After Brian Michael Bendis left the Superman titles, the entire DC line took a two month hiatus for the Future State event. When the regular books returned, Phillip Kennedy Johnson took over both Superman series. After four issues, the fifth volume of Superman was cancelled and replaced with Superman: Son of Kal-El, while Johnson told an extended Warworld epic in Action Comics. With various tangents and tie-ins, it is difficult to find a collected edition that presents the story in the desired order and format. I found it to be too large for a single bound volume, so developed a map for two books.
Book 1 – Warworld Rising
Superman #29 (840)
Action Comics #1029
Superman #30-32 (841-843)
Action Comics #1030-1035
Action Comics Annual 2021
“Tales of Metropolis” stories from Superman #29-32, Action #1035-1036
Book 2 – Warworld Apocalypse
Superman and the Authority #1-4
Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1
Action Comics #1036-1042
Action Comics Annual 2022
Action Comics #1043 (main and backup stories)
Action Comics #1044
Action Comics #1044-1046 (backup stories)
Action Comics #1045-1046
Superman: Warworld Apocalypse #1
After this storyline came the “Kal-El Returns” event, up through Action Comics #1050. Then the “Dawn of DC” initiative started a new direction with Action Comics #1051 and a new Superman #1. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths has to take place at some point between Action Comics #1046 and #1050.
Looking ahead, it’s still too early to develop a definite map of the Dawn of DC era, but there are some preliminary thoughts.
“Kal-El Returns” allegedly ran in Action Comics #1047-1049 and Son of Kal-El #16-18. However, neither series references each other, and it is pretty clear that Action #1049 is supposed to continue directly from the end of #1048. I would leave out the Son of Kal-El issues.
Action Comics #1050 sets up the new status quo. There is an event in Superman #1 that is referenced in both series, so it clearly needs to take place before the next part of Johnson’s run in Action #1051-1060. Other than there, there is no direct references between the two series during that year. Narratively, there is no reason to alternate between Superman and Action Comics until House of Brainiac starts in Superman #13 and Action #1064. If one ignores the Knight Terrors event, it’s very likely to create volumes like this:
-Action Comics #1047-1050, Superman #1-5, 2023 Annual, #6-12 (in this case, treating Kal-El returns as a flashback)
-Action #1051-1056, Doomsday Special, #1057-1060, 2023 Annual, #1061-1063