THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN TRILOGY Book Review
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Published: February 27, 2006
ABSTRACT – Dan Jurgens & Jerry Ordway. THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN TRILOGY, THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN / WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN / THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN (1993). DC Comics Titan Books. One of the most hyped up and pre-publicised comic book events ever was the proposed Death of the mighty Superman himself. Few real fans of the most Iconic hero in American comic book folklore believed that he would ever stay dead, and in fact, the sequels leading to his return were already in preparation. It was not the first time a hero would die and return from the grave, but with Superman already seen by many as Godlike and near indestructible (kryptonite near death giving him Christ-like suffering), his ability to recover from death proves to be the final icing on the cake regarding his divinity. The death story is almost simplistic. A creature/machine called all too appropriately, Doomsday, goes on a deranged rampage of destruction. Superman does his job and fights a creature of Hulk (Marvel comics) like strength. For a time it literally fights Superman with one arm tied behind its back, and they literally kill each other. That’s about it really. World Without A Superman is about the aftermath, for a grieving Metropolis. Batman and other Justice League Of America heroes who have worked with Superman carry his coffin. Evildoers think they can no longer be stopped. Clark Kent has allegedly vanished in a fit of depression. Lois Lane is understandably inconsolable. It is a beautiful poignant look at how a society dependent on such a saviour might react to his death, but even as the story ends there is an indication of the inevitable return. In the return story we don’t get just one Superman but several. A machine version of him is generated. A Superboy comes back, and one ordinary man dons a Superman suit to do what he can alone to fight crime, and the real deal hero himself is sent back from Heaven to put the World to rights, taking on mainly the Cyberpunk Cyborg version of himself, in a truly epic scale battle that shows just who the real Superman is. It’s a worthy conclusion to what has been a terrific story arc. For once, the hype was justified. http://www.dccomics.com/