Since his first comic appearance, Superman was one of the most iconic heroes in fiction. Known for his robust nature, immense levels of power and genre-defining origins, the Man of Steel has been written into some of the best stories in comics history. While many of his best stories come from his first half-century in the 1900s, there is no shortage of instant classic Superman comics from the modern and post-Rebirth eras.
Superman’s recent history has been contentious, and always controversial, but many stories, events, and series have become almost universally loved. Although not every one can be among the greatest Superman comics of all time, they still stand out as some of the best-written stories in print. For those looking to see the best of Kal-El in the modern world, we’ve assembled a list of The best modern Superman Comics fans should be reading right now.
10
The Death of Superman: The Awakening
Louise Simonson, Cat Staggs, Joel Ojeda, Jose Marzan Jr, Laura Braga, Jesus Merino, Andy Owens and Jon Bogdanove
“The Death of Superman” followed the arrival of the Kryptonian monster Doomsday to Earth, where he fought the Man of Steel to the death on the streets of Metropolis. In recent years, DC has returned to the fan-favorite event several times, including Louise Simonson’s “The Awakening,” a digital-first story that focuses on the heroes’ reaction to the death of their friend.
“The Awakening” highlights the feelings of Superman’s closest loved ones and the emotional void that his death left on the DC universe. The story also sheds light on the original event from new perspectives, focusing on the likes of Jimmy Olsen and Perry White. Bringing readers a more complete look at one of DC’s biggest events and its aftermath, Louise Simonson’s return to the story made for a great story.
9
House of Brainiac
Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Laura Braga, Edwin Galmon and Fico Ossio.
As the first major Superman event at the dawn of the DC era, “House of Brainiac” pits Kal-El against an onslaught of threats, from Brainiac to an army of Tsarnians. With Luthor making his move against the Man of Steel at the same time, the hero is forced into an uneasy partnership with Lobo, one that naturally culminates in a showdown.
“House of Brainiac” is the climax of Williamson’s tenure on the main Superman book, and succeeded in combining two of the hero’s greatest rivals in a blockbuster story. The event highlights the more cosmic side of the Man of Steel, while also delving into Brainiac’s own learning to great effect.
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8
Superman ’78
Robert Venditti and Wilfredo Torres
In keeping with DC’s return to movie continuities, Batman and Superman received miniseries based on their 1989 Tim Burton and 1978 Richard Donner movies, respectively. The latter was told by Superman ’78, which continues the life of Christopher Reeve’s Man of Steel, this time against Metallo and Brainiac.
In one of the rare cases of a competing Superman comic surpassing the quality of a Caped Crusader series, Robert Venditti delivered a brilliant sequel to the original movie. Along with the follow-up miniseries, The metal curtainThis title is pure fan service for people who love Reeve and Donner’s vision for Superman.
7
Superman smashes the clan
Gene Luen Yang and Gorihiro
Superman Smashes The Clan focuses on an Asian-American family, the Les, who decide to move out of Chinatown and into Metropolis. However, like many minorities in the 1940s, they attracted the unwanted attention of racists – namely the Ku Klux Klan. The man of steel, proving himself the true champion of the oppressed, steps in to protect the family, and takes on the KKK as he stands up for the true American way.
Superman smashes the clan honoring the hero’s golden age roots, while showing what he means to ordinary people, and that no problem is too small for him. For a hero who typically spars with cosmic tyrants and alien monsters, seeing him face prejudice on the ground level made the hero more relevant and relatable – and it led to a modern classic.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Rafa Sandoval and Max Raynor
Philip Kennedy Johnson’s tenure on Action comics was full of brilliant story lines, including his handling of Metallo. The series follows the desperate villain as, after being upgraded by Lex Luthor, he has to grapple with his own sanity as his new body grows beyond his control. With the Super-Family stepping in to take on an army of Metallo drones, Superman steps up to try and talk the villain out before it’s too late.
“Metallo” returned some much-needed depth to one of Superman’s most tragic and formidable foes, while also exploring the dangers of uncontrolled technology. The story, despite being a classic man of style sci-fi story, takes on elements of horror as the city is overrun by zombie-like “necrodrones.”
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5
Superman: Dawn of DC
Joshua Williamson, Jamal Campbell, Gleb Melnikov, Dan Jurgens and Bruno Redondo
In 2023, the main Superman Series was relaunched under writer Joshua Williamson, exploring the dawn of the DC era for Clark Kent and his family. Beginning with Luthor erasing the world’s memory of the Kryptonian’s true identity, the series casts the hero and villain as reluctant partners, even exploring a time in the villain’s life when he was a hero.
Williamson’s Superman run has been praised as much for his handling and investigation of Lex Luthor as Clark Kent, although the latter carries the series. With one fan-favorite story following the Man of Steel on a journey back to the Old West, the series was a resounding success in its goal to bring readers a fresh start for DC’s Dawn.
4
Superman up in the sky
Tom King, Sandra Hope and Andy Kubert
Tom King’s work on DC is defined by his focus on character deconstruction and examination of war and PTSD, earning him a reputation for fairly dark stories. However, its work on Superman: Up in the Sky Made for a surprisingly good pairing of character and creator. The digital-first miniseries follows the Man of Steel in a series of adventures that bring out the best in the character, from a Sgt Rock team-up to an alien boxing match.
Superman: Up in the Sky isn’t just a solid Superman series, it’s actually a brilliant entry point for the character, with each issue highlighting a different side of the superhero. The miniseries, which serves as a tour of DC history and a character showcase all in one, is one of King’s best works, bringing out his strength in short stories.
3
Superman Lost
Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz
Christopher Priest earned a reputation as one of comics’ first deconstruction-themed writers, turning in complex character studies for characters like Deathstroke and Black Adam. In Superman Lost, the writer delivered a story that sees the Man of Steel return home from an adventure that, after going wrong, resulted in him being lost for twenty years – although, on Earth, it was much shorter.
Superman Lost explores the darker side of being a cosmic superhero, following the hero as he navigates the far reaches of space on his quest home. The limited series serves as a character study, plot-based adventure and examination of psychology all in one, standing as one of the best-written stories of the 2020s – and one of Priest’s best comics.
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2
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest
Mark Waid and Dan Mora
The creative team of Mark Waid and Dan Mora quickly became a modern fan favorite thanks to their revival of the The best world Title. Following Batman and Superman earlier in their careers, the series explores their battles with villains such as the Devil Nezha, Doom-Mite and Magog. Blending a Silver Age story style with unabashed fan service, the series quickly delivered plenty of fan-favorite moments, such as the merging of the two heroes to form Superbat.
The best world is a great series for new readers of Batman or Superman, while continuing to cater to older fans of both heroes. The highlight of the series is the return to the world of Kingdom comeExplore the origins of Magog as the Boy Thunder, as the duo fight to avoid the apocalypse.
1
The Saga of Warworld
Philip Kennedy Johnson, Daniel Sampere, Mikel Janin, Ricardo Federici and Rafa Sandoval
Philip Kennedy Johnson’s “Warworld Saga,” the crown jewel in the post-Rebirth Superman era, stands out as the hero’s most epic adventure, probably in decades. The story follows the Man of Steel and the Authority heading to Warworld to confront Mongul II, a villain whose cruel practice of slavery is rivaled only by his violent aspirations of imperialism. However, weakened by the planet’s red sun, as well as by a recent cosmic event, Kal-El is forced to fight in the planet’s gladiator games – but secretly orchestrates a rebellion.
“The Warworld Saga” is everything a Superman epic should be, drawing on elements of high fantasy, pulp adventure and the hero’s hopeful nature to inspire those around him. This event is not only the best Man of Steel story in years, it is firmly among the greatest DC stories of all time. For readers under the misconception that the world of Superman is made boring by the hero’s Boy Scout persona, this story is required reading.