Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel

Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel has been out for a few years now, but with the latest Superman film, "Superman Returns" just hitting theaters, DK has revised their fantastic guide to the first and greatest superhero of all! This 144 page, oversized hardcover book contains just about everything you ever wanted to know about Superman. Written by comic industry pro Scott Beatty this is a fun and informative walk through Superman's long history as we meet friend and foe alike. The book begins with a long look at the history of Superman's home world of Krypton and its long history which incorporates many of the modern concepts devised by both John Byrne and Dan Jurgens during their runs as the writer of Superman's adventures. This includes a large map of Krypton, one of several two page maps in the book. From there the book moves to Superman's early life in Smallville after being taken in as an infant by the Kents. Included here is a complete rundown of all of Superman's powers from his laser vision to his super hearing. There is another great two page map of Metropolis with important buildings such as the Daily Planet, Lexcorp Towers, and S.T.A.R. Labs noted for the reader. Next up we have lengthy chapters that highlight Superman's major foes such as Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Brainiac, Metallo, Darkseid, Mongul, Imperiex, The Cyborg, and many more. These give a brief history of the villain along with their powers and some of their previous plots. The issue with their first appearance is also noted. Next we get the same for Superman's friends and allies like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl, Steel, and the Eradicator. The last chapter is actually my favorite and takes a look at Superman's career from the Golden Age right up through the present. This chapter shows how the character has evolved over his nearly 70 years of existence. Complementing this chapter is 16 page timeline spanning his first appearance in Action comics #1 in 1938, right up through the end of 2005. This year-by-year rundown notes important events and issues in Superman's career and is invaluable for both fans and comic book collectors. As with all DK's Ultimate Guides, the Superman book is a visual treat with stunning art and an eye for detail. A welcome addition to the library of any Superman fan! Reviewed by Tim Janson

In "Superman- the Animated Series" Brianiac is a computer from Krypton. I would've gone on assuming that was true in the real Superman comic if it wasn't for this book. It was definately wonderful and nesscessary for me to buy this book.

I have been a lifelong fan of Superman. However, I never had the time or money that would allow me to get into the comic book aspect of the franchise. Curiousity finally got the better of me, and I set out to learn more based on how Superman has been perceived through comics. When I received this book, I was blown away at how great it was. Through beautiful illustrations and a detailed account of comic book history, I was able to learn everything I never knew about the Man of Steel. Every aspect of the character is shown in this book, and then some. I loved the way that the book went through Superman's history in chronological order. This made it very easy to learn about Superman's history. I especially enjoyed the detailed section of all the super villans that Superman has encountered. That was one area that I was seriously lacking in. Of course I had heard the names before - Doomsday, Brainiac, Metallo, etc. However, I never knew about their abilities, or what happened when they faced off with Superman. Every major villan is described in detail, which gives you a full understanding of each one. Now maybe I think more of this book than others, because I am a comic book novice. However, ths book was very satisfying to me, and I recommend it to anyone who has always liked Superman, but still has alot to learn.

Of course I read Superman comics on and off as a kid, watched the old television show and the Christopher Reeves movies, and occasionally caught a cartoon on television. However, I never consistently read the comics until DC decided to start over with the character and gave John Byrne free reign to retool the character. Consequently, I found Scott Beatty's "Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel" very informative and a solid attempt to take 60 years of comic book adventures and turn it into a coherent whole. Reconciling everything that has happened to Superman in over a thousand comic books is a rather daunting task and the major complaint is that this DK publication tries to do it in only 128 pages.The volume is divided into five parts, all of which are illustrated with original art from the comics (although there is a decided preference for art from the Steel Age): (1) Birth of a Superman covers both Planet Krypton, the House of El, and Armageddon as well as the Kent and Smallville, along with Superman's superpowers and super-weaknesses; (2) City of Tomorrow is, of course, Metropolis, which means the Daily Planet, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, S.T.A.R. Labs, Supergirl, and other local superheroes. This is also the section that deals with the Sudden Death and the Return of Superman, along with the superheroes who tried to take his place, Superboy and Steel; (3) Secrets of the Man of Steel covers the Fortress of Solitude, Kandor, and the Eradicator: (4) Supervillany trots out the roster of villains from Lex Luthor and Bizarro to Doomsday and the assorted demons and aliens who have crossed Superman's path; (5) Superman's Career touches on his relationship with the JLA and Imaginary Stories that have come up over the years, but is mainly devoted to a Superman Timeline that looks at the several hundred highlights from a career spanning from "Action Comics" #1 in 1938 to the four Superman comics returning to the "alternate" Krypton to help Jor-El fight a civil war in September 2002.Ironically, the less you know about Superman, the more you will enjoy and benefit from this book. For younger readers who are not clear on where Brainiac came from or what exactly are the rules (so to speak) with Mr. Mxyzptlk, this book provides two pages of background information. I especially like the Superman Timeline, where you can learn when Kryptonite first appeared ("Superman" #61), that JFK once pretended to be Clark Kent ("Action Comics" #309), and that the Man of Steel once lost a fight to the heavyweight champion of the world ("Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"). My main complaint is that I would have liked to have seen more artwork from the Golden, Silver and Bronze Age comics, and that of course there should have been a two-page spread devoted to how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. Given that there are 60 years of comics to deal with I think the decision to ignore the television and film versions of Superman is regrettable but necessary sin

... If you want a guide to Superman's current activities, then this is the book for you. It is very detailed, well written, and brightly illustrated with what I feel to be a very refreshing take on Superman, the stylings of Superman artist Ed McGuiness, who is featured prominently. Granted, this book can hardly be considered the Ultimate guide in a literal sense, considering the fact that Superman began his career in the early 20th century, but nonetheless it does an excellant job in giving you a real feel for the breadth and width of the legendary Man of Steel.As a veteran and current reader of the Superman titles I can wholeheartedly recommend this book as a great starting point for any novice or an enjoyable read for an established fan. It is very up to date, right up to this months current story line (August 2002), and compliments the other titles in this series very well. In comparison to the other "Ultimate Guide To" books; Spider-man, Batman, X-men, the Superman title stands out to me as the most fun and the best written.If you are looking for something dealing with Superman's famed and storied past, and are not interested in his current activities, then I encourage you to pick up the archives that DC offers, as well as the Trade Paperbacks: "Superman in the Fifties", "Superman in the sixties", and so on.The value of this book should not be based on an unsound bias toward anything new and unconventional, but rather on the quality and quantity that is most assuredly captured within the pages of this publication.