Last updated Jan 07, 2017

Where to start reading Superman comics

The three best places I would recommend for new Superman readers are the New 52, Rebirth, and a self-contained story. In 2011 DC restarted all of their books almost from scratch. Some events from before then still happened in this new timeline, but we only know which from whats referenced in the comics. Since then, DC Rebirth has set the world back closer to where it was before New 52, but that was very recently. If you are interested in a full, modern Superman run, New 52 is a great place to start. If you would prefer to get up to date quickly, skip ahead to Rebirth, and If you want to start with a great self-contained story, there are some great ones to choose from.

New 52

All the Superman lines have crossovers at some point, but you can pick a series and read it and the crossovers it takes part in without getting lost. I recommend starting with the first book of Action Comics, which retells Superman's origins, and then read Superman and the crossovers it's a part of:

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#1: Action Comics v1

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#2: Superman v1

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#3: Superman v2

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#4: Superman: H'el On Earth

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#5: Superman v3

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#6: Superman v4

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#7: Superman v5

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#8: Superman v6

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#9: Superman v1 Before Truth

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#10: Superman: Savage Dawn

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#11: Superman: The Final Days of Superman

Rebirth

Rebirth is a great place to start, except that there's not a lot published yet. There are two main series, Superman and Action Comics, but last year's series "Superman: Lois and Clark" introduces the Superman currently being depicted in Rebirth:

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#1: Superman: Lois and Clark

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#2: Rebirth Superman v1 Son Of Superman

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#3: Rebirth Action Comics v1 Path Of Doom

Self-contained Superman stories

DC has a strong culture of totally independent books, where writers can tell the stories they want to tell, without needing to make it fit in with a big established universe. Below are six of the best totally independent Superman reads:

1. Superman: Red Son - What if Superman's pod landed 12 hours later, in Soviet Russia?
2. All-Star Superman - Grant Morrison's tale of a Superman with one year left to live, meant to "strip down the Man of Steel to his timeless, essential elements."
3. Superman - For All Seasons - Four stories from various points in Kal-El's life, from a farm boy in Smallville to the Man of Steel.
4. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - A look at a potential end to the Man of Steel, showing how hard Superman can be on his villains at times.
5. Superman: Birthright - A retelling of Kal-El's origin.
6. Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years - Classic Superman. A collection of the best single issues in Superman history.

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#1: Superman: Red Son

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#2: All-Star Superman

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#3: Superman for All Seasons

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#4: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

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#5: Superman: Birthright

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#6: Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years