Continuing with my series of “End of an Era” videos, today I’m going to talk about the comic that, while didn’t start it all, it certainly defined how they’d be done. Alan Moore’s send off to the Pre-Crisis Superman, ‘Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?’.

And honestly, I’m very much torn on this story. Don’t get me wrong, it is amazingly written, drawn, and so on. And as a send-off, one couldn’t ask for better. But my feeling is that it’s just so mean spirited.

The story is told from the POV of Lois as she is looking back on the final days of Superman. The Man of Steel’s life is just torn apart. Villains who were nuisances like Bizarro, Toyman, and Prankster, have become killers (one of which is Superman’s old friend Pete Ross). Clark’s secret identity is outed, the Daily Planet is attacked, Brainiac has taken over Lex’s body, the Kryptonite Man is stomping around, AND the Legion of Supermen give him a warning that these are his final days. And that’s just the first part!

Let me reiterate, this is a fine story, but it is very cruel to Superman and many characters are killed off so haphazardly. The final twist, clearly meant to be something heartwarming, comes off more selfish on Superman’s part. GAH! It’s really one of THOSE kinds of stories, you know?

So, in all honesty, I DO recommend this book. Just know that if you hate those “A heroes final days are his most miserable” THIS is the comic that started it!