The 1980s classic finally gets the big, shiny treatment for its 40th anniversary…
John Byrne’s 1986 groundbreaking miniseries Superman: The Man of Steel is finally getting an Absolute Edition, 40 years after the original was released.
Dig the official description:
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL BY JOHN BYRNE — ABSOLUTE EDITION
A New Era Begins for the Last Son of Krypton
John Byrne’s historic reinvention of Superman returns in DC’s most prestigious format.
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC tapped legendary writer-artist John Byrne to reimagine Superman for a new era—one that would redefine the hero’s origins, relationships, and philosophy. In The Man of Steel, Byrne delivers a bold, character-driven reboot full of modern gravitas and timeless charm, setting the stage for every Superman story to come. From first meetings with Batman and Lois Lane to the rise of Lex Luthor and the eerie debut of Bizarro, this six-issue series reshaped the mythos of the Man of Tomorrow with unmatched clarity and heart.
This Absolute Edition collects The Man of Steel #1–6 in an oversized hardcover format with deluxe features and extras.
On Sale Date: July 21, 2026
200 pages
$100.00
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A few thoughts:
— It’s one of the greatest Superman stories I’ve ever read and completely changed my view of the (ahem) Man of Steel.
— I’m surprised it took DC this long to give this the fancy Absolute treatment. The art is gorgeous and the storytelling is compelling.
— Standard caveat: The description comes from Penguin Random House’s online catalogue. PRH handles DC in the book market. This hasn’t been formally solicited by DC yet, so nothing is official until it’s official.
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MORE
— Why JOHN BYRNE’S SUPERMAN Was the Greatest Man of Steel Ever. Click here.
— DC COMICS to Publish Raft of Golden and Silver Age Omnibus Editions in Early 2026. Click here.
August 1, 2025
Call me when they release it in compact. Those are awesome.
August 2, 2025
No
August 2, 2025
The Holy Grail on my shelf of Absolute Editions! I’m so happy this is coming out. I can now put it on my bookshelf next to the Absolutes of Batman: Year One and Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals to have the big three ’80s reboots in the premiere format. I can’t believe it took DC this long to release this either (this would have seemed like a no-brainer to release in 2013 as a tie-in to the Man of Steel movie). I’m wondering if (like the forthcoming Crisis Absolute book) they’re tracking down the original artwork and remastering it from that, and that’s why it’s taken so long.
As much as I love this book (and I think this six-issue series is probably the best comics version of Superman I’ve ever read), I really hope they recolor it. I love traditional, flat coloring, but the color choices in this mini-series were soooo garish for some reason (whereas the color choices in the various regular series that followed this (Superman, Adventures of Superman, and Action) were fine). Just look at the colors of Clark Kent’s apartment in (I think) issue 4. Orange, grey, blue, red, and brown? I have no idea what the colorist was thinking. Maybe get Dave Stewart to recolor in the same flat style he used for DC: The New Frontier. And for the traditionalists, maybe release it like the Absolutes for Batman: Year One and The Killing Joke where you have both the new coloring and the old coloring.
Thank you, DC. Sometimes your management decisions baffle and annoy me. But sometimes you do great things (like this).
August 5, 2025
This is cool and all but I don’t just want 6 issues. I want the whole run in omnibus. Why are they dragging that out for so long?
August 10, 2025
This seems as good a spot to mention this as any other. But, how about some NEW work from JB? Seems he has a new book out next April. Looking on his website, looks like much of the work was done around 2019. Some classic ‘80s X-Men! x-men:%20Elsewhen%20(Volume%201%20of%203)%20(Volume%201)%20(Marvel%20Arts)%20https%3A//a.co/d/aYierRb
August 10, 2025
Let’s try that again.
x-men:%20Elsewhen%20(Volume%201%20of%203)%20(Volume%201)%20(Marvel%20Arts)%20https%3A//a.co/d/aYierRb