Gallery: 10 Superman Tales to Read, Watch, and Hear This Weekend Instead of Man of Steel
01Justice League
When a character's been around as long as Superman, it's hard even to continue to think of them as a single character—changing cultural and media landscapes make for a kaleidoscopic range of iterations. Still, even among those, there are always a handful that endure and stand out as definitive—even if that, itself, is a subjective concept. Here, we've collected our ten favorite versions of Superman, from the comics page to the silver screen: two movies, a handful of comics, a novel, a song, and more. If you need an antidote to the [relentlessly grim *Man of Steel*](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/underwire/2013/06/man-of-steel-movie-review/), just click through, up, and away. Justice League and Justice League Unlimited ------------------------------------------- While Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe does have a very good Superman-specific show, *Justice League* and *Justice League Unlimited* are even better—and available for streaming on Netflix-- giving you a look at Superman in context of his fellow heroes as the heart and moral compass of the Justice League. For the best Superman moments, check out the explorations of ethical event horizons in "A Better World" and "Divided We Fall" (best watched in that order); the heartbreaking "For the Man Who Has Everything" (adapted from the Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons story of the same name); and the feel-good holiday special "Comfort and Joy," in which Superman decides to take fellow alien Martian Manhunter home to the Kents for Christmas. *—Rachel Edidin*
02All-Star Superman
All-Star Superman ----------------- If there's a definitive Superman story of the last decade, it's probably Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's *[All-Star Superman](http://www.readdcentertainment.com/All-Star-Superman-1/digital-comic/SEP050218)*. It's a soaring paean to the history of the character, seamlessly blending nods to golden and silver-age silliness with a more serious modern-age framing story. One of the best moments in the comic—it didn't make it into the excellent animated adaptation, alas—is a scene in which Superman talks a suicidal teenager off a rooftop. This, to me, is the heart of Superman: how much value even a single life holds for him, and his ability to inspire and empower the people around him. *—Rachel Edidin*
03It's Superman!
It's Superman! -------------- It's depressingly possible that even hardcore Superman fans are either entirely unaware of, or chose to skip, Tom De Haven's spectacular 2005 novel *[It's Superman!](http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/it-s-superman.html)* that placed the character firmly in the era in which he was created and offered an alternate take on his origins that fleshed out Clark, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor and gives each of them—as well as Willi Berg, the novel's replacement for Jimmy Olsen and a central influence on the creation of the Superman identity—an inner life that they've rarely enjoyed in other incarnations. Filled with period detail (the closing chapter features the characters going to see the new play *Our Town*, while Clark considers a communication from FDR) and a thoughtful, at times wistful, tone that feels appropriate to both the post-Depression setting and the central character as he struggles with his identity and place in the world, *It's Superman!* is the rarest of things: A portrayal of the character outside of his native comic books that shies away from melodrama, but instead chooses to address the importance of Superman as icon and individual head on, without a protective layer of irony. For those that loved Michael Chabon's *The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay* but felt that it could've done with more superheroes, this is most definitely the book for you, and if you wish that someone could've made *Smallville* deeper and more meaningful (Not to mention not ten years in length), then this'll appeal, as well. It may not touch on every important piece of the Superman myth—Anyone hoping to see Krypton as more than a half-remembered dream, you'll be disappointed—but in many ways, this may be one of the best tellings of beginnings of the Man of Steel yet. *—Graeme McMillan*
04Needing a Miracle
"Needing a Miracle" ------------------- [#iframe: http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1041156745/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/t=11/transparent=true/]|||||| Yes, it's a song. No, not [that](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPU8OAjjS4k) song. Or [that](http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1:superman-vs-pat-boone&catid=28:superdickery&Itemid=54) one. "Needing a Miracle" debuted on Seattle-based nerd-rock band [Kirby Krackle](http://kirbykracklemusic.com/)'s 2011 album *Super Powered Love*. It's a sweet, wistful love song that also happens to be—very subtly—about Superman and Lois Lane. One of the coolest things about Superman and Lois is how much they like and respect each other—in a very real way, they're each other's heroes—and "Needing a Miracle" captures that perfectly. *—Rachel Edidin*
05Superman Beyond 3D
Superman Beyond 3D ------------------ In addition to the pitch-perfect *All-Star Superman*, Grant Morrison has written some of the most ambitious—and some of the most out there—Superman stories of the past few decades, whether it's his *Action Comics* run where the Man of Steel faces an extra-dimensional nemesis across three different time periods simultaneously while also dealing with a parallel universe version of himself devoted to death and corporate profits (No, really), or this, a two issue tie-in to his own *Final Crisis* comic book event series. The basic plot of *Superman Beyond 3D* is this: In order to save Lois Lane's life, Superman has to team with a bunch of alternate reality Supermen—including the evil Ultraman and Ubermensch, the Kal-El who'd landed on a Nazi-controlled Earth but questioned the Furher's orders—to find a medicine made from the cosmic material that separates realities. Along the way, he accidentally ends up in limbo, and then uses a giant Superman robot to fight a cosmic vampire who plans to destroy narrative as a concept, dooming reality to non-existence. Because, you know, that's what Superman *does*, if you're Grant Morrison. *Superman Beyond 3D* is, in many ways, a mess of a comic; the plot collapses in on itself, and the story relies upon the metaphor of the Superman myth being an inherently "better" story than a pessimistic, downbeat one in order to function. And yet, it's surprisingly emotionally resonant in its simplicity, with the entirely outré concepts offering an epic scale that most Superman stories would never dare to attempt—and Doug Mahnke's art throughout is downright wonderful. For those who believe in Superman as an idea and like their stories set to "Weird," then *Superman Beyond 3D* is right up your alley. *—Graeme McMillan*
06Silver Age Superman
The Silver Age Superman ----------------------- By the middle of the 20th century, Superman comics had settled into a weirdly cozy (and cozily weird) formula wherein most stories would either center around someone other than the eponymous hero altogether—with Superman being a well-meaning, if occasionally patronizing paternal figure who'd literally swoop in to save the day and teach a lesson at just the right time—or feature some surreal transformation of one of the regular cast into a freakish form that would cause just enough trouble to fill the pages of the story before being easily reversed in time for Superman to wink at the reader in the final panel. The "Silver Age" stories of Superman, then, are an oddity in that they're not really *about* Superman in the traditional understanding of the term, but more often about the world around Superman and what impact he has on it. Not that any of that is more than subtext, because these are firmly stories from when Superman's core audience was still kids, and so there's also a beautiful whimsy and innocence about the stories even when they're so clearly (to today's readers, at least) weighted with metaphors for more adult concerns. DC's *Showcase Presents Superman* and *Showcase Presents Superman Family* collections are the best places to find these stories, these days; affordable chunks of stories that are at once time capsules and timeless, and very much the Superman we all believed in as kids. *—Graeme McMillan*
07Superman The Movie
Superman The Movie ------------------ "You'll believe a man can fly" promised the poster for the 1978 movie that introduced Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder to the world, and even if that wasn't exactly true, the tagline teased an optimism and possibility that infused this movie with exactly the right tone for its title character. Sure, *Superman II* is the movie that seemed more exciting at the time—It had Zod and his cronies, which meant more visual spectacle than the first, after all—but *Superman The Movie* is the one with heart (and also the one where the comedy works best, out of the four Reeve movies). Yes, *Superman* offered Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando a chance to slum it, and yes, that whole "flying backwards to reverse time" thing (Spoilers!) is a bit problematic if you take it too seriously—and let's not get into Lex Luthor's somewhat misguided plan, which rivals the *Simpsons* gag about "Step 3: Profit!" a little *too* closely—but still: *Superman The Movie* is a piece of pulp pop that remains as charming and enjoyable today as it did when it was released, despite the growing sophistication of both special effects technology and audience expectations. You may not believe that a man can fly, but you'll find yourself not even thinking about it during the movie because you'll be paying too much attention to what's going on and the performances on screen. *That's* a sign that you're watching a good movie. *—Graeme McMillan*
08Starman #51 and #75
*Starman* Vol. 2 #51 and #75 ---------------------------- Sometimes, it takes stumbling across the right story for a character to really click with you. Sometimes, it turns out the story isn't even theirs. These are the comics that made me a Superman fan. Like much of *Starman*, the stories that connect to Superman are about fathers and sons. In *Starman* #51, Jack Knight and Mikaal Tomaas (both Starman at the time; just run with it) accidentally end up in the past, on Krypton. They're rescued by 17-year-old Jor-El, a curious, adventurous kid chafing against the strict bounds of his society. The story ends with Jack and Mikaal gifting Jor-El with the coordinates to Earth—of course, both Starmen and the reader know how Jor-El will end up using them. *Starman* #75 takes place in the aftermath of the funeral of Jack's father, the first Starman. After hearing that Starman has met his father, Superman visits the Jack, hoping to learn more about Jor-El. It's a quiet, sad story, with more conversation than action—and a really beautiful window into Superman as a person and a hero, hungry for a glimpse of the father he never really knew as more than a hologram. *—Rachel Edidin*
09Secret Identity
Superman: Secret Identity ------------------------- One of the most well-loved (and downright best) Superman stories in recent years isn't, technically, a Superman story. Oh, sure; Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen's 2004 *[Superman: Secret Identity](http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/superman-secret-identity)* miniseries may have had the Superman logo attached and be published by DC Comics, but it told the story of a Clark Kent who lived in the "real world" without any superheroes or, it seemed, super powers at all—until he started being able to fly. Despite not being an "official" Superman, Busiek and Immonen's Clark nonetheless follows the route of the traditional version, becoming a writer (in Manhattan instead of Metropolis, however, and for the *New Yorker* instead of the Daily Planet), romancing a woman called Lois and, yes, launching himself into a double life where he saves the day as Superman (inspired by the comic book character of the same name). *Secret Identity* manages to play off the readers' (and the characters') expectations of what the Superman mythos are and how the character should act, while also humanizing those same character and mythos. It's a smart story that's full of heart and offers an alternate glimpse at the very idea of Superman that should appeal to everyone with any level of interest in the character. *—Graeme McMillan*
10The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant -------------- The best Superman movie ever made isn't actually a Superman movie: it's this 1999 Brad Bird film about a lonely boy and a hulking space robot. Superman is all about inspiration—about using power to help rather than harm—and the giant's Superman-inspired journey from weapon to hero is equal parts poignant and uplifting. "You are who you choose to be," the giant's young friend tells him, and [the giant's final choice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4dT2eBWI2M) might be a better illustration of what it means to be Superman than even the Man of Steel himself could offer. *—Rachel Edidin*
