'The Death of Superman' stretched through all four of these, as well as Justice League of America (where Superman was a central character) and Green Lantern (one of the first subsequent titles to chase the 'Death of Superman' hype for itself). This means that, for the first time, readers, retailers, and even a publisher were faced with what was purported to be the true, real death of a character of Superman's popularity in mainstream continuity, where it 'counted.'Īt the time of the story, Superman had four separate ongoing titles - Action Comics, Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, and The Adventures of Superman (a model that would later be copied by Marvel for Spider-Man, eventually leading to the idea of weekly series at both publishers, such as in the current 'Spider-Man Beyond' era). Though the idea of Superman dying wasn't brand new in 1992, it was a fresh concept for the era of more interconnected mainstream superhero comics with bigger ongoing arcs, which rarely veer into what DC once called "Imaginary Stories" that don't factor into the continued narrative of a character. The Death of SupermanĪrt from The Death of Superman (Image credit: DC) Still, Newsarama's most-read and far-reaching articles over the past few years show that, whatever fans may think of the concept, the idea of superheroes like the aforementioned Justice League or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dying remains a tried and true way to attract widespread attention and can move units like little else in the comic book industry.īut it all comes back to the 'Death of Superman' and its subsequent ' Funeral for a Friend' and ' Reign of the Supermen' arcs - the collective three-part story that codified the place occupied by superhero death and resurrection in both storytelling and comic book marketing to this day, for fans, publishers, and retailers alike. Readers today can get salty over the fact superheroes dying and returning soon after have become commonplace and a tool to boost sales, fully embracing (and some would say chasing) the industry highs that arrived on the back of the 'Death of Superman'. This flipped the comic industry on its head, and along with Todd McFarlane's 1990 relaunch of Spider-Man and then the subsequent 1991 X-Men relaunch by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, 1992's 'Death of Superman' sent the comic book market into a speculation boom with sales numbers that were (and still are) nearly unheard of - all on the back of the death of one of the most popular characters in fiction. Cover to The Adventures of Superman #505 (Image credit: DC)
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