Triangle Era Appreciation Thread and Recommendations

[Kuwagaton]

I thought it was a very clever way of showing damage with little to no violent imagery. Kind of a neat indicator for showing the size of a threat.

The only things I have signed, after twenty years of collecting, is a Detective comic from Milligan and a Superman print from Bob McLeod... but I sent for those instead of sending them for signing. Never been to a con.

[Kuwagaton]

This scene to me was the epitome of the era. Though things after 1992 were different, the same great people were putting out the work, and it all just went to show a well defined character and setting. And the supporting cast. Jerry and Keith are casually mentioned because even they had such considerable arcs that affected other characters and Superman himself, through first and secondhand.

I love how Perry was an uncle to Clark of sorts, even going on a cruise with Ma and Pa. And for Clark to be there for Perry like this (as well as being Superman with no hesitation) while literally in the middle of two of the biggest problems he'd face is just great. "Get back to work" is a generally logical end to their conversation, but is really meaningful when you consider who Perry is and their relationship.

[Soubhagya]

I thought it was a very clever way of showing damage with little to no violent imagery. Kind of a neat indicator for showing the size of a threat.

The only things I have signed, after twenty years of collecting, is a Detective comic from Milligan and a Superman print from Bob McLeod... but I sent for those instead of sending them for signing. Never been to a con.

I love the torn cape too. It is a neat indicator of a ferocious fight. I love the animated movie 'Superman v The Elite'. I love its end fight. Very few times one gets to see Superman in full flow. And i loved that one time he did that. For a while it turned into a sci-fi horror film. Loved that movie.

The source material is good. But it felt a bit off to me. Especially Superman himself. One issue was less time to develop the story. But the film improved it in almost every way imo.

I will prefer the Byrne explanation of the suit. I was a fan of Goku. Somehow torn suits and dangerous fights appear synonymous to me. Though an indestructible suit has its charm too.

As a visual signifier the torn cape is really good. Its when the fight is something really serious.

[Embryonic Superman]

Just re-read Action #669, which was the reintroduction of the character of Thorn. Something that's often forgotten about in this era is that, post-Byrne, they really did take advantage of the seven years or so between Man of Steel #1 and Superman #1 to weave back in some Pre-Crisis history. Here, Superman vaguely references the character's appearances in Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane, even mentioning that she's now got a more appropriate costume for crime fighting. Another instance I can remember the team doing this was during the two-part domestic abuse storyline in 1992, when Clark calls back to him stopping the wife beater in Action Comics #1.

[Clark_Kent]

This is an appreciation thread, but it seems like there aren’t many of us who appreciate it lol I have an idea...

What are some of your favorite little moments from the Triangle Era? Not talking about story arcs per se (although you can name drop them if you want!), but talking more about favorite scenes. I’ll start with 2 (these are just 2 random moments I love):

1. In the penultimate chapter of “Day of the Krypton Man”, Kal-El, dressed in Kryptonian garb, is about to get rough with some hoodlums. Gangbuster (remember him?) intervenes & thouroughly chews him out. Kal just stares coldly, arms folded behind his back, and rises into the sky. He holds that pose as he drifts through Metropolis until he arrives at the Fortress. Like an addict needing a fix, he embraces the Eradicator. I’m not sure what it was that I liked about this scene so much, perhaps it was just the art, but it’s always stuck with me.

2. In ‘Funeral for a Friend’, there’s a scene in Bibbo’s bar after closing where he asks God why he took Superman but “let a bum like me” live. It’s a very powerful scene, and one that can make any Man of Steel cry.

How about you? What are more of your favorite scenes or moments?

[Kuwagaton]

Ugh. There are tons of scenes I reference and some I reference repetitively, but I'm the worst when it comes to picking Top items.


Superman #50. To most people, this looks like absolutely nothing whatsoever. BUT... it was actually the punchline to a gag through the titles where a cab ride anywhere in Metropolis was six fifty. This is a joke that went low key for at least a year and to me represents the consistency and subtlety found in a very long line of comics best known for huge, dramatic events and status quo changes. Outright action immortalized in Superman #75 and outright humor in Man of Steel #75, but it was really all about the character and his world. Huge payoffs abound for sticking with this guy.



Final Night #1. Superman is king of his "world." That doesn't mean he rules it, but serves it. As a result, it's inspired and compelled to serve him back. I just got the Final Night mini for my first read through, and I love how well it illustrates this point. When Superman is knocked down, Metropolis lifts up to keep him high. Being Superman isn't about one person, it's about one person serving many and because no man is an island, he doesn't have to be the only one even if there's only one of him. He's the champ and they rally around him when you try to take his belt.

As a bonus, here's a later Legion moment that was pretty sweet:

[manofsteel1979]

God I love this era....So many great memories.

[Clark_Kent]

Ugh. There are tons of scenes I reference and some I reference repetitively, but I'm the worst when it comes to picking Top items.


Superman #50. To most people, this looks like absolutely nothing whatsoever. BUT... it was actually the punchline to a gag through the titles where a cab ride anywhere in Metropolis was six fifty. This is a joke that went low key for at least a year and to me represents the consistency and subtlety found in a very long line of comics best known for huge, dramatic events and status quo changes. Outright action immortalized in Superman #75 and outright humor in Man of Steel #75, but it was really all about the character and his world. Huge payoffs abound for sticking with this guy.



Final Night #1. Superman is king of his "world." That doesn't mean he rules it, but serves it. As a result, it's inspired and compelled to serve him back. I just got the Final Night mini for my first read through, and I love how well it illustrates this point. When Superman is knocked down, Metropolis lifts up to keep him high. Being Superman isn't about one person, it's about one person serving many and because no man is an island, he doesn't have to be the only one even if there's only one of him. He's the champ and they rally around him when you try to take his belt.

As a bonus, here's a later Legion moment that was pretty sweet:

You know, I remember that panel where it’s now $7, and his reaction to it, but the setup of $6.50 is nowhere in my memory banks! That’s just amazing, and now I want to re-read everything just to catch that. Awesome!

[Kuwagaton]

My favorite thing is how moments in the lore connected, even if to be fair I'd have to say that some connections are possibly coincidences. But it's fun to think about.

I was reading Action #717, and just like in Action #664 Superman was stuck far away from home (space and time respectively). With no cape, a local ally, and plenty of stubble, Superman recounts a previous encounter with an alien race to think up his way out. It's a coincidental similarity since Michelinie was referencing his own story, but those two scenes five years apart show a consistent depiction of the character in his adventures.

[GMiller]

Just started a re-read of my Superman "Triangle Era" books....I have such a fondness for this era....Great stuff!!

[SJNeal]

2. In ‘Funeral for a Friend’, there’s a scene in Bibbo’s bar after closing where he asks God why he took Superman but “let a bum like me” live. It’s a very powerful scene, and one that can make any Man of Steel cry.

How about you? What are more of your favorite scenes or moments?

"Funeral for a Friend" is chock full of great character moments! A lot of my favorites are in Justice League America #70 and Superman #76.

I'd have to dig out the issues for specifics, but I know they're in there...

[Kuwagaton]

I actually bought the death and return omnibus to fill in the big gaps of my original collection. Never read much funeral for a friend, but hopefully I get through that soon. The anniversary is almost here!

I love the mailbag stuff, that Superman reads tons of letters sent to him.

[Truman Burbank]

I actually bought the death and return omnibus to fill in the big gaps of my original collection. Never read much funeral for a friend, but hopefully I get through that soon. The anniversary is almost here!

I love the mailbag stuff, that Superman reads tons of letters sent to him.

Funeral for a Friend is one of my favorite Superman stories, and it's crack for Triangle-era fans. It's the culmination of all the work that had been done to build up the world around Superman since 1986. It is just fantastic character work with the supporting cast, from Lois down to Keith the Orphan.

[JAK]

Agreed with what everyone is saying!

As mentioned, the payoffs of threads from years prior just made reading and knowing the history a joy. Even if it wasn't initially the plan, the teams did such a good job mining past threads for future ideas that it really made it seem like that was the plan all along. That's how you know it's made by people who actually care about what's happening.

Also, speaking of Metropolis Mailbag, Superman #64 is quite possibly my favorite Superman comic... EVER. Joy, sorrow, power, weakness.. and heart. Gets me every time.

[Kuwagaton]

So since a number of people have mentioned moving to Exile, I was wondering if anyone came to the end of the Byrne era through the MoS vol. 9 trade? As a product I find it pretty great. Byrne ended pretty strong with the Psi-phon/Dreadnaught story that brought in the other heavy hitter heroes (Aquaman is the best, rofl) to a decent crossover with the budding Doom Patrol and the infamous Supergirl Saga. That story is an excellent follow up to his earlier pocket universe crossover, and the page format used for those three issues do a fantastic job of selling things like, say, Adventures #444 being almost entirely just an info dump. To this day, though, I have a minor quibble with spoilers:

Alt Lex not using the Kryptonite when he could have. Really?

end of spoilers

The gems to me come from rather perfect placement of Adventures #443 and Superman Annual #2. The former is pretty impressive for a filler story done by a guy who was only just starting a great Superman run in Ordway. Already a huge artist by then, his writing was almost as good as it would be. I for one thing love the fact that we actually get to read Clark's article instead of the space being filled with random type. That would be a thing in a number of comics going forward. Statema had a nice, old school print feel to his art helped by an unsung hero in Hazlewood.

The annual at the end, instead of in between the Doom Patrol crossover as it had originally come out, was great. "Dawn comes to Metropolis, heralding a new day of promise, of challenge... and of danger!" Such a good statement following Byrne into the basic form of the Triangle era. Jurgens wasn't far off by that point either. I also love the actual intro with Guardian and the fact that immediately, all of those amazing Kirby ideas had been ushered into the series. As was pointed out in the '86-'99 blog (I've been following that blog side by side for years now) it deftly tied into the regular use of those concepts as well as hinting at the connection to Kryptonian history and a major plot twist for Lex that was in its beginning stage.

Fun fact: Stern (between this and Power Within with Swan, he was off to an amazing start) and Byrne write and partially draw this annual. They famously did a great Captain America run together. Here we had the Guardian, who's yet another Simon/Kirby shield slinging character!

Frenz was just the perfect choice, too. While I enjoyed his regular run in the '90s, I think his work looked best back then with traditional comic coloring.