In the ten years since Dan Jurgens left the Superman titles, we've seen many creative teams come and go. The stories, once a continuous weekly saga, have become almost a fever dream with characters and situations being introduced and reintroduced in constantly different and forgettable ways. Brainiac, a wonderful villain during the Jurgens years through such epics as PANIC IN THE SKY and DEAD AGAIN!, was turned to Brainiac 13, and then for some reason, Brainiac 15. Lex Luthor went from sly business man to president to mad scientist to crazy supervillain. He didn't live in Smallville. Then, he did. Now, he does, but in another new continuity. There was a New Krypton, but that was a ruse by Brainiac 13. Now, there's a new New Krypton. Superman's parents, his rocket, even his home planet have gone through more fashion changes than the host of some inane award show. We're on our third Zod since Superman executed the one from the pocket universe, with his look getting less and less compelling until we are finally back to just some guy in drab military garb.
The Cyborg and Doomsday, two of the most compelling villains in comics, have been killed, over and over again, in increasingly hollow attempts to define Superman's renewed vitality to the point that longtime Superman fans have completely lost track of where they are or how they were "killed." We've even stopped arguing that those "deaths" could not have been effectively executed against villains of the caliber of either Doomsday or The Cyborg. Steel has actually died, come back, suffered nerve damage so bad he could never again wear the suit, and come back in the suit at his prime with no explanation whatsoever. He's gone through suit after suit, from Hardware knock-off to Ant-Man wannabe, until he's finally settled back on his original classic attire. Supergirl went from Mae to Cir-El and back to a new incarnation of Kara, not the one from Jurgens' excellent SUPERMAN/ALIENS, but a new Kara that's very similar to the classic version that died. Sound familiar?
Through all these relaunchings, was there a run or era that got lost in the shuffle, lost in the melee to the next re-imagining of the Man of Steel? If so, what was this overlooked gem? Why was it so great? And, how is it that it got lost so abruptly? Well, allow me to shed some light on SUPERMAN's forgotten run. Jim Lee had just finished a very interesting and ill-received year-long run on the title when it was taken over by a team of fresh blood, Mark Verheiden and Ed Benes. Verheiden, a writer from the SMALLVILLE television series, was a relative unknown to many comic book readers, but had done some excellent work for Dark Horse, many years before. Benes had just completed a run on BIRDS OF PREY. This could have been nothing, but it might have been the best run on the series of the best fictional hero in history, had it been able to see completion.
In the beginning, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane were captives floating down the Amazon. Perfectly rendered, you can see why these two are so beloved by the most powerful and capable man on the planet. Like something out of the classic Fleischer cartoons, Superman bursts in and saves them from their captors. We learn that these two paragons of American journalism have come to cover Superman's new Fortress of Solitude. The one great addition that came from the Azzarello/Lee run was that Superman decided to move his Fortress of Solitude to The Amazon Rainforest, where it's warmer and fuller of life. He moved the great Fortress of Solitude because of positive energy. Already, this run is great because, instead of overhauling or simply discarding previous continuity, they built on what came before.
Unlike other runs, this one didn't focus on retooling the usual suspects. Brainiac has a fresh look, but he's just an illusion in the Max Lord story that ran through the Superman and Wonder Woman titles at the time and sticks close to his classic menacing self, as opposed to Brainiac 13 or 15 or the "real," never-before-seen Brainiac that's oddly similar to a very dull version of the Silver Age Brainiac (AKA Geoff Johnsiac.) We even stick with the same Supergirl from the last run! Verheiden assumes the readers are familiar with Superman's origin and basic status quo and focuses on telling enjoyable one off stories that focus on the actual characters of the characters instead of what veneers can be put onto them to leave a mark that will be instantly discarded.
These are solid, classic stories, mostly focusing on new villains or reintroduced pre-Crisis villains like the OMACs and Blackrock. We see examinations of what it is to be a hero. Unlike the thousands of studies on the man part of Superman, Verheiden gets into the super part. The guilt and fear that Clark feels when his powers get out of control and lead to his persecution in the media are just as important as the fear and loneliness he felt as a new hire of The Daily Planet. Instead of saving Metropolis from a complete lack of water or some other preposterous thing, Superman tackles real world crises like the California wildfires. Instead of introducing new characters to The Planet, we get great interplay from Jimmy, Perry, Lois, and the gang that feels like spending a night with your family. And, the marriage to Lois feels more real and fun than it has in years. We leave the teasing behind, in exchange for real human companionship and love. Each issue is told in a unique way and with a it's own focus. For instance, one issue focuses on Lex Luthor, while another focuses on Superboy and The Eradicator.
That this run was so short and so quick to have been wiped from existence is the true tragedy of the infinite crisis. As we speak, Ed Benes is drawing a series focused on Hawk and Dove and Mark Verheiden has gone back to his successful television writing career. It is unknown to all whether the magic of these nine incredible issues will ever again be rekindled, or if this will truly remain THE FORGOTTEN RUN OF SUPERMAN!
Scott Amundson contributes to various publications and writes http://www.outdoor-hiking.com/.
Read Scott's comics at https://comics.comixology.com/#/series/5516.
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