Issue Description

Story:

The story starts with Clark Kent and Lana Lang reading news at the WGBS TV. But suddenly, a man named Carl Draper appears. He is watching TV and fuming over the fact that Kent and Lana are so close together. Draper is secretly and blindly in love with Lana Lang, and he feels that Kent does not care for her as much as he does. So he plans to eliminate Kent's existence. But to do so, he knows he must kill Kent's dearest friend, Superman first.

So Carl Draper assumes his true identity as the Master Jailer and sneaks into a missile control base. He activates four missiles,knowing that Superman will come to save the day. This is true enough, for Superman appears on the scene a little while later.

Superman tries to send the missiles up into space where they won't harm the planet. Instead he finds that they are programmed to chase him. Superman leads them beyond the Earth's atmosphere, where he is hit by the missiles. He falls back to the ground, only to find himself glowing with Kryptonite radiation. He manages to get into his Fortress of Solitude, where he hears the voice of the Master Jailer, telling him that he is pleased to see him die.

Back in Metropolis, the Jailer searches for Clark Kent, and finds him in his own apartment. He fires at Kent without warning, only to be too astonished to find Superman posing as Kent. They get into a fight, where Superman cleverly tricks him by turning a steel can to dust and making the Jailer get fired by his Key's heat ray. The Jailer is imprisoned in his own suit, when Superman asks him if he wants to know how Superman wants to escape. The story ends with Jailer going to jail and Kent and Lana reading the news at WGBS TV. Lana asks Kent if he is really Superman, and Kent laughs it away.

Bonus Story:

Superman comes into contact with a piece of red kryptonite and splits into Clark Kent, Future Superman and Superboy. They team-up to save the world from deadly terrorists and spatial clouds, while Kent continues his duty at WGBS TV Studios. After the red-K effect passes, the three personalities merge again. Superman still feels that he is better off as one man.

Superman (1939)

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

Superman launched May 18, 1939 with its first issue (that doesn't actually have a #1 on the cover) and although it was a seasonal book for its first five issues, with its sixth it began a bimonthly publishing rate and kept up with said rate until its eighty-fifth. With its eighty-sixth issue Superman began it's mostly consistent monthly publishing rate which it continued using up until 1986 when the series ended at 423 issues, the last issue featuring Alan Moore's acclaimed story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" After that, the title's numbering was continued through Adventures of Superman which lasted for several decades. It was in 2006 with #650 that the title returned to its original name, kicking off it's new era with the One Year Later storyline co-written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek. After the arc, the series was written by Busiek from 654-675, with James Robinson taking the reigns in 677 and holding them tight until the milestone 700th issue where JMS took over with an arc entitled "Grounded" that would feature Superman walking across America. However, JMS left the book earlier then planned and new writer Chris Roberson worked off of JMS' original notes and plotline. Unfortunately, Roberson never got to prove himself with his own story on the book as with the launch of The New 52 in September 2011, after 72 years and 714 issues (including Adventures of Superman) Superman Vol. 1 came to an end with the final chapter of the Grounded story arc serving as the final issue of the series. Superman will survive as an ongoing series at DC, with the month following the release of Superman #714 serving as the launching point of the third ongoing Superman series in DC history with #1.

For Post Flashpoint volume 3, refer to Superman.

General Notes

Superman #424-649 do not exist, however, the issues that took those numbers can be found on the Adventures of Superman page.

Another ongoing title from DC entitled Superman does exist and was published with its own numbering while Adventures of Superman was in print, thus even though this title began publication in the 30's and lasted until 2011, no two Superman titles were hitting shelves at the same time. The other Superman volume can be found here.

The main star of the series has of course been Superman but from #686-697 Mon-El was the star as Superman was away from Earth and the covers bore the banners "World Without Superman" for the first five and "World Against Superman" for the last six issues of this absence.

Collected EditionsSuperman Chronicles (Collects the earliest issues)Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus vol. 1 (#1-31)Showcase presents: Superman (late 50`s, early 60`s stories)Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane vol. 1 (#367, 372 & 375)Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (#423, Action Comics #583)Up, Up and Away! (#650-653, Action Comics #837-840 )Camelot Falls Vol. 1 (#654-658)Camelot Falls Vol. 2 (#662-664 & 667, Superman Annual #13)Redemption (#659 & 666, Action Comics #848-849)3-2-1 Action (#665, Action Comics #852-854, Legends of the DC Universe #14)The Third Kryptonian (#668-670, Action Comics #847, Superman Annual #13)Shadows Linger (#671-675)The Coming of Atlas (#677-680)New Krypton Vol. 1 (#681, Action Comics #871, Adventure Comics Special Featuring The Guardian #1, Superman New Krypton Special #1, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen Special #1)New Krypton Vol. 2 (#682-683, Action Comics #872-873; Supergirl #35-36)Mon-El Vol. 1 (#684-690, Action Comics #874, Action Comics Annual #10)Codename Patriot (#691, Action Comics #880, Supergirl #44, Superman: World of New Krypto #6, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special #2)Mon-El Vol. 2 (#692-697, Adventure Comics #11, Superman Annual #14, Superman: Secret Files 2009 #1)Nightwing and Flamebird Vol. 2 (#696, Action Comics #883-889, Adventure Comics #8-10)Last Stand of New Krypton Vol. 1 (#698, Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #1-2, Adventure Comics #8-9, Supergirl #51)Last Stand of New Krypton Vol. 2 (#699, Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #3, Adventure Comics #10-11, Supergirl #52)Superman: War of The Supermen (#700)Grounded Vol. 1 (#700-706)Grounded Vol. 2 (#707-711 & #713-714)

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