ISBN: 978-1-56389-193-9
By Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern & various (DC Comics)
Although largely out of favour these days as all the myriad decades of Superman mythology are inexorably re-assimilated into one overarching all-inclusive multi-media DC continuity, the stripped-down, gritty post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Man of Steel as re-imagined by John Byrne, and marvellously built upon by a stunning succession of gifted comics craftsmen, produced some genuine comics classics.
Most significant of them was a three-pronged story-arc which saw the martyrdom, loss, replacement and eventual resurrection of the World’s Greatest Superhero in a stellar saga which broke all records and proved that a jaded general public still cared about the venerable, veteran icon of Truth, Justice and the American Way…
This second landmark collection features material which originally appeared in Adventures of Superman #498-500, Action Comics #685-686, Superman: the Man of Steel #20-21, Superman #76-77 plus material from Superman: the Legacy of Superman and Superman #75, covering cover-dates January-March 1993 and originally published as the braided saga “Funeral for a Friendâ€.
After a brutal rampage across Middle America the mysterious monster dubbed Doomsday had only been stopped in the heart of Metropolis by a supreme and fatal effort on Superman’s part. Our story begins moments later in ‘Death of a Legend’ (scripted by Jerry Ordway and illustrated by Tom Grummett & Doug Hazlewood) as Lois Lane and still-standing survivors Guardian, Dubbilex and the JLA attempt vainly to resuscitate the fallen victor.
Elsewhere in the rubble Lex Luthor II (actually the original evil entrepreneur in a cloned body) recovers the still-living remains of Supergirl. Her intimate relationship with the Man of Steel a closely guarded secret, Lois is compelled to revert to journalist mode, unable to explain why she isn’t rushing to the aid of her fiancé Clark Kent, who is still numbered among the missing.
Superman’s ultimate sacrifice affects everyone deeply. Retired costumed crusader Jose Delgado considers returning to the Gangbuster role which almost killed him. Inventor Emil Hamilton and ex-prizefighter Bibbo Bibbowski dedicate their merely mortal gifts to carrying on the Man of Tomorrow’s work. With genetics research lab Cadmus and Metropolis authorities squabbling over the Kryptonian’s remains and the still-living Doomsday, in Smallville, Kansas an elderly couple sit in stunned shock, horror and disbelief…
‘Re-Actions’ by Roger Stern, Jackson Guice & Denis Rodier sees Project Cadmus Director Paul Westfield  thwarted in his efforts to harvest Superman’s corpse by Luthor, who intends to finally bury the Man of Steel in a fitting public mausoleum in Centenniel Park. As the news spreads and the world mourns, the recuperated Supergirl becomes the public face of Team Luthor’s expanded role as protectors of Metropolis…
In a place outside of time, temporal custodians Waverider and the Linear Men perpetually review the final battle but can find no viable way to turn back time…
‘Funeral Day’, by Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove & Dennis Janke, follows the World’s Greatest Heroes as they pay final homage to their valiant comrade amidst a world expressing its unceasing grief in respectful dignity… but not the whole world…
In Kansas, bereft Jonathan and Martha Kent, unable to attend their own son’s interment, hold a private ceremony in the field where he first fell to Earth…
In honour of Superman, the Justice League and other heroes gather to perform good deeds in his name, divined from the vast sacks of letters left for Superman every day in ‘Metropolis Mailbag II’ (Dan Jurgens & Brett Breeding), whilst young runaway Mitch, whose family were amongst the first victims of Doomsday, makes his own pilgrimage to the site of the Action Ace’s death, convinced that by saving him Superman had forfeited his own life…
In a quiet part of the city, Lois and Ma and Pa Kent and Lana Lang convene. As the only people privy to Superman’s secret they must decide whether to reveal his identity to a public already flooded by shysters and charlatans claiming to be the fallen champion’s intimates and legal heirs…
Meanwhile, beneath the mausoleum, Westfield’s agents are working: digging ever closer to the Kryptonian’s cadaver…
Although nobody can fathom why, Luthor had placed security sensors in the crypt and sends Supergirl to investigate the disturbance in ‘Grave Obsession’ (Ordway, Grummett & Hazlewood). She discovers the body gone and a huge hole leading down to the subsurface enclave of the dropouts, alien dregs and mortal monsters known as Underworlders who have carved out a tenuous home for themselves beneath the streets of Metropolis. With Police Inspector Dan “Terrible†Turpin she battles a number of the realm’s bizarre inhabitant’s but find no trace of the Man of Steel.
Frustrated, they return to the surface, but the veteran cop is suspicious. Why would young Luthor build a crypt with monitors and access tunnels…?
‘Who’s Buried in Superman’s Tomb?’ (Stern, Guice & Rodier) quickly answers the question by revealing the Man of Steel’s corpse on a slab at Cadmus, unbenownst to Project’s security chief Guardian (a clone of murdered cop and part-time superhero Jim Harper), who is patrolling Metropolis to honour his departed friend. Meanwhile Luthor is plagued with doubt: since cheating certain death himself, he is painfully ware – and afraid – that his greatest enemy might have done the same…
At Cadmus, Dubbilex, Guardian and the Newsboy Legion (juvenile clones of a 1940s crimebusting team whose “Originals†are now Project scientists) discover Superman’s body and confront Westfield…
And at the tomb a new religious cult has manifested, predicting the rise and return of the Last Son of Krypton, whilst Luthor rushes over to Cadmus determined to stop Westfield at all costs…
‘The Guardians of Metropolis’, by Karl Kesel & Walter Simonson, reveals how Superman’s genetic code is finally broken, but before the maliciously ambitious Westfield can capitalise on it, Guardian and the Newsboy remove the data and consign it to deep space in the care of augmented Jim Harper clone Auron, whilst in ‘Ghosts’ (Simonson, Bogdanove & Janke) the deep tunnels beneath Metropolis flood, driving many Underworlders to the surface and Lois down to the depths to investigate possible deliberate sabotage. Meeting the Newsboy Legion there, she backtracks to Cadmus and discovers her beloved Clark’s corpse. She determines to make the defilers pay with the power of the Press…
And in Kansas, bereaved and broken, Jonathan Kent collapses under the agony of a massive heart attack…
After Supergirl and Lois furiously invade Cadmus to retrieve the body, ‘The End’ (Jurgens & Breeding) sees a murderously triumphant Luthor reclaim Superman’s body “for Metropolis†and finally bury his arch-foe, whilst in Smallville Clark Kent’s Pa succumbs and passes from this world…
This powerful if ponderous epic concludes with ‘Life after Death’, by Ordway, Grummett & Hazlewood, as doctors frantically attempt to resuscitate Jonathan Kent, who has passed beyond Mortal Realms and met his cherished son. As Gangbuster bites off more than he can chew in the alleys of Superman’s city, Jonathan battles ghosts, memories and demons in a last-ditch struggle to save his boy. With the opportune aid of cosmic entity Kismet the elder Kent finally convinces Superman to leave the light and return to Earth…
He awakes in the ER, mumbling “Clark is backâ€â€¦
And all over Metropolis, as fresh sightings of the hero begin to circulate, Lois and the police discover Superman’s coffin is open and the tomb is empty again…
To Be Concluded…
Relatively short on action but bursting with tension, drama and emotion, the brooding mood here served as a valuable and necessary palate-cleansing pause before the stunning epic conclusion introduced a plethora of Supermen in a bold and long-term push to revitalise the Superman franchise, but the positively manic public interest beyond the world of comics even embraced this distinctly downbeat interlude, taking everyone by surprise and making the Man of Tomorrow as vital and vibrant a sensation as in the earliest days of his creation.
© 1993 DC Comics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.