Mapping continues, my friends! From now until May 19, I’ll be loosely mapping missing and most-wanted DC omnibus volumes every day! Then, on the 19th, I’ll be joining with Near Mint Condition to launch the first annual Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Annual Poll! This post covers every missing solo Superman omnibus, from the Golden Age to the present day.
This post explains potential Superman Omnibus Mapping for votes on the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 1st Annual Secret Ballot. I’m posting all of these maps before the poll begins to give people the time to consider their favorites, correct our mapping mistakes, and catch books I might have missed.
Why move on to Superman? Because I’ve just covered the vast majority of his comics in four guides over the past few months, so he’s fresh in my brain! Right now, Patrons of CK have access to Guide to Action Comics (Pre-Crisis, 1938-1986), Guide to Action Comics (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present), Guide to Superman (Pre-Crisis, (1939 – 1986), and Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present).
If you don’t know DC well enough to know what to vote for, stick around for my explanations! Learn why the team behind the poll decided on these books and titles – including giving us feedback if we missed the mark.
If voting is now open, you can use this as your crib sheet! Or… just find some great comics to read!
Remember: These mappings are just my suggestion of how DC could assemble these books. They are meant to help you decide on your votes and build your personal reading list, but your vote on the poll is NOT an endorsement of my specific map. It’s a vote in favor of DC creating a book with that title or covering that period.
High-effort, heavily-researched, over-the-top comics posts like this one are made possible via the support of Patrons of Crushing Krisis. For less than the cost of a single comic issue a month you can fuel my in-depth comics coverage, plus gain access to dozens of exclusive collecting guides & reading orders – including all of the Crushing Comics Guide to DC Comics.
Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age Superman Omnibus Mapping
Superman has an active Golden and Silver Age omnibus line, currently exactly a decade apart in their coverage. I say, why not add a Bronze Age omnibus to the mix for the next decade just to keep things parallel! For the existing omnibuses and to see how issues are currently collected, see the Guide to Action Comics (Pre-Crisis, 1938-1986) and Guide to Superman (Pre-Crisis, (1939 – 1986).
Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol 8 (1950 & on)
This is the next Golden Age omnibus in the Superman line, which still needs to collect nearly 100 issues of Action Comics (1938), 60 more issues of Superman (1939), plus more of Golden Age World’s Finest Comics.
This would start from Superman stories in Action Comics (1938) #144, Superman (1939) #66, and World’s Finest Comics (1941) #48.
Superman: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol 2 (1960 & on)
DC has only released a single Silver Age Superman Omnibus so far, and we have an entire decade of comics to cover! That includes roughly 100 more issues of both Action Comics (1938) and Superman (1939).
This would start from Superman stories in Action Comics (1938) #266 and Superman (1939) #138.
Superman: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol 1 (1970 & on)
This would begin to collect the 1970s with Action Comics (1938) #393 and Superman (1938) #233.
We treat Action #393 as the first Bronze Age issue because it marks when the Legion of Super-Heroes departed the back-up feature of this title. We treat Superman #233 as the first Bronze Age issue because the issue featured a bold “1” on the cover treatment (referring to his sales, but also marking it as a jumping on point with the start of “Kryptonite Nevermore!”).
Superman Team-Up, The DC Comics Presents Omnibus Vol. 1 (1978 & on)
This would begins to collect DC Comics Presents (1978) #1-97, which was a Superman team-up title.
You might prefer to see this title collected as a part of the Bronze Age Omnibus line, and I’m not here to say you’re wrong! If that’s the case, just vote for the Bronze Age Omnibus – we need to get through eight years of material before we find out of this would be included.
Superman Omnibus Mapping – Post-Crisis Superman by John Byrne
We need just two omnibuses to collect all of Superman’s initial Post-Crisis “Man of Steel” era plotted entirely by John Byrne. This would mirror the series of four “Man of Steel by John Byrne” standard hardcovers, but it would add three significant chunks of material not included in those books. See the Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present) for the current collections of this material.
Superman: The Man of Steel by John Byrne Vol. 1 (of 2) (1987 – 1988)
This collects the contents of the first two volumes of “Man of Steel” hardcovers, including The Man of Steel (1986) #1-6, Superman (1987) #1-11, Adventures of Superman (1987) #424-435, Action Comics (1938) #584-593, Legion of Super-Heroes #37-38, and material from Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12-13 & Who’s Who Update ’87 #1-5.
To that we would add World of Krypton (1987) #1-4, also by Byrne. This mini-series is a definitive Post-Crisis origin of Krypton, as told by Superman to Lois Lane during this run. Plus, Mindy Newell’s mini-series Lois Lane (1986) #1-2.
Superman: The Man of Steel by John Byrne Vol. 2 (of 2) (1988 – 1989)
This collects the contents of the final two volumes of “Man of Steel” hardcovers, including Superman (1987) #12-22 & Annual 1-2, Adventures of Superman (1987) #436-444 & Annual 1, Action Comics (1938) #594-600 & Annual 1, Superman: The Earth Stealers (1988) #1, Booster Gold #23, Doom Patrol #10, and material from Who’s Who Update ’87 #5 & Who’s Who Update ’88 #1-3.
This would also add World of Metropolis (1988) #1-4, also by Byrne, which focused on the cast of the Daily Planet.
And, to avoid a gap in omnibus coverage, it would include all of the Superman A-stories from Action Comics (1938) #601-641 + all of #642, since they have to be collected PRIOR to the Exile omnibus. Luckily, they’re just 160 pages of additional material, which easily fits into this book.
Superman Omnibus Mapping – The Triangle Era
Superman’s Triangle era is a complex beast that I’ve spent the past month researching and mapping for my new pair of Patron-Exclusive Post-Crisis Superman guides! I think that leaves me uniquely charged with Kryptonian energy and ready to explain exactly what we can reasonably map from the 1990s without getting too far into speculative territory.
See the Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present) for a complete reading order of this era.
Superman: Exile Aftermath AKA Pre-Triangle Era Omnibus (1989 – 1990)
In just a few months DC is releasing a pair of long-desired omnibuses – Superman: The Exile & Other Stories Omnibus (2024 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779529527) and Superman: The Triangle Era Omnibus, Vol. 1 (2024 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779528162).
These two books leave an obvious gap between them, which this omnibus covers.
This would collect Action Comics #647-658, Superman #38-48, Adventures of Superman #461-471 to perfectly fill the gap between “The Exile & Other Stories” and “The Triangle Era Omnibus, Vol. 1.”
Superman: The Triangle Era Omnibus, Vol. 2 [AKA Road to Death of Superman] (1992)
This picks up from “Superman: The Triangle Era Omnibus, Vol. 1” and collects through the start of the famous “Death & Return” omnibus.
This would collect Superman (1987) #65-72; Adventures of Superman (1987) #487-496; Action Comics (1938) #674-683; and Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #9-16. Yes, some of those issues overlap the first issues in the “Death & Return” omnibus, because not all of those cliffhanger issues are collected in full.
Superman: The Triangle Era, Death & Return Aftermath (1993 & on)
This would continue to collect the entire Superman line in Triangle order in the aftermath of the “Death & Return of Superman” omnibus.
As much as I want this to be able to collect through the Zero Month issues to the end of 1994, I think in all likelihood it would actually stop 2-3 issues earlier in each of the titles below so Zero Hour can start the next book.
This would collect Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #27-38 & Annual 3, Superman (1987) #83-94 & Annual 6, Adventures of Superman (1987) #506-516 & Annual 6, and Action Comics (1938) #693-704.
That’s 50 issues. Adding Zero Month would involve another 8 issues, which I think makes this too big.
I think it’s impossible to accurately map a Triangle Era omnibus line past this point, since we don’t know definitively where DC would introduce breaking points. I think it would be a good thing if the omnibuses eventually collected one year of material each, since every year of content is in the range of 48-55 issues. However, we’ll always be playing catch-up because the Death & Return omnibus doesn’t collect all the way to the end of 1993 – so this omnibus cannot make it to the end of 1994.
Superman: Our Worlds at War [AKA End of the Triangle Era] (2001)
This is both an event omnibus for Our Worlds at War and a final Triangle Era omnibus!
This would primarily collect Action Comics (1938) #780-782, Adventures of Superman (1987) #593-595, Impulse (1995) #77, JLA: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Superboy (1994) #91, Supergirl (1996) #59, Superman (1987) #171-173, Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #115-117, Wonder Woman (1987) #172-173, World’s Finest: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Young Justice (1998) #36, and Superman: Our Worlds At War Secret Files (2001) #1.
That’s just 21 issues! To that, I think it would add two sets of additional material.
First, it would collect the remaining 8 “Our Worlds at War” one-shots, some of which are abandoned by their own omnibus lines: Batman: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, The Flash: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Green Lantern: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, JSA: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Nightwing: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Wonder Woman: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1, Young Justice: Our Worlds at War (2001) #1.
Now we’re at 29 issues.
Then, I think I think it would extend to the end of the Triangle Era by adding another 13 issues: Adventures of Superman (1987) #596-598, Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #118-120, Action Comics (1938) #783-785, Superman (1987) #174-176.
That makes 42 issues – a perfectly reasonable omnibus size to wrap up the Triangle Era!
Superman Omnibus Mapping – Post-Triangle to Flashpoint
Trying to map the post-Triangle era of Superman can be confusing. All four of his ongoing series continued for at least a year starting from January 2002 – that’s Action Comics (1938), Adventures of Superman (1987) #599-609, Superman (1987), Superman: The Man of Steel (1991). Some of their material stands well on its own, but they also crossed over heavily several times.
Unlike the Triangle Era, there’s no explicit single reading order to unique the four series. That means people want very different things from an omnibus mapping of this era – so, some of these options overlap with each other! To see how these issues are currently collected, see the Guide to Action Comics (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present) and Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present).
Superman: Post-Triangle-Era, Vol. 1 (2002 & on)
There are two strong arguments for continuing to collect the entire Superman line in a single omnibus line through Infinite Crisis.
First, in the era following the Triangle Era, one of his titles quickly sputters out – Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #121-134 by Mark Schultz (Dec 2001 – Oct 2002). Those 14 issues would be orphaned without a linewide omnibus, and they require 4 crossover issues from other series to read.
Second, there’s those pesky crossovers. Despite abandoning the Triangle Era’s concept of keeping every issue in a perfected monthly reading order, over the course of four years the Superman titles cross over multiple times – for “Return of Krypton,” “Ending Battle,” “Lost Hearts,” “Strange New Visitor,” “Godfall,” “The Journey,” “Sacrifice,” and “Superman, This Is Your Life”!
That’s more than 24 crossover issues that would have to be duplicated across multiple omnibuses if Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, and Superman were separated into their own omnibuses lines. However, the heart wants what the heart wants – especially with Greg Rucka’s name attached specifically to one of those single-title omnibuses.
If we went with this line-wide plan, this would begin by collecting (roughly) Action Comics (1938) #786-796, Adventures of Superman (1987) #599-609, Superman (1987) #177-187, and Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #120-131.
In total, the line would need to run four volumes, collecting a total of 167 issues from Action Comics (1938) #786-836 (51 issues), Adventures of Superman (1987) #598-649 (52 issues), Superman (1987) #177-226 (50 issues), Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #121-134 (14 issues), and a handful of issues from other titles.
Superman: Action Comics, Post-Triangle Era Vol. 1 [AKA by Joe Kelly] (2002 & on)
This is the “Action Comics Only” option for the Post-Triangle Era. You can get more than two years deep into this title with only 14 addition issues to cover multi-title crossovers – 3 issues for Superman: Return to Krypton, 6 issues for Superman: Ending Battle, 3 issues for “Lost Hearts,” and 2 issues for “Strange New Visitor.”
I think that’s a solid justification for an “Action-Only” collection, since this book mostly featured its own plotlines.
This would primarily collect Action Comics (1938) #786-813.
It would add 14 crossover issues from Return to Krypton (Adventures of Superman (1987) #606, Superman (1987) #184, and Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #128), Ending Battle (Adventures of Superman (1987) #608-609, Superman (1987) #186-187, and Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #130-131), Lost Hearts (Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #133, Superman (1987) #189, Adventures of Superman (1987) #611), and “Strange New Visitor” (Adventures of Superman (1987) #624 and Superman (1987) #201).
Superman: Post-Triangle-Era Adventures of Superman by Casey & Rucka (Vol. 1?) (2001 – 2006)
Joe Casey also write Adventures of Superman (1987) from issues #598-624, which then passed on to Greg Rucka for issues 3625-649 before Infinite Crisis.
This would collect Adventures of Superman (1987) #598-649 (Nov 2001 – Mar 2006), which 52 issues – the ideal length of a big DC omnibus! However, both Casey and Rucka’s run included significant multi-title crossovers.
We’ve seen DC ignore all crossover issues in the past to simply archive a single title’s run, but that seems unlikely for Superman. If that’s the case, this would absolutely need to be two volumes.
Superman: “One Year Later” by Busiek & Johns (Vol. 1?) (2006 & on)
After Infinite Crisis there were a pair of primary Superman titles: Action Comics and adjectiveless Superman. Both were steered by the same core group of writers, so it makes sense to collect them together.
This would collect Action Comics (1938) #837-870 & Annual 10 and Superman (1939 / 2006) #650-676 & Annual 13
Superman: Superman Confidential (2007 – 2008)
The creator-centric Superman Confidential (2007) ran for just 14 issues, so this could also collect other creator-centric mini-series or potentially abandoned Superman issues from Pre-Flashpoint (which could include JMS’s Superman (2006) #700-714).
Superman: The Complete New Krypton Saga (2008 – 2011)
This would collect the entirety of the New Krypton saga that crossed 43 issues and several titles across multiple years.
This would collect Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special (2008) #1-2, Superman: New Krypton Special (2008) #1, Superman (1939) #681-683, 691, & 698-699, Adventure Comics Special Featuring The Guardian (2009) #1, Action Comics (1938) #871-874, 880, & Annual 10, Supergirl (2005) #44 & 51-52, Superman: World of New Krypton (2009) #1-12, Adventure Comics (2009) #8-11, Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton (2010) #1-3, and Superman: War of the Supermen (2010) #1-4 & FCBD [AKA #0].
Superman: Actions Comics “World Without Superman” by Rucka & Cornell 2009 2011
This collection follows Infinite Crisis and the kickoff of the World of New Krypton to collect Action Comics through Flashpoint – much of which did not star Superman!
This collects Action Comics #875-904 & Annual 12-13 and 10 crossover issues for a total of 42 issues. However, that doesn’t fully explain the contents. Here’s a more exploded list of what it would contain:
- Action Comics (1938) #875-879 (Nightwing & Flamebird; no back-up stories) & Annual 12, plus Superman: Secret Files 2009 (2009) #1
- Action Comics (1938) #880 (part of Codename Patrtiot, along with Superman: World of New Krypton (2009) #6, Supergirl (2005) #44, Superman (1939) #691, and an epilogue in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special (2008) #1)
- Action Comics (1938) #881-882 (Supergirl)
- Action Comics (1938) #883-889 (Nightwing & Flamebird, adding Adventure Comics (2009) #8-10 and Superman (1939) #696)
- Action Comics (1938) #890-900 & Annual 13 (Lex Luthor, also collecting Secret Six (2008) #29)
- Action Comics (1938) #900-904 (Reign of Doomsday)
Superman by James Robinson & JMS (2008 – 2011)
This would collect around the New Krypton saga to include all of the other issues of James Robinson’s run through issue #699 and then the J. Michael Straczynski “Grounded” run that followed.
Collects Superman (1939) #677-680, 684-697, Annual 14, & 700-714, Action Comics (1938) Annual 10, #874, & 880, Superman: Secret Files 2009 (2009) #1, Superman: World of New Krypton (2009) #6, Supergirl (2005) #44, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special (2008) #2, Adventure Comics (2009) #11.
Superman & Wonder Woman by J. Michael Straczynski (2010 – 2011)
Alternately, some folks might prefer to see J. Michael Straczynski’s twin Pre-Flashpoint runs collected in a single volume!
This would collect Superman (2006) #700-714 and Wonder Woman #600-614.
Superman Omnibus Mapping – New 52
We have Grant Morrison’s Action Comics collected in omnibus, but that’s less than half of the two main Superman titles from 2011-2016. To see how these issues are currently collected, see the Guide to Action Comics (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present) and Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present).
Superman, The New 52 Omnibus by Perez, Jurgens, Lobdell, Johns, & Yang 2011 2016
This would collect the entirety of Superman (2011) #1-52, 0, 23.1-4, & Annuals 1-3, only adding some of the “Krypton Returns” crossover material from Action Comics (2011) Annual 2, Superboy (2011) #0 & 25, Supergirl (2011) #0 & 25
Superman: Action Comics by Greg Pak, The New 52 Omnibus (2013-2016)
This directly follows the Morrison omnibus to collect the remainder of Action Comics from New 52; it also includes material by Lobdell & Diggle.
This would primarily collect Action Comics (2011) #19-52, #23.1-4, & Annual 2-3, as well as Action Comics: Futures End (2014) #1, Convergence Superboy (2015) #2, and material from Young Romance: The New 52 Valentine’s Day Special (2013) #1 and Secret Origins (2014) #1.
That’s 41 issues – already a hefty omnibus! However, there were several major crossovers through the Superman books in this period. Since this omnibus is already 19 issues short since it doesn’t need to re-collect the Morrison material, and since DC has repeatedly shown an appetite to go really big on their New 52 omnibuses, I think we could stretch this one to include some or all of that crossover material.
I think the main two crossovers to include are Savage Dawn (Action Comics #48-50, Superman/Wonder Woman #25-27, and Superman #48-50 & Annual 3) and The Final Days of Superman (Collects Superman #51-52, Action Comics #51-52, Batman/Superman #31-32, and Superman/Wonder Woman #28-29).
That would add just 13 more issues, keeping this in the realm of possibility. I think Superman: Doomed could be pushed into a Superman/Wonder Woman omnibus, and we’d skip Krypton Returns, which only hits Annual 2 here and is more a crossover with Superman (2011) as seen above.
Superman / Wonder Woman, The New 52 Omnibus (2013 – 2016)
During New 52, Wonder Woman was romantically linked to Superman – which lead to them having their own ongoing team-up title for the first time.
This would collect Superman/Wonder Woman #1-29 & Annual 1-2 [+ the trade-only issues #30-31] , Wonder Woman: Futures End, and Superman/Wonder Woman: Futures End. Annual 1 continues to Action Comics (2011) Annual 3.
There’s crossover material required, as this was integrated with the Superman line, but the original trades did not include any of it. However, I do think “Doomed” fits best here, since it was a major theme of an entire arc of this series. That would add Action Comics (2011) #30-35 & Annual 3, Batman/Superman (2013) #11, Supergirl (2011) #34-35, Superman (2011) #30, & Superman: Doomed (2014) #1-2.
Superman Omnibus Mapping – Rebirth to Present Day
We have only had a single post-Rebirth Superman omnibus so far – an incomplete collection of Superman (2016) that skips issues that aren’t created by Peter Tomasi and/or Patrick Gleason – always frustrating! What else is there to collect of Superman’s post-Rebirth material? Let’s take a look!
To see how these issues are currently collected, see the Guide to Action Comics (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present) and Guide to Superman (Post-Crisis, 1987 – Present).
Superman: Action Comics by Dan Jurgens, the Rebirth Omnibus (2016 – 2018)
Dan Jurgens penned the entirety of Rebirth Action Comics until Brian Bendis took over the line midway through 2018.
This would include Action Comics (1938 / 2016) #957-999, Action Comics Special (2018) #1, material from 1000, and a crossover with. Superman #18-19.
That’s 47 issues – already a full omnibus! However, I’d strongly suggest there’s good reason to start this omnibus with other material! Namely, Superman: Lois and Clark (2015) #1-8, which was also by Jurgens and which bridged this classic version of Clark & Lois from Convergence to actual reality. Jurgens also wrote a series of back-ups that act as a sequel to that story in The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special (2022) #1 and Action Comics (1938) #1051-1057, which would add another 128 pages.
Alternately, this could also include the Superman (2016) issues skipped by the Gleason omni (#26, 29-32, & 40-41), just to make the pair of them a complete set.
Superman by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 1 (of 2) (2018 – 2021)
Superman by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 2 (of 2) (2018 – 2021)
This pair of omnibuses could either split Bendis’s run between Action Comics and Superman, or combine them in reading order in two volumes.
They would include The Man of Steel (2018) #1-5, material from DC Nation (2018) #0 and Action Comics #1000, Action Comics (1938) #1001-1028, Superman: Leviathan Rising Special (2019) #1, Superman (2018) #1-28, Superman: Heroes #1, and Superman: Villains #1.
That’s about 65 issues – perfect for two omnibuses. One could argue that Bendis’s other Leviathan content should also fit here, and I wouldn’t argue against you – there’s room for it! But, let’s not lose focus – this is mostly about comprehensively collecting his run on Superman.
Superman: Action Comics – The Warworld Saga by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (2021 2023)
DC has already collected this saga comprehensively in paperback, but it’s proving to be definitive enough that I’m sure many people would like to see it in an omnibus – especially if it slightly expanded the contents of the paperback!
This would collect the contents of the Warwold paperback – Action Comics (1938) #1030-1045, Annual 2021, & Annual 2022, Batman / Superman: The Authority Special (2021) #1, Superman: Warworld Apocalypse (2022) #1, Future State: Superman: Worlds of War (2021) #1-2, and Future State: Superman – House of El (2022) #1.
That’s only 22 issues, and there is more we can add to make that more attractive!
First, let’s include Action Comics (1938) #1029, so it’s not abandoned (though it would probably also be in a Jon Kent omnibus). Then, let’s include Superman and The Authority (2021) #1-4, which is a sibling to this run.
Next, let’s include Superman’s return to Earth in Action Comics #1047-1050 and Superman: Kal-El Returns Special (2022) #1. Despite claiming those issues cross over with Superman: Son of Kal-El (2021) #16-18, they don’t actually share a storyline at all and we could easily skip those.
That’s 10 more issues, bringing us to 32 issues – a perfect omnibus size! But, there’s certainly room to include the resolution to PKJ’s run from #1051-1060 (A-stories only, mostly) and Annual 2023. This pays off things from the earliest issues and really belongs with the rest of this run.
(I’d also push for #1054-1056 (Steel back-ups) and Steelworks (2023) #1-6, which closely tie to the PKJ run but are not written by him.)
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