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Posted on Dec 15, 2002 - 03:36 AM by Admin |
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As we remember the 10th anniversary of the "death" of Superman, The Fan Man has decided to flashback to that dark comic book day. It was a day that would live forever in comic book infamy! It was not just a single comic book, it became a multimedia event! Newspapers, television, radio and magazines were all reporting on the story that took the world by surprise! DC Comics did the unthinkable! DC "killed" the world's first and greatest superhero! Travel back to January 1993 as The Fan Man does the unthinkable: I open the polybagged version of one of the most shocking comic books of all time, Superman #75!
I still remember the day that I first heard the unbelievable rumor. DC Comics had a plan to kill Superman!?! At the time, there was no way that I would believe that DC would go to such extremes. Sure Superman comics weren't selling as well as other comic books. Sure Superman wasn't at the peak of his popularity. But surely that wouldn't warrant DC offing the world's first superhero, would it?
As the weeks went by, the rumors quickly became something more. DC all but confirmed that Superman was about to kick the super-bucket. Even the most skeptical comic book fans like The Fan Man began to believe that a Superman could die when DC started calling the storyline "The Death Of Superman!" Still, that didn't mean that Big Blue was heading for a dirt nap, did it?!
Comic book fans were in for another shock when it was discovered that Superman's death would be delivered by an entirely new villain. After years of persecution by Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Metallo and countless other bad guys, Superman would fall to a rookie! But what a rookie this bad guy turned out to be!
Fans got their first glimpse at Superman's executioner in Superman: The Man Of Steel #18. However, it would be a few more issues into the storyline before fans would be treated to an actual look at the true Doomsday. In fact, this villain never actually had a name. The name "Doomsday" was coined by Justice League member Booster Gold! A more appropriate name couldn't have been chosen!
As the storyline went along, and Superman #75 drew closer, DC finally confirmed that Big Blue would indeed end up six feet under. At that time, the media around the world jumped all over this story! From newspapers and magazines to television and radio newscasts, fans and everyone else who had ever heard of Superman were shocked by this story. At the time, I was working as the program director at a small radio station. I simply couldn't believe what happened the day Superman #75 was released. Instead of stories about war or politics, our top news story all day long was the death of Superman! The death of a fictional comic book character had replaced the usual stories out of Washington and the Middle East!
For their part, DC Comics did a fantastic job of publicizing the release of Superman #75. With all of the media reports, comic book stores were filled with fans and non-fans alike. Anyone and everyone who had ever heard of Superman seemed to want a copy of Superman #75. People who had never been inside of a comic book store, or never had even bought a comic book, stood in line to get a copy of Superman #75. In some cases, this prompted some longtime comic fans to miss getting their own copy of this book. In fact, I had preordered 3 copies of the polybagged Superman #75: one for a friend, one to open and read and one to keep sealed. After customers started lining up before my old comic book store opened, I was lucky to get 2 copies, and that's only because I threatened to take my abundant business elsewhere!
Even when I was in the process of buying my polybagged copies of Superman #75, I knew that this was much more than just a common comic book. While I was standing in line to check out, a customer who was clearly not a comic book fan offered to buy one of my new polybagged issues for $50.00! When I refused him, he offered to buy the single book for $75.00! Eventually, he gave up after I refused his offer of $150.00! Before I left the comic book store, two other people had also offered to buy one of my polybagged issues for $50.00!
For the lucky individuals who were able to get their copy of Superman #75, it was definitely worth the wait and the price. And true Superman fans would soon discover that not only could a Superman die, but a Superman writer by the name of Dan Jurgens could make a reader cry!
As soon as you open Superman #75, you realize that this book is going to be big. Superman #75 is such a blockbuster that the entire story is told in full page spreads! The story opens with Superman locked in battle with the fully revealed, monstrous Doomsday. While the two comic book titans battle through the streets of Metropolis, soldiers armed with weapons provided by Cadmus Labs try to assist Superman. These weapons supposedly are able to take out a tank! However, the weapons only seem to annoy Doomsday, as the villain lifts the battered body of Superman above his head! And while Doomsday doesn't appear to be able to speak, he does utter a single "Hah!" as if he is laughing and enjoying the beating he is giving Superman!
Doomsday casually tosses Superman into one of the two nearby helicopters, which incidentally contains his wife, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olson. Superman's collision with the helicopter shears one of the hydraulic cables in half, so Superman has to save Lois and Jimmy. As Superman flies the chopper to safety, Lois notices that Superman doesn't look just right. Once they reach the ground, Lois begs Superman to call for backup. However, Superman tells Lois that it's too late. The JLA has already fallen, and there are innocent lives at stake. Before Superman can fly off to rejoin the battle, he embraces his wife, kisses her and tells her, "Just remember, no matter what happens, I'll always love you. Always." Little does Lois or Superman realize that the kiss will be their last.
Superman reenters the fray with a new fury. The two titans blast their way through buildings and the streets of Metropolis, while airborne soldiers and Cat Grant's television helicopter watch from above. Quickly, Doomsday makes his way to The Daily Planet building where Jimmy and Lois are standing in his way. Lois actually believes that she can help Superman stop Doomsday! However, before Lois can go into action, Superman makes his way up through the street to attack Doomsday from behind!
Superman shocks Lois when he reveals to her that Doomsday only wants death and destruction, and the only way to stop him is to be just as ferocious! As Lois tells Superman that he can't kill, Superman blasts Doomsday into a wall with his heat vision! It's at that moment that Superman discovers just how dangerous a cornered Doomsday is. Doomsday does the unthinkable: with his bony knee protrusion, he actually cuts Superman! Before Superman can get over the fact that he's actually bleeding, Doomsday cuts him again with a swipe of three bony protrusions on his left hand!
Despite being nearly unconscious, Superman comes to the conclusion that Doomsday's bony protrusions are just extensions of his skeleton. In a ruthless move, Superman snaps off Doomsday's bony protrusion on his left knee, causing the villain to roar in pain! However, the pain only seems to fuel Doomsday's fire!
Doomsday and Superman attack each other right in front of The Daily Planet building. Their punches hit each other so hard that every window in the area shatters! As the gathered crowd watches the unfolding battle and dodges falling glass, Superman realizes that he has to stop Doomsday now or never! As Superman clubs Doomsday, the villain cuts Superman again with a punch to the mouth! Both punches are so devastating, that both Superman and Doomsday fall!
A stricken Lois Lane watches over Jimmy Olson's shoulder as he snaps a picture of the two titans falling to the ground. In a home in Smallville, Kansas, Jonathon and Martha Kent weep as they watch Lois cradle her dying husband, their son, on television. On the streets of Metropolis, teary eyed citizens watch on while members of the JLA arrive too late to do anything but grieve. As Lois cradles her husband, she pleads with Superman, "Please hang on! The paramedics will be here any second! Please!" A dying Superman can only say, "Doomsday - is he - is he", while Lois answers, "You stopped him! You saved us all! Now relax until-" But it's too late. Once comic book fans unfold the bifold last page, they see that Superman falls lifeless from Lois' arms. Superman is dead!
I still remember the day that I read this shocking issue. I couldn't wait until I got home from the comic book store, so I read the book while I drove home. (Not recommended!) The Fan Man has to admit that writer Dan Jurgens told a compelling, heartbreaking story that caused me to tear up! And I wasn't the only one! Coworkers who weren't comic book fans asked me to bring Superman #75 to the radio station. When they read this issue, they got teary eyed, as well! Of course, there was always a wise part of us all that knew that Superman would one day return, but at the time it was a truly sad tale!
Superman #75 came in a few different versions. The newsstand edition featured one of the most popular covers in recent comic book history. This version of Superman #75 actually went through 4 different printings! There was also a platinum version of Superman #75 that was supposed to be a retailer exclusive. However, the most popular version of Superman #75 seemed to be the black polybagged edition.
If you had the nerve to actually open the polybag, you would have noticed that this version of Superman #75 featured a different cover. This cover appeared to be Superman's gravestone, proclaiming "Here Lies Earth's Greatest Hero." The polybagged Superman #75 also including a bunch of other goodies, all for the bargain price of $2.50, as compared to the newsstand version's $1.25 price tag.
The polybagged Superman #75 included Superman stamps, a trading card and a cool poster featuring all of the DC Universe's heroes laying Superman to rest. For you trivia buffs, do you remember which heroes served as Superman's pallbearers? Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Robin, Green Lantern and The Flash! Another cool inclusion was the black "mourning armband" that featured the Superman logo in bright red.
One of the more interesting bonuses to be found in the polybagged Superman #75 is a page torn from The Daily Planet that serves as an obituary for Superman. On this page, it is revealed that Superman was pronounced dead by Dr. Jorge Sanchez of Metropolis Hospital. The article also features a rare public statement from Batman, who said, "I didn't always agree with the man, but I liked what he stood for." The article also features an interesting statement from Wonder Woman, who said, "I was very fond of Superman, but we were never lovers." So much for that long standing rumor!
After Superman #75, it would be a little while before the true Man Of Steel would return to the world of comic books. At first, four new characters appeared, and they all claimed that they were Superman: Superboy, the Cyborg, the Eradicator and Steel. However, we soon learned that the real Superman was indeed alive and well. After going through numerous controversial changes like wearing long hair and Superman Blue/Superman Red, Superman has since reclaimed the mantle of the first and greatest hero.
Not only did Superman #75 rejuvenate lagging sales on all of the Superman comic books, it did something no other comic book had ever done. Superman #75 captured the entire world's attention! Without a doubt, many of those non-comic book fans who made their way into the comic book stores to buy their copy of Superman #75 stuck around long enough to find out if Superman would return to the land of the living. And many of those people stayed around a little longer, and decided that being a comic book fan wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Superman #75 (DC)
Published: January 1993
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding
Current Price Guide Value:
Polybagged version - $16.00
Platinum version - $50.00
Newsstand version - $5.00
Newsstand version, 2nd print - $2.00
Newsstand version, 3rd and 4th prints - $1.50
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