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The Death Of Superman, Again, This Time With Doombreaker

Published Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:35:10 -0500

They teased it yesterday but announced it today. The creative teams behind The Death Of Superman storyline thirty years ago are returning for a new 80-Page The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 for the 8th of November, as well as Superman #75 and The Death of Superman special editions for 1st of November the 1st and 6th of December.

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.

To celebrate the special anniversary, DC has reunited the original creative teams of Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding; Roger Stern and Butch Guice; Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove; and Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett for The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 which features four all-new stories that explore the lasting impact that Clark's death had on his family and friends as well as pinups and variant covers. With Dan Jurgens introducing the new character, Doombreaker.

"The Life of Superman" by Dan Jurgens (W & A), Brett Breeding (A), Brad Anderson (C), and John Workman (L) – A young Jon Kent finds out in school that his dad had died years earlier, as his parents never told him about that fateful day. In the midst of dealing with this emotional news, Jon and Clark need to team up to fight a new villain connected to Doomsday called Doombreaker.

"Standing Guard" by Roger Stern (W), Butch Guice (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The epic battle between Superman and Doomsday from the Guardians' perspective.

"Time" by Louise Simonson (W), Jon Bogdanove (A), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – The story of how the death of Superman looked from John Henry Irons's perspective.

"Above and Beyond" by Jerry Ordway (W), Tom Grummett (P), Doug Hazelwood (I), Glenn Whitmore (C), and Rob Leigh (L) – A powerful story of Ma and Pa Kent watching their son fight Doomsday live on television and going through Clark's photo albums with the feeling that their son always prevails.

The project was initiated by Dan Jurgens who told DC Comics editorial staff, "There's an opportunity here, especially since we're all still around and able to work on it in terms of the original creators who were there at the time" and is using the new Superman, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Jonathan Kent for a new reader approach to the thirty-year-old storyline. "We see this through Jon's eyes. Jon is about nine years old at this point, and it's just after they had moved to Metropolis as part of the Rebirth storyline. He's in school one day, and it happens to be the anniversary of Superman's death. Someone who was involved with the story at that time appears in his classroom to start talking about it, and he's wearing the black armband. And Jon—his parents didn't tell him… There's a new threat to Superman that emerges in Metropolis that is related somehow, some way to what Doomsday was. I think we've come up with a very fun way to make that happen. His name is Doombreaker, as named by Jon. And the fun thing about that, it was Booster Gold who named Doomsday in the very first story. He said to Superman, "Oh man, it's like Doomsday is here." And that's where the name came from. And I think in this one, what better than to have a nine-year-old kid just assign a name like, "It's breaking like doom again! It's Doombreaker!" So, Jon actually names him. And I think we do have an effective new threat for Superman that emerges out of this."

"How do you say, "Oh, by the way, son. Your dad died and came back to life." They never really got around to explaining that. Parents are always a bit behind the curve that way. And so, Lois is walking him home from school, and she says, "Well, how was school today, son?" And he says, "BAD." She asks, "Why?" and he says, "Well, because you never bothered to tell me about dad dying and coming back." That gets us into the whole story. We get to experience it through young Jon's eyes… it gives Jon the opportunity to say to Clark, "Well, does that mean if I died, I would come back too?" Which is a very nine-year-old type of reaction. So, he's the perfect vehicle to use on this."

Highlighting the milestone, The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 will feature variant covers by artists including Jim Lee and Scott Williams; Dan Mora; Ivan Reis and Danny Miki; Francesco Mattina; Dan Jurgens; and Brett Breeding. Fans can also order a premium polybag variant that features a black armband with The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary logo and the main cover inside.

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1
30 years ago, the unthinkable happened. The Man of Steel died. After sacrificing himself to stop the unstoppable global threat, Doomsday, Metropolis and the rest of the DC Universe mourned the loss of their greatest hero. To mark this monumental moment in comics, DC has reunited the complete creative team behind the original event for four brand-new stories. Led by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, the special kicks off with a new Superman story and villain…DOOMBREAKER! Followed by a series of short stories revisiting some of Superman's greatest allies and exclusive pinups done by some of comics' greatest artistic talent including LEE WEEKS, GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, and WALTER SIMONSON.

Written by DAN JURGENS, ROGER STERN, LOUISE SIMONSON, and JERRY ORDWAY
Art by DAN JURGENS, BRETT BREEDING, BUTCH GUICE, JON BOGDANOVE, TOM GRUMMETT, and more!
Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
Open Order Variant Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Jon Kent Variant Cover by DAN MORA
Funeral for a Friend Variant Cover by IVAN REIS and DANNY MIKI
Doomsday Die-Cut Variant Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
1:25 Doomsday Variant Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
1:50 Variant Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:00 Foil Variant Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
Premium Polybag Variant (w/armband) featuring main cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING inside
$10.99 US | 80 PAGES
ON SALE 11/8/22

DC had previously announced details of The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, which will include Superman: Day of Doom #1-4 for the first time ever and will be available at comic shops and local bookstores on December 6, 2022. DC will also be releasing Superman #75 Special Edition featuring the original story by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, which will be available at local comic shops on November 1.

SUPERMAN #75 SPECIAL EDITION
Superman and Doomsday go toe-to-toe in Metropolis and the Man of Steel falls! In 1992, the Death of Superman shocked the world and changed the DC Universe forever. Now's your chance to own a piece of comic book history in a special edition featuring the iconic tale and interviews with the original creative team just in time for the 30th anniversary!

Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
ON SALE 11/1/22

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN 30TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION
It was a day that no one ever dreamed would arrive: the day an unstoppable force met an immovable object. In Doomsday, Superman met his ultimate match—and his death! Relive the monumental event in this 30th-anniversary deluxe edition of the Death of Superman saga, featuring a new introduction by Dan Jurgens and other extras. This volume collects Superman #73-75, Adventures of Superman #496-497, Justice League America #69, Action Comics #683-684, Superman: The Man of Steel #17-19, and Newstime: The Life and Death of Superman #1—plus Superman: Day of Doom #1-4 as a bonus tale!

Written by DAN JURGENS, JERRY ORDWAY, LOUISE SIMONSON, and ROGER STERN
Art by JON BOGDANOVE, TOM GRUMMETT, JACKSON GUICE, DAN JURGENS, and others
Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
$39.99 US | 328 pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover
DIRECT MARKET EXCLUSIVE VARIANT
ON SALE 12/6/22

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