are equally bad in their own ways.
Zachary B.
Nov 04, 2011 Zachary B. marked it as to-read
I have read This comic and this is what i think:

What i like:
I like/enjoy how the cyborg superman claims to be superman and reigns terror on the citizens, I like how doomsday and superman fall at the same time. and i LOVE the ending but i will not spoil it.

What i don't like:
I do not like how the graphics in some pages are not good, the quality is good, i was expecting superman to live because HE IS SUPERMAN! they still need money!

What i think needs improvement:
What i think what needs improvement...more
Eric
I don't know, for the best-selling graphic novel of all-time, there wasn't much here besides the fact that superman died (note: he did come back). There wasn't much of a narrative, just watching this creature (whom we knew nothing about) destroy the city until it and Superman fought till the death. I've never been much of a fan of the Superman comics anyways, but I did expect more for, perhaps, the most shocking incident in comic book history.
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 99 100 next »
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
The Death Of Superman (Caped Crusader Classics)
Superman: The Death of Superman (Paperback)
Superman: The Death of Superman (Paperback)
Death of Superman (New Edition)
La Muerte de Superman (Paperback)

2688
Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman (vol. 2), particularly during The Death of Superman storyline. Other series he has been associated with include The Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Thor (vol. 2), Captain America (vol. 3), Justice Lea...more
More about Dan Jurgens...
The Return of Superman World Without a Superman Green Arrow, Vol. 1: The Midas Touch Justice League International, Vol. 1: The Signal Masters Superman/Doomsday: The Aftermath

Share This Book

Your website