Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

This story, which ended the continuity of the original (pre-1986) Superman, deserves to be known as the better Superman death story. It's more mature and more intelligent, without page after page of Superman and a supervillain pounding each other. It's actually sadder and more full of death than the Doomsday arc, with the deaths of some of Superman's friends and also the deaths of at least four major Superman enemies. But all the death, and Superman's disappearance from the world (he does not die in public), are handled without the Doomsday arc's pathetic hand-wringing or excessive emphasis on how the world loves Superman.
-Good characters: Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Perry White's estranged wife, Supergirl, Legion of show more Superheroes, others
-Villains: Toyman, Prankster, Bizarro, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Kryptonite Man, Myxyptlk(sp?), others show less

The last great Silver Age Superman story, period. While other stories do more in terms of spectacle this takes the route of simplicity. While it seems corny at some parts that changes quickly. The end is something that other writers have tried to outdo but all have failed. This really is the last word on the Silver Age Superman by one of the best writers of all time. The fact that he did what he did in one comic is remarkable.

The only Superman story ever to make me cry....Poor Krypto....

Arguably one of the best Superman stories ever, and with 70 years of them to choose from, that's telling you something.

Printed in 1986 but drawn and written like a comic book from the 50's, a somewhat corny and superficial story from master of the dark and substantive Alan Moore, and the final issue for Silver Age Superman putting a bow on his story line after the confusing retcon effort Crisis on Infinite Earths, it should come as no surprise that Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is weird.

Though weird and written/drawn in a style I generally do not like, I enjoyed Alan Moore's effort quite a bit. The storyline is pretty basic, I mean, as basic as you can get when the broken corpose of Braniac merges with Lex Luthor to start an assault on the Fortress of Solitude with the help of villains from the future. Lots of Silver Age characters show more meet their end in this book, as Lois Lane in the future recounts the events leading up to Silver Age Superman vanishing forever.

Because this book is meant to be the capstone of Silver Age Superman, it fails to be really independent, even though it's collected together as a single bound book. Lots of references to characters I didn't know and events with which I was unfamiliar, including two colors of Kryptonite I had never heard of. As a result, I don't think I can recommend it for casual fans such as myself, at least not without Wikipedia handy.

It's a light-hearted and fun read, but it fails to deal with the magnitude of the events it portrays. Like Death of Superman and All-Star Superman, the subject is the demise of the Man of Steel. But unlike All-Star Superman, we are treated to almost none of Kal-el's thoughts as his approaches his own end. It's worth a read, but it requires research, and it's nowhere near the best Superman book I've read. Moore seems to feel more at home dealing with darker material like V for Vendetta and Watchmen, so this particular book always feels like something of a shallow knock-off at best or a toothless parody at worst. show less

Anyone with any affection for the pre-Crisis (that is, pre-John Byrne) Superman will get a lot out of this story, which was intended as the "final issue" under the old continuity. For others, I'd recommend tackling the trade paperbacks that cover the decades first, because in it's proper context, "Whatever Happened..." is a four star tale in the old style.

In 1986 when DC decided to revitalize their moribund Superman franchise, Alan Moore, only given the assignment after threatening editor Julius Schwartz with death, scripted the ultimate tale that ended the nearly 50 years of Superman continuity. His classic story, penciled by legendary Superman artist Curt Swan, hit all the proper nostalgic notes complete with the final Lex Luthor-Brainiac team up, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Krypto, Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, and of course Lois Lane. It evens ends with a wink. This deluxe hardcover edition collects two additional excellent Moore-written Superman tales: "The Jungle Line" with art by Rick Veitch and "For the Man Who Has Everything" with [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan show more Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg|4358649] co-creator Dave Gibbons. show less

It's probably a little darker than the usual Superman comic since people (heroes and villains) actually die. I guess you'd expect that with Alan Moore at the helm. An interesting What If type comic.