What makes Superman such a great character? Is it his incredible strength, his ability to fly, or the fact that he can stand against some of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe? While all those things are great, this comic reminds us that Superman’s greatest strength has always been his heart.
One of the things I enjoyed about this collection is how the different stories explore Superman from completely different angles. Some focus on his heroic actions, others on his place in the universe, and one delivers an emotional reminder of the importance of family.
One of my favorite moments comes from the story featuring Jimmy Olsen photographing Superman. Jimmy has witnessed some of Superman’s greatest moments, including battles against powerful enemies and incredible rescues. When he’s asked to choose his favorite Superman moment, it seems almost impossible.
We see Superman facing overwhelming odds against a group of armored enemies. Jimmy runs through the destruction trying to capture the perfect photograph while Superman fights and eventually returns to help the people caught in the aftermath.
What makes the story work is that Jimmy’s favorite moment isn’t necessarily an enormous battle or Superman defeating a villain. It’s the smaller, personal moment they share afterward. Superman notices Jimmy left the lens cap on his camera, and the two share a laugh. The final image is that candid, laughing photograph of the two of them together.
I loved that ending because it shows Superman as more than a superhero. Despite everything happening around him, he still finds time to joke with his friend. It’s a simple moment, but it says a lot about his personality.
The artwork is another highlight. The use of red and blue throughout the story gives it a classic Superman appearance, while the action sequences and Jimmy’s photographs make the storytelling feel creative and different.
The next story, “Red Sun… Blue Dot,” takes a much more science-fiction approach. It explores the destruction of Krypton and the desperate attempt to save Kal-El.
What stood out to me was how the story presents Krypton’s destruction as more than just the end of a planet. It’s the destruction of an entire civilization and the future its people could have had. Jor-El and Lara’s decision to send their son away becomes even more meaningful when you consider everything they’re losing.
The artwork is especially impressive here. The detailed black-and-white illustrations, combined with the red and blue coloring, make the destruction of Krypton feel enormous. The spacecraft moving through space and the strange technology surrounding Krypton’s final moments give the story a truly cosmic feeling.
I also liked the ending, which shifts from the tragedy of Krypton’s destruction to the hope of Kal-El’s new beginning. The final image of Superman alongside the pale blue Earth is a beautiful way of showing that although one world has been lost, another will become his home.
But my favorite story in the pages I read is Daniel Warren Johnson’s “Generations,” about Jonathan Kent.
Instead of focusing on Superman fighting villains or saving the universe, this story explores the relationship between a father and his son.
Jonathan walks into the Smallville church and apologizes to the priest for not having stopped by in a while. The priest congratulates him on the new baby and asks how fatherhood is treating him. Jonathan sits down and admits the quiet truth: he thought he knew how the world worked, but raising this boy has shown him how much he doesn’t know. When he looks into his son’s eyes he feels a fear he didn’t expect. How can he be responsible for this child’s growing up when he himself feels so lost? He is just an old father in a small town. What does he have to give?
The priest asks if he knows the story of when their Savior was baptized. Jonathan says it has been a while since he opened the Good Book. The priest describes the moment after Jesus emerges from the water, when God addresses him from heaven: “This is my son, who I love, who makes me proud.” Then he gives Jonathan the only advice in the story: make sure your boy knows that’s how you feel about him, and the rest will fall into place. Jonathan thanks him and goes home.
That night he stands over the crib, lifts the baby, and says the first of the three lines that will run through the rest of the pages: “You are special.”
From there we see moments throughout Clark’s childhood. Jonathan says “I love you” while the boy plays. He says “I’m proud of you” while they kneel in the dirt together. He says “You are special” while they work under a truck. At the school bus he says “I love you.” At the dinner table he says “I’m proud of you.” On the porch under the stars he says “You are special.” When young Clark lifts a tractor off the ground, Jonathan says “I love you.” The lines are never framed as big speeches. They are simply said, in the middle of regular life, until they become the background of the boy’s growing up.
Those words become even more powerful as the story progresses. We see Clark growing up, discovering his abilities, and eventually becoming Superman. Even when Jonathan is no longer there beside him, his words continue to follow Clark. The scene of Clark standing near Jonathan’s grave is heartbreaking, especially when he reveals the Superman symbol beneath his clothes and hears “I’m so proud of you.”
What makes this story so emotional is how those simple words carry through Superman’s life. Whether he’s rescuing a falling child and saying “You are special,” sitting with kids in a hospital ward and saying “I love you,” sharing a moment with men on the street and saying “I’m proud of you,” or floating in space above the Earth and saying “I love you. I’m so proud of you,” Jonathan’s love remains part of who he is. The final page is dedicated to Steven Johnson with the line “I love you, Dad.”
The power of the story is how small the original gesture is and how far it travels. Jonathan never claims to have the answers. He does not invent a system or a special philosophy for raising a child who fell from the sky. He goes to church because he feels lost, hears the simple counsel to make sure his son knows he is loved and that his father is proud of him, and then goes home and starts saying it. Those three short sentences—you are special, I love you, I’m proud of you—become the structure of Clark’s compassion. They are the reason Superman treats the people he saves as individuals worth naming rather than problems to be solved.
In a time when a lot of people, especially men, are still taught that open affection is optional or embarrassing, the pages make a clear case for the opposite. The words are ordinary. The effect is not. One father deciding, early and often, that the important things will not go unsaid is enough to send those words outward through his son until they reach a hospital ward, a city street, and eventually the entire planet. That is the inheritance Clark carries. The powers came from Krypton. The habit of making sure people know they matter came from a man who sat in a church pew one afternoon because he was afraid he didn’t know how to be a father, and then went home and started saying it anyway.
Daniel Warren Johnson’s artwork fits the story perfectly. The rough black-and-white illustrations with touches of blue and red give everything a personal, almost handwritten feeling. The emotional expressions and quieter moments are just as powerful as the superhero imagery.
The final image of Superman looking down at Earth while saying his father’s words is easily one of my favorite moments from these stories.
Overall Thoughts
What I enjoyed most about these stories is that they understand what makes Superman special.
Yes, he’s incredibly powerful, and watching him battle impossible odds will always be entertaining. But the best Superman stories remind us that his humanity is just as important as his abilities.
Jimmy Olsen’s story shows his friendship and sense of humor. “Red Sun… Blue Dot” explores the sacrifice that made his life possible. Daniel Warren Johnson’s story reminds us that the love and guidance of Jonathan Kent helped shape the hero he would become.
The stories have different artistic styles and tones, but they all celebrate different parts of Superman’s character.
For me, the Jonathan Kent story is the standout. It’s emotional without needing a major villain or an enormous battle, and it perfectly captures why Superman has remained such an important character for generations. Something as small as a father saying “I love you” and “I’m proud of you” can shape a life, and the world could use more of that willingness to express those feelings out loud.
Rating: 5/5
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