In 1999, the Superman titles saw a massive overhaul in creative talent, probably for the first time since Byrne took over. (Before that, it was just one or two creators changing at a time.) As a result, the series take on a different tone, and sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re reading the same Superman, especially once we get past Infinite Crisis.

I start getting away from the “completest” mentality during this era. As the titles unlink and several fill ins get tossed in the mix, I found a lot of issues to remove to create a smoother read.

The City of Tomorrow
Superman #151-152
Adventures of Superman #573
Superman:  Man of Steel #95
Action Comics #760
Adventures of Superman #574
Superman:  Man of Steel #96
Action Comics #761
Superman #153
Adventures of Superman #575
Superman:  Man of Steel #97
Action Comics #762
Superman:  Y2K #1
Superman #154
Adventures of Superman #576
Superman:  Man of Steel #98
Action Comics #763

Already out of exact triangle number order. I don’t know why the Y2K special wasn’t released immediately before parts 2-5. Anyway, I originally had the trade for Y2K – called Endgame – but flawed binding led me to bind it.

Critical Condition
Superman #155
Adventures of Superman #577
Superman:  Man of Steel #99
Action Comics #764
Superman #156
Adventures of Superman #578
Superman:  Man of Steel #100
Action Comics #765
Superman #157
Superman: Metropolis Secret Files
Adventures of Superman #579
Superman:  Man of Steel #101
Action Comics #766
Superman #158
Adventures of Superman #580
Superman:  Man of Steel #102
Action Comics #767
Superman Annual #12
Superman #159
Adventures of Superman #581
Superman:  Man of Steel #103
Action Comics #768

Emperor Joker (TPB)
Superman #160
Adventures of Superman #582
Superman:  Man of Steel #104
Action Comics #769
Emperor Joker #1
Superman #161
Adventures of Superman #583
Superman:  Man of Steel #105
Action Comics #770

Lex 2000
Superman #162-163
Superman:  Man of Steel #106
Adventures of Superman #584
Action Comics #771
Superman:  Man of Steel #107
Action Comics #772-773
Superman #164
Lex 2000 #1
Adventures of Superman #586 (pages 1-4)
Superman:  Man of Steel #108
Adventures of Superman #588 (birth excerpts)
Superman #165
Superman:  Man of Steel #109
Action Comics #774
Superman:  Man of Steel #110
President Luthor Secret Files #1

At this point, the creators basically said they weren’t going to be following the strict linkage and triangle/shield numbers. Adventures of Superman causes a bit of a problem here because it’s trying to tell its own continuous story, but still links in with various ongoing plot points. That’s why I dumped it except for the pages dealing with Lex 2000 and the birth of Ron and Lucy’s baby to wrap up that subplot.

Return to Krypton
Action Comics #775
Superman #166-167
Adventures of Superman #589
Superman:  Man of Steel #111
Action Comics #776
Superman #168
Detective Comics #756
Adventures of Superman #590
Superman:  Man of Steel #112
Action Comics #777
Superman #169
Adventures of Superman #591
Superman:  Man of Steel #113
Action Comics #778
Superman #170
Adventures of Superman #592
Superman:  Man of Steel #114
Action Comics #779

Our Worlds at War
Superman #171
Green Lantern:  Our Worlds at War #1
Adventures of Superman #593
Batman: Our Worlds at War #1
Superman:  Man of Steel #115
Action Comics #780
Superman #172
JLA: Our Worlds at War #1
Our Worlds at War Secret Files and Origins #1
Adventures of Superman #594
Superman:  Man of Steel #116
Action Comics #781
Superman #173
Adventures of Superman #595
Superman:  Man of Steel #117
Action Comics #782
World’s Finest: Our Worlds at War #1

With OWAW, I was trying to keep the book as Superman-centric as possible, but still keep in the tie-ins I found interesting – like Batman, which actually did feature Superman at the end and tie in quite well with several Superman plotlines. Wonder Woman was getting a lot of good reviews at this time, but a lot of those issues recap what was going on in the Superman issues, so they ultimately got dropped, since there was no clean way to insert them. I had toyed with the idea of spreading out the Secret Files issue, but realized that it works well after the JLA special, at the midpoint of the story.

Starting with the books below, I decided to move away from my completist mentality. Once the books unlinked, there were a lot of filler issues. Plus, with the books going in four different directions, stories were a bit all over the place.

Casualties of War
Superman #174
Adventures of Superman #596
Superman:  Man of Steel #118
Action Comics #783
Superman #175
Adventures of Superman #597
Superman:  Man of Steel #119
Action Comics #784
Superman #176
Action Comics #785
Superman #177
Action Comics #786
Adventures of Superman #600
Superman #178-183
Action Comics #792
Superman #184
Adventures of Superman #606
Superman:  Man of Steel #128
Action Comics #793

For the next few volumes, I had to give up on strict chronology between the different books. I liked keeping them separate for the most part, especially Casey and Seagle’s runs, but occasionally, there were some overlaps. The main issue is the Luthor presidency which ends in Superman/Batman #1-6, and the Cir-El Supergirl, who debuts at the beginning of Seagle’s run, but supposedly disappears after Superman #200. My solution to all of this is to take the plot element of a time storm from the books circa Superman #200, and use that to explain why the chronology might not line up so well. Hence, Cir-El still appearing in the first Superman/Batman arc, even though I have placed it after Superman #200. This can also smooth out how almost an entire year takes place in each of these books, as Action #810 is a New Year’s Eve story, and Adventures of Superman #623 is a Christmas story, both from 2003…following 2002′s Lost Hearts crossover, which is set around Christmastime. I have even linked the first three together in cover design, using the Kryptonian font to faintly spell out “time storm” on the back cover of each.

Lost Hearts
Superman #186
Adventures of Superman #608
Superman:  Man of Steel #130
Action Comics #795
Superman #187
Adventures of Superman #609
Superman:  Man of Steel #131
Action Comics #796
Superman #189
Adventures of Superman #611
Superman:  Man of Steel #133
Action Comics #798
Superman:  Man of Steel #134
Superman vs Darkseid #1
Action Comics #801-805
Action Comics #809-810
Superman/Batman Secret Files

The first 8 issues are the Ending Battle crossover, which got included in this volume when the TPB fell apart.

Metafictional
Adventures of Superman #612-623

Future Shock
Superman: The Ten-Cent Adventure
Superman #190-200

Majestic: Strange New Visitor (TPB)
Action Comics #811
Adventures of Superman #624
Superman #201
Majestic #1-4

I didn’t care much for the Godfall storyline and there’s enough going on in this book to explain Superman coming back. Really, I don’t feel there’s much of an explanation needed.

Public Enemies (TPB)
Superman/Batman #1-6

Supergirl (TPB)
Superman/Batman #8-13

Road to Ruin
Superman Secret Files 2004
Adventures of Superman #627-638, 640-641

I thought about getting the Prelude to Infinite Crisis trade to cover the Secret Files, but it wouldn’t fit into the books I’ve already bound. Binding it here keeps the Mxyzptlk story by Rucka in the Superman collection.

For Tomorrow (TPB)
Superman #204-215

There were several options with the Infinite Crisis tie-in era, since the Infinite Crisis plotlines kept weaving in and out of the Superman books.  After creating my own Infinite Crisis set that focused as close to the main plots of that event as possible, I created a Superman volume that could work in the context of the ongoing adventures, which does have some duplication, including the entire IC mini-series.

Crisis Counseling
Superman #217
Superman/Batman #19
Action Comics #827-828
Superman #218-219
Action Comics #829
Adventures of Superman #642
Wonder Woman #219
Adventures of Superman #643
Superman #220-221
Action Comics #830-831
Adventures of Superman #644
Superman #222
Adventures of Superman #645
Infinite Crisis #1
Superman #223
Adventures of Superman #646-647
Superman #224
Infinite Crisis #2-3
Superman #225
Infinite Crisis #4 (opening sequence)
Adventures of Superman #648
Infinite Crisis #4 (rest of issue)
Infinite Crisis #5 (up to Superman smashing the car)
Superman #226
Action Comics #836
Adventures of Superman #649
Infinite Crisis #5 (rest of issue)
Infinite Crisis #6-7
Superman/Batman #26

-I did skip the Superman/Captain Marvel three parter, since that was already collected in the Day of Vengeance trade, and doesn’t really impact the ongoing series much.
-The opening sequence of IC #4 could either be the first two or six pages.
-I thought it would be cool to use the original issues of Infinite Crisis in this book, while using the trade version in the main IC project, but speculators due to an announced Blue Beetle movie ruined that plan as prices for IC #3 and #5 shot through the roof overnight.  If you do manage to get the original issues, I would recommend the Perez covers for #1 and 5, and the Jim Lee covers for #2-4 and 6 as those are the most Superman-centric.  Either cover for #7 can work.

For comparison, my complete Infinite Crisis map is here.

The Superman map continues with One Year Later up to the Flashpoint reboot.