The Death and Return of Superman

When the Justice League of America is called to an Emergency in Ohio, they discover a strange being draped in green fabric going on a rampage through the state. They attempt to stop him, but are easily defeated by the man in green, who actually has one hand tied behind his back. Their battles do end up giving this being a name, though. Doomsday.

With the JLA defeated, Superman is called in to help them, but Doomsday is more than equal to the task of beating Superman as well. Numerous times, Superman veers away from the battle to save humans who have been endangered by Doomsday's actions, then going to battle Doomsday again. The battle finally ends up in Metropolis, where Superman is determined to stop Doomsday. The battle between the two is savage and titanic, with Superman, battered and bleeding, attempting to stop Doomsday. Finally, in front of the Daily Planet building, Superman drops Doomsday, and falls. Lois Lane, Superman's fiancee, holds him until he dies in her arms.

Needless to say, the death of Superman is a world-wide tragedy. People all over the world grieve at his death, and world leaders arrive in Metropolis to attend his funeral. Lois originally declines to attend, conflicted over how to let people know that Clark Kent was Superman, and Superman's death is the reason for Clark's disappearance, but in the end, she also goes.

On the heels of the Funeral, however, four new heroes taking up the Mantle of Superman appear on the scene. The first is a clone of Superman, approximately 15 years of age. He goes to see Lois, but is seduced away by the reporter for another Television station and ends up working for them. The second, the Man of Steel, is John Henry Irons, a construction worker who was formerly a weapons developer for the government. When his designs were misused, he fled and is still wanted by the government. Next is the so-called "Last Son of Krypton", who has energy-blasting powers as well as the usual powers attributed to Superman. But he's hardly the same personality as Superman, being prone to fighting the other Supermen. The last is a part-mechanical, part human Superman who also claims to be Superman. His genetics are the same as Superman, but he, too is more reckless and less humane than the original Superman.

Nobody knows who the "real" Superman is. A voodoo fortuneteller claims that the "Man of Steel" superman is the *real* one through Soul transfer of Superman's soul into another man's body. Nobody knows what to believe, and various heroes and villains encounter the Supermen, leading them to support one, another, or none of the Supermen as the *real* Superman.

Lois, meanwhile, is investigating on her own, and manages to speak to all of the new Supermen, She, too, is confused, as well as grieving. It doesn't help that a former friend of hers is trying to pick her up on the rebound, and every time he tries and fails, he continues to try. Jimmy Olsen, having taken the pictures of Superman's battle with Doomsday, and the pictures of his death, is also dealing with his feelings. Taking the pictures made him a hot commodity in the publishing world, but since Superman was also his friend, he is conflicted over making money from the death. And he's upset at Lois's friend using Clark/Superman's death to try and woo her. And Clark's parents, Ma and Pa Kent, suffer a crisis of their own when Pa Kent has a heart attack and his spirit goes out to find the soul of his son.

So, who is the real Superman, and what are the motivations for the other Supermen? Well, that would be telling. For the answer to that, you'll have to read this nearly 800 page graphic novel for yourself. But I will tell you this. It's a ride well worth taking, and the story is considered one of the classic tales of modern comics. Go ahead and buy and read it. You'll be glad you did.