iFanboy Mini - Episode #133 - Best Superman Issue Ever: Action Comics #775
Josh looks back on the best single issue of Superman he's ever read, Action Comics #775.
In 2001, superhero comics all seemed to be heading the way of The Authority, a grim take on superheroes who weren't going to put up with any more crap. But the character of Superman just doesn't work that way, and this issue, written by Joe Kelly and drawn by Doug Mahnke, makes a fine argument for just how great Superman can be. Superman faces off against The Elite, post-modern superheroes who will save the world, whether they world wants them to or not, and if some people get killed in the process, so be it. The son of Jor-El is not having that one bit. For a guy who's supposed to be the alpha superhero, not enough people get excited about Superman, but if all the issues were like Action Comics #775, a whole lot more people would.
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Comments
I take issue with this :P
Posted by VitoDelsante on 09/17/08 at 10:22 AM
I'm guessing (or hoping) Ron and Conor are gonna give their best Superman issue ever....Still I dont agree with this, but then again I havent read Action Comics/Superman/Any other main titles by Superman in the past for a long time. I'm just getting back into the Man of Steel at the right time with Geoff Johns and James Robinson, although the latter really needs to step it up now.
I gotta find the issue like Paul said since I cant critize without reading it. Does it sounds/look good? Yes, but it is the best? Eh I'll be the judge on that. :)
Posted by TheNextChampion on 09/17/08 at 10:37 AM
You disagree without having read the book. You disagree without offering an alternative.
Epic FAIL, sir.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 09/17/08 at 10:48 AM
@TheNextChampion - Yes, this is the best single issue of Superman I've ever read too.
Posted by conor on 09/17/08 at 11:25 AM
Well Josh, you've sent me out on a search now. I want to read this.
Posted by RolandofGilead on 09/17/08 at 11:47 AM
@conor and josh - Better than any of the issues of All Star Superman? Is it the best stand alone issue or the best single issue? Either way I will have to try to get a hold of this.
@PaulMontgomery - Thank you for giving us the collected information. Is the rest of Justice League Elite any good?
Posted by stuclach on 09/17/08 at 11:50 AM
@stuclach - This is the best single issue of a Superman comic that I've ever read. Single issue, stand alone, whatever.
Posted by conor on 09/17/08 at 12:07 PM
My personal one is All-Star Superman 10, but "What's So Funny..." is certainly a heavyweight contender for the title as well.
Posted by Tork on 09/17/08 at 12:11 PM
@conor - Impressive. I will have to get a hold of this.
Posted by stuclach on 09/17/08 at 12:22 PM
I haven't read Action 775, but I'm going to try and track it down.
At the moment, one of the standouts for me is Superman 654 by Busiek and Pacheco. It's just an average day in the life of Superman, but I feel like it nailed the characterization I like in my Superman stories. You can find it in the Camelot Falls trade.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 09/17/08 at 12:37 PM
And here I thought that All Star Superman and "What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" were the top of the list Superman books. Obviously, I am still only operating at the surface level of iFanboydom.
Posted by stuclach on 09/17/08 at 01:02 PM
ALL STAR SUPERMAN is still a top shelf Superman series, it just so happens that this is the best single issue. One doesn't preclude the other.
Posted by conor on 09/17/08 at 01:05 PM
@Paul: I cant really give an alterntive because I just stated I havent read Superman comics as long as others on here. Superman was dead by the time I got into comics, it wasnt until Morrison and Johns that he became a big seller again. But your right I judged it without reading it....I'm an internet fanboy, what else do you want good sir? :)
@stulach: Maybe you mean best stories and not issues? Although maybe if I read those in issues instead of trade they would've been the best issues ever....I cant really think of any issues, just stories for Superman as the best ev-har.
Posted by TheNextChampion on 09/17/08 at 01:09 PM
@conor - I get you. What I meant to say is that no one has ever mentioned (to me) a single issue (like 775 or 654) as being this impressive. I had only ever been told about arcs/storylines (AS and What ever happened...). I am glad to hear there are single issues out there that of this caliber. I will look them up.
@conor, again - This would make an excellent full length video episode. "Best Stand Alone Issues" I would love to hear that list.
@TheNextChampion - I wasn't trying to say one is better than the other from a story point of view or anything like that. I was commenting on the fact that I haven't scratched the surface yet when it comes to reading the best of the best because I have really only focused on trades of older issues rather than going through long boxes for back issues. Although I did dig through some long boxes to get copies of G.I.Joe issues #21 (silent issue) and #93-#96 (Snake Eyes trilogy and prologue).
Posted by stuclach on 09/17/08 at 01:19 PM
I looked for this on my trip to the LCS today. They had 773...774.....777. Damn. Now I have to chase down this white whale.
Posted by YoSoyJu on 09/17/08 at 01:53 PM
@YoSoyJu - mycomicshop.com has it instock for $9.00 or so. (I don't know if it is ok for me to post that. If not, please delete my post.)
Posted by stuclach on 09/17/08 at 01:58 PM
hmmm, I am not a huge Superman fan, but I totally want to check this one out. I'll check my LCS today, maybe they have caught the white whale.
Posted by drakedangerz on 09/17/08 at 02:07 PM
I just notced that Hal Jordan Action Figure on your Desk next to what I can only guess is Dare Devil. Good Show.
Posted by GreenLantern2814 on 09/17/08 at 06:37 PM
I don't really agree with that, in fact I don't think it would even be in my top five. I found it almost juvenile in it's strawmaning of the Authority. Personally my favorite Superman book was Superman Adventures #41 "22 stories in a single bound" an unusual choice, but a great issue.
Posted by MastaP on 09/17/08 at 06:40 PM
Not Daredevil. Try again.
Posted by josh on 09/17/08 at 07:04 PM
@Josh
OOOOHHH! I KNOW!!
It's hellboy, right?
Posted by MisterBlank on 09/17/08 at 07:54 PM
It appears to be a movie version Hellboy.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 09/17/08 at 07:55 PM
It's way too hard for me to pick one single issue as the best issue ever, but Action #775 is definitely one of the best comics I've ever read (not just Superman comics).
Whatever happened to Manchester Black? He was an awesome villain.
@stuclach -- Justice League Elite was kinda like a black ops version of the JLA. I would recommend it for sure, Mahnke's art alone is worth buying it for. (Rhyme skillz ... to pay the bills)
Posted by WadeWilson on 09/18/08 at 05:59 AM
@WadeWilson - Thanks for the tip. They call me the RHYME-noceros, my rhymes, they are bottomless. (Or did they call me the HIP-HOP-opotamus?)
Posted by stuclach on 09/18/08 at 08:24 AM
I don't really read any Superman, apart from cross-overs or event books, even though I'm a big fan of the character... I know, it's strange. I'm really interested to read this though, simply for the commentary on The Authority. I'm a huge fan of Stormwatch and Authority so this looks fascinating. Thanks for the heads up, Josh.
By the way, nevermind the Green Lantern figure... What happened to Green Arrow? He's been missing so long we may need a search party!
Posted by Eyun on 09/18/08 at 09:03 AM
Ollie wasn't standing up on his own, so he's on the shelf behind me.
Posted by josh on 09/18/08 at 10:11 AM
Due to this podcast, I immediately went to eBay and bought the issue. Thanks for the heads up, Josh and keep up the good work.
Posted by jonnjonz on 09/18/08 at 03:36 PM
I guessed Dare Devil cause he's the Marvel equal to Green Lantern, but Hellboy is understandable, i have one myself. But now I have to go find a Green Arrow(Well more or less Oliver Queen cause I have a Conr Hawke) and buy it for my collection. It's just the way of the Green Lantern Fans, always trying to out due each other.
Posted by GreenLantern2814 on 09/19/08 at 03:39 PM
I got this issuse for 10 Cents at a Library Book sale months ago. I now relize how good of a buy it was, this was a fantastic issue. It really reminds me of why I love Superman. Thanks for the recommendation.
Posted by Slaughter on 09/20/08 at 05:43 PM
If anyone is interested in checking this story out, you can find it collected in Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, and Justice League Elite vol. 1.
Posted by PaulMontgomery on 09/17/08 at 09:37 AM