Comments on: A Year of Cool Comic Book Moments - Day 21

By: Dean

Dean — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:24:48 +0000

It was amazing how Moore crammed an entire "third act" of the Superman saga into two issues. He distilled 50 years of history down to its essence and gave everyone a moment. Byrne did a nice job re-inventing the first act a couple weeks later, but Moore did such a good job showing how the Silver Age elements fit together that I spent the next year waiting for them to come back.

I missed the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, Kara Zor-El and the Lois-Lana rivalry much more than I expected.

By: KMFPL

KMFPL — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:28:47 +0000

I know I'm way late to this discussion, but I've always been more partial to "Everything, him go dark." Except for the odd choice of "him," it's the most coherent thing Bizarro says. And my kids laugh at me when i read them the death of Krypto, because I can't read it without bawling. I love me some Krypto...

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:39:10 +0000

It seems like I can so often be found whining about the "Good Old Days" of stories that begin and end in a single issue. But this one really needed more room to do justice to the ideas in it. It feels cramped as it is: It could easily have been expanded to twice its length. I know what I think the other two moments have to be, and one of them is a scene no one has mentioned yet. If it's included at all it'll probably be tomorrow. I'll wait and see.

By: danjack

danjack — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:53:17 +0000

The end of the first issue was a moment for me. Superman, utterly defeated, sitting in the Fortress with Krypto–his face in his hands…

To me, this is the great, hollowed out, dispair moment of the whole thing. Seeing Superman know, just KNOW, that his time is over and he's hopeless... The narration by Lois saying, "He'd looked like he'd been crying' just always kills me.

We could just have each page of this story one at a time for several weeks of great comic moments!

By: Chris Jones

Chris Jones — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:40:40 +0000

This was the first Superman comic I ever read.

When I was four.

You can imagine how I've had a different view of Superman growing up than most people have...

By: Citizen Scribbler

Citizen Scribbler — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:06:50 +0000

My father read this story to me when I was a tyke (I used to get a subscription from the mail-in thing on the back of the little booklets that came with the Super Powers action figures) and I was always haunted by the Luthor/Brainiac team-up from this one.

Since this is a "tear-jerker" theme, the other two are probably the Krypto and Supergirl scenes. When he tells Kara "You grew up beautifully"- I just get all choked up even thinking about it...

-Citizen Scribbler

By: Gopher

Gopher — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:03:18 +0000

I started to leave a comment, before reading the comments already posted, but I have to agree with Ryan Frank, my favorite tear-jerking moment was the Lana Lang scene after she takes a bath in the radioactive pool and becomes super-powered and overhears Kal-el's confession to Perry.

“We’ll prove that no one loved him better than us”

By: mrclam

mrclam — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:47:11 +0000

You can also find the 2 parts in a single bound volume with nothing else in it. Some people prefer this version because the preface ("this is an imaginary story, but aren't they all") is included.

By: DickieDudeles

DickieDudeles — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:11:17 +0000

It's collected in DC universe:The stories of Alan Moore along with killing joke and a load of other stories, pretty good collection for the money I think

By: Bailey

Bailey — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:52:46 +0000

Spooky, I was just thinking about this exact page this morning!

By: BHam

BHam — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:28:48 +0000

Where is this story collected? I've heard so many great things, but have never gotten off my keister to track it down and actually read it.

By: Jack Cheng

Jack Cheng — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:17:17 +0000

Just wanted to throw a shout out to inker... George Perez. As much as I love "Swanderson," I thought Swan/Perez was a fantastic pairing. I can't think of another case of Perez inking another penciller's pages (although if memory serves, he did ink some Amethyst covers pencilled by Ernie Colon).

By: Todd Young

Todd Young — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:34:49 +0000

One of the coolest moments that i still remember, but i dont remember which book it was in was a story that had Superman and Superboy in it. I think Superboy was out of his time or something so Sperman stood immovable on a mountain and Superboy flew at him as fast as he could. They were saying what happens when an immovable object is met with an irresistable force...i think they tore a hole in time or something so Superboy could get back home.

that wasnt a tear-jerker tho...that was just cool...

a tear jerker, for me, was the sequence in the Legion of Superheroes story 'The Greatest of them All" I think was the title, where Superboy dies...i always thought that was a good tear-jerker...at least thats how i remember it...

anyway...lol..

By: DubipR

DubipR — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:47:28 +0000

Definitely a teary choice. Look forward to more.

By: doron

doron — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:43:33 +0000

for some reason the hello superman hello has stuck with me more than any other scene in those two issues (and most issues in general), great choice

By: D. Eric

D. Eric — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:42:03 +0000

The end of the first issue was a moment for me. Superman, utterly defeated, sitting in the Fortress with Krypto--his face in his hands...

I don't know, that scene has always stuck with me.

By: Ryan Frank

Ryan Frank — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:30:09 +0000

For me, the biggest tear-jerker moment in that story is when Lana, just after gaining super-powers, hears Superman confessing to Perry that Lois would always be his choice, but he'd never tell for fear of hurting Lana; watching her go off to die for someone she knows will always see her as second best, with that "We'll prove that no one loved him better than us" speech, is possibly the strongest and most affecting moment that character has ever had.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:27:22 +0000

Wow, tough call. I'd think the "Superman wink" would have to qualify, especially since it appeared twice in the second half of the story.

By: McK

McK — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:27:04 +0000

Funny how Alan Moore can pump out at least three poignant, memorable moments in one story (okay, it was a 2-parter), and other writers can go their entire careers without writing a single one.

It was a said day when Alan Moore stopped turning in the odd Batman, Green Lantern, or Superman story. Just think of all the concepts he created that are STILL being used in those franchises (particularly Green Lantern).

By: chad

chad — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:46:47 +0000

thanks for another sad moment for every time i remember or reread the story i picture that moment with Bizarro and of course the death of Krypto. not to mention the Luthor and Brainiac teamup is the most creepiest moment of the whole story. plus the last choice superman makes in the story