100 Things Superman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

by Joseph McCabe

Whether you’re a die-hard comic book fan from the Golden Age or a new follower of Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder, these are the 100 things all fans need to know and do in their lifetime. Joseph McCabe of Nerdist.com has collected every essential piece of Superman knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom!

Genres: Comics, Superheroes

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What makes him Superman is not that he can leap tall buildings or see through walls . . . [it's] that he doesn't use these abilities to make himself king of the world. He's got all of this stuff, but he uses it for good. That's the definitive superhero." -- DC Comics artist John Byrne, on page 240

One of those list-styled countdown (or actually a 'count-up,' in this instance) books that have become an increasingly popular genre in the last twenty or so years, the title . . . pretty much says it all about the content, folks. There are 100 brief chapters on the world famous 'Man of Steel' (who is arguably the first comic strip superhero to achieve worldwide popularity), his various supporting friends and foes in the never-ending storyline, the many film incarnations and interpretations, the various animated and/or live-action TV shows, some of those men and women 'behind the scenes' (writers, artists, directors, etc.), along with the random trivia and oddities. It will probably be best appreciated by the casual fan, or those with more of a casual interest in all things Superman. Not necessarily a definitive guide on the last son of Krypton, but then it wasn't intended to be one.

[Ralph Silver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough and accurate compendium of Superman knowledge. There are 100 small chapters, each one dealing with a specific aspect of Superman lore.

For example, we have chapters on Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Kryptonite, The Fortress of Solitude, every Superman TV show, every Superman movie, Perry White, Bizarro, Brainiac, Wayne Boring (Superman artist), Curt Swan (Superman artist). the Phantom Zone, Supergirl, the Parasite, noteworthy Superman novels and graphic novels, and many, many more. And this is just a random sample.

There are fun facts, little nuggets to find. For example, in section #4 "Superman's Powers", McCabe lists each of his powers and where each power first made its debut. Invulnerability, Super Strength, and Super Speed were all there from the beginning, Action comics #1 in June 1938. But X-ray vision made its debut later, Action Comics #18 in November 1939. His Heat Vision was originally interpreted as his X-ray vision turned up high. But Heat Vision became interpreted as a separate ability starting in Action comics #275 in April 1961. Also, in regards to flying, Superman could only "leap one eighth of a mile" at the beginning, in Action #1. But true flying was introduced in the Superman Cartoons from Fleischer Studios in the early 1940s. If you are a Superman fan, this is cool stuff.

There are lots of relevant details on each topic. For example, in the chapter on Mister Mxyzptlk, we learn about appearances in the comic books, but also in the live-action Superboy TV show, in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (TV show), in Smallville (TV show), and a very entertaining appearance in Superman: The Animated Series in the episode titled "Mxyzpixilated". If McCabe ever releases an updated edition, I am sure he will mention that Mxy has now made an appearance on the excellent Supergirl TV show.

I agree with the choices McCabe has made. He hits all the high notes. As a die-hard Superman fan, many of the chapters serve as reminders of books I read a long time ago, or books sitting on the shelves in my library at home, calling out to me to read them now.

If you are a die-hard Superman fan (like I am), this is a fun book. And if you are not yet a Superman fan, but want to be, this may be a great place to start.

[Jeff Wetherington]

I was both happy that I knew everything in this book and unhappy that I knew everything in this book. I'm always looking for new, undiscovered nuggets about Superman and his history, having been a huge fan of the character for the past 53 years. But it was still fun to have the chance to look back at some things that time may have dimmed in my memory.

This is a good book, despite some typos and incorrect dates, both of which I'm sure will be corrected in subsequent publishings. The most heinous mistake(s) can be found when each reference to author Elliot S! Maggin fails to include the exclamation point after the middle initial; a tradition that Mr. Maggin has attached to his name for decades.

If you want to get a broad, overview of the Man of Steel then this book will fill the bill nicely.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine historical survey. What I can’t decide is whether McCabe culled his choices from research or a combination of that and things he himself enjoys about Superman. His greatest failure is lack of objectivity and obvious biases that keep cropping up. And there’s some stuff that maybe should’ve been referenced that isn’t. So this is a starting point but by no means definitive. My greatest disappointment is that McCabe doesn’t take a single opportunity to go beyond what any reasonably informed fan would’ve already known, which tells you how deep the results really are. But the interviews are good, especially when they don’t quite go in the direction he intended.

[Pei-jean Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a whole heap of fun. While I know much about the the background story of Superman and the supporting cast, this still had plenty of information that even I didn’t know about. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with various artists and writers as well as interviews with the various people who have been a part of bringing Superman and his supporting cast to the big screen. The Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman fan in me is happily satisfied because it is dotted with many references to the show and the interviews with both Dean Cain who played Clark Kent/Superman and John Shea who played Lex Luthor.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superman forever!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read if you're into pop culture and its history. I bought this book for my friend Mark and once I started thumbling through this book, I decided to put this on my 15 Books to Read for this year.

I especially enjoyed reading about the interviews from actors like Noel Neill, Margot Kidder and Marc McClure. McCabe even interviewed the various comic-book people contributing to the Man of Steel's nostalgia including Neil Adams and Mark Waid.

Even though I'm not a Superman fan, it makes me want to watch all the films and various TV programs such as "Smallville" and "Supergirl". A trip to downstate Metropolis, IL might also be in the works sometimes. My personal favorite superheroes are Iron Man, Batman and the Flash (the Barry Allen series--NOT Wally West!)

Rating of the Joseph McCabe book: *****

[Mhorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

An ok book with some interesting and some less than interesting information about the man of steel. Worth reading once.