Welcome to the wonderful world of Superman, @SethMac!
Here are a few very easy to get into Superman reads available on DCU to check out (some may be repeats of other folks’ suggestions, but that just means they’re really worth checking out ):
-DC Comics Presents (1978): Wonderful team-up tales of Superman and other characters. This series demonstrates how fantastically versatile Superman is, and it’s also a great gateway for other characters/franchises you might be interested in.
-The Man of Steel (1986): The best retelling of Superman’s origin. John Byrne does no wrong in this mini-series or his subsequent work on Action Comics (1938), which begins at #584, along with his work on Superman (1987) from #'s 1-22.
Byrne also had a small stint on The Adventures of Superman from #'s 441-444, however #441 is the only book of that lot available as a digital single issue right now.
-Superman Adventures (1996): The comic book tie-in to Superman: The Animated Series, this series is one of the best Superman ongoing titles of the last 24 years. It perfectly captures the aesthetics of the show, while also showcasing characters briefly or never seen on the TV show (Mister Miracle and General Zod, among others).
-The Electric Costume: A fun story that introduced Superman’s electricity based look and powers, making him “ready for the next century!”. While his powers and costume change ran from 1997-1998 and constituted assorted storyarcs, the following issues are where Superman’s new look and powers came to be:
- Superman (1987) #122
- Adventures of Superman (1986) #545
- Action Comics (1938) #732
- Superman: The Man of Steel (1991) #67
- Superman (1987) #123
-Superman: For All Seasons (1998): A delightful retelling of Superman’s origin, this time by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale. Loeb can do no wrong with Superman, and this 4 issue mini-series is but one instance of why that is. Tim Sale’s art perfectly captures the wistful atmosphere of Smallville, the big city grandeur of Metropolis and the wonder of Superman, not only as a character, but also in the sense of the overall Superman franchise.
-Superman/Batman (2003) #'s 1-6 and 8-13, the “Public Enemies” and “The Return of the Supergirl from Krypton” arcs, written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness and Michael Turner, respectively. These stories are PURE. FUN.
-Superman (1987) #'s 204-216: Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee’s underrated gem, “For Tomorrow”. The story is interesting and the art is beautiful. If you want to see Superman and General Zod locked in combat as drawn by one of THE masters of comic book art, Jim Lee, this arc is for you. For Tomorrow has many other highpoints as well, including a fight between Superman and Wonder Woman that is also beautifully rendered, as well as the relocation of the Fortress of Solitude, and the introduction of the mysterious Mr. Orr.
-Superman Confidential (2006) #'s 1-5 and 11: Written by Darwyn Cooke and drawn by Tim Sale, “Kryptonite” features a retelling of Superman’s first encounter with the deadly pieces of his homeworld, and how it would shape him.
-Superman Unchained (2013): The best New 52 Superman series, this 9 issue mini features the writing of Scott Snyder and again, the masterful pencils of Jim Lee.
-Action Comics (2016) and Superman (2016-2018). The two core (main) Rebirth Superman titles. Both are absolutely fantastic and then some.
-Man and Superman 100-Page Super Spectacular: Filed under Superman Confidential (2006) and at the very end of the series, this tale by the legendary Marv Wolfman and artist Claudio Castellini is a modern masterwork.
So, there you go. A variety of Superman reads that are easy to get into, all of which exhibit a ton of fun and showcase The Last Son of Krypton in multifaceted manners that reflect what a wonderfully versatile character he is.
As the overseer of the DC Universe Superman Book Club, I’ve also highlighted many other Superman adventures over there that are worth your time. The club is on hiatus until March 18th, but head over to Community Events to check out the existing entries, or just search for the club, and it should come up for ya.
Enjoy!