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Comics - ReviewsThe Death &
Return of Superman
The inspiration for the movie "Superman Doomsday"
When Superman died, it was as if the world stopped spinning for
a moment. I can remember, as a young boy, holding Superman
#75 in my hands and being absolutely stunned. I read and re-read
the comic again, folding out the gatefold pages in the back to
make sure I didn't miss anything. But, lo and behold, I was a
spectator, a bystander, to the biggest tragedy of the 1990's:
Death of Superman. Of course, I was young and had no idea,
really, what was really going on behind the scenes. That this
was an elaborate plot by the editors of DC Comics to not only
bury our Man of Steel, but bring him back.
But they didn't reveal that right away. But, in the months that
unfolded afterwards, that all became clear. So, as a child, I
was riveted by all of this. But now, looking back, it has a
vastly different effect on me. I can appreciate it and approach
it through cynical eyes now, being older and wiser to the tricks
of the comic book trade. So, let's look back on that storyline,
arc by arc, starting with the The Death of Superman, then
Funeral for a Friend, and ending with Reign of the
Supermen. This won't be an exhaustive review, but a simple
one overlooking the three main arcs of the storyline with a few
thoughts thrown in. Without further adieu, here we go…
The Death of Superman
 The first chapter to the Death Of Superman and it's
pretty simple. A huge threat shows up and pretty much wipes out
every single DC hero before setting his sights on Superman in
Metropolis. Now, Doomsday is never officially called Doomsday,
if I recall correctly, until sometime later down the road. Here,
he's just a nameless threat that appears, breaks out of some
sort of imprisonment, and then starts to wreak havoc as he makes
his way to Metropolis where he eventually faces off against
Superman.
Now, there's a lot more to it which I'll skip over. I do
recommend picking up the collection for yourself if you want to
read the storyline. It's not the greatest, but it does make for
a fun read. It's essentially pure action from start to finish.
But, then again, the story isn't exactly original either. It's
not the first time we've seen heroes struggle against a villain,
only to return and beat him the second time around. That's
nothing new and that is what basically happens here. Now, we do
have a few character moments laced about to try and bring this
fantastical story down to Earth, but overall, this story is just
people in costumes trying to stop a devastating force.
I will admit, I love the ominous tone created by this story. I
love how it opens with the shots of Doomsday cage, with "Doom!
Doom! Doom!" splashed over nearly each panel. Now, that's
supposed to be the sound effect for him trying to punch his way
out of the prison he's in, but it also adds a nice dark tone to
the story, as well. Once he escapes and makes his way across the
country, we see that he's drabbed in this special prison outfit
which slowly tears away as he makes his way closer to his
ultimate fate. We don't get the big reveal of the creature until
later in the arc, and I like that. It seems that all of this is
leading up to one big bang-up fight. I like the sense of dread
they create around him. The scene where he kills the deer is
absolutely chilling.
The Justice League try to take down the creature, but they fail.
However, once Superman arrives on the scene, things seem
optimistic until, well, sadly, he's killed in battle along with
Doomsday. I can remember reading this comic as a child, and
re-reading it and being absolutely stunned. It was a great read,
very quick, and very violent. And then, when it happens, when
Superman and Doomsday manage to strike each other at exactly the
same time, and fall, it's stunning. And then, as we see Lois
cradling Superman's dead body, it's heartbreaking. And that's
how the story ends.
And it sounds good, right? Well, to an extent, it is, but it's
also very hollow. It's just Superman fighting this new unnamed
threat and . . . that's it. The build-up is there, yes, but once
the battle start, it gets highly repetitive. It's just punch
after punch after punch until Superman declares it's "Time to
hit him harder than I even have before" (which Doomsday also
decides on at the same time, oddly enough) and they end up
punching the life out of each other and, well, die. That is
essentially the arc. Like I said, there's good character moments
for some of the Justice League, Lois, and even Superman
(specifically during a TV interview early in the story), but
overall, it's a very light story.
And I suppose that's the weakness to the story. It's doesn’t
seem like the build up of the villain, who we only learn more
about way down the line, is enough to really make him seem like
a threat worthy of taking down Superman. It feels artificial.
Regardless, what happens happens and that actually brings us to
the next act of The Death of Superman, which, personally,
I find to be the strongest part. However, as a means to get the
storyline to this part, I have no complaints. It works fine even
though I find the story a bit thin. I thought the artwork was
pretty exceptional all the way through save for the work done by
Jon Bogdanove, whose artwork has never rubbed me the right way.
The pencils by Dan Jurgens and Tom Grummet are stellar, however.
Jurgens really did an excellent job with the conclusion of this
arc, as Superman battles Doomsday in front of the Daily Planet.
It was splash page after splash page, but they looked amazing.
A World Without Superman
 Superman lies dead on the ground. The battle is over and both
our hero and Doomsday lie dead in front of the Daily Planet
building. Lois is doing her best to remain as calm as possible
as allies of the Man of Steel try desperately to revive him. Of
course, nothing works and all the support members try to move on
as Superman is laid to rest.
Now, that, again, is the very short version of the story. What's
not included above is the amount of spellbinding and brilliant
characterization in the story as we see many different cast
members trying to deal with the Man of Steel's death. The Kents
are in mourning, yet can't publicly come forward to grieve. Lois
has just lost her husband, yet nobody can know. It kills her, as
she has to lie about Clark Kent, who is now presumed missing,
and can't mourn the loss of her husband. Of course, she reacts
as anyone who lost a love one would, making many believe that
she loved Superman more than her husband. Of course, nobody
knows they were one and the same, which causes even more
problems later in the story.
With Superman dead, we see Supergirl and Lex Luthor trying to
fill the gap in Metropolis by stepping up to defend the city.
And, yes, I know, you're probably wondering why Luthor is
stepping up. Well, you guess right if it's just a sham on his
part. It is. But, also, at this time, Luthor fakes his death and
moved his mind into a cloned body that he passed off as his
long-lost Australian son. Yeah, it's confusing and sort of
weird, and he's dating Supergirl, who was then basically an
alien pile of goop that should shape-change, so it's best to
just avoid all of this for this quick summation and review of
the arc. Now, where were we? Ah yes, Supergirl, Lex Luthor, and
an assortment of Superman's allies are desperately trying to
fill the void left by his death, rising up to help defend a city
that Superman died trying to protect. And, at the same time,
each grieve in their own way.
The biggest part of this arc is, undeniably, the funeral. A huge
monument and tomb are created for the Man of Steel's final
resting place in the middle of the city. All the heroes show up,
wearing the now-classic black armbands to commemorate Superman
and pay their respects. At the same time both The Kents and Lois
struggle with not being able to properly grieve for Superman.
So, in probably my favorite scene, The Kents bury a box
containing Clark's childhood possessions, staging their own
funeral. A truly heartbreaking scene and, to me, really
symbolizes the true focus and strength to this arc. The Kents.
The arc moves on from there, as everyone tries to get used to a
Metropolis without Superman and people start going after his
body. At the same time, The Kents struggle with their own extra
dilemma as Jonathan suffers a heart attack, a near fatal one. As
he struggles to live, passing in and out of consciousness, he
nearly dies. While he's under, he suffers through a host of
memories, good and bad, and sees his beloved son. As he stirs
awake the final time, he claims that he brought Superman back to
life with him. This scene coincides with the classic scene of
the discovery of Superman's empty tomb.
Now, like before, a lot more happens than that, but that's
essentially the short version of it. There's a lot that happens
here, and it should be discovered by the readers. It's an
amazing and occasionally heartbreaking read. This part of the
story is really the heart of this entire storyline and it
actually makes sense as to why the first part of this storyline,
the battle with Doomsday, so quick and fierce. The story isn't
really about his death, kinda, but what Superman means to
everyone in his life. His parents, his wife, his colleagues, his
friends, all of them. And we explore that in this arc to
heart-breaking detail. There are parts that are really
effective, where the writing and the art really come together to
make something truly special, and that's what this arc is. Truly
special. It's the heart of this entire arc. There are so many
moments that are just truly unforgettable, all of which leads up
to a real nail biting finale as Kent fights for his life. It's
just powerful stuff which also moves the story into the last
arc.
The Return of Superman
 And now, we arrive to the final arc of the storyline, one that
engaged fans for months as they wonders "Who Is Superman?" As
many of you likely know, four replacement Supermen were
introduced in this arc, Superboy, Steel, The Cyborg Superman and
The Last Son Superman. All off them, save for Steel, claimed to
be the real deal, but, as the arc moved on, we discovered that's
not exactly true. During this time, we watched as Superman's
supporting cast and loved one came to turns with these new
Supermen on the scene. The Kents could only watch as these for
new heroes showed up, all claiming to be their son. Lois,
meanwhile, wanted to get to the bottom of this to uncover the
truth. And, as expected all of this comes crashing together as
the arc wraps up, dropping more than a few surprises along the
way and bringing back the real Man of Steel
Now, again, that's a very brief overview of the arc. A lot more
happens, understandably, but that's just a quick look at what
fans were treated to as the big Death of Superman
storyline wrapped up.
It's a great fun arc that not only had fans turning pages in
anticipation to find out who the real Superman was, but shocked
as the various twists and turns were deployed toward the end of
the story. The fact that Cyborg Superman turned out to be a
villain in disguise and that Superman was, infact, none of the
four pretenders to the throne, it just threw so many shocks at
us, and, each time, it worked. And the final in Coast City and
the resultant destruction of that city? Absolutely shocking? And
the appearance of Mongul? Simple excellent. The writers really
amped it up here and successfully wrapped up a really great
installment to the storyline. And thankfully, the supporting
cast doesn't get lost in the shuffle, either, as all these
startling developments all take their toll on the supporting
cast. The Kents, Lois, Jimmy, all of them go through their own
worries and doubts as all these new characters appear on the
scene.
It's a great wrap-up to the storyline that not only brings back
Superman, but brings him back in a really fascinating way. True,
I suppose that it's a bit of a cop-out how he's brought back,
but most people forget that he's an alien, a Kryptonian, and
death might not be exactly the same for him as it would be for
regular humans. And, infact, that's pretty much what happens.
Thanks to The Last Son Superman, who turned out to be The
Eradicator, Superman is revived and slowly brings himself back
up to speed as he plunges into battle to save mankind from
Cyborg Superman and Mongul. Thankfully, he gets a little help
from the likes of Steel, Superboy, and Supergirl.
Of course, we also got the famed Supermullet, but that can be
forgiven.
This arc works out much in the same fashion as the initial arc
that kicked off this whole thing, but it also corrects the
mistakes made there. The threat is developed and, in turn, seems
to be more of a threat than Doomsday ever was. The action is
intense and never excessive. The human aspect of the storyline
is never forgotten, either. That was mostly pushed aside in the
Doomsday arc that started everything, but not here, and,
personally, that makes it work all the more. While it's not as
character-driven as the second arc to the story, it doesn't
forget that we need to care about these people, and it really
helps make this a memorable close to the popular storyline. It's
almost heart-wrenching to see Lois trying to get to bottom of
the mystery behind these Supermen all the while knowing that one
of these could be her husband, forever changed by dying. It's
actually pretty powerful stuff and the writers do an excellent
job at selling it.
As a final arc, this really effectively caps off the whole
storyline. The set-pieces are bigger, the action is bigger, the
threat is bigger, and Superman's return is handled in such a
brilliant and effective way. I'm sure countless readers
"figured" out who Superman was, only to have that big curveball
thrown at them when it turned out that Superman was being
revived in his Fortress of Solitude thanks to the Eradicator.
It's just great writing that really pulls the rug out from under
you. And, thankfully, it bring everything back to status quo and
even addresses where Clark Kent could possibly be the whole
storyline.
The entire storyline is readily available to own but, be warned,
you may have trouble tracking down Funeral For A Friend.
The recently released The Death and Return of Superman
Omnibus HC only contains about twenty pages from the
Funeral For A Friend storyline, so if you want the
complete storyline, you may have to do some research in where to
obtain it But, believe me, it is definitely worth it. It's the
highlight of the entire arc and really gives the entire
storyline a human backbone to really sell the drama and the
premise. While the first arc, The Death of Superman is a
little light and weak at times, both A World Without
Superman and The Return of Superman more than make up
for it and really help make this storyline the required reading
it should be for all Superman and comic book fans. |
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