Superman Comics Index (from 1986)


Regular Titles

In 1987, the new Superman storyline began in 3 comicbooks: Superman and Action Comics, and a new title Adventures of Superman.


1987

  • Notable Issue: Legends #1 (November 1986)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Darkseid sends Glorious Godfrey to Earth as - Part a plan to turn the public against their heroes and allow Darkseid to dominate Earth. Captain Marvel is led to believe he killed an enemy by his magic bolt and vows to end his career.

  • Notable Issue: Legends #2 (December 1986)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Darkseid plan appears to be succeeding as the public begins to turn on super-heroes. Robin is badly beaten & Blue Beetle is chased by the police. Superman is informed by the President he is temporarily banning costumed hero activity for safety reasons. New Suicide Squad being formed.

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The World of Krypton reprints: THE MAN OF STEEL #1, THE WORLD OF KRYPTON #1-4, and stories from SUPERMAN #233, 236, 238, 240, 248, 257, 266, 367, 375 and SUPERMAN FAMILY #182]

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1 reprints 1986's 6-issue "The Man of Steel" miniseries by John Byrne.]

  • Superman #1 (Jan)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Terry Austin
    First John Byrne issue
    First Metallo; 3 months after discovering his rocketship was stolen, Superman finds an abandoned lab with a body; Superman moves the lab into space; when joining Lois for a jog they witness a bank robbery; Superman finds the robber is a cyborg called Metallo with as a heart something called kryptonite that causes Superman pain and weakness; as Metallo is about to kill Superman, something abducts Metallo; Superman tells Lois he is an alien from Krypton.

  • Adventures of Superman #424 (Jan)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Mike Machlan
    First Jerry Ordway issue
    Lois, Lucy, Sam Lane are with Elinore Lane in the hospital; Clark bumps into Cat Grant, a new gossip columnist for the Daily Planet; Cat and Clark watch Emil demonstrate a defense system; Superman faces the terrorist Freedom League; Luthor tells Lois he can provide a monthly serum to keep her mother alive.

  • Action Comics #584 (Jan)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    First Byrne issue
    Guests New Teen Titans; Cyborg fails to stop Superman who has gone amok, summons Changeling, Wonder Girl; Jericho controls Superman and the Titans find a scientist David Gundersen has used a mind transfer device to get Superman's body; Luthor decides to investigate the connection between Clark and Superman.

  • Notable Issue: Legends #3 (January)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    The Suicide Squad destroys Brimstone, but looses one of the own. The Prseident publically prohibits super hero activity, but some of the heroes show resistance. The Phantom Stranger reveals the weakness in Darkseid's plan is children's faith.

  • Superman #2 (Feb)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Terry Austin
    Luthor has Amanda McCoy investigating, takes the kryptonite from Metallo - who is being examined by Dr. Happersen; Hitmen for Luthor steal Ma Kent's Scrapbook, kidnap Lana; Luthor talks with Dr. Kelley about Lana; Lana escapes to Clark's apartment who flies her back to Smallville; Superman confronts Luthor who admits having Lana kidnapped and shows his kryptonite signet ring; when Dr. McCoy's computers say Clark is Superman, Luthor says Superman obviously would not act like a normal human and fires her.

  • Adventures of Superman #425 (Feb)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Luthor takes Emil's patents on his defense weapon; a demonstration to Compucon of Emil's system is sabotaged; Emil uses his defense grid to help Superman stop an attack by the Freedom League; ignored Emil kidnaps a woman and has Superman run a gauntlet of weapons to save her and arrest him.

  • Action Comics #585 (Feb)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    Superman stops Arathaza (Barb Kowaleski) who can drain life energy; from her staff drops the Sherabite Stone which evil souls cause to create a mountainous monster that Superman and the Phantom Stranger stop and Superman destroys the shard; First Arathaza.

  • Notable Issue: Legends #4 (February)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Chaos results as some heroes heed the Presidential ban and crime goes rampant, while those that ignore the ban find themselves the target of the police. Darkseid plans on bringing Superman to Apokolips to destroy him and Godfrey unleashes the warhounds and targets the US government itself.

  • Superman #3 (Mar)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Terry Austin
    Legends Tie-in: Chapter 17
    Lois interviews G. Gordon Godfrey in Metropolis' Grande Hotel; Darkseid's omega beams searching for Superman transport Clark to Apokolips, where Phantom Stranger is observing; Darkseid flings Clark out of his tower; in Armaghetto Superman walks in disguise until he tries saving a woman from being executed and has to fight a Pacifier controlled by a Glommer who flings itself and Superman into a fire-pit as Darkseid watches.

  • Adventures of Superman #426 (Mar)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Legends Tie-in: Chapter 18
    Graggin, a 'Hunger Dog' fishes an unconscious Superman from the fire-pit; Amazing Grace (Godfrey's brother) pretending to be a resistance leader tells the Hunger Dogs Superman is their savior against Darkseid who sends Para-Demons against them; Darkseid and Amazing Grace use Superman again to make the Hunger Dogs attempt to overthrow Darkseid; after stopping them with Para-Demons, Darkseid thinks they will not revolt again; consulting the Source, Highfather goes to Orion and Lightray.

  • Action Comics #586 (Mar)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    Legends Tie-in: Chapter 19
    Suffering with amnesia, Superman is told he is Darkseid's son and being trained by Granny Goodness as Savior; Lightray resists Amazing Grace while Orion uses Mother Box to restore Superman; Superman attacks Darkseid who sends him back to Earth.

  • Notable Issue: Legends #5 (March)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Captain Marvel learns the truth that he was not responsible for Macro-Man's death. Dr. Fate rallies an group of heroes for a confrontation with Godfrey and his mob in Washington DC as they march on the government. Darkseid senses victory.

  • Superman #4 (Apr)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    First Bloodsport; while Jimmy talks with Lucy lane, Bloodsport (Robert DuBois) attacks; Jimmy gets Superman to Dr. Sanchez when Bloodsport fires kryptonite bullets supplied by Luthor; Luthor decides to send a battlesuited force to stop Bloodsport from causing more civilian injuries; Jimmy finds Bloodsport's brother Michael who gets Robert to stop.

  • Adventures of Superman #427 (Apr)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Superman goes to the country of Qurac to talk with President Marlo about the Freedom League attacks, when he is mentally attacked by Prana of the Circle; Prana probes Superman several times before Superman's resisting kills Prana; First Circle.

  • Action Comics #587 (Apr)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    Demon sends Superman back to the year 1116 to work with Jason Blood in finding an artifact that is transforming people in Gotham City into a crystal towers; Superman learns Blood is the demon Etrigan and they fight Morgaine Le Fey and prevent her spell to create a citadel in the future - with the spell prevented, the events causing the Demon to send Superman into the past do not happen...

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 2 reprints Superman #1-3, Action Comics #585-587, Adventures of Superman #424-426]

  • Notable Issue: Legends #6 (April)
    John Ostrander & Len Wein, John Byrne, Karl Kesel & Dennis Janke
    As the heroes face off against Godfrey's mob, Darkseid's parademons attack. Godfrey is finally stopped, when the children express their support for the heroes and the adults are snapped out of the spell after Godfrey slaps a child. Darkseid's forces are defeated and the President rescinds his order.

  • Superman #5 (May)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Clark dreams of Wonder Woman after having met her during Legends; Superman flies to Costa Del Marco to find Lois who is with a Dr. Estevez at an architectural dig and finding her transmissions jammed; they find a buried pyramid at least 600,000 years old which contains a mummy 'creature' (Host) with laser blasts.

  • Adventures of Superman #428 (May)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    First Jerry White, Jose Delgado, Bibbo; Superman disarms the Quraci air force and navy; mobster Jay Falk has Jerry White kidnapped to blackmail Perry before Falk's trial begins; Bibbo helps Superman find Jerry; Jerry argues with Perry and Alice White.

  • Notable Issue: Hawkman #10 (May)
    Barbara Randall & Dan Mishkin, Richard Howell, Carlos Garzon
    The Hawks have been secretly battleing a Thanagarian plot to invade Earth. Upon discovering the invaders intend to laugh a fullscale nuclear strile against the world's capitals in 24 hours they call on Superman's assistance.

  • Action Comics #588 (May)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    "All Wars Must End" Part 2 of Hawkman Shadow War, continued from Hawkman #10; Hawkman (Katar Hol) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal) in Midway City summon Superman and show him the captured Ved and say they need Superman to help stop a Thanagarian invasion fleet; in orbit they show him Byth as another prisoner; Ved has Byth attack Hawkwoman; the Hawks use the 'Overlord Effect' to send all the Thanagarian invasion fleet a billion light-years away; continued in Hawkman #11 about the Hawks and Action Comics #589 about Superman's fate.

  • Superman #6 (June)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Superman recovers from the 'mummy' creature finding Lois controlled by A'X'Iar and Estevez by E'V'En; They are from the city-state of A'R'Ven, home of the H'Y'Ler'N; 500 became living minds in the Host - an indestructible robot - to escape a plague; the 500 plan to take over new bodies and use Host to rule the world but are defeated by Superman.

  • Adventures of Superman #429 (June)
    Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    First Adam Morgan; Cat has a date with Clark and tells him about Joseph Morgan and their son Adam; when Superman finds Joe Morgan to ask him to allow Cat to see Adam, Concussion (Sthula) of the Circle attacks Superman.

  • Action Comics #589 (June)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    400,000 light-years from Earth, Superman is rescued by Arisia of the Green Lantern Corps who was looking for a new homeworld for some Theril soilworms; Arisia, Katma Tui, Hal Jordan and Salakk take Superman home and help stop mutant bacteria growing on the mound of soil Superman had placed in space after working with the Phantom Stranger; the Corps actions change the soil and bacteria into a planetoid suitable for the Theril.

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 3 reprints Superman #4-6, Action Comics #587-589, The Adventures of Superman #427-429]

  • Superman #7 (July)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    First Rampage, Turpin; After Dr. Toby Moyers complains to Dr. Kitty Faulkner about an energy experiment using a bio-energy actualizer being shown to Lois, an accident occurs; Clark phones a Boston editor about contacting Wonder Woman, hears the accident; at the accident site Superman encounters a rampagaing female, Dr. Moyers says is Lois; when Superman resumes fighting, Moyers finds Lois okay; Maggie, SCU, Turpin join in stopping Rampage; Superman absorbs Rampage's bio-energy then flies off to a thunderstorm to discharge it; 3 days later Clark visits Lois and Dr. Faulkner who is in hospital.

  • Adventures of Superman #430 (July)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Fearsome Five (Charger, Shimmer, Deuce, Mammoth, Gizmo) hassle Superman with their theft attempts, making Clark miss the Kents' 49th wedding anniversary; Pa talks with Clark and helps reassure him about trying to be Clark and Superman.

  • Action Comics #590 (July)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Dick Giordano
    Metal Men, post-Crisis Chemo; Clark falls in a chemical vat with the remains of pre-Crisis Chemo which use his skin cells to create a new Superman styled Chemo; Dr. Magnus argues with Platinum (Tina) and Tin; Superman and the Metal Men rescue Tina from the chemical kryptonian Chemo; after Tin is broken when they stop Chemo, Dr. Magnus refuses to help and is preoccupied with another experiment on 'sub-level nine'.

  • Notable Issue: Legion of Super-Heroes #37 (August)
    Paul Levitz, Greg LaRocque, Mike DeCarlo & Arne Starr
    The Legion is locked in a battle with the Time Trapper that may destroy the entire universe. As some go to confront him at his citadel at the end of time, they are caught in a time storm and find themselves in a Smallville that is home to their old friend Superboy, who should not exist after the Crisis. Superboy attacks them, but four escape into the future with Superboy in pursuit.

  • Superman #8 (Aug)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    "Future Shock", part 2 of a crossover adventure with the Legion of Superheroes involving Superboy, the Time Trapper, and the pocket universe. Part 1 is in Legion of Superheroes #37.
    Following discharging Rampage's bio-energy Clark visits Smallville to be with Lana and the Kents; Superman spots people at the abandoned Simonson quarry and when he approaches his heat vision attacks four Legionnaires (Sun Boy, Brainiac Five, Blok, Invisible Kid) who call him Superboy from the 30th century; Superman remembers the Earth-Prime Superboy who went off into limbo; Brainiac stops their fighting and explains to Superman who they are: Brainiac repeats how the Legion originally found Superboy (adapted from Adventure Comics #247 (Apr. 1958), how Superboy joined and helped the Legion, how recently Cosmic Boy went to the 20th century and found no mention of a Superboy (after "Crisis"), then how the Legion trying to check on the Time Trapper's possible involvement found a post "Crisis" Smallville with a young Clark Kent and Ma and Pa Kent again, but the four Legionnaires were warned by Pete Ross to escape, and when they were escaping with a Time Bubble Superboy fired a stasis ray on them; Superboy appears again firing a stasis ray on Superman and the four Legionnaires.
    Remembrance of former Superman assistant editor E. Nelson Bridwell by Dick Giordano.

  • Adventures of Superman #431 (Aug)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    First Stratos; Dr. Constantine Stratos uses a satellite sending particle beams to control the weather worldwide; Cat tries being friends with Lois, mentions she will be fighting for custody of Adam; Superman sees Stratos apparently killed by a particle beam, but Stratos survives.

  • Action Comics #591 (Aug)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, John Byrne & Keith Williams
    "Past Imperfect", part 3 of the Legion crossover story. Part 4 concludes in Legion of Superheroes #38.
    Superboy is going to take the four Legionnaires back, and leave Superman behind; Superman catches Superboy, just before Superboy breaks the speed of light to time travel; in the other Smallville, Pete Ross sees Superman crash; Krypto in space senses danger; Time Trapper reflects how he spotted the Legion, saw Earth history showed no Superboy, created a "pocket universe" with an alternate Krypton and Earth with a Superboy, diverted the Legion's Time Bubble to the alternate Smallville each time the Legion went back in time to find Superboy; Pete takes Superman to the Kents home in the town, and Superboy appears; Superboy, joined by Krypto, attacks the weaker Superman; Krypto exposes himself to Gold Kryptonite to get Pa Kent to use the collection of Kryptonites on Superman, but they have no effect; Superboy and the Legion return Superman to Metropolis 1987 and then head after the Time Trapper.

  • Notable Issue: Legion of Super-Heroes #38 (September)
    Paul Levitz, Greg LaRocque, Mike DeCarlo & Arne Starr
    Superboy and the Legion battle the Time Trapper and the cosmic storm that threatens to destroy the pocket universe. The Trapper escapes and Superboy must insert himself into the Trapper's machine to save the pocket universe. Superboy returns the Legion to its proper time, but dies in the process. Unable to return Superboy to his world, he is laid to rest in the Legion's time.

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 4 reprints Superman #7-8, Action Comics #590-591, The Adventures of Superman #430-431, Legion of Super-Heroes #37-38]

  • Superman #9 (Sept)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    First encounter with Joker; Clark receives in the mail at the Daily Planet a scrapbook (Ma Kent's, but Clark is unaware); at a jewelry store theft, Superman finds a robot duplicate with a 40 megaton nuclear bomb; in Smallville Lana gets zapped by a device; Superman catches Joker who has kidnapped Lois, Jimmy, Perry; First Stryker's Island, Toby Raynes.
    Second story "Metropolis 900 Miles", Luthor taunts a roadside diner waitress with $1 million.

  • Adventures of Superman #432 (Sept)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Gangwar, part 1 - Superman saves Lois in a fire; Jerry White introduces Superman, Henderson Lois, Jimmy to his guidance counselor Jose Delgado; Luthor publicly announces a fund to help stop street gangs, but is actually having gang members recruited; Superman finds Jerry working with a gang; Lois has dinner with Jose, then follows him to a warehouse where Jose is attacked by gangs; Superman saves Lois and Jose, arrests the gang members.
    Remembering Superman artist Wayne Boring.

  • Action Comics #592 (Sept)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, John Byrne
    exiled on Earth for years by Darkseid, Sleez uses Big Barda's Mega-Rod against her when a cutpurse steals her purse holding it; investigating radiation helping prolong life in people from Suicide Slum, Superman finds Sleez and meets Big Barda; Big Barda attacks Superman when he stops her from attacking Sleez, thinking him a pawn of Sleez; Sleez captures both; First Sleez.

  • Superman #10 (Oct)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    Clark at the Daily Planet finds his x-ray vision and then heat vision uncontrolled, and as Superman his super-hearing while Klaash attacks; Maggie Sawyer learns from Jim Sawyer that Jamie is missing; in space Superman figures that his powers are being affected by a Lexcorp satellite and captures the Klaash robot; Maggie threatens Luthor who decides he'll squash her too.

  • Adventures of Superman #433 (Oct)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Gangwar, part 2 - Jimmy allows Jerry to escape after a robbery, phones Lucy Lane; Clark has dinner with Lois, Lucy, Elinore and Sam Lane - Lois finds Jerry with Jose; Perry visits Jerry in prison; when Jose accuses Luthor of being involved with the gangs, Superman saves Jose; Luthor is briefed on Project Synapse.

  • Action Comics #593 (Oct)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, John Byrne & Keith Williams
    Darkseid tells Oberon and Mister Miracle (Scott Free) where Big Barda is; Mister Miracle finds Superman and Big Barda being forced to do a sex video by Sleez; Superman sees Sleez apparently blow himself up in the sewers, but Clark finds the elderly patients still alive sustained by life energy from Sleez when he feeds off emotions.

  • Superman #11 (Nov)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    First Mr. Mxyzptlk; a dashing Ben DeRoy takes Lois for lunch; Jimmy uses his signal watch after being told of flying sheets at a White Sale; DeRoy has Lois agree to marry him, but then decides to have her trade places with a mannequin; Superman finds DeRoy who changes shape and says he is from the 5th dimension and decides his name is Mxyzptlk; Lois decides to make a dinner for Clark but finds Cat at Clark's apartment.

  • Adventures of Superman #434 (Nov)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Gangwar, part 3; First Gangbuster; Alice and Perry pick up Jerry out on bail; Perry decides to take a few days off, assigns Clark to investigate organized crime while Lois investigates gangs; Superman looks for Jose after Delgado as Ganguster attacks a Lexcorp facility and finds Max Carter is involved with gang activity; Superman, Ganguster, Jerry help get Jay Falk arrested for helping a gang army; Superman has Jimmy hack into Luthor's computers to leave a message.

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 5 reprints Superman #9-11, Action Comics #592-593, The Adventures of Superman #432-435]

  • Action Comics #594 (Nov)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, John Byrne & Keith Williams
    Superman in Gotham summons Batman and Robin and asks Batman to investigate the scrapbook; in Metropolis Booster Gold says Superman must be stopped for attacking Qurac, kidnaps the mayor's daughter to get Superman; Superman fights Booster Gold, when another Booster Gold appears; continued in Booster Gold #23.

  • Notable Issue: Booster Gold #23 (December)
    Dan Jurgens, Dan Jurgens, Roy Richard
    Booster Gold discovers his duplicate is an android powered by Kryptonite and destroys it. As he and Superman deduce that Luthor is behind the copy, Attack Dog One attacks Superman. He is quickly defeated away from the public, foiling Luthor's plot to frame Booster in the attacks. Luthor vows to destroy Gold as well as Superman.

  • Superman #12 (Dec)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, Karl Kesel
    First Lori Lemaris, Ronal; Ronal summons Superman to tell a whale poet the story of how Clark met Atlantean Lori at University of Metropolis, how he took her to Tritonis after being helped by Aquaman, how she grew to love Ronal; the Kents are zapped by someone.

  • Adventures of Superman #435 (Dec)
    Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway
    Charger frees Concussion from prison; Clark experiences another dream from the Circle; the Circle decides not to take revenge on Superman, but to have him help them leave Earth; at the Jurgens Building the Circle make Superman hallucinate about a Super Horse, Super Monkey, Super Dog, Wonder Women, Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion, Kryptonite Man, to confirm Superman is not one of the First Born before asking Superman to help; Cat will be leaving for custody trial in New York.

  • Action Comics #595 (Dec)
    John Byrne, John Byrne, John Byrne & Keith Williams
    First Silver Banshee; Maggie talks with FBI inspector Ben Friendly about Jamie; Silver Banshee attacks SCU and apparently kills Superman; reactions from Lois, Perry, Black Canary, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Luthor; Lois and Maggie see Superman's ghost rise from his body; at a bookstore Jimmy sees Superman's ghost fight Silver Banshee; Superman explains to Jimmy that he was left in a coma after being attacked by the Banshee until the Martian Manhunter as his ghost revived him - Jimmy says the bookstores searched by the Banshee all received books from Castle Broen in Ireland; Lana is ready to help the Manhunters.

    [Trade Paperback Collection: Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 6 reprints Superman #12, Superman Annual #1, Action Comics #594-595, Action Comics Annual #1, Adventures of Superman Annual #1, and Booster Gold #23]

  • Notable Issue: Superman Meets The Quik Bunny (Dec)
    Mike Carlin, Carmine Infantino, Dick Giordano
    This promotional giveaway teams the Man of Steel with the Bunny of Quik-- and a group of resourceful kids who enjoy Nestle products.

Superman Comics Index (1986-2011)

Introduction

Here is a listing of the regular Superman titles since the John Byrne 1986 mini-series Man of Steel up until the post-Flashpoint relaunch in 2011. For accuracy almost every entry is based upon actually looking in the issue, and not memory or another source.

This listing is done in the order for when a comic book issue was published.

Note: Remember, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

The Writer, Penciller and Inker for each issue is listed under the Comic's Title and Date.

CONTENTS:

1986/Revamp | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
2010 | 2011
Annuals | Specials 1996-2003 | Specials 2004-
Prestige Format Mini-Series | Graphic Novels | Pin-up Books | Trade Paperbacks

Back to Comic Index Contents Page.

You can read reviews of all the Superman related comics (from October 1999 onwards) in the Mild Mannered Reviews section of this website.