Superman fans have been crying out for their return, and now, with the release of the 1000th issue of “Action Comics” (the comic book that started it all), Superman’s iconic look will be complete with the return of the red trunks to his costume.
DC Comics gives us our first look at the cover for “Action Comics #1000”, drawn by Jim Lee.
“Action Comics #1000 represents a watershed moment in the history of not just comic books, but entertainment, literature, and pop culture,” Lee said in a statement. “There’s no better way to celebrate Superman’s enduring popularity than to give him a look that combines some new accents with the most iconic feature of his classic design.”
Unlike a typical issue, “Action Comics #1000” will feature an assortment of stories from multiple big-name creators. Notably, it will feature the first published DC story by Brian Michael Bendis, a popular longtime Marvel writer who recently switched over to the House of Ideas’ main rival. On top of that, DC veteran writer Marv Wolfman — who wrote the original mega-crossover superhero event series, 1985’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” — will script a new Superman story based on previously unpublished art from Curt Swan. Swan is one of history’s most iconic Superman artists, giving the character his signature style throughout the so-called “Silver Age” of comic books — that would be the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s… basically everything up until Wolfman and artist George Pérez radically restructured the DC Universe with “Crisis on Infinite Earths”!
There will also be a story from “Superman” movie director Richard Donner and DC superstar Geoff Johns (who previously co-wrote issues of “Action Comics” together in 2006), alongside art from Olivier Coipel. The post-Rebirth Superman team of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason will also contribute stories to the book, along with current “Action Comics” writer/artist Dan Jurgens. Other creative teams include Paul Dini with José Luis García-López; Tom King with Clay Mann and Jordie Bellaire; Brad Meltzer with John Cassaday and Laura Martin; Louise Simonson with Jerry Ordway; Scott Snyder with Tim Sale and more to be announced.
ACTION COMICS #1000 will be available at comics retailers and digitally on April 18.
I loved the “Reborn” costume so I’m sorry to see it go, but classic is classic!
How true. A classic is a classic.
::Pops out of the Phantom Zone::
WHO SUMMONED ME?
Oh. Oh, it’s Superman with underwear again. That’s good.
Count me in.
But seriously, “new” accents? He’s had pips on the end of his shirt since the earliest days.
YES!!!!
Great to see the classic look again, but I doubt that it will be a mainstay. I think they will go back to the current one in the comics soon enough.
I’m guessing that when Detective Comics hits #1000 Batman will have a similar look too.
IMO the trunks basically became a scape-goat for bad creative and editorial decisions not to mention a fandom prone to an inferiority complex measured against the rest of the entertainment world.
The trunks were never the real problem and while there are non-trunks designs I like, I always found the view of them as some sort of albatross around the characters neck to be ridiculous.
The Reborn costume was good but like the first post said, a classic is a classic.
Wow. Just when I started to get used to the trunkless look. That’s probably just for the commemorative issue and won’t last long. I don’t mind either way. Superman is still Superman…With and without the trunks.
Not really sold on the Jim Lee image either… He has done better in the past. I think that the face and the boots seem off.
Great to see the classic look again. I’m only wondering if they will change his origin again. I hope not. I hope that they keep the current continuity with Superman being married with superboy as his son, and keep the Christopher Reeve/Richard Donner influence as well.
Looking closely at the photo I noticed that he still has the wrist guards.
I noticed that over the past few years Superman has gone through many different looks. New 52, John Romita Jr’s version, the Bruce Springsteen biker look, bearded black suit look, rebirth,reborn, and finally classic. Well almost, since he still has those wrist guards that I’m not to fond of. I do love that they brought back the classic look. Like the saying goes,”if it ain’t broke,don’t fix it.” And in my opinion, it wasn’t broken. I hope this look stays, at least for a long while. I don’t know if it will change again. Probably will, since his look has… Read more »
I forgot to mention when he split into two electric Sepermen. One who was red and white, and the other which was blue and white. As I said before, it didn’t last to long.
Why change his origin? Rebirth’s Superman has used all canon versions of the suit since John Byrne’s. 1st during the initial issues of this current era when they showed images of his original fight against Doomsday where he was shown in his Superman suit, the real one. Then right after “Reborn” where we see him wearing all the other suits (even New52’s kryptonian armour).
I’m just thinking of two years ago they did rebirth. Which really had pre flashpoint Superman replacing new 52 Superman. Not long after we went into the reborn story line where the two supermen merged into one superman. I just hope that they don’t rewrite his origin again.
I also noticed that they kept Superman’s history with doomsday, and I too had noticed that they kept some of Byrne’s influence. I’m glad that they kept that part of his history, since a lot of those stories were very interesting and I believe important to Superman’s cannon history.
You’re speaking about Convergence Superman but he just was pre-flashpoint Superman. There was no origin change. But now that I’m thinking of it, having someone tweaking his timeline, there might be some changes. Or maybe seeing him back to his classic suit could be his N52 part never really existed so he never used his “onesie” uniform.
This is just speculation from me, of course.
Yeah there was the Convergence story arc as well. I almost mentioned convergence before, but it’s been a while since I read that story and I wanted to be sure about if convergence Superman was the same as pre flashpoint Superman before I said anything about the two. But yeah they are the same Man of Steel. It’s interesting that you brought that up.Although I’m not sure if there was much change in his origin after convergence concluded. I think there was a year in between convergence and rebirth if I remember correctly. Still it’s great that they brought pre-new… Read more »
As I understood it, Snyder wanted the trunks on Superman but was denied by DC/WB due to them wanting to part ways with that look.
So I wonder if this means anything for the movies as well.
I don’t know if it will have any impact on the current DCEU franchise. I don’t think they would, but who knows? Maybe the trunks could make a come back in the films. On the other hand if they wanted avoid the trunks but still add more red to the suit, they might do a color blend. Instead of adding the trunks to the suit, they might add red texture to lower waist area of the suit where the red blends in with the blue. That’s just a guess though. I guess it’s just a wait and see kinda thing.
I hate the red trunks; always have, always will. Been a fan for about 35 years, and I loved the new 52 look. But, I know I’m in the minority. I’ve just never been a fan of the ‘classic’ look.
I did not hate them but I was glad for an updated look tha was essentially one piece but i did want more red in the outfit.
Well, that sucks. I was glad they finally ditched the underoos. Even when I was a kid I thought they looked silly. Yeah, they made sense when he was created, but the world has changed. He finally came out of the past and now here we are again. This is a big step back and I hope it’s just for this issue.
and now times are changing again. New 52 is the past and hopefully so is DC’s constant apologizing and over-compensating for it’s greatest IP.
Sometimes a basic component part of times changing is what was old is new again or people just figure out that maybe not everything that’s old is dumb just because it’s old.
Do you still wear bell-bottoms? Or maybe forgo underwear and stick with a codpiece?
Updating an 80 year old outfit is not overcompensating or apologizing. Literally, every other character in comics has changed their look, multiple times, since their inception. This obstinate refusal to let go of the past and let the character progress naturally is doing more of a disservice to Superman than any costume modifications.
Superman has changed his look multiple times since his inception.
That iconic shield wasn’t created since his inception. It was created in the silver age.
But the cape remained the same, so did the blue uniform, and so did his boots, and so did his trunks.
The look is iconic, that inclues the trunks; however silly you may think they are.
Yes he changes his looks, then backpedals. That Shield changes all the time. Size, placement and even design. Sometimes it’s raised, usually not. Usually it has serifs, sometimes not. Sometimes the yellow is replaced with black. It all depends on who it is being drawn by. Every person who draws that cape draws it differently. Sometimes it’s short, barely reaching his knees, other times it’s nearly to his ankles. Sometimes it is rectangular, sometimes it is a half-circle, it has even been pointed. Sometimes it is his baby blanket, sometimes it is a cape, and recently it was a tapestry.… Read more »
Backpedal?
I’ll tell you about back pedaling.
The New 52 had Superman change his suit seven times in six years.
Even the Byrne era, which was supposedly about modernization of the character, stayed with that classic suit for the better part of those same years.
Tiny temporary changes like the change of the shield’s background and such are never actually expected to last in the first place.
That’s because the difference between that iconic suit and, say, the New 52 suit was that one is an attempt to adhere to “modern audiences” and the other is actually timeless
Nothing is “timeless” even a religion that preaches eternity changes it’s iconography to fit with it’s modern congregation. Superman’s inability to change with the times is the main reason he is a target of derision now, and has been for years. Even comic fans have been mocking the “underwear on the outside” look for decades. Slavish devotion to an outdated look to appease a vocal minority of “true fans” is why he is a joke to the rest of the general audience. Look at many of these comment’s, they want artists that drew him decades ago to come back to… Read more »
You know it’s over when you have to bring religion into a conversation about superheroes. 😉
Superman has drawn Jesus parallels in every medium in which he’s been. Sometimes very overtly so, it has been expounded on thoroughly, even on this website, so let’s not pretend it isn’t an apt analogy.
Superman is not every other character, he is THE CHARACTER from whom all is derived. For the people who don’t like classic costume, please get past your own personal; vitriol, stigmata, bias and prejudices concerning “belted trunks”, as it keeps you stuck in “HATE MODE”, hampering and vexing any enjoyment of the character you may have, simply by rejecting how he looks to you, all the while, discounting what he is and is capable of. True and lasting evolution comes through changing and growing one’s mind not clothes! In 2011 – 2018: Making a change to appeal to some ideology… Read more »
Same could be said for for all those who cried at the loss of those trunks.
Hmm.. how so?
Explain to me what makes the trunks “dated”, exactly. Your bell bottom comparison doesn’t work, because everyone that wore trunks at the time of Superman’s creation (wrestlers, strongmen, circus folk, and other athletes) all still wear them in 2018. What is “dated”, if anything, is the cape, as people haven’t worn capes in any regular sense since at least the 1600s, which all the anti trunks hypocrites who cry that the trunks are dated have never complained about. That said, nobody ever really wore trunks and pants in real life as a regular fashion trend back in the 1930s the… Read more »
Said in a much more simple way, Superman doesn’t just have to behave like Superman, he also must look like Superman.
When we deconstruct our superheroes, they just become The Watchmen.
I can’t stop the Hallelujah chorus in my head.
I absolutely hate the idea that anyone should feel the need to change or apologize for the character. He’s at his greatest when the creators behind him understand this.
Let Superman be Superman!
Also, the creative line up is nearly perfect.
I’d love to see Byrne, Stern, Bogdanove (with Janke to ink?), Schaffenberger, and the bronze age guys like Maggin, Bates, Denny O’Neil, and Neil Adams.
Also, I’m really stoked that Jose Luis-Garcia Lopez is on board. In my mind, he is still the definitive DC artist. Clean perfect lines that defined the company’s look for a generation.
Joyous day! The iconic suit is back!
I see that they left a wisp of the Rebirth suit’s cuffs on his wrists. Guess that’s what Jim Lee meant with “new accents”, as hard to see as they are.
Man, Lee is a master when it comes to drawing characters. However, I rarely see him make an original costume that didn’t have meaningless details ingrained in them.
I wish Ivan Reis was doing the cover…
I…I just don’t know what to say.
But if I knew…it wouldn’t be anything bad. No way anything bad.
I really hope this design is here to stay and not just for #1000’s issue celebration.
By the description seems like it is just for one story. I don’t think it is a permanent change.
Well…a least it makes a…certain “True DC Fan” very very happy.
i dont know who is in charge of the Superman Homepage Facebook page, but i asked them if this costume change will stay for the foreseeable future until they change again, and they gave me a thumbs up.
so i will say the same thing i said to them…
OH HAPPY DAY!!! 😀
Really? The costume stays and isn’t a one-day homage? That’s great news.
IMO if you look at what the trunks do to the entire outfit, their pretty much doing what I think they were put there for in the first place. And that was to smooth out the “package” area and not have to worry about making a bulge an issue. Yes the classic suit looks good with them but it does take away the concern I mentioned. I think it’s just that simple!
They were put there to emulate Victorian era wrestlers and circus strongmen costumes. If anything, bright red trunks over a blue suit draw more attention to his crotch. Brighter colors look bigger than darker colors, thereby making any bulge more prominent.
No, the red trunks and yellow belt are there to provide color balance and match the red and yellow S shield on Superman, as they are around the same size, and being placed on his midesction prevent him from looking too top heavy with the symbol on his chest. As for the super bulge, an extra layer of clothes, trunks in this case, will certainly help a great deal in modesty for that area of the body, and making them red with a yellow belt merely serves to stylishly compliment the rest of the costume and avoid a blue condom… Read more »
Any possibility that Gary Frank will work on Superman since he’s gone back to the classic suit? Maybe in a follow up issue?I really like Gary’s art.
I don’t know but I do hope Dan Jurgens and other artists do not go back to doing that thing they got into the habit of before New 52 with having the top of the trunks going above the top of the belt.
I am SO happy the REAL costume is finally back at last! It is a great design, there is a reason it lasted for as long as it did, Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster did indeed get it right the first time! 100 years from his creation, and 100 years from then, this is how Superman will be remembered, which is at it should be. LONG LIVE THE RED TRUNKS AND YELLOW BELT!! YEEEHHHAAAAAAA!!! As for the silly haters claiming it is somehow “dated”: Explain to me what makes the trunks “dated”, exactly. Your bell bottom comparison doesn’t work, because… Read more »
Yes Kelly. We are happy for you.
The trunks in drawings look like their part of the costume. And that’s good. But unless you can make them look the same way in live action movies their going to look clunky on screen. A great deal of how they come across depends on the material that the suit is made from. The material that Henry wears apparently did not lend well with the addition of the trunks. So unless they’re going to change the material and go back to the smooth un-textured look their probably at this point best left off.
Just use the same material making sure the brief area is dyed (shaded) red. If you are making a new costume, even better just incorporate red material with blue.
I have neoprene diver wet-suit that is two-toned in color – which I believe is close in material to Cavill’s movie suit, so I know it can be done.
A comic book accurate costume with the red trunks and yellow belt done with modern production values on the right budget will look terrific, same as any other great comic book design brought to life that way. The last thing Superman should be in is armor, and he should especially never be in rubber garden hose looking textured material with piping like what Cavill wore. Superman’s outfit should be made of some sort of clothing, as it is fashioned by earth materials made by the Kents. The filmmakers need to be thinking more along the lines of “Spider-Man” and less… Read more »
No one knows who created his crest. There is no origin pre-crisis version except for Superman: The Movie where it was the “House of El” emblem for the 1st time. In John Byrne’s reboot it was created by Pa Kent inspired in an emblem he had inherited given to his family by a fictional american native race. AND THEY DID IT BEFORE KNOWING THE DAILY PLANET ALREADY NAMED HIM SUPERMAN. Lois & Clark: TNAoS returned to the House of El theme and has remained this way has since then. There is nothing said about the original origin (yep, quite redundant)… Read more »
You know what would be funny? Even if Action Comics 1000 comes up April 18, it could be a part of an April’s Fool joke and clickbait people into believing that the trunks are back on the cover, whereas they’re keeping the current look hehehehee. 😀
Joking aside, DC is definitely on to something here of what made Superman great from the very beginning. In my opinion, the trunks were an important component of the costume, and yet I didn’t really mind once they were removed to make Superman look modern for the 21St century. It looked great nevertheless. To me…Superman, With and/or without the trunks will always be the quintessential super hero everybody knows and love. He is well known than any historical figure, president and monarch. And his image will outlive us all.
If that’s what gets you through the night, sure.
I really hope it’s not an April fools joke. It’s also way to early for April fools jokes, so I doubt it is one.
Not when it comes to Jim Lee, the picture artist. I’ve searched a little and I see that sometimes he does it, even in the same incarnation. Might be because he (possibly) likes more to see that side so he just swaps the hair style to have it “on screen”.
That’s what I mentioned above as well hehehe. But apparently some members can’t take a joke. Either way, I don’t mind.
I didn’t see it a first but, Jim made a little mistake in this picture. His hair style is reversed…Nothing important here, just a little “oops” and some more “haha”.
I noticed that too. Could it be a style thing like how different actors who have played Superman style their hair differently for the part?
Sorry, I replied incorrectly in another comment. This is the right place, haha…I feel stupid.
Not when it comes to Jim Lee, the picture artist. I’ve searched a little and I see that sometimes he does it, even in the same incarnation. Might be because he (possibly) likes more to see that side so he just swaps the hair style to have it “on screen”.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zNi8l9VH61A/UDvquF9RkvI/AAAAAAAANL8/rnV44gG9Sbk/s1600/superman_man_of_steel_scott_snyder_jim_lee_dc_new_52_universe_Tierra_Freak_Tierrafreak.com.ar.jpg
We all make mistakes Kal-bert. No worries here.
No worries kal-bert. Thank you for answering my question on Superman’s hairstyle. I appreciate the effort.
Not a fan of the regression, but I’ve grown to not expect anything better. Having said that, I do have to ask; why keep the “gauntlet” sleeves? If you’re going back to the classic, you may as well go all the way. These things stick out like a sore thumb on this suit.