Recommendations: What next with Superman?

[Spiritualcramp]

In the last year I've become much more acquainted with Superman as a character, coming out of my life mainly being a fan through the DCAU. I've read Kingdom Come, Superman Unchained, DOS, Man of Tomorrow, Last Son of Krypton, his New 52 solo series, 50 issues of the Byrne Superman run (Was confused mainly because I didn't follow Adventures of Superman/Action comics), the anthology 2006 series (Adventures of Superman), and his issues in Rebirth. I'd like to think I have most of my bases covered regarding his character, minus AllStar Superman, Red Son, and some of the others.

What are some of his lesser known stories/arcs that should be checked out mainly pre-Crisis that would shed some more light on his character prior to the new 52? What do you recommend someone who is versed in the character but should check out for an added layer of knowledge to this iconic character. I was going to start Superman: The Man of Steel (1991-2003), but was curious if there is something I should read before binge reading another massive run.

[Kuwagaton]

Welcome! Sounds like quite the crazy title hunt you went on. The thing about Superman volume 2, the 50 issues you read starting with Byrne, is that Superman comics were basically a weekly series. You could find many single issue stories and a few multi-part stories contained in one title, but for the most part they all connected and it wasn't the ideal experience to just read one title unless you really liked random ideas. The Man of Steel ongoing had plenty of great moments, but without also reading Adventures, Action, and volume two, much of it would feel lacking. Man of Tomorrow was somewhat connected in the same way. There is a Man of Steel series of trades that cover very much of this period, through all titles in context. The trades following the stories after Byrne will start in April with Man of Tomorrow: Book One.
https://www.amazon.com/Superman-Man-.../dp/140126851X

I really think it's cool how you managed to dig deep. Usually people go right to stuff like All Star and Red Son, which are cool, but short and rather basic. Normal recommendations for when people want to try the character with minimal effort. If you can play the long game, follow this guide:
http://www.comicsbackissues.com/comi...r-post-crisis/
to handle the associated issues of the Superman volume two stories you have. But avoid Action #601-642, as it became an anthology for a bit and had little Superman. All of his segments from this period are collected as Superman: The Power Within.

For Pre-crisis some good sampler trades would be Superman in the 70s, the Jose Luis Garcia Lopez collection, and Superman: Past and Future. There weren't a lot of long arcs during this era, but "Who Took the Super out of Superman?" is one. Action Comics 510-512 is a neat little arc.

And for a golden age recommendation, I submit the Superman Golden Age Sundays, 1946-1949. As Mark Waid says in the foreword, while many people associate this era with being stodgy and dull, Superman really had quite the sense of humor and it was brought to the fore after the war, when people felt the need to laugh again.

I might merge this with a similar thread. I just wanted to make sure you saw this notice before that.

[Atomic Man]

I recommend Geoff Johns Legion, Brainiac, and Bizarro World arcs from Action Comics, Kurt Busiek's entire Superman run, the recent Golden Age Superman collections, the Superman At 75 collection, the various Man of Steel collections that have collected much of the post-COIE run in order (and which is continuing with a new edition soon), Superman: Secret Identity, Dark Knight Over Metropolis (recently reprinted), Panic In The Sky (also recently reprinted), the original Sandman Superman saga and its post-COIE update in Superman Special #1, and Superman In The 50s and 60s.