Henry Cavill will be once again donning the red and blue tights in the pseudo-sequel to Warner Bros’ Man of SteelBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But Superman has a long history in the world of the comics, and is considered by many to be the “first superhero”, paving a way for others to hit the comic book scene and create the movie landscape we see today. Clark Kent has changed over the years, morphing with the times yet maintaining timeless attributes about the character we’ve all grown to love. Superman himself is a tricky character to get right, in so much as his altruism and god-like abilities make it difficult to create worthwhile challenges to throw in his path. However, when creators are able to get Superman right, they can knock it out of the park by giving us a character that is an inspiration and a shining beacon that characters within the comic book universe can aspire to.

So prior to the next cinematic Superman outing, we thought we’d share with you a list of Superman comics you should read to give you an insight into the character and what makes him tick.

What’s So Funny 'bout Truth, Justice, and the American Way?

Originally taking place in Action Comics #775, with creators Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke at the helm, “What’s So Funny 'bout Truth, Justice, and the American Way” finds Superman presented with the threat of “the Elite”. A team of super powered individuals who boast about killing their enemies, the Elite represented the newer wave of heroes and anti-heroes who created a stark contrast to the “boy scout” methods of Superman and some of the other heroes of yesteryear. The team, while physically powerful, presented Clark Kent with a threat in the form of public perception when most of the population rallied behind their methods of putting down super villains permanently. At one point during the story, Superman flies over the Earth to see citizens discussing the merits of the Elite, and even witnessing school children arguing who had to be Superman in a faux-battle, stating “how can I win if I’m not allowed to kill?” The story has Clark wrestle with the moral implications of crossing the line, receiving input from his parents along with Lois Lane, and then confronting the Elite to put an end to their methods.

The Elite have the brawl televised across the globe with Superman, trying to show the world that their killer instinct is the best way to deal with threats to the world. During the fight, Superman seemingly kills all the members of the Elite and shuts off their leader’s, Manchester Black, abilities by using his heat vision to mess with his brain. Waiting for death, Black pleads for his life only for Clark to reveal that he hadn’t killed anyone at all, simply fooling everyone into thinking he had to reinforce the idea that hate and vengeance are easy, but redemption and restraint are difficult. This story perfectly encapsulates what Superman is about, the tough decisions that a hero has to make to do what is right for the world and not relying on the easy way out.

Red Son

Written by the creator of Marvel’s Civil War and Kick-Ass, Mark Millar presented us with the idea of what would have happened had Superman’s ship hurtling toward Earth hadn’t landed in Kansas, but rather in the U.S.S.R. Rather than going the easy route of making Superman a straight up villain pitted against the ideals of the United States, the story presents a Superman who is still altruistic, only first and foremost doing what he can for his people, and allowing the rest of the world to develop outside of the bubble he created. Red Son offered interesting takes on all the DC characters, with a Soviet Batman, a Lex Luthor who led the people of the United States against Superman, and a Green Lantern who was originally a P.O.W.

There have been plenty of “What If” stories when it comes to Superman’s origin, but Red Son took on the herculean task of dissecting Supes as a character and seeing how much would remain if his environment was vastly different around him. In trying to do what he felt was right for his people in the Soviet Union, and the world, he misses the point entirely and is eventually beaten by the idea of having gone too far in trying to create a “perfect world” which was far from it. Superman as a despot is an interesting concept, and examining just how frightening the idea of a man with so much power at his disposal is not only sells Red Son, but also the conflict between Batman and Superman in the upcoming Dawn of Justice.

Birthright

Arguably, Superman’s early years of development are the most interesting, as it allows us to see how Clark Kent develops from small town farm boy into the moral juggernaut he becomes moving forward. Birthright, from creators Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu, does a fantastic job of showing us Clark Kent after he’s left the Kent farm to discover himself through traveling the world. We’re dropped into a time when Clark has already mastered his powers, traveling as a journalist, and accepting a position at the Daily Planet as a reporter. This origin story helps to bring us a modern retelling of Superman’s beginnings, and more importantly, the public perception of this alien flying through their city and how his mere presence affects those around him. It also gives us a fantastic look into the relationship between Clark and Lex Luthor, tying their childhoods together, and showing us that despite Clark’s diligence in attempting to preserve their friendship, it was always doomed to fail and Luthor was always going to be on the path of megalomaniac.

Birthright has striking visuals and does an amazing job at presenting a character who is more human than all of us, but also more alien than we can begin to imagine. Luthor’s plan of creating an invading Kryptonian army brandishing Superman’s symbol is ingenious, and it’s another threat that isn’t just a physical one to Clark, but one he has to overcome using his brain and his heart, relying on his own trust with the people of Metropolis. Superman can have all the powers in the world, but other characters’ perception of him and their strive toward living up to his actions are what separates Superman from the rest of the superhero race.

American Alien

Written by Chronicle author, Max Landis, American Alien does something similar to Birthright in exploring Clark Kent’s origin, but drops us into different time periods of Superman’s life with each issue. Starting from the very beginning as Clark grapples with his alien DNA while also discovering the joy in his powers, Landis is able to greatly humanize Superman in these pages and also manages to effortlessly weave in the rest of the DC Comics universe in interesting and timeless ways. The first two issues of the story follow Clark as he lives in Smallville and is confronted with his internal struggle, but also the threats of the outside world as he is confronted by murderers within the sleepy town’s borders. It’s heavy material that we haven’t seen Superman presented with that often, and his inexperience is fascinating as he handles the killers in spectacular, yet terrifying, fashion.

Later, Clark begins traveling the world, finding himself at sea and landing on the yacht of none other than Bruce Wayne, who is absent training to one day become the Batman. It’s a light hearted romp of Kent coming to grips with the differences in social standings, wealth, and propriety while also becoming enraptured with a young archaeologist who, in a clever twist, will one day become the Wonder Woman supervillain called Cheetah. Landis’ dialogue is sharp and intense, allowing the readers to look at timeless characters in an entirely new light. With the most recent issue, Clark interviews both Oliver Queen and Lex Luthor, gaining completely different insights into both of their characters, and while the discussions are uneventful in terms of the overall story, you can see how each of them helps to further develop Clark’s character moving forward. Not just another origin story, American Alien flips the script and is able to still give us some fantastic surprises along the way.

All Star Superman

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Image via DC Comics

This is hand’s down my favorite Superman story, and to be honest, I doubt anything will dethrone it. All Star Superman, from comic book juggernauts Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly, shows us a Superman with only a short time left to live. After saving a crew of scientists from a mission to explore the sun gone horribly wrong, Clark Kent finds himself dying of solar radiation poisoning. Realizing that he’s done for, Superman creates a list of things he must do before he dies, including telling Lois Lane his secret, spending more time with Jimmy Olsen, and attempting to rehabilitate Lex Luthor. All Star Superman takes the best from the character and put it on display for readers, including his heart, his soul, and the wacky, giant events that were linked to the Silver Age of comics.

Morrison creates a Superman here that is larger than life, and is able to take all the core attributes of the character and seamlessly create an epic story that brings all of them together. From traveling back in time to spend a few days with his departed Pa to attempting a mad dash from the upside down plane of Bizarro world, there isn’t one issue that won’t find a way to tug at your heartstrings. If you want the perfect example of what Superman is all about, All Star Superman is essential.

For more from our Superman Week, click on the links below: