Superman has reached a new level of popularity, thanks to the DCU. 2025’s Superman was a hit and, unlike its MCU counterparts was actually comic accurate, it brought fans to the comic stores in a way that previous superhero movies haven’t. There’s way more interest in the Man of Steel than there’s been in years and while that’s great, it can also be a problem for new readers. Superman has been around for 86 years, which means there’s a lot of stories out there, with numerous eras of the character. On top of that, there’s the various long-running plots that run through the various solo series starring the Last Son of Krypton. It can be very hard for a new readers to find a way in.
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However, one thing that DC has always done well is give new readers numerous stories that can allow them to step into these characters’ adventures. These stories are often out of continuity, making it easier for new fans to get into the characters without being dropped into over 80 years of lore and events. The Man of Tomorrow has starred in many of the best of these stories, hailing from the greatest creators in the industry’s history. These five Superman stories are perfect for people with no DC knowledge, allowing them to experience what makes him so great without the baggage.
5) Superman: Up in the Sky
Superman has starred in amazing stories, but few of them capture the spirit of the Man of Steel like Superman: Up in the Sky, by Tom King and Andy Kubert. An alien attack on the Earth sees one little girl take by the invaders, with Supes going on a trip across the universe to find her, facing the wilds of space. What makes this story work so well is that it understands the hero perfectly. He’s exactly the kind of hero who would go to find a missing child, braving any challenges to bring her home. King is usually known for more depressing stories, but this story proved that he could do more than superhero deconstruction. Kubert’s art is fantastic; the son of DC legend Joe Kubert, he’s able to capture the power and majesty of Superman, his detailed panels giving readers the feel of traveling through a big, weird universe. Superman: Up in the Sky is a just about perfect Superman story, its brilliant writing and gorgeous art helping it soar.
4) Superman for All Seasons
The ’90s were a weird time to be a Superman fan. We got the blockbuster “Death of Superman” and its aftermath, but then things got weird. Gimmicks became the order of the day with the character, but there’s one story from the decade of extreme that was a breath of classically fresh air. Superman for All Seasons was a four-issue miniseries from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, each issue focusing on a different character and their view of Superman, the stories set in a particular season – Jonathan Kent in spring, Lois Lane in summer, Lex Luthor in the fall, and Lana Lang in the winter. Each of them dig into the history of the characters and how each of them have been affected by Superman and vice versa. This story is perfect new fans, laying out everything they need to know about the character. Loeb and Sale were one of the greatest teams in comics, rising to prominence because of their work on Batman, and letting them loose on the Man of Steel led to one of the greatest Superman stories ever.
3) “Last Son”
Infinite Crisis un-did the changes of Crisis on Infinite Earths, leading DC in a more classic direction. Action Comics and Superman would cross over for “Up, Up, and Away” and then writer Geoff Johns would team with his mentor and Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner on Action Comics.The two wrote several stories together, with their first being “Last Son”, which ran through Action Comics #844-846, #851, and Action Comics Annual #11, with art by Adam Kubert. The story saw a young Kryptonian boy crash land in Metropolis, with Superman taking him in as Lex Luthor and the government both try to get their hands on the boy. However, it turns out to all be a ploy by one of the Man of Steel’s most dangerous villains: General Zod. This story is basically what Donner would have done in Superman II if he had an unlimited budget. It’s a fantastic story, made all the better by Kubert’s art. The book was heavily delayed back in the day and it gave the artist extra time to really make the visuals pop, giving readers some fantastic action scenes, the icing on an already delicious cake.
2) Superman: Secret Identity
Superman: Secret Identity, by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen, took a pre-Crisis idea and made one of the greatest Superman stories ever from it. Back then, Earth-Prime was the “real” Earth, with no one with superpowers, until 1986’s DC Comics Presents #87 introduced readers to Superboy-Prime, as he would be called, who was the Kal-El of that universe. He was the only person with superpowers on his planet, and has since become massively popular. Secret Identity takes this idea and runs with it. The Earth in the book is one where no one has superpowers, but that changes when young Clark Kent discovers he’s more than human. What follows is a beautiful story about a man with power trying to do the right thing for world, his life unfolding over the course of the series. This story takes the idea of Superman in the real world runs with it, giving a readers an often poignant look at the character.
1) All-Star Superman
All-Star Superman is the greatest Superman story ever. In fact, I would go one further and say that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s 12-issue series is the greatest superhero comic of all time. The series follows the Man of Steel after a mission to rescue the first solar space expedition gives him a fatal overdose of yellow sun energy. Over the course of the story, he puts his affairs in order, trying to leave the world a better place than he found it, but a sinister plan is taking shape in the background, one that aims to speed up the death of Superman. Morrison is a student of old school DC and they were able to bring that to the book, crafting a story that paid homage to every era of the character, even the ’90s. It’s a perfect story made all the better by Quitely’s art. While his style can turn some readers off, it’s so expressive and detailed that it doesn’t matter, giving readers some amazing imagery. Few stories can match the pedigree of this one and it’s become a legend.
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