After the DEATH of Superman comes the Reign of the Supermen!

[@kevinmarques7716]

Ethan's salt speech was one of the best moments of Back Issues ever!

[@DrMadd]

I actually own all of the covers Sal mentioned. My grandfather who has never had the best memory mistook me for my half brother who at the time was really into collecting 90s comics and bought all 4 plus the issue where Superman came back all together from a comic book store. I'm sure if I brought it up to him he wouldn't remember (poor guy can't even remember my siblings exist) but I'll always have a soft spot for the Reign of the Supermen for this reason.

[@tjjordan4207]

That's one awesome grandfather you have. Bad memory, but a good heart

[@Gagegillespi]

It's a really unique way of telling the story by having Ethan & ben (or who ever) not have read it. I think it really sets this show apart from other comic "review" shows.

[@falserizufferezek9394]

I agree.

[@ciscojlake6841]

"One Eradicator + One Beam of Kryptonite = Delicious powers for Superman" I'm Dying over here.....Best KZbin moment.

[@rayvenkman2087]

The Joker: *Sad face*

[@Travis_EL]

Lmao, this is so awesome. Sal has an uncanny ability to tell these stories in such a photographic memory-type way and the reactions are worth it. I literally busted out laughing at 48:22 when Ben went into his dark trance. Fuckin' top notch stuff.

[@Newarksfinest05]

Trav Nasty lmao 😂

[@JoshMunroe]

The destruction of Coast City seems like DC's front office sending a warning to all the other non-Trinity superheroes. "Remember, you and your loved ones are all expendable. Green Lantern? Your home is an afterthought to us."

[@Mike_Dubo]

Is it any wonder how Grant Morrison got the idea to make a couple of the Monitors bad guys in Final Crisis?

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

Like most character details in their comics nowadays. Writers not caring or actively spiting the work that came before them

[@superluigiac]

"Delicious powers for Superman", instant classic

[@vguyver2]

That is indeed the funniest thing I've heard in months. "Salt is incredibly delicious... so that's Eradicator. One Eradicator plus one beam of kryptonite equals delicious powers for Superman." I was floored. XD

[@marlonzito1]

Just wanna say that you guys have become favourite channel on youtube and have made me turn into reading comics since i got into university. I really enjoy your shows and Sal you are my favourite member of the weekly pull. Keep up the good work and hope the channel keeps growing, wish you all the best.

[@comicpop]

+Marlon Vivanco Thank you, Marlon!

[@LameWorks]

I second that

[@jamestargaryen9588]

"I did not endorse that cyborg." Ha! That's the shirt I wanna see happen!

[@ScenekidsDIE88]

Had to do a Lil research because I was unsure but from what I could gather Superboy has an earing because he was tagged on the ear at Cadmus labs as Experiment 13

[@skyerei190]

from 29:34-30:08, seeing Ben's string of emotions; joy, excitment, confusion, more confusion, god damn it what the hell. This is why ben is my fave on this show

[@Darkdragon902.]

"If you kill Lois Lane then there's nothing left for him [Superman]!" There's Injustice for you.

[@Revanxbone]

40:30 is probably one of the funniest moments in comic pop history 😂

[@TheBreadcrab]

At the very end, "I did not endorse that cyborg" had me in stiches.

[@blueldrrich84]

First time watching one of your videos guys. I may just be a huge fan now. I love the concept of talking about back issues, storylines, etc. So now I have ComicsExplained AND you guys to watch. What an awesome era to live in. =)

[@canukforce]

Well that explains why Man of Steel (movie) superman kills people. He's the Eradicator Superman, with all that genetic information of his race.

[@putridsunrise192]

+canukforce He only killed Zod, so....I think we may have seen different films.

[@bruhernandez8607]

+Omer Khan Except, y'know, all those people in the buildings they destroyed.

[@putridsunrise192]

Monsterstalker Honestly people need to get over that. Cities are annihilated in comics on a weekly basis but no one complains. And they're addressing it in BvS so enough with the Superman's a murderer bullshit.

[@rodney2x48]

+Omer Khan I remember all the 9/11 comparisons with Man of Steel. Shit was ridiculous.

[@rodney2x48]

***** Kinda hard to think when a guy who's strong enough to kick a truck like a soccer ball is hitting you.

[@Redem10]

So we saw Sal as Clark kent...when will we see him with the 90's superman mullet? Also I want that book, I love big comic book compendium

[@mitchellamar3286]

Redem10 soon vary soon... somewhere else doomsday is coming

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Hank Henshaw blasted and then blew up Superman. And then he finds out Superman's been dead for a year. Who the hell did he blow up?!

[@EhNoLove]

+Just Some Guy with a Mustache LMD

[@joshwalker8984]

Return of Superman 101? Sounds like the best freshman college class ever!

[@jabezcreed]

Confession - I was only like 3 or 4 when this all came our first. BUT getting issues of the "Reign of Superman" in back issues bins at antique stores throughout the 90's is what first got me interested in comic books. (This and the Amalgam comics crossovers). I thought clone Superboy and Steel were so awesome back in the day. I wouldn't return to comic books until 2011 and DC's New 52 relaunch.

[@jacob_ian_decoursey_the_author]

As a teenager, my little brother and I went to flea markets and bought almost every issue and tie in of the death and return back issues. I read them all over 12 hours one summer day. It's now one of my best memories.

[@briang9581]

Pimp My Planet with special guest host, Mogul

[@dinosaurusmaximus8506]

Ben’s reaction in the beginning was PURE GOLD.

[@abesplace5079]

at 40:40 I literally laughed out loud, and that was the best analogy ever.....

[@hazelcoleman6744]

Laughed my ass off this episode.

[@illanalevi6091]

I loved the intro with the glasses, and the set up for emerald twilight!

[@njreiswig]

This episode is easily in my top 5 back issues, and I've seen all of em. good work guys, can't wait for emerald twilight.

[@SirRobinBP]

Matrix Supergirl got awesome when Peter David wrote her ... though now she never existed

[@wookiesin3000]

Why does no one else find Ben's "Oo-Bah" funny? I thought it was the best little moment from this episode

[@stcsuntzucreed]

This story contains one of my favorite Superman moments... ''She's in his arms... Faster than a speeding bullet''

[@mateuscordeiropereira6198]

Remember when cyborg supes and mongul explode coast city and created paralax? Good old times

[@agashi336]

Ha. Ethan is adorable this episode. "Delicious powers for Superman..."

[@kevinmarques7716]

Whoa whoa!!! Sal defended the Fantastic Four and said they don't suck?! After hearing him say how lame he thinks so many characters are, I was legitimately shocked when he said that lol. I love the Fantastic Four so I was really happy to hear him say that lol. Loved the video anyway but that line alone earned my press of the like button.

[@kevinmarques7716]

It's ok. To each his own. Personally, I've always loved the FF. When I first got into comics in the early 90s, the 4 main characters that really started my love for the medium were X-Men, Fantastic Four, Batman, and Superman. To me, in the Silver Age, no book could touch Fantastic Four. I have about 75 of the first 100 issues of FF and what Lee and Kirby did with that title and all the epic characters that were introduced (Inhumans, Galactus, Surfer, Black Panther, the Kree, etc) just really solidified them as the quintessential Marvel flagship title of that era. They never quite reached those heights again once the Silver Age ended but John Byrne's run was also great when She-Hulk joined the team. I just always had a consistent enjoyment of the FF. Sorry I went on for so long. It's just my inner fanboy coming out lol.

[@rodney2x48]

+Kevin Marques The movies have ruined how fun and cool the F4 can be. They have tons of cool stories and they're the characters that introduced many of the coolest villains and heroes in all of Marvel.

[@Martin_TheCollector]

+slifer875 DR DOOM SERIES, BEST THING EVER!!!!

[@kevinmarques7716]

Surprised Robot Yeah the movies just haven't been able to get them right. They either make them too cheesy or like the last awful abomination, too dark. They really were some of the first characters in Marvel to do serious real-life things. I still remember there was in issue from the very early 70s where Reed wouldn't let Sue help in a fight because she had just had Franklin and Reed didn't want her to be hurt. After the fight, Sue packed some bags, took Franklin, and told Reed that until he could see her as an equal member of the team and not just the mother of his child, then she was leaving. That was HUGE for comics of that time. Reed and Sue got separated because Reed wouldn't let Sue show that she was a valuable equal member of the FF. I read that issue YEARS ago and that still has stuck with me. Shows how influential they really were.

[@Eudaimonia239]

Kevin Marques I agree in my case it was mainly superman in the 90s which introduced me to comic books , death and return even though they are not the best stories will always have a special place in my heart.

[@misterwyzard4162]

It should be noted that the very first incarnation of Superman was a comic strip in a 1938 newspaper called Reign of the Super Man where he was a big bald floating head with floating hands and it had psychic powers

[@Seton7588]

Awesome! Been waiting a while for this. Sal, are you a fan of Max Landis's short on this ark?

[@comicpop]

+Jeff Dillow Loving it.

[@box1877]

Amazing episode! You guys had me laughing through out the whole hour...thanks you... Superman is the best.

[@AustinShirkey]

Ben looks like wolverine... I like it

[@JoshMunroe]

I recently discovered I hadn't favorited every episode of Back Issues... looks like I need to watch them all in order again to see which ones I missed.

[@Glenport]

I love this series, going through and watching all the episodes of books I have read. I am excited to start reading new (to me) books and watching more.

[@comicpop]

+Glen Davenport Thanks so much, Glen!

[@estebanhughell709]

I think the mullet dates this book way more than presidential speeches.

[@davidmadden3493]

If I hadn't already chose my senior quote, I think it would be "Create some delicious powers for Superman"-Ethan

[@Cap11111]

I lost my shit when Ben said "Ooo-baa."

[@williamgazca963]

yessssss the day just wouldnt be the same without back issues! thanks gents

[@amightyadam]

YES! I read this as a kid like four dozen times cause it was the only trade i had got for christmas.

[@OdysseusRulesXL]

I think this is hands down my favorite episode of Back Issues. Its so funny.

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

If I remember correctly, Hank Henshaw gets his own mullet. Much later on, I think he even becomes a Green Lantern villain with a motivation to want to be killed because he has been made effectively immortal. Plus, he gets a pretty kickass new costume (the one he got during the Sinestro Corps War).

[@shaddowrealm]

I've always loved cyborg superman, especially because of his role in that book

[@Pryrates89]

+Just Some Guy with a Mustache that whole "kill me cause that´s all I want" thingy comes up in the Sinestro Corps War. LOOOOOVE it :D

[@Pryrates89]

Loved it, as allways. Back Issues time is always a good time :)

[@liamb1752]

I love this channel so much!

[@HongKongJewy]

we can now add bill clinton to sals list of impressions. i love it

[@IslandZsurvivor]

the black and white part..i thought I was gonna hear "this is the end" from apocalypse now...glad to see ben pulled out of the nose dive and made it safely to the end

[@kazen16]

I love Ethan's salt explanation

[@ProgressiveHivemind]

One of the best Superman story lines. Animated movies being made.

[@dieboyandy5150]

"Then you'll wanna read this story!" Pissing my pants laughing every single time!!!

[@tylersmith9349]

The best episode ever.

[@rorschach221]

"Time to earn some merit badges" might be the funniest piece of dialogue in all of comics

[@torinforst]

If you think of Eradicator acting more like a prism, it almost begins to make sense. Instead of absorbing the deadly Kryptonite energy and filtering it out, he's refracting the energy into a non-poisonous source. Because Also, nice job on the Clinton impression at the end there.

[@BeingtheBard]

17:24 Hey..your not.... me I'm superman... your not superman...

[@kylesousa2051]

When the ground doesn't quake when superman lifts stuff, I always assumed he was using his flight power to equal out the weight

[@dennisssmith430]

You guys are amazing. I've been wanting to get the Sinestro Corps War, but I'd love to hear what you guys think of it before deciding if it's worth getting. Keep up the good work guys!

[@Grievousish]

Hey Sal, I had an idea for a show. Maybe if you ever felt like it you could do short videos talking about whatever current comic news interests you, or just your opinion on a random comic topic. You could call it Sal's Soapbox. eh, eh?

[@comicpop]

Not bad! It used to be called Sal's Comic Roundup, and Sal Says What. Actually considering bringing it back....

[@leipard]

+ComicPOP Great show guys. After this, I hope you do Superman Hunter/Prey, the epic return and backstory of the only villain to kill superman. P.S. Whats the name of the comic where Lex murders his Judo teacher, cus that's some messed up stuff. XD

[@GatSaiden]

Shall we mark this episode as the origin of #GettingChemichalWithEthan?

[@chrisconcannon6490]

Sal's brief Bill Clinton impression was pretty funny.

[@jhonatanpaguay4907]

that rant of trying to explain how superman got his powers back through eradicator has to be one of the highlights

[@thewilhelmscream7912]

OOBA!!! That might be the biggest laugh I've gotten from any star wars reference haha!!!!

[@falserizufferezek9394]

Do Emerald Twilight next, THEN Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. That's what I say.

[@toptablegaming5518]

Anyone else think that Ethan looks like one of the cops off of superbad?

[@ironballistics]

this story was so damn 90s i remember wanting to know what was going on with superman back then. great show as always guys. i wonder what you guys will be doing in 99 more episodes.

[@batfreeze56]

Do Emerald Twilight!

[@putridsunrise192]

Dan Jurgens version of Superman will always be my favorite(not including Alex Ross' of course).

[@ItsOver9000Productions]

Just arrived from NerdSync Sal!!

[@comicfan5862]

Actually Sal he superman came back to life with the Regeneration matrix and The Eradicator state this himself that Superman died and it was because of the machine he came back to life. You're still awesome just wanted to say that

[@MercysLittleShoww]

Now I really want an episode with Emerald Twilight

[@ohimleyesh4866]

Superboy used his TK powers to do the lobe-loop, I believe. Like he shifted his personal field enough to allow for the eating to pierce his ear. Thankx! Love your vids.

[@ohimleyesh4866]

Also @ 48:25- Ben goes A Fire Inside & I love it.

[@buku43v3r]

2 years ago during one of your live streams you scoffed at me for suggesting this book. I win.

[@Martin_TheCollector]

I kinda wish I owned this omnibus. Thankfully I already have some trades and those skip a buncha filler issues. Can't really complain about that, haha!

[@kevinmarques7716]

I'm basically commenting in real time so sorry about posting for a 3rd time but I just think it's hilarious that you can visibly see Ben's sanity snap multiple times during this episode.

[@RedHeadKevin]

7:08 Was that a rivet launcher? Weren't they railroad spikes?

[@Brendalfly1998]

Don't make fun of me for this, but I don't care what these guys say? I've read the Death and Return of Superman comics and I think it's one of the best Superman stories I've ever read.

[@comicpop]

You should read more Superman! We recommend Birthright, American Alien, Superman For All Seasons, All Star Superman, For the Man Who Has Everything, Last Son, Red Son, and the current Rebirth run!

[@Brendalfly1998]

Thanks! I Do read the Rebirth series! They're awesome! And I'll take the others for consideration. It's great to get a comment from you guys! ;)

[@nathanwright8381]

Great vid! Love when you do 90's stuff. I know it's kind of Faust's thing but will you ever do some teen Titan books? New Teen Titans was just reprinted.

[@comicpop]

We'll start with Judas Contract!

[@nathanwright8381]

+ComicPOP yay! My fav TT Story!

[@hectornavarro980]

Awesome video so far!!!! Are you teasing us with that New Frontier in the background?!?!

[@davidesterley3163]

That Bill Clinton impression, top notch

[@cklambo]

Eradicator was my fave

[@SawyerFamilyReviews]

Man... you guys lost me with "this may be the worst period in Superman's history". Loved Death. Loved Funeral. Loved Return. Tons of fun to follow and read when it came out, and still a blast to read today.

[@TevyaSmolka]

i liked superboy but that's just my opinion

[@TevyaSmolka]

Trevor Merritt well this is Conner Kent first appearance and without this story we wouldn't have superboy in young justice comics

[@trevormerritt548]

Tevya Smolka yeah and sal clearly states that he enjoys the character later on.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Trevor Merritt i did not know that interesting

[@devinamendez9709]

can we please "Get Physical with Ethan"

[@urrutiap]

Years ago back in the mid 1990s, I used to rent the Super Nintendo Death Return of Superman videogame. Fun game too

[@nubworthycigars6682]

It’s supposed to be “Rain of the Supermen”.. like Ben was saying.. so many were raining down.. hey hey

[@micahrw2391]

"1 Eradicator + 1 Beam of Kryptonite = Delicious Powers for Superman"

[@Sicod79]

Dear Lord, Ben's I need an adult was hilarious.

[@dlvnmedia]

Bens reaction to murderous lLex is yet another reason to love Ben

[@matthewjeffries7108]

And back issues is my favorite KZbin show

[@fbritannia]

Will you ever do Green Lantern Emerald Twilight

[@jonathanleiman3154]

"Stop being divorced." "Okay."

[@smokinghot5373]

I just read somebody at imdb reviewing that Superman was out of character at the end since he "killed" Cyborg Superman. He didn't kill him. How could him? Cyborg is basically a zombie already, he can't really be killed.

[@Tequilaqueen24]

I still have my Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book that i bought for a quarter at a garage sale when i was a kid. Spaceman Spiff for life.

[@comicpop]

+God Hypothesis Honorary member of G.R.O.S.S.

[@inkypopart2294]

One eradicater + one Kryptonite laser= delicious powers for superman

[@InoMercy]

Christ almighty that's a big ass book.

[@Evan-zx2vd]

InoMercy that's omnibuses for you

[@MercysLittleShoww]

Now I need that Shaq movie in my DVD collection.

[@bL4zZ3e]

Ben is growing back that beard ;) I like the scruff almost as much as the full beard

[@kipgreydragon13]

Hey Sal, I remember there being a story arc sometime after this where superman fights with a dude who has a glowing green head. can you tell me the name of the villain and story arc