Superman is a 2018 comic book series published by DC Comics as part of the DC Universe initiative.
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, the comic officially began with Man of Steel (2018), a "pilot episode" that pits Superman against the new villain Rogol Zaar. With Man of Steel over, the story continues in the relaunched Superman and Action Comics and sees Superman explore his place in the world and is forced to confront the possibility that he might not be doing enough to help humanity.
Bendis' run with the Superman franchise ended in December 2020, with Phillip Kennedy Johnson becoming writer of Superman and Action Comics and Bendis himself taking over Justice League in March 2021, after the Future State event comes to an end.
After Bendis' run on Superman, Johnson wrote the main Superman title for issues 29-32. Johnson was also the writer of Action Comics, up until December 2023, which followed the adventures of Clark Kent and the Authority out in space. Aside from a brief two-part crossover between Superman #29 and Action Comics #1029 which covers Clark and Jon dealing with the Breach, the two series were separate and neither was required reading for the other.
The comic would come to an end in 2021 to make way for Tom Taylor launching a new Superman book starring Jon Kent as the Superman of Earth in his dad's absence. See Superman: Son of Kal-El for more info.
Superman (2018) provides examples of:
- The Bus Came Back:
- Lois returns to Earth in the pages of Action Comics, but without Jon. She takes up residence in a hotel in Chicago, and does not notify Clark that she is back. She is seen at the end of Action Comics #1001 writing an expose on her marriage to Superman, and is confronted by Clark at the end of Action Comics#1002. In Action Comics #1004, the pair discuss the state of their relationship. Lois assures him they're not breaking up, but that she feels at this stage neither Clark or Jon need her and she needs some space to write her book.
- Jon Kent returns in the pages of Superman, slightly older, Clark having missed out on seven formative years in his life.
- A Superman Rogue not seen since his death in the 90s makes his return in the back-up of Action Comics #1044: Conduit, aka Kenny Braverman, has returned and is seemingly teaming up with Amanda Waller to retrieve the Genesis that John Henry Irons aka Steel is experimenting on.
- After a long period of absence, Kenan Kong, the Super-Man of China, has joined the cast of Action Comics, first in the backups and after issue 1051 as a member of the Superfamily team Clark forms.
- Call-Back:
- Orion is the ruler of Apokolips around the time Superman returns to Earth, and brings Kalibak and Desaad with him to confront Superman.
- When Orion demands Superman hand over Osul-Ra to him, Superman flashes back to when Jor-El demanded to take Jon with him. This time he refuses to allow that to happen.
- Action Comics #1052 has Jon asking Clark to play Coneyball with him due to feeling animosity towards the twins, a reference to Superman (2018) #29 where Clark plays it with him right before he leaves for Warworld.
- After Superman realizes that Norah was one of the Al Ghuls from the Empire of Shadows, we get a brief flashback to the events of the Batman/Superman & The Authority Special.
- Continuity Nod:
- In issue #22, Superman smashes himself into Warworld, as remembering a previous battle where Supergirl stopped the satellite using that move, a nod to the War World storyline.
- While explaining to Osul who Metallo is, John Henry Irons refers back to how he and Luthor both had a hand in transforming Corben into a super villain in the first place.
