#Finally I write a starter

[superfam]

THE SUPERMAN STARTER READING LIST

SO – you want to read Superman comics, but you’re intimidated by the near-century of history this character has. Or, you’ve read a few comics with him, but you want to go back to the basics to understand his character and the mythology surrounding him. There are so many continuities, origin stories, and standalones – where do you start? Well…

[Image ID: a cropped edit of the Superman ‘78 #3 variant cover by Lee Weeks, showing Lois Lane sitting on the letters of the Daily Planet globe, and Clark flying above her in his Superman costume, reaching out to take her hand. Hand-written next to them is: "THE SUPERMAN STARTER READING LIST", and hand-written in the bottom right corner is: "by MYTHIC / superfam.tumblr.com". End ID.]

This list isn’t intended to be a full, comprehensive guide to Superman’s decades of history, but a curated taster of Clark Kent in the comics medium. It aims to show you a variety of interpretations from different authors of different contexts, but with the broad goal of helping newcomers understand the heart of the character. Not every comic is able to sum up all aspects of Superman, and some could be argued to miss certain points, but each one has been selected for this list for the goal of conveying the history and breadth of his interpretations.

It’s intended to be accessible to both long-dedicated comics fans and people who are new to the DC universe, or even the medium as a whole. As such, new fans are welcome to enjoy each story as a standalone interpretation.

Please understand that this list is built from my own experience with the character, and I don’t claim it to be better or worse than any other – it’s just one way to approach his history. Essentially, I’m attempting to create the sort of list I wish I had access to when first reading Superman comics. I highly encourage the reader to form their own interpretations of each work.

With all that out of the way, please enjoy!

[Image ID: An edit of Gary Frank's artwork from Superman: Secret Origin. A slightly battered Clark in his Superman outfit embraces Jimmy with his right arm and Lois with his left. All three are smiling. The background, which depicts a disaster scene and a defeated Lex Luthor chained to a building, is covered in a translucent blue overlay. Hand-written next to Clark is: "ORIGINS". End ID.]

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1-6 (2009-2010) Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Just a couple years before the 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, a new definitive origin story was created for a Superman post-Infinite Crisis (a major event which had changed the status quo of the multiverse).

Secret Origin is only six issues long, and a great, efficient introduction to Clark Kent and Superman. It focuses on telling Clark’s origins from his own perspective, as a hero but also simply as a person. It also does a good job of setting up important supporting characters including Lois, Jimmy, Perry, and Lex.

SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT #1-12 (2003-2004) Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu & Gerry Alanguilan

Though replaced by Secret Origin only a few years later, Birthright was written as the definitive origin story to overwrite Byrne’s 1986 reboot of the character. It was intended to bring Superman into the new century, and be more consistent with his modern interpretations. It is also influenced by the popularity of the TV series Smallville.

Birthright is longer and covers aspects of the Superman mythos in further depth, including dynamics between Clark, Lex, and the city of Metropolis, kryptonite, and Krypton in general. Due to its extended length, it also covers more on Clark’s relationship with his powers and heritage.

I highly recommend reading both modern preboot origins to experience different interpretations with different influences and intentions, even only a few years apart.

[Image ID: An edit of Tim Sale's artwork from Superman: For All Seasons. On the right, Clark lies on his bed, looking to the left with a wistful expression and with a hand on his dog curled up next to him. The background, which is his cluttered bedroom in Smallville, is overlaid with translucent grey. Hand-written to the left of Clark is: "INTROSPECTION". End ID.]

SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN #1-3 (2019) Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru

This standalone story is set in 1946, and primarily draws upon the Golden and Silver Ages as inspiration. It’s an adaptation of an episode of The Adventures of Superman radio series, “The Clan of the Fiery Cross”, which famously dealt a major hit to the KKK’s operations in America by influencing public perceptions.

The story follows Clark as well as siblings Roberta and Tommy, two Chinese-American kids who have recently moved to the Metropolis suburbs, as they uncover and fight a local chapter of the KKK. The story explores themes of immigrant identity and self-acceptance in Clark and the kids’ narratives – it presents important concepts from Superman’s history, straight from the heart of his character, in a really effective way.

SUPERMAN: FOR ALL SEASONS #1-4 (1998) Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

This miniseries has four issues, each corresponding to a season and narrated by an important person in Clark’s life (in order: Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lana Lang). Tim Sale’s beautifully detailed and expressive art captures the complex emotions drawn out by having your life touched by Clark Kent, which works really well with the personal, confessional style of the narration. It’s a very intimate work.

It’s a great insight into both the triumphs and very personal struggles of Clark through the inner voices of some of the most important people in his life, and captures what makes his character work really well.

FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING (SUPERMAN (1939) ANNUAL #11) (1985) Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

This is a single-issue annual from right before the DC universe was rebooted, and (unsurprisingly for Moore) explores some philosophical and ideological questions regarding the Man of Steel. On his ‘birthday’, Superman falls prey to an alien organism called The Black Mercy, which feeds on its victims while keeping them complacent with vivid hallucinations of their greatest desires. Clark hallucinates a still-living Krypton, which he is a part of – but perhaps not everything is perfect.

SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC (ACTION COMICS #866-870) (2008) Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Before retelling Superman’s beginnings in Secret Origin, Johns and Frank collaborated on this story arc which massively changes the status quo, partially by reintroducing a variety of pre-Crisis concepts including the original Brainiac and the bottled city Kandor. If you liked Secret Origin, you’ll probably like this one.

As this is our first story arc rather than self-contained story, it has more references to the ongoing continuity but is still easy enough to understand without that context. This story also prominently features Kara Zor-El as Supergirl and expands on some cosmic lore and Krypton in general.

SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #1-6 (2019-2020) Tom King & Andy Kubert

This is an accessible, self-contained exploration of the extent of Superman’s moral fibre, following Clark as he attempts to save a single girl who was abducted from Earth and taken into space. It’s quite abstract at points with the questions it asks about themes of compassion and commitment, which I think is conveyed particularly well in the panelling and artwork.

[Image ID: An edit of Frank Quitely's artwork from All Star Superman. Clark in his Superman outfit is flying with his arms outstretched. The top half of his face is cut off. The background is an abstract depiction of the heart of the sun, and has been overlaid with a translucent orange. Handwritten beneath Clark is: "INTERPRETING AND RE-INTERPRETING". End ID.]

THE K-METAL FROM KRYPTON (drafted 1940, restored 2004-2011) Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster Studio

The K-Metal from Krypton is an unpublished and unfinished comic from 1940, written by Superman creator Jerry Siegel, and drafted by the studio of the other Superman creator, Joe Shuster. After being lost for decades, the story has slowly been recovered and restored by Superman fans.

Though this one is much more unconventional than the other items on the list, I think it’s extremely important to Superman’s history and generally understanding him as a character. It comes from a time when creative control of their character was being taken from Siegel and Shuster, and though it is unknown why this story was unpublished, that’s a major point of context to keep in mind.

This draft sets up the predecessor to kryptonite in the Superman comics – “K-Metal” – and also contains a scene where Clark reveals his identity to Lois, and they agree to be partners in helping others. This is a major departure from the status quo of Clark keeping his secret from Lois as she tries to uncover it, which would continue for the rest of the Golden and Silver Ages.

The restoration effort can be read online: http://theages.superman.nu/k-metal/splash.php

THE MAN OF STEEL #1-6 (1986) John Byrne & Dick Giordano

This limited series is the immediate post-Crisis origin story and reinvention of Superman. It wasn’t put in the Origins section because I think from a modern perspective it shouldn’t be an introduction to Clark, but rather something you read to understand the history of his character.

It originated major changes in the Superman mythology, some of which have become instilled in it (such as Lex Luthor and Lois Lane’s modern characterisations), and others which have been forgotten or discarded.

One major thing is the great effort this origin made to make Clark American over being Kryptonian… Byrne has expressed great distaste of portrayals of Superman which emphasise his immigrant identity, and that should be kept in mind while critically reading this work.

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #1-12 (2005-2008) Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely

Arguably the most critically acclaimed Superman comic, this has been saved for late in the list as I believe it’s enhanced with more context of and experience with Clark. This is a series which explores the nature of storytelling and legacy, which was created with the aim of creating a timeless Superman story.

When Superman learns he will soon die, what does he reflect on? What does he change? This is heavily inspired by, and is a love letter to, Silver Age Superman.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (SUPERMAN #423 & ACTION COMICS #583) (1986) Alan Moore, Curt Swan & George Pérez

Written in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this is another story about Superman ‘dying’, and is essentially a great mediation on and send-off to the Silver Age incarnation of the character. It refers to itself as an “imaginary” story, and can be seen as one concrete ending for this version of Clark Kent and the rest of the Superman characters, in a medium with few.

It can be found in a collection with For the Man Who Has Everything.

SUPERMAN: RED AND BLUE #1-6 (2021) Various

To finish off our starter reading list, let’s move from Superman’s end to his future. This is an anthology of short stories from various authors and artists, exploring a spread of visions of the Man of Tomorrow.

I think it’s an appropriate end for this starter exploration of Clark Kent’s many interpretations! As with all anthologies, it has its ups and downs in quality, but as a whole I truly believe it captures the heart of this character.

Thank you for reading all this way. I really hope this reading list helps you delve into the character of Superman and inspires you to read further beyond what I’ve suggested here.

Most of all, I hope it helps at least some people grow to love Clark Kent as much as I have.

A PDF version of this reading list is available here.

#it is finally here #my stupid 1600 word reading list #if you requested suggestions then this is your fault lmao #i put all my love of clark into this #i hope its useful #and feel free to send asks with any questions i will be happy to expand #took a long time to edit my ramblings down to this stage lmao #original #reading list #supers #kal #my writing #clark kent #superman #dc #dc reading list #superman reading list #the superman starter reading list

[sacredflorist]

aerith gainsborough independent rp blog from final fantasy vii !

10+ years of RP experience | Multiverse & OC friendly | Like/Reblog if you’d like to interact! | ©  

#ffvii rp #final fantasy vii rp #ff7 rp #final fantasy 7 rp #ff rp #final fantasy rp #self promo #i'm bringing back my aerith gfhdf 🥰 #with a new url because it's a fresh starter! #still a bit under construction but i want to start writing soon so here comes the promo haha!

[thedcvilherself]

muse: fernanda. politician & activist. pinterest here. plot: fernanda is relatively well-known, having made somewhat of a name for herself and garnered the attention of many people her age, she's been working her way through the political world. but whoops, turns out this feminist has a secret blog where she posts depraved fantasies and she's been found out. connections: any & all. (step) relative, in law, employer, co-worker, fellow politician/activist, journalist/interviewer, enemy/opponent, old friend/bully from high school, etc.

there was an air about fernanda that could no doubt be accredited as part of how she'd made it so far, so quickly. she was driven, confident, fearless — traits often not seen in adults twice her age, let alone someone so young. it's what makes the falter of her features in that moment all the more notable; a stone cold and charismatic young woman who looked like she'd been submerged into an ice bath without warning. she's suddenly thankful for the privacy of the office, the fact that their eyes are the only ones upon her, that their ears are the only ones that heard what had just come from their own lips. "i'm sorry." she shakes her head once, slipping back into a cool collection, seeming as if she'd merely spaced out and missed their remark. though the question that slips from her next makes it clear that she did hear, that she's disgusted and appalled by the suggestion. "what did you just say to me?"

#indie smut rp #indie kink rp #[ starters ] #[ fernanda ; starters ] #[ fernanda ; threads ] #look at me finally writing a starter #i hope this makes sense #anyway make her eat her words

[honoredones]

i alone am the honored one. (x)

MAIN ROSTER. SECONDARY. RULES. ABOUT.

#tokyo revengers rp #jujutsu kaisen rp #bungou stray dogs rp #chainsaw man rp #link click rp #demon slayer rp #multifandom rp #i Finally got my shit together and now i'm ready to write #if anyone's interested in a starter like this and i'll message you ;)

[darehearts]

good morning ♡

#i didn't make the progress i wanted to make yesterday in terms of #writing but mayhaps i will catch up on it today and be ready for the #crazy week ahead. i'm probably not gonna be around next week like #at all sadly. i queued the starters i owed FINALLY! i'm thinking about #finding a few new memes to post? i also wanna make some edits ;o #we shall see! hope you have a lovely sunday! #tbd

[sunlightamed]

.          klee has arrived at the lantern rite festival alongside her older brother, @spidergourmet !

━━━━ little sun practically buzzed with excitement, suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of having everything and nothing at her fingertips; hands that knew the burn of lights unlike those that would soon fill the lanterns scattered across the pathways. scarlet eyes widened just a tad when she managed to sneak a peek through the curtain of the window, as if unable to express just how curious she was.

it mattered not that the lantern rite was simply in the beginnings of its performance━━for all of teyvat, she reminded herself. throughout the night, klee would be in the presence of natives and foreigners. faces she could recognize and those she couldn’t match a name to face for. and that thought, in its simplest form, made klee feel…

small, in a way. it made her realize just how large the world really was; how tiny she and her heart was in comparison. but the fear that gripped her chest and pursed her lips into a trembling pout disappeared once an abrupt halt of the carriage forced her to rock back against albedo’s arm. the tiny contraption she had been fidgeting with━━twisting knobs, resetting the locks of each button, syncing the gear rotations━━fell into her lap, clicking shut and folding in on itself as a result.

but klee was so starry-eyed that the possibility of it slipping entirely hardly reached her. “are we here? albedo, are we here? did we make it, finally?” she exclaimed, pushing the contraption off of her lap and freeing her arms from the strap of her rucksack before stumbling out of the carriage’s backdoor.

when her boots had hit the earth, little sun would have been gone in a sprint if not for albedo’s hands quickly hoisting her into his hold. she shouted on instinct, laughing and kicking her feet as he carried her back to the... oh, right! 

“teehee, sorry, big brother! klee forgot we brought our equipment with us… hehe… can we at least, unpack after it turns dark? klee wants to see what stalls they’re gonna have open tonight! how else will we know what to take as a souvenir?" little sun pressed her hands together, smiling big and bright enough to hurt, "please? pretty pretty please with a pretty spider on top━━?”

.          masterlist.

⟡ peace talismans: 5 / 5, as of feb 11th ( links: i, ii, iii, iv, v ) ⟡ inbox: open & accepting lantern rite interactions whether based on prompt or not! ⟡ threads: do tell me beforehand if a specific ask will be turned into a thread, so i can log it in and be prepared!

#ghlanternrite2024 #ᰔ ━━━ ❝ a blinding sunlit smile of fangs ・ 【 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 】 . #ᰔ ━━━ ❝ solitary confinement bound ・ 【 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 】 . #finally... clenches fist... i can write my asks and starters KMSDKEWDKSMJ #also this was lowkey a practice voice test again bc my lord did i think i forgot her style :sob: #will log in all five talismans here too so i don't forget o/ #ty to sen for letting me drag them into this intro

[notbit]

i    dropped    some    threads    when    i    redid    this silly little    blog,    so...    if    you    want    a    small    starter,    give    this    a    like    ﹠    i'll    throw    one    your    way.

#𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞. | ooc. #i need to finally get this blog popping. #i read all my followers' character's biographies but i will be rereading them as i go so i can make decent starters. #if you feel like you can't like this because we already have a thread going on... you are WRONG. i will write 28948294 threads with you. #oh & if i can't think of any good scenario i might hit you up to plot or something.

[opyre]

life , death , & the connections betwixt all lay within the healing feathers that shed aether from his vessel . he is the phoenix's cage , & he would release it were the time to prove so necessary . & , necessary does this time prove itself , as a void - like entity emerges from his dearest comrade , & his sense of unease toward her peculiar nature is confirmed . that is not sarastus , & some unusual rage boils in his chest when he realizes who inhabits her form . how dare he use her this way . . . ?

fists clench & jaw tenses , & zenos aims to strike toward the man & their comrades . 'fore his scythe slices into their marrow , there is a brilliant light , & a barrier projected from fire's wake . his wings radiate light . he has casted them from their detriment .

his vision is red , purple , & darting from person to person before it falls against a soul - bound entity beyond . it has to be her . it must be . ❛ sarastus ! ❜ he calls with a voice divine & only prays she is listening .

. . . @sarastuss .

#sarastuss #♔ * ic ; of life & death . #♔ * v ; ff xiv . #I FINALLY GOT TO WRITING OUR STARTER!!!!

[musingmixtape]

reverse starter call: ♡ if you'd like me to go check your open starters and reply to one or two of them!

#if none of them catch my eye i'll write us a starter! my last final is tomorrow night and i'm so close to be free i can't wait!! #will be catching up w my drafts soon but i'd love some new stuff so here we are :) #indie rp #indie starter call #indie smut rp #indie lesbian rp

[nobuverse]

"It matters not who or what stands in my way. Gods, kings, commoners or heores. All can be turned to ash with only my gaze.

So I suggest you bow."

#hi i hate them but their dialogue is fun to write #even if it does take me 5x as long #what a horrifying creature you are what have you done to my nobu #Demon King of the Sixth Heaven [ Avenger Nobunaga ] #v; final transformation #; open market and guilds [ open starter ]

[captivemuses]

The elusive Duke up aboveground today and walking the streets of Fontaine to get himself dinner, tea, and dessert? Much more likely than one may think. Cafe Lutece was his destination, and he actually intended on eating up there as well.

#ic: wriothesley #open starter #open for mutuals #I have more Wrio icons made and edited finally so I'm letting him out for a bit #I need to write him more so have at it lmao

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

―― If you'd like an unprompted muse of mine in your inbox, hit the like button! I'm in a very big writing mood, and want to explore some INTERACTIONS!

#mun speaks #is this a starter call? #idk #i just want to WRITE #give me your muses mm m #im also finally finishing up haru's page! #He has league lore too #if yall are interested in that!

[vesselmade]

seeing as i don’t want to tackle drafts yet and i’ve cleared most of my inbox, here’s a tiny starter call! im capping at 5 as to not overwhelm myself

#starter call. #ok ok ok FOR REALS THIS TIME #just to get back into the swing of things tbh #long as i cap it i won’t get STRESSED #i can’t believe it…. #the jjk muse is finally back #my energy and motivation to write have returned #I MISSED MY SON SM #im also off the next 2 night so…bear with me

[alecwinthrop]

Status | Open to Any Location | Beach (just outside Calypso's Corner)

Alec didn't get too many days off, so when he did have an entire day to himself (well away from the gym anyway) he made sure to take in some self care time before making his rounds and mingling. Today's venture brought him on a run along the waters edge, clad in only a pair of board shorts alongside his running shoes, sweat glistening all over his body the harder he pushed himself. There was just something about a good solid run that Alec could always feel good about, and when he reached the end of the shore where the bars and diners were lined he decided to head towards Calypso's - where they made the absolute BEST protein shake on the island.

Waiting until it was his turn he ordered the chocolate peanut butter delight shake, added protein, and once it was finished he took his first sip while he walked back out onto the beach. Man, that protein shake hit the damn spot, stretching out as he ran a hand over his chest to wipe some of the sweat away. "I'm a damn mess," he laughed as he wiped his hand onto his board shorts, all while looking around until he caught the attention of someone standing not too far from him. He gave them a slight nod for a greeting, taking another drink as he let out a satisfied hum. "This sure does hit the spot though," almost as good as sex, but not quite.

#hopstarter #// he had won my “who should I write a starter with” and it's taken a while #but here you go - a starter from Alec finally

[meat-loving-meat]

I MIGHT HIT 10K ON MY NUCLEAR WEAPONS AU TONIGHT

#OMG!! This is the most I’ve written for any fic ever!! #I just wrote a passage that I’m really proud of 😵‍💫 #I usually hate what I write until at least a month has passed and I’ve forgotten the process of writing it. But imo this passage is a winner #Kind of bonkers that I might actually finish this fic. I’m usually just a chronic fanfic-starter and I don’t ever finish anything #But this project is really interesting to me?? And I have a pretty well-defined outline??? #WAUGH I’m feeling really good. Even if the final product isn’t fantastic I’m really proud of myself for writing as much as I have #I haven’t stuck to my original new year’s resolution of writing a sentence a day but I’ve definitely written more this year than #I ever have before. So I don’t feel too bad #gay herald in a squirrel suit

[bloodxhound]

i made a big mistake and bought b.aldur’s g.ate 3 : ) sweats,,,

#【♞】 ooc. #it was nice knowing you all see you again in 5 months ✌ #the way i had zero self-control the moment it dropped on ps///5 #i still owe one starter on here but my brain's just not here for it rn #it's gotten super hot again and i'm Suffering #writing will have to wait until the sun finally fucks off for good #i have made good progress on my multi though #i've got my icons; character dossiers; i've started on all backstories #tried smth different and wrote them all in 2nd person #let's see if i will keep them that way in the end #hope everyone's doing okay < 3