Counting Comics - 22

My total carried over from last week comes to

DC = 6307

Marvel = 62

Others = 59



The Kents (1997 - 98)

1 - 12

The Kents was a twelve-issue limited series that focused on the 19th Century Kent Family. According to the editorial from issue #1, John Ostrander originally wanted to name the series The Lawtons and it would detail the family background of Floyd Lawton, aka, Deadshot. Pa Kent relates some memoirs that he has found on the farm to his adopted son Clark about a couple of ancestors of his who fought on opposite sides during the civil war.

A. Bizarro (1999)

1 - 4

Written by Steve Gerber, and illustrated by Mark Bright, the series introduced a brand new character named Al Bizarro. Al Bizarro, is a clone of a former Lexcorp employee named Al Beezer. Created as a test for Dr. Happersen's cloning equipment which eventually created a Post-Crisis Bizarro, he was placed in suspended animation and forgotten. When he is freed, he begins a search for his own identity, and his purpose in life, which eventually takes him to Apokolips and South America.

Alpha Centurian Special #1 (1996)

Alpha Centurion (Marcus Aelius) is a hero of ancient Rome who later became an ally to Superman. He was abducted by aliens during his own time, who experimented on him and gave him a suit with special powers. This included enhanced strength, enhanced speed, and the ability to generate an energy blade. They deposited him several thousand years later in Metropolis during the 20th Century. There was an early version of the Centurion that appeared while time was fluctuating during Zero Hour, which disappeared, although he later appeared in the regular timeline. He has also been a member of Team Luthor. Alpha Centurion was created by Karl Kesel, first appearing in Zero Hour #3. (1994) 

Agent Liberty #1 (1992)

Agent Liberty is an American super-hero and former government agent. Having worked in the CIA, he grew disgusted with their methods and took on a new identity. Using his intensive combat training he becomes a costumed crime-fighting. Despite not having powers, his high-tech suit is well-equipped with weaponry and defensive capabilities. He has been a member of Justice League International and the Sons of Liberty. Lockwood would eventually be killed by Superwoman during New Krypton. His successor the second Agent Liberty appeared as security detail to President Suarez, although she was killed by Ursa during War of the Supermen. Agent Liberty was created by Dan Jurgens, first appearing in Superman (Volume 2) #60. (1991)

Doomsday Annual #1 (1995)

Created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens, the character had a cameo appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (November 1992) and made his first full appearance in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December 1992).

Originally known as "The Ultimate", Doomsday was born in prehistoric times on Krypton, long before the humanoid Kryptonian race gained dominance over the planet about 250,000 years ago. It was a violent, hellish world where only the absolute strongest of creatures could survive. In a cruel experiment involving evolution, intended to create the perfect living being, the alien scientist Bertron released a humanoid infant (born in vitro in a lab) onto the surface of the planet, where he was promptly killed by the harsh environment. The baby's remains were collected and used to clone a stronger version. This process was repeated over and over for decades as a form of accelerated natural evolution. The agony of these repeated deaths was recorded in his genes, driving the creature to hate all life.

As it evolved, the child eventually became able to survive the high temperatures and searing atmosphere, only to be quickly slain by the vicious predators that inhabited the planet. Over time, and without the assistance of Bertron's technology, he gained the ability to thrive on solar energy without the need for food or air, to return to life and adapt in order to overcome whatever had previously killed him. The Ultimate hunted and exterminated the dangerous predators of Krypton. He then killed Bertron himself, whom he had come to identify as an enemy.

Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy (1997)

1 - 4

Whom Gods Destroy is a 1996 four-issue comic book mini-series. Written by Chris Claremont, with artwork by Dusty Abell and Drew Geraci, under the Elseworlds imprint of DC Comics.

In a world where Superman hasn't aged a day since the Nazis won WWII; Clark Kent infiltrates Axis dominated Europe in pursuit of Lana Lang, who has fallen prey to the enchantress Circe, while Lois Lane finds herself transformed by the power of the ancient gods into a Wonder Woman.

Guardians of Metropolis (1994 - 95)

1 - 4

Guardian, the Newsboy Legion & Project Cadmus tangle with the mobster Boss Moxie and his Apokaliptian allies, Granny Goodness and the Female Furies.

Metropolis: S.C.U. (1994 - 95)

1 - 4

I couldn't find a synopsis for this but I think I was trying to remember the name of Maggie Sawyer's right hand man on the team and it was Dan Turpin. He debuted way back in Detective Comics #64 in 1942 as a member of the Boy Commandos. He died in Final Crisis #7, after being possessed by Darkseid. 

Superman: Kal (1995)

In an Elseworld's reality where Krypton was destroyed during Earth's Middle Ages Kal is adopted by farmers and attracts the attention of Lady Loisse. He has to battle the evil Baron Luthor.

Superman/Doomsday (1994)

1 - 3

Ding! Ding! Superman Vs. Doomsday Round 2! Hank Henshaw the "Cyborg Superman" also tags in to the action with a new cosmetic appearance. 

Superman/Silver Banshee (1998)

1, 2

I can't find a synopsis for this but I think Superman is trying to save Silver Banshee's soul. One thing I do know is that I really like the Banshee's look, I thought she was quite an old character but she actually 1st appeared in 1987 in Action Comics #595. Searching for an ancient book she nearly killed Superman with her banshee scream. I don't think I have that comic but I think I'll add it to my buy list. Silver Banshee's alias is Siobhan McDougal and the character was created by John Byrne. According to the DC wiki she is 6' 11"!! That doesn't seem right somehow I'm sure she's not drawn that tall in the comics.

Superman/Aliens (1995)

1 - 3

A joint publication in unison by DC and Dark Horse Comics, the aliens are a threat to Superman here as he is an atmosphere with little yellow sun influence so he is seriously underpowered through out the story.

Superman: Secret Files and Origins #1 (1998)

Lots of cool little stories in this book, I can't remember them right now though haha and I couldn't find any synopsis online but you know I just love these anthology story books full of little tales that are short and sweet.

Superman: At Earth's End (1995)

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where mutations run wild, and a white-maned Man of Steel has begun a fight against a new scourge sweeping across the Earth—a nightmare army of bat-men. The book is, more or less, the sequel to the miniseries Kamandi: At Earth's End, which itself was a reimagining of the DC Comic series Kamandi, created by Jack Kirby in 1972.

Superman 3D #1 (1998)

The story in this is called "A Bad Trip to Nowhere"

Superman plus Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (1997)

The story in here is called "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow", I can't find a synopsis online for it though.

The Legacy of Superman #1 (1993)

This is an unofficial "Death of a Friend" tie-in. I think this is following the death of Superman, with the other heroes of Metropolis taking up the slack after his loss. With short stories featuring Guardian, Gangbuster, Thorn, Waverider and the other chap who I didn't recognise is called Sinbad.

Superman

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Story by Alan Moore, art by Curt Swan what more do you need?? "Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" is a DC Comics trade collection of the final issues of the Pre-Crisis titles Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, featuring the character of Superman. Conceived by Julius Schwartz, the story was assigned to writer Alan Moore, it was pencilled by long-time Superman artist Curt Swan, and inked by George Pérez (Superman #423) and Kurt Schaffenberger (Action Comics #583), the tale incorporates the Mort Weisinger-era style but has a distinctly modern twist. It is intended to close the book on the original character's history prior to The Man of Steel relaunch by John Byrne, and was Swan's final major contribution to the series, though he would later occasionally return for special occasions.

Long-time Superman editor Julius Schwartz came up with the concept of a final story for Superman and his supporting cast as his personal swan song after 16 years of editing Superman comics. Schwartz used the last issues he would ever edit to showcase this story. His first choice for writer was Superman's co-creator Jerry Siegel, but due to contractual impediments, Siegel had to turn the offer down.

The story's name is a reference to the backup stories published in DC Comics Presents from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, which revisited various long-unused Silver Age characters; these stories were all titled "Whatever Happened to (x)?" DC Comics Presents was also edited by Julius Schwartz.

Superman's Metropolis (1996)

This is the first part of a trilogy based on German Expressionist cinema, succeeded by Batman: Nosferatu and Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon. It was written by Jean-Marc Lofficier, Randy Lofficier and Roy Thomas and illustrated by Ted McKeever.

The story of Superman's Metropolis is "patterned" after Fritz Lang's classic film Metropolis, which had, in fact, been the inspiration for the city of the same name in the Superman canon.

Superman Toyman #1 (1996)

Toyman, (Winslow Schott), was created by Don Cameron and Ed Dobrotka, first appearing in Action Comics #64. (1943) 

Silver Surfer/Superman # 1 (1997)

Marvel's Star-Soarer meets DC's Man of Steel! One lost Krypton, a planet destroyed soon after his birth. The other lost his humanity to save Zenn-La, a planet he would never know again. They won't lose another world! It's a crossover of cosmic proportions! Written by George Perez. Art and wraparound cover by Ron Lim and Terry Austin. 

Superman Adventures #1 (1996)

The series was based on the continuity of the 1996 Superman: The Animated Series. Stories from this series shared the same continuity with that of Adventures in the DC Universe, Batman Adventures and Justice League Adventures. It also shared continuity with the Batman Beyond comic book adaptation, albeit in a future timeline.

Superman: Under a Yellow Sun (1994)

This prestige format one-shot reads like a novel as written by Clark Kent. It deals with the mild mannered reporter's frustrations with his job, his earning power, and his reward-less fight for truth, justice, and the American way. Written by John Francis Moore, with art by Eduardo Barreto, Kerry Gammill, and Dennis Janke.

Superman 80-Page Giant (1999)

6 short stories grace the pages if this book, with such characters as Scorn, Mxyzptlk and the drunken Six-pack.

Superman Special #1 (1992)

The good news is that Lex Luthor, in trying to synthesize Kryptonite, inadvertently neutralises all Kryptonite's deadly radioactive properties. The bad news is that this results in the creation of a new menace that proves deadly to Superman. Written and illustrated by Walt Simonson.

The Adventures of Superman

0, 471, 481, 499 - 565

In typical confusing comic fashion, this comic run appears to begin with #424 in January 1987. It started off as Superman in 1939 but they decided to restart that title in 1987 with Vol 2 and changed this book's name. Then in 2006 a restructuring of the entire DC Comics line saw Superman Vol 2 discontinued. The last issue of Adventures of Superman was #649; it was once again titled Superman and continued the numbering from #650.

Annual

2, 6, 7, 8, 9

Apparently there were 12 annuals of this title so I have a few more to pick up if I went the full set.

Superman: The Man of Steel

0, 5, 22, 23, 25 - 87

Superman: The Man of Steel was published from July of 1991 until March of 2003. It was one of four monthly Superman titles with stories crossing over sequentially from title to title throughout the 1990s. The awesome 'Triangle Numbers'

Annual

3, 4, 5, 6

There were 6 annuals in the Man of Steel run, #1 Eclipso, #2 Bloodlines, #3 Elseworlds, #4 Year One, #5 Legends of the Dead Earth & #6 Pulp Heroes.

Superman Vol 1

340, 341, 362, 374, 376 - 406

So this title became Adventures of Superman as on #424 and at the same time Superman Vol 2 launched.... I really can't see the point of that to be honest, it just makes it harder for comic collectors in the future to work it all out.

Superman Vol 2 (1987 - )

0, 4, 20, 27, 66, 78 - 142

Superman (Volume 2) was the first ongoing Superman title to take place in the revised continuity following the events depicted in the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. After the Crisis, the Superman family of titles endured a major change in format. World's Finest and DC Comics Presents ceased publication, Action Comics adopted a team-up format (filling the former role of DC Comics Presents), and Superman (Volume 1) changed its title to the Adventures of Superman.

Superman (Volume 2) began its publishing history in 1987 and followed in the footsteps of the Man of Steel limited series – a series that effectively rewrote the history of Superman.

For the first several years, the stories contained in Superman (Volume 2) were self-contained, occasionally crossing over into other comic titles depending upon the story-arc. By issue #50, Superman stories began to follow a chapter-based continuity, with story lines moving from one title to the next. In order to provide an easily accessible reading order for consumers, the DC editorial staff began using a secondary numbering system displayed on the cover of each issue. These continuity markers were informally known as the “triangle” numbers, and were recycled at the end of each publishing year. Every Superman comic book published from the mid to late 1990s (including Annuals and specials) possessed a sequential chapter number on the cover. Eventually, writers began containing their story lines to single titles again and the DC editors ceased providing the chapter markers on the covers.

The final issue of Superman (Volume 2) was #226 which shipped on February 8, 2006. Afterwards, as part of DC's One Year Later event, this volume ended, and Adventures of Superman returned to its original status as Superman (Volume 1) beginning with issue #650.
Source.

Annual

6, 7, 8, 9,10

There were 12 annuals in this volume of Superman, so I need a few more to get the set still. I am pretty sure I do have more of these in another box somewhere in the collection as I know I have lumped the Eclipso, Armageddon 2001 etc books into one place I am sure.

Action Comics

0, 516, 534, 557, 560, 587, 670, 686 - 716, 718 - 752

I picked up a few older Action recently and some older Superman comics, I really need to have a major sort out and rejiggle my Superman boxes, sell off my doubles too and maybe list the gaps for a future pick up if I ever get a new job!

Annual

6, 7, 8, 9

There are 0nly 13 annuals in this run which is quite a low number when you consider it's been running since 1938!! The 1st annual never came until 1987 and they've not even come out every year I wonder what the reason for that is!

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (1995 - )

1 - 12

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow was a quarterly title released in the summer of 1995. It continued publication until cancellation in the Fall of 1999 with issue #15.

At the time of its publication, there were four Superman titles being published: Action Comics (Volume 1), Adventures of Superman (Volume 1), Superman (Volume 2), and Superman: Man of Steel (Volume 1). Superman stories were continuously narrated across the four titles and each title is published across the four weeks of the month. Man of Tomorrow served to fill in the fifth week in the months there were five weeks. 

Green Lantern #46

That arsehole Mongul destroyed Coast City, turning it into Engine City to power his new Warworld that he was planning to turn Earth into. Hal stops him, in this tie-in to the ongoing Superman storyline. The destruction of Coast City that happened in Superman Vol 2 #80 led to Parallax gaining control of Hal setting the stage for "Emerald Twilight"

Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (1996)

I'm not crying, you're crying. Awww what a beautiful couple, it had to happen eventually eh? Only took them what 58 years?? haha how did she never suss that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person?? Investigative reporter my butt, she couldn't even see the wood for the trees!

Superman Forever #1 (1998)

After the Millennium Giants storyline Kal/Clark falls to Earth landing in Kansas, his split red and blue halves have reintegrated and he is returned to his original powers and look. This story features Bizarro, Lex Luthor, his wife the Countessa and their daughter Lena. At the end of the book as he flies over Metropolis he sees 4 realities simultaneously which leads to the Dominus Effect story line over the 4 main Superman titles.

Superman: Save the Planet #1 (1998)

Months of falling circulation and fierce competition have made the Planet ripe for takeover, and Lex Luthor is more than happy to buy the great metropolitan newspaper, only to shut it down! Meanwhile, Superman saves the planet...Earth, that is, from a meteor shower, but that won't help Clark Kent or any of his former co-workers find new jobs.

Supermen of America #1 (1999)

Supermen of America (2000)

1 - 6

Lex Luthor united the youth of Metropolis after the death of singer Junior K.D due to gang violence. Several super-powered members joined forces under Luthor's employ as the Supermen of America. He was able to gather Pyrogen, White Lotus, Outburst, Brahma, Loser and Psilencer.

During one of the group's first missions, Psilencer was killed. The team was shaken by Psilencer's untimely death and reconsider their vocation. It was around this time that the team met and recruits Maximum.

The team haven't had a lot of DC exposure but as far as I know they are not dead... YET!! Never fear DC will off them soon enough when they want us to know how bad-arse evil a new villain is or how serious a new crossover is.

Superman Adventures Annual #1 (1997)

There was only 1 annual in this 66 issue run, here Supes teams up with Dr. Fate and Zatara against a villain called Akamin.

Superman presents the Krypton Chronicles #1 (1981)

This was a 3-parter, so I need to pick up those other 2 parts for sure. "The Search for Superman's Roots." This series explores Superman's genealogy. The first installment finds Clark Kent being assigned to a series of stories on The Man of Steel's family tree. For research, Clark goes to the bottle city of Kandor, which has recently been restored to normal size.

World's Finest Comics

294, 300, 303, 306, 309, 310, 311, 312, 321

You've got to love these comics, I need to add these to a possible future run pick-up list, maybe 250 to 350, oh no they stopped with 323, we'll see, maybe one day I'll get some sort of extended run sorted, I know I have picked up a few more of these recently, I need to sort these all into the same box. Arrrrrgghhh it's times like these make you want to go digital!! No, not really paper is where it's at you can't beat the proper format.

DC Comics Presents 

26, 39, 44, 48, 51, 52, 59, 65, 67, 68, 70, 82, 83, 84, 88, 89

Very happy to have #26 it's going for about 125 quid or more, so cool that I have it. This run went for 97 issues, (why not 100?), and is another that it would be nice to collect in full as I already have one of the most expensive keys. the other being #47 featuring a meeting with The Masters of the Universe. Also #27 has the 1st apearance of Mongul and is going cheap. 

So that's a total of
DC - 433
unless my addition is very much mistaken (it well may be, please double check for me, that seems a huge amount for 1 longbox!!)

Making the running totals

DC = 6738

Marvel = 62

Others = 59

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