13 COVERS: SUPERMAN of EARTH-23 and Other Great Alt-Supermen

REVIEW: Mattel’s latest offering makes me think of the Supermen who’ve come before …

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I couldn’t be more tickled that this exists.

Forget for a moment that Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #9 might be the best Superman story since the Flashpoint reboot. I just think it’s fantastic that there’s a black Superman action figure.

Gene Ha

Gene Ha

It’s funky and it’s interesting and Mattel did a great job in producing it as part of its 6-inch DC Multiverse line.

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They went with Calvin Ellis of Earth-23, who’s like Obama with superpowers, but I would have been just as happy if they’d gone with Morrison’s other creation, Sunshine Superman of Earth-47 (also known as Dreamworld), which is based on the psychedelia-soaked ’60s.

Art by Scott Hepburn from DC's The Multiversity Guidebook.

Art by Scott Hepburn from DC’s The Multiversity Guidebook.

Anyway, the action figure — which is out now and will run you in the $25-$30 range depending on where you get it — got me thinking about the great alternate Supermen (Supermans?) we’ve seen since 1938.

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So, in no special order, here are 13 COVERS featuring some of the very best:

President Superman

Rags Morales

Rags Morales

Sunshine Superman

Duncan Rouleau

Duncan Rouleau

Earth-2 Superman

Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano

Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano

Bizarro

Ross Andru and Dick Giordano

Ross Andru and Dick Giordano

Ultraman

Ivan Reis

Ivan Reis, Eber Ferreira and Joe Prado

Superman-Red and Superman-Blue

Kurt Schaffenberger

Kurt Schaffenberger

Red Son Superman

Dave Johnson

Dave Johnson

These Guys

Neal Adams

Neal Adams

Superman Jr.

Nick Cardy

Nick Cardy

Anti-Superman

Curt Swan and George Klein

Curt Swan and George Klein

Composite Superman

Curt Swan and George Klein

Curt Swan and George Klein

Earth-2 Superman

Andy Kubert

Andy Kubert

Batman

Curt Swan and Stan Kaye

Curt Swan and Stan Kaye

Cover images and credits (mostly) from the super Grand Comics Database.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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