Top 5 Superman Runs?

[DragonPiece]

Note: Most of the runs I chose myself are still pretty fresh, but they are what stuck out to me.

1. Tomasi's Rebirth Run
I just keep looking back on every issue and to me, he has honestly knocked it out of the park with this series. The art is great for the most, the story moves at a great place, but takes the time for small moments with Clarks family. Plus he respects the past continuity as well as embraces the wilder side of the DCU with the recent multiverse storyline.

2. Grant Morrison's Action Comics Run
The first Superman run I ever read(and while it was coming out!) I loved each issue and couldn't wait for Morrison to do interviews about upcoming issues. While the second arc kind of dragged, it ended very nicely tying up all of the loose ends. I still have to do another reread, I wish DC would release a hardcover of the run.

3.Joe Kelly's Action Comics Run
I can't describe why I like this run so much, besides the fact that his name stuck out to me when rereading past comics. I really enjoyed his take on Clark and Lois and he didn't do a bad job handling the villains. And who could forget the iconic whats so funny with truth,justice and the american way?! Loved that storyline before I even knew he wrote it!

4. Greg Pak's Action Comic Run
So many things to say about this amazing run. For one, the only reason it is so far down the list is because of the crosovers. Even then, I can't mind them too much as knowing Pak was part of the crossovers is what made them enjoyable. He wrote a Clark that was relatable and more of a people person, one that we could get into his head with. Which was very welcoming as with a lof ot the new 52, he didn't feel that relatable and was more of a alian figure than human. (Not saying all stories in the new 52 with him was like or that it was a bad thing.) Also, his truth storyline is very underrated and it's a shame more people don't read it. Not to mention the storyline befoe Truth, after doomed, where he has a beard and returns to smallville isn't amazing either. So many great things about this run. And I can't forget the artist Kuder, who even helped with the story at times.

5. Geoff John's Action Comics/Superman Run
One of the first non new 52 Superman comics I read was Geoffs Superman: Secret Origin story and I loved it a lot. It was a much better origin story to me than the new 52 origin and I loved how easily Geoff introduced all of the characters. I honestly didn't completely love his action comics run besides arc like Braniac because I'm honestly not that interested in Krypton stories, and his run hinged a lot on that. I will count his new 52 Superman run apart of this though and say I really enjoyed his brief run. It felt like a sense of superman that had been missing from the new 52, without taking away from what the new 52 character was. Issue 39 or 40 where he stops the mugger without powers will be one of my favorite comic issues.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

1. Grant Morrison's Action Comics run
2. Greg Pak/Aaron Kuder's Action Comics run
3. Joe Casey's Adventures of Superman run
4. Kurt Busiek's Superman run
5. Brian Azzarello's Superman run

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Morrison Action, Pak Action, Busiek Superman, Casey AOS, Millar Superman Adventures.

[Dolores - The Worst Poster Ever]

Does Millar's Superman Adventures count? I kept my list limited to canonical runs, but if not then it would come in at number 5, making my list identical to Dispenser's.

[Kuwagaton]

If we're going by writer, considering the sum of contributions the fairest thing I think I could do is disqualify by gaps of more than three issues in between.

1. Roger Stern
Action [601-642/The Power Within] 644–657, 659–665, 667–693, 696–700, Annual 2
Superman 23–28, 30–34, Annual 2
Superman: For Earth

2. Cary Bates
Action 438-439, 441-442, 444-446, 450, 453-454, 456, 460-466, 468-476, 480-485, 487-499, 501-512
Superman 353-369, 372-375, 379-386, 388-392

3. Elliot S! Maggin
*including his Superman related backup stories and co-writing with Bates*
Action 455, 458, 459
Superman 260, 262-268, 270-271, 273-277, 279-280, 282-283, 285-287, 290, 292-293, 295-300, 302

4. Louise Simonson
Superman: The Man of Steel 1-56, 59-83, 86, 0, Annual 4, 6
Superman: Save the Planet

5. Grant Morrison
Action Comics vol. 2, #1-18, 0

[dancj]

1 - Goeff Johns
2 - John Byrne (this is largely fuelled by nostalgia. I suspect if I reread this run it won't stand up)
3 - Cary Bates (again, nostalgia)

After that it's tricky. Azzarello's run seems a little to short to really call a run. Morrison's run was decent. I loved Camelot Falls, but didn't really like the rest of Buseik's run. I loved The Return of Superman, but don't really care for the rest of that whole era.

I'll definitely include Millar's run if that's allowed.

[Kuwagaton]

I don't think Byrne should be controversial at all. Not only does he retain the second biggest impact of all time Superman comics after Siegel, he produced at a pace maybe only Kirby could match and aside from the weird sexual stuff, his run holds up pretty well. Just read the first Rampage comic yesterday. There's symmetry with his old pal Stern as he kicks off my second list:

6. John Byrne
Action 584-600
Adventures of Superman 436–442, 444
Superman 1-22, Annual 2
World of Krypton
The Earth Stealers

7. Dan Jurgens
Adventures of Superman 452–470, 472–478, 480
Superman 29, 57-146, 148, 150
Hunter/Prey
The Doomsday Wars

8. Martin Pasko
DC Comics Presents 1, 2
Superman 305-306, 310-335

9. Joe Casey
Adventures of Superman 587-590, 592-610, 612-623

10. Mark Schultz
Man of Steel 87-91, 93, 95-112, 114-120, 122-128, 130-132, 134

Those last two really sting because as good as they ended up, you can only imagine how good they could have been not as restrained to the general direction of the line at the time. Crossovers and altogether different stories jammed between their strong issues.