Earlier today, the Superman Twitter account tweeted out the word "Tomorrow." and the following image from the 1992 Superman storyline, The Death Of Superman. From thirty years ago, this December. Original writer/artist on the series, including the infamous Superman #75, Dan Jurgens quote tweeted it adding "BIG DAY." Especially, I guess, for the Man of Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is not a new comics release day for DC Comics, at least not in print. Maybe on the DC Universe Infinite App? Or maybe it is an announcement. Clark Kent Superman is meant to be coming back from Warworld, and Jonathan Kent is currently the Superman on Earth. Which could it be? But DC Comics has been teasing a Death of Superman for some time.
In 1992 and 1993, DC Comics killed Superman. And the world noticed. The first comic book event that got actual mainstream media coverage and more public attention than any other comic book story before it – or after it. As Image Comics was launching and pushing DC Comics into third place in sales, this was the fightback, though no one could see how big it would be at the time. The crossover originated from editor Mike Carlin and writers Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel, began in December 1992 and lasted until October 1993, published in Superman, Action Comics, The Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, Justice League America, and Green Lantern. The final issue, Superman #75 in which Superman and Doomsday killed each other with a final blow, was published in a black sealed polybag and sold over six million copies. Since then the only superhero comic book to have sold anywhere close has been Dav Pilkey's Dog-Man. As Superman comic sales before then had declined, the writing teams felt the character had been taken for granted and decided to temporarily kill him to emphasize his importance. They wanted the crossover to surprise readers and show that the star was not invincible, and saw Superman fighting before being killed by the monster Doomsday on the streets of Metropolis. The story has been adapted into various forms of media, including two novelizations in 1993, a video game, and animated adaptations and it formed the basis of Zack Snyder's Batman Vs Superman and Justice League. And now DC Comics are teasing that The Death Of Superman is back and have been doing so for over a year.
In March last year Bleeding Cool reported on "Superman #29, which Clark Kent/Superman and Jonathan Kent/Superboy deal with stuff. Superboy has been off in the 31st century with the Legion Of Super-Heroes. And so he has spoilers of his own to share. Superboy knows when his father will die. It's a part of history. And it's coming soon. Might it also tie in with the dangers and tyranny that Superboy will bring, as seen by The Spectre in Infinite Frontier #0?"
Superman #29 artwork
Also in March, we looked at if the future that Jon Kent saw could be changed. as DC Comics stated in their PR "Jonathan Kent is back from the 31st Century and fighting cosmic threats alongside his legendary father. But when an interdimensional breach opens near Earth, Jon recognizes the creatures that emerge: the cosmic leviathans that the Legion of Superheroes credit with the DEATH OF SUPERMAN!"
And we get a glimpse of another Dead Superman, defeated by interdimensional aliens whose power weakens him. We learned it was a pandimensional experiment conducted by Amanda Waller to test Superman's abilities, Clark Kent began to lose some of his powers' strengths. Clark Kent was heading to WarWorld with The Authority in tow for a battle that, in the Future State version of the future, he never returns from. In which Jon Kent remained a flawed Superman of Earth, fallen out with his cousin Supergirl, and having placed Metropolis in a bottle. 5G, of which Future State was a part,was meant to have seen an aged-out Clark Kent with Jon Kent as the new Superman of Earth going forward. But all that changed.
Did Jonathan Kent stop one Clark Kent Superman future from happening… and create another in which he dies?
Later Action Comics #1030 adds some potential proof regarding Jonathan Kent's future history. Clark Kent is just not the Superman he used to be.
Action Comics #1030
And so it looked like Clark Kent is going to have to have *that* talk with Jonathan Kent, son of Superman. As one does. And in DC's PR they brought up the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday again. "The Man of Steel has left Earth, promoted his son Jon in his place, recruited a surprising new team that isn't afraid to get their hands dirty and embarked on a mission to liberate Warworld and depose Mongul once and for all. It'll likely be his biggest, most challenging battle since he first crossed fists with Doomsday, and it's one that the future-visiting Jon has warned he won't survive. (We weren't kidding about that Doomsday comparison, folks.)"
Action Comics #1030 Full Of Foreshadowing For The Death Of Superman
Jonathan Kent, the Superman of the Justice League, as seen in Future State? And he talks the issue over with Damian Wayne, son of Batman? When Philip Kennedy Johnson was announced at the new Superman writer, he stated "the massive event that we're building up to in Action Comics is a considerably bigger swing than I ever expected to get in comics. It's no exaggeration to say it will change Superman's status quo forever and have a lasting impact across the entire DC Universe."
…a stab in the back with a Kryptonite spear at the hands of Mongol.
And a confirmed date of death for Superman. But we speculated that it was this recorded death that might, a thousand years later via the United Planets be what Jon Kent sees in the 31st century as part of the Legion… because Superman did indeed survive that assault, and was meant to be heading back to Earth. However, then there was Justice League #75 leading up to Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths, in which Superman, the one who is meant to have returned from Warworld, dies at the hands of Pariah with the rest of the Justice League. Except not really.
Throw in Tales From The Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman…
Or the digital comic series written by one of the writers of the original Death Of Superman storyline from 1992, recently adapted as a direct-to-video animated movie – and now being re-adapted back into comics. With art from Cat Staggs and Wendy Broome, it iscintended to expand and follow-up on the movie..
Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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As Bleeding Cool first reported earlier this week, Boom Studios has been teasing a major creator lead initiative for the past two weeks on their social media channels.
As Bleeding Cool first reported earlier this week, Boom Studios has been teasing a major creator lead initiative for the past two weeks on their social media channels.
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