Issue Description

Overview

An extra-sized spectacular featuring art by Walter Simonson, as Superman goes to Hell — literally — during the most nightmarish adventure of his heroic career, and a dread portent of that which may be coming! Who, or what, is "The Beast from Krypton"? This issue — featuring the Phantom Stranger, Zatanna, the Demon and a host of other DC superstars from Wonder Woman to Animal Man — is guaranteed to send chills down your spine!

Phantom Stranger approaches Clark, letting him know something supernatural is happening that will concern him. We cut to Clark coming home to Lois and eventually laying down for the night. We see Clark's dream sequence, He's in a massive throne with millions of people around his feet praising him, each one with Superman's "S" emblazoned on their forehead. Within this dream we cut to a man without the "S" on his forehead trying to by some food from a vendor. The vendor shouts "Be Gone! you do not wear the Mark!" and we see Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Hal Jordan (each with the "S"), swoop in and do away with him. Clark wakes up, and decides he won't get any sleep and is going out. As he's suiting up, Lois, in half-sleep asks for him to get ice cream and pickles from the store. While at the grocery store, Clark, feeling that everyone has demanded to much of him, smashes the entire pickle display. Zatanna appears and when Clark notices her she exclaims she's in astral form and should be invisible to him. Clark refrains he knows he is still in a dream, and since he has, for some reason, dreamed her he can see her regardless of her form, then uses his super breath and blows her away. Outside the grocery store Lex is raising a ruckus, so Superman spits a glob of saliva through his head. He rubs his hands together creating "super-friction" which he states in turn creates static electricity and zaps Braniac. Doomsday and a large group of other villains show up and Clark takes them all out. Clark hears Jimmy Olsen's signal watch and digs him out of the rubble of a destroyed building. Clark complains that Olsen has no idea how annoying the sound of that signal watch is and then he whistles which causes Olsen's head to explode. Perry White approaches Clark saying he can't abandon the Daily Planet, it's what keeps him grounded. Clark stomps on the ground and the Daily Planet comes crashing down on Perry. Clark looks up to his apartment, using X-ray vision he sees Lois laying in bed thinking of baby names, then he blasts the apartment with his heat vision. Clark flies to Smallville and crushes a whole in the road revealing lava, which he lowers him self down through. Arriving in Hell, Clark is greeted by Etrigian the Demon easily tossing him aside he fights his way through the hordes of hell until he comes to a throne. A meek demon, named Rakkar, reveals himself questioning Clark if he is so sure this is a dream. Rakkar explains that when Krypton was destroyed, so was it's hell and since he has escapes the denizens of Krypton's hell have imbued him with their power in order to stop Clark. Rakkar attacks and his bite morphs Clark in to a monstrous beast. Beside the beast, Superman punches out from beneath the ground explaining that Phantom Stranger warned him and split him into two, creating a shell of Clark which was corruptible and gave in, while keeping Clark's true incorruptible self safe. The denizen's of Kryton's Hell appear and crush Rakkar. Clark explains that if he could destroy them forever he would but since their existence is tied to greed, hatred, and anger, they will always live. We end with Clark coming home to Lois saying he got the ice cream and pickles she wanted, and she cannot recall having even asked for them. Clark asks Lois if he has ever killed anyone and Lois assures him that he never has. In the deeps of hell we see Rakkar's smashed body, his eyes open slowly as he feeds off of Clark's doubt.

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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