Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 27, 2026 | 1 comment

A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the writer/artist, born June 27, 1959…

By JASON CZERNICH

Who’s the best pre-Crisis Superman artist? That’s easy. Curt Swan.

Who’s the best post-Crisis Superman artist? That’s also easy, at least for me. It’s Dan Jurgens.

I’ve loved Jurgens’ pencils ever since I discovered his art in a copy of 1983’s Batman #359. However, it’s his take on Superman that really matters to me. When I close my eyes and think of how the Man of Steel should look, its Jurgens’ version that comes up.

Here are 13 REASONS he tops my list of the Last Son of Krypton’s modern artists:

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1. His Superman Looks Like… Superman. The infamous 1992 Death of Superman issue has this shot of the character’s face that to me just looks like how he is supposed to — minus the cuts, bleeding, and bruises of course! That “closing my eyes” thing I mentioned earlier? That’s the image I see first. It’s my generation’s Man of Tomorrow — tough, determined, and still human all at the same time.

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2. He Draws the Supporting Cast Well Too. Jurgens also has a knack for doing picture-perfect likenesses of his supporting cast. He even has Luthor down, whether it be the bald version or the Lex II incarnation.

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3. His Work on Panic In The Sky Put Superman in the Lead. Jurgens had a big hand in bringing the post-Crisis Superman back into a leadership role with this 1992 event that had him gathering the costumed heroes of the DCU to fight off an invasion from a Warworld-wielding Brainiac, paving the way for the next item on this list.

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4. Justice Leader. Soon after, Justice League Spectacular #1 officially brought Superman into the post-Crisis Justice League, giving me one of my favorite JLA runs ever. Jurgens took over writing and drawing on the regular League title for several issues and it was such a treat. Along with the solo Superman monthly, you got TWO comics written and drawn by Jurgens in 1992 featuring the Man of Steel.

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5. His Superman Comics Could be Dark and Still Work. Jurgens made a name for himself in the ’90s when comics were going through a dark period. I liked that no matter what was thrown at him, whether it be death, domestic violence, or even the reemergence of a goofy foe in a new murderous persona, Kal-El still looked, acted and felt like the hero we all had grown to love reading about over the years.

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6. His Own Contributions to the Canon. He didn’t just have the skills to write and draw pre-established parts of Superman lore. Waverider, Doomsday, and Cyborg Superman were just a few of Jurgens’ own original contributions to the Metropolis Marvel’s world.

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7. He Mixes Superman Well With Other DC Characters—No Matter What Era. I cannot think of another artist that can handle Superman teaming with Robins from two different generations so well. Can you?

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8. He’s Not Afraid To Experiment Visually. As Superman #79 shows, Jurgens can experiment with page layout to great effect as in this story done as a Daily Planet article typed out by Ron Troupe.

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9. He Also Helped Evolve the Post-Crisis World’s Finest Team. Jurgens would also occasionally take the time to help with the thawing of the Batman/Superman dynamic that had been frosty since the 1986 Man of Steel reboot. He periodically wrote and drew these two icons with dialogue between them showing consistent mutual respect and less bickering.

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10. He Gave Superman Long Hair—and Was One of the Few Artists That Made it Work! It’s long hair when Jurgens draws it—NOT a mullet!

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11. Great Covers That Conveyed Emotion. You didn’t even have to see Superman’s face for it to be an impactful cover as these two covers from Funeral For a Friend show.

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12. He Wrote and Drew Many of Superman’s Key Moments. The issue where Superman dies… the one where he officially returns… the first two rematches with Doomsday… the wedding ceremony of Lois and Clark… Superman #100… Superman vs. Aliens… when Superman met the Fantastic Four… All written and drawn by Jurgens.

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13. He’s Still Got It! Every now and then you will see Jurgens come back for a new project featuring his signature character. Last year’s Superman Treasury 2025: Hero for All shows that he still has what it takes to give readers a crowd-pleasing rendition of comics’ first superhero.

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MORE

— 13 COVERS: A DAN JURGENS Birthday Salute —  WARLORD. Click here.

— 13 COVERS: A DAN JURGENS Birthday Celebration — BOOSTER GOLD. Click here.

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JASON CZERNICH was born smack dab in the middle of the Bronze Age of Comics. Early memories of Power Records and other Batman merchandise, as well as watching reruns of the 1966 Batman series on TV38 in Boston, imprinted on him heavily. Today, he lives and works as a clinical social worker in central Massachusetts with his wife, child, cat, and beloved French bulldog.