What do you think of Superman titles post crisis late 80's and the 90's comics?

[hbomb450]

I grew up a Marvel fan, Spider-man specifically, but as an adult I'm getting into DC more, Superman speciically. I love the new title and wish DC had an ongoing initiative to collect the Post-Crisis era, something like Marvel's Epic collections. They put out Byrne's time on the titles as the Man of Steel trades and hardcovers and then just stopped? They were just getting to the point where I started noticing Superman on the spinner racks as a kid (the Krypton Man storyline)

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah those hardcovers are fantastic but a bulky trade like an Epic is exactly what I want. The series got better for me after Byrne, improved again post Exile, and the Triangle era up to death is my favorite stretch of Superman comics. When I got into comics it was randomly the Gangbuster issues, Zero Hour with those fancy #0 issues, and then as an adult random issues of the Blackout story where I worked my way out in both directions. Mr Z was fun

The first two eradicator stories, Krypton Man and the story kicking off the triangles, were so good. But when I think of the former title I think about the earlier Cadmus stuff like with the Evil Factory and its Kryptonite Man, and of course that legendary Stern/Frenz annual

[Adekis]

I think that the 1986-1999 period is genuinely the best that Metropolis, the Daily Planet, and Superman's broader supporting cast, have ever been in the entire history of the franchise!

That said, a number of characters I really value, are not necessarily at their best in my opinion, during this time frame. Luthor, Jimmy, and most crucially, Superman himself. I'm very sympathetic to the idea that Byrne stripped a lot of the magic out of Superman and made him worse. I still think he's broadly decent, and he's certainly better in the best of the 90s, than he is in the worst of pretty much any other decade. Hell, the worst of the 90s may even be the "least bad" of any other decade, to be honest! But some of the core ideas of Superman at the time kind of rub me the wrong way.

And yet, in the 90s Lois is at her absolute best, Perry White reached soaring peaks, Cat Grant debuted in the 80s and was kind of never good again after the 90s, Bibbo is a perennial tertiary fan fave, and a ton of those allegedly forgettable side characters like Scorn, Ash, Mitch, etc, all have a special place in my heart! (Not Dirk; kinda **** Dirk). And that's without mentioning the other capes like Steel and Kon-El who debuted at the time, or old standbys like Guardian and Lar Gand who got some sizable spotlights.

Ultimately, I have way more fond feelings for the 80s and 90s in Superman comics, than negative feelings!