Hi all,
I used to be a Supes hater. But honestly, I've never really given his books a chance. After I read Kingdom Come, I became more interested in the character. I'd like to pick up some stuff to acquaint myself with him. What would you recommend?

I very much enjoyed the TPB Superman: Birthright.

I was a superman hater, too until I found hyperion and realized superman's character should be appreciated. He's not just a guy with powers.

Alan Moore's Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow.

Slightly off beam but Grant Morrison's JLA run does a pretty good Superman as well.

Jurgens' run was my favorite cause he wasn't the overpowered bully he is today.

I recommend "Eradication!"

Action Comics #775- Whatever Happened to Truth, Justice, and the American Way? This comic epitomizes who he is and what he's about. It was reprinted a few years ago, to coincide with the release of Justice League Elite.

For Tomorrow A lot of people didn't like this, but I thought it was a great story. Want to know what happens when a man with so much power, uses it to make wholesale decisions for humanity? This story explains that.

Superman: Confidential #1 & 2 New series that looks at critical points in Superman's life. 2 just came out this week, and so far it's been great. The current arc deals with the first time he was exposed to Kryptonite. But what's great is that it shows Clarks human side.

Superman: Red Son Not in continuity. But a great Elseworlds story about what would happen if Superman had landed in Russia, instead of the USA.

Superman:Birthright Retelling of his first appearance as Superman, and drove him to follow that path.

All-Star Superman Sort of similar to Marvel's Ultimate line, written by Grant Morrison. Good!

Superman/Doomsday Omnibus This came out earlier this year to coincide with Superman Returns. It reprints Superman/Doomsday Hunter/Prey-the first meeting between the two after the Death of Superman/Reign of Superman/Return of Superman arc. Also the Doomsday Protocol (Set in OWAW), there's another issue in there, but it escapes me.

Our Worlds at War A good Superman Epic that involves other heroes. Now collected in one trade (the main story).

DCU stories of Alan Moore The one with the Killing Joke! It's also got two great Superman stories, both focusing on the Silver Age version of Superman. One is "For the guy who has everything" and "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow," which is the last comic featuring the Silver Age Supes.

The Death of Superman A lot of people didn't care for it. Sure it was a marketing ploy. But no story that I've read before or since, has fleshed out Superman's willpower more than this.

Superman/Batman The first few arcs, from the beginning of the comic through the Supergirl arc.

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel More of a Luthor story, but it gets you inside Lex's head, and what his beef with Superman really is.

Action Comics #837 I believe this is the start of the One Year later stuff, and it runs through Superman as well. Start here, and work right into Geoff Johns and Richard Donner's (Director of Superman and Superman II- the Donner version) current run. Another story that lets you get to know about Superman.

Superman: Wrath of Gog People who say that he never loses and manhandles all of his opponents have never read this story. Superman almost dies, and it takes one of his greatest opponents to save his life.

Superman tends to be written different in his solo stories than ih team books. To get to know the character, you really have to get the stories where he's the focus. In team books, he's one of the "Gods."

Hope that helps! If there are more, I'll gladly post them.

Edit: Superman #22 (Vol. 2) This is from John Byrne's run, the reboot that took place after COIE. Superman makes the toughest decision of his life, and carries the guilt with him to this day. It's a character defining/changing moment that proves that characters in the DCU take actions and have things that happen to them, that resonate with them for the long haul.

What? No one has mentioned Superman For All Seasons yet? The Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale classic takes a look at how his years in Smallville shaped Clark Kent into Superman. You also get a nice look at how some of his supporting cast looked at him during those crucial years. Probably my favourite Superman story ever, aside from maybe Birthright.

I haven't read it yet, because I haven't been able to get my hands on it.

Secret Identity is pretty much the only Superman story you need to read ever.

I personally love the first Superman Aliens. After kill Superman promise NEVER kill again any species. and guess who Superman just found...

Any Alan Moore story is great. "Werever happen..." is awsome.

I love the Superboy Saga in Action Comics 591, Legion 37-38, Superman V2 #8.

Incredible list, sir. Action #775, Red Son, and the Alan Moore stuff are way up on my list of best books ever.

Let me add two more. Highly recommended.

Superman: Secret Identity
Imagine, on a world where Superman is only a character in comic books and the movies, on our world, your name is Clark Kent and you have his powers! A hero-defining tale of an often 'all too powerful' character grounded in a human frame. By Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen.

Supreme: The Story Of The Year
Supreme: The Return
Alan Moore quickly deconstructs the Superman mythos using a low-brow Image Superman rip-off and rebuilds it into a celebration of everything that made Superman the icon that he is today. A nostalgic trip through superhero history for the nerds and an almost 'Superman For Dummies' for the newbs.

You beat me to it, sir. Rep.

Such a good book. I didn't get turned on to it until issue #2 came out, but since this one slipped under the radar, there were plenty of copies of #1 sitting on the rack.

I didn't list Superman: Secret Identity on purpose. It's a great story, but I can't see it as something that would turn someone who admittedly hated Superman, into a fan. It doesn't get to what Superman's about, and is more of an Earth-Prime based Superman story. But it's a great story, no doubt.

You and the others beat me to rest. I had to go 'outside the box.'

Probably one of my favorite stories, but for a Superman neonate, probably not a good idea.

Though you can get it free if you buy Superman Returns from Walmart. The double pack, where its the movie with some Justice League epsides. Which is actually a decent way for a newbie to the Superman to see some diversity.

If you like old school, or are cheap, like me, I can't recommend this enough: Showcase Presents Superman vol 1. It's $10. For 500 pages. It's bigger than some phone books. It's got several dozen of the Superman stories set from the 60s.

If I had $50 to drop onto Superman, I'd definitely get the Showcase for $10, the movie I mentioned for $20, and either the Superman/Batman trades (I disliked BOTH chars before I read those stories, now I like 'em both again) or DK book's "Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel."

The DK book is a colorful semi-encyclopedia of knowledge for Supes. I say semi because it gives blurbs about the information, an "all you need to know about X in pamphlet sized bits" instead of assailing one with every little detail ever.

That way you get a book to learn all about Superman, a book with a lot of stories about his classic enemies and such, a book detailing the end of that Superman's life, a movie, and a few cartoon episodes.

All those are keepers also. You can rent graphic novels from your local library to read the rest of the list.

I really liked Superman The Dark Side.