Continuing our week-long look at Superman covers, today's theme is
It's Worse Than That--He's Dead, Jimmy!As with getting married, the other thing that Superman can't stop doing is dying.
We all know that Superman famously 'died' at the hands of Doomsday in
Superman #75.
It was probably the most protracted death story ever, with the funeral and its aftermath taking up two whole months of the four regular titles, including
Adventures of Superman #498.
It was a huge seller for DC, so you can hardly blame them for going back to the well and reliving it again and again, as in
Superman: Day of Doom #2 and
Deadman: Dead Again #3.
Of course Superman has died a lot over the years. Most famously in
Superman #149--which I
highlighted back on Monday--an 'imaginary story' in which Lex Luthor pretends to reform in order to get close enough to Superman to kill him with a Kryptonite Death Ray.
It was not the first time someone tried that trick on Superman, although note that the random bad guy here is no Lex Luthor, having to use a Rube Goldberg-like contraption rather than a sleek Kryptonite Death Ray--ol' Luthor may not have had any fashion sense, but he knew the importance of using a keen-looking weapon!
Action Comics #365 just seems a bit morbid. Superman is in his 'space coffin,' but isn't even fully dead yet?
Then in the following issue, Supergirl is holding auditions for a new Superman. Doesn't she realize that she's supposed to be his replacement?
In
Action Comics #399, Superman dies not once, not twice, but three times. Good thing thay've got that crypt lying around, huh?
Years later, in
Action Comics #655, that crypt would come in handy again!
Paging Geraldo Rivera!
Superman dies, and the only one stepping up to avenge him is The Atom? No offense to Ray, but dude didn't even know that his own wife was a psychopathic killer. I think I'd rather have Batman on the case...
How badass is Lex Luthor? He can kill Superman using only his flaming initials!
Lex Luthor? Sure. Doomsday? Okay. But being taken out by some punk in a back alley? That's a lame way to go out!
One thing is always a constant though: whenever Superman dies, there is always a gigantic memorial statue erected to his memory.
That wraps up out look at Superman's deaths throughout the years. Come back tomorrow as Super Covers Week continues!
