Credits:
Written by Dan
Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern
Pencils by Jon
Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Jackson Guice and Dan Jurgens
Inks by Brett
Breeding, Rick Burchett, Doug Hazlewood, Dennis Janke, Denis Rodier
Lettering by John
Costanza, Albert DeGuzman, Bill Oakley and Willie Schubert
Colors by Gene
D’Angelo and Glenn Whitmore
Cover by Jon
Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
It happened five
years ago, now, in a story that rolled out so forcefully the readers barely
knew what was happening before it was over. When Superman died, it happened fast.
The trade paperback
THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN reprints (for a nice $4.95) the issues of Superman,
Superman: Man of Steel, Adventures of Superman and JLA that chronicled the
devastating onslaught of Doomsday, the mysterious powerhouse who only Superman
could beat.
Doomsday might not
even be the name of the creature who fights his way out of a holding cell deep
within the earth. There are hints that he might be a genetically altered alien,
or a madman held long ago in prison. We never learn. He’s big, and he’s
bloodlust personified.
The moment he
emerges, Doomsday starts killing and pummeling his way across the country. He trashes
a giant retail outlet and chances to see a commercial that leads him towards
Metropolis, lurching forward while various lesser heroes try to block him. The JLA
is crushed. Superman goes after Doomsday, and can’t seem to stop him.
This story, ultimately,
is a long slugfest. Superman realizes that only he might- - might- - have the
physical strength to stop Doomsday, and in the end it comes down to that: no
clever tricks, no desperate ruse will put the monster down.
This is a different
Superman from the one seen in more intellectual stories like SUPERMAN: PEACE ON
EARTH, or even DARK KNIGHT, which portrayed Superman as a god on Earth. Here,
he is a loyal protector, and despite his mental faculties, ultimately a bodyguard.
In the end, as
casualties mount across city and town, only doggedly grim, soldier-like
determination allows this Superman to carry on. And you know how it has to end.
If you missed this match
when it came out, this is the best way to catch it.