The Death and Return of Superman comic books

[BobbyH]

Does anyone know which Superman issue has Superman return after being killed by Doomsday? I've spent quite a while trying to find this out on google and haven't found anything specific. I read that in one of the Reign of the Supermen! comics his body was put in a regeneration matrix and that's how he comes back, but I can't find the specific issue.

[Kuwagaton]

Man of Steel #25. CBR, the main site, just had a nice article on the story. Might have some spoilers.

https://www.cbr.com/superman-survive-death-of-superman/

[BobbyH]

Man of Steel #25. CBR, the main site, just had a nice article on the story. Might have some spoilers.

https://www.cbr.com/superman-survive-death-of-superman/

Thank you!!!

[Clark_Kent]

Actually, Superman first returns to life in Action Comics #689 (“Who Watches the Supermen?”). Without getting too spoilery, he wakes up & gets caught up on the news in his absence.

MoS 25 takes place several days after that. The CBR article skips the actual return.

[JBatmanFan05]

Are the new 5 softcover volumes of Death and Return pretty definitive? I know there might be some small coloring issues & moving narration caption issues, but besides that.

[Clark_Kent]

Are the new 5 softcover volumes of Death and Return pretty definitive? I know there might be some small coloring issues & moving narration caption issues, but besides that.

I don’t have them in front of me, but I believe they are. They included the Newstime Special, as well as the JL aftermath issue, and Legacy of Superman. I think there was also a Supergirl & Team Luthor book (something like that) included as well, but don’t quote me on the last one.

They also included some aftermath stuff in full. Adventures 505 & the following Action are in there, as well as the Funeral epilogue (Coast City memorial) and...perhaps even adventures 506, where we learn about Superboy’s powers and Clark moves in with Jimmy.

The coloring is gorgeous...compared to the original trades, it’s like upgrading from VHS to Bluray. I think it’s about as definitive as it will ever get.

[SJNeal]

I don’t have them in front of me, but I believe they are. They included the Newstime Special, as well as the JL aftermath issue, and Legacy of Superman. I think there was also a Supergirl & Team Luthor book (something like that) included as well, but don’t quote me on the last one.

They also included some aftermath stuff in full. Adventures 505 & the following Action are in there, as well as the Funeral epilogue (Coast City memorial) and...perhaps even adventures 506, where we learn about Superboy’s powers and Clark moves in with Jimmy.

The coloring is gorgeous...compared to the original trades, it’s like upgrading from VHS to Bluray. I think it’s about as definitive as it will ever get.

Supergirl & Team Luthor is definitely in there somewhere, which volume escapes me at the moment...

As far as the coloring goes, I'd have much preferred the higher-end matte paper we see in Vertigo's classic collections. The glossy stuff is just too bright, imho. Same goes for all the 90's collections we've been getting recently - Dixon's Robin and Nightwing, all the Batman stuff, etc. The original issues just look better to me for some reason...

[Clark_Kent]

Supergirl & Team Luthor is definitely in there somewhere, which volume escapes me at the moment...

As far as the coloring goes, I'd have much preferred the higher-end matte paper we see in Vertigo's classic collections. The glossy stuff is just too bright, imho. Same goes for all the 90's collections we've been getting recently - Dixon's Robin and Nightwing, all the Batman stuff, etc. The original issues just look better to me for some reason...

You know, I love how these look on the glossy paper, but for a lot of the older stuff I 100% agree. I started reading Superman right before ‘Exile’, and grew up with the old newsprint stuff...the first time I picked up the Exile tpb, it was pretty jarring to see the old artwork on the new paper, and it definitely looked off.

Perfect example: there’s an issue in Exile where Superman comes out of warp too close to a sun, and he starts to get pulled into it. In the original newsprint floppy, the sun is very orange-ish, and the red colors of Superman’s suit blended with it for a very striking & dramatic visual. On the tpb (I don’t recall the paper type, but it was definitely recolored), the sun is yellow instead of orange, and the image is much less dramatic because Superman stands out from it. So I definitely see what you mean.

Death/Return is my favorite Superman story of all-time, so seeing it in all its “HD glory” almost brings a tear to my eye. But, just as with many classic films on bluray/4K, sometimes they can look TOO clean, too perfect, so I can certainly get behind your preference. Some of the Batman material we’ve been getting on glossy also looks really good, but can occasionally show defects in the art that just weren’t there in the original printings. It’s like seeing the flying rig on Reeve when you watch Superman on bluray, compared to older television or vhs recordings.

(sorry to keep making the bluray comparison in a comics forum, but it’s the best way I can explain differences in coloring/paper)

[SJNeal]

No need to be sorry, it's definitely an accurate analogy!

Maybe I've just finally reached that age where everything from "my time" was better, and all the new stuff sucks!