It's the big day! James Gunn's Superman is in cinemas now. The new movies is the first big screen instalment of the new DCU.
Perhaps you've already seen the new film and were intrigued enough to want to start reading Superman comics? Or maybe you're a lapsed reader coming back to the Man of Steel after some time away. Whatever the case, we're here to get you up to speed on the current state of play.
Getting started reading Superman comics is simultaneously straightforward and a little bit confusing. There are no less than five different monthly titles, after all, and the character cameos in many of the other DC comics as well. For the purposes of this article we're concentrating on explaining the differences between the main titles and why each of them brings something a little different to the table. Let's get started...
Superman
Read this for: Superman's present day adventures
The easiest way to read the Man of Steel's adventures is, of course, to pick up his self-titled comic. Superman is published every month, and is currently written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Dan Mora.
As the headline Superman book, this is one of DC's most popular comics and the home of most of the big event stories. Since October last year, DC has been running a new initiative known as DC All-In which split the comics continuity in two. On one side is the mainstream DC universe, which this and most other DC comics are set in. On the other is the Absolute Universe, which we'll get to shortly.
Action Comics
Read this for: Stories from different parts of the Man of Steel's life
The other long-running Superman title is Action Comics. Although the two are generally separate titles they are known to cross over from time-to-time and they exist in the same continuity, though Action Comics hops about to different parts of Kal-El's life and hero career and has a more frequently-changing creative team. It's currently written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Skylar Patridge, and the most recent arc is set in Clark's days as Superboy in Smallville.
Action Comics #1 was actually the title that first introduced the Man of Steel to the world, way back in June 1938. The comic lasted for a whopping 904 issues in its first volume, but was relaunched in 2011 with a new #1. In 2016, following the DC Rebirth initiative, it returned to its "legacy" numbering, meaning that the most recent issue is #1088, making it the longest running DC title in terms of issues.
Superman Unlimited
Read this for: A great jumping on point for Superman comics.
The third ongoing Superman comic is also the newest. Superman Unlimited, written by Dan Slott and illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque debuted in May this year, and has so far only published three issues making it a really easy comic to jump on board with.
This new monthly takes place in the main DC continuity, but adds an interesting new problem for the Man of Steel to deal with. A giant asteroid full of Kryptonite has crashed on Earth, and now even low-level criminals have access to weapons that could potentially kill Superman! This simple idea has resulted in a book that feels tense and exciting, and is fresh and easy to get into if you're new to the comics.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest
Read this for: You want a comic that feels like a great Saturday morning cartoon
The other ongoing book that's nominally set in the main DC continuity is this super-fun team up book! Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by numerous artists – currently Adrián Gutiérrez – World's Finest takes us back to the early days of Batman and Superman's alliance and shows them battling all manner of threats.
We say "nominally" because there's a kind of fast and loose quality to World's Finest and an anything goes approach to DC canon. Recent issues have seen the two heroes travel to the dark alternate reality of Kingdom Come, one of the best Superman comics, while the current arc has taken them back to Bizarro World. One of the most purely fun comics on stands, World's Finest will remind you why you love these characters.
Absolute Superman
Read this for: You want a bold new take on Superman where everything is up for grabs.
The latest addition to DC's ongoing Man of Steel roster is Absolute Superman, by writer Jason Aaron and artist Rafa Sandoval. The Absolute line of comics (which also includes titles for Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter) take place in an entirely separate universe to the mainline DC stories. This is a world where all the characters' stories have changed and everything is up for grabs! Typically they lean a little darker and stranger, too.
In this version of the story, Kal-El was a child (rather than an infant) when Krypton was destroyed. Now on Earth he's a fugitive from the all-powerful Lazarus Corp, with Lois Lane a soldier tasked with bringing the Man of Steel in. Even so, they quickly form an undeniable connection as he helps people from the shadows. Absolute Superman is more dystopian than Supes' comics usually lean, but it's still shot through with hope and warmth. The series only started last year, so it's really easy to get up to speed with all of them, too. The monthly comic is currently on #8, with a collected edition of issues #1-6 due in August.
Superman is in theaters now! For more comic book movies, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies, and how to watch the DC movies in order, as well as our guide to how strong Superman is.
