Reign of Doomsday Reading Guide

Overview:

Reign of Doomsday is a DC Comics storyline that was published in 2011. Written by various authors, the arc begins with Action Comics #900, primarily driven by Paul Cornell, with contributions from other writers like Paul Levitz. The art is handled by various artists, including Kenneth Rocafort and Jesús Merino.

The plot centers around Doomsday, the creature who famously killed Superman, as he returns and goes on a destructive rampage. This time, however, Doomsday isn’t just targeting Superman; he’s after several other heroes who were involved in The Death of Superman storyline, such as Steel, Superboy, and the Eradicator. The storyline also features the return of Cyborg Superman as one of the key antagonists.

Critically, the arc received mixed reactions. Some fans appreciated the action-packed sequences and the return of familiar characters from the Reign of the Supermen storyline, while others found the narrative a bit repetitive and felt it lacked depth compared to the original Doomsday saga. The artwork, particularly Rocafort’s, was praised for its dynamic style, even if the story itself didn’t always resonate with readers.

Overall, Reign of Doomsday is remembered as a nostalgic but somewhat uneven continuation of the Doomsday mythos.

Best Way To Read:

• Superman: Return of Doomsday
  • Collects: Steel #1, Outsiders #37, Justice League Of America #55, Superman/ Batman Annual #5, Superboy #6
• Superman: Reign of Doomsday
  • Collects: Action Comics #900-904

For crossover and significant events, I typically only read the main story the first time I encounter it. Trying to read all of the tie-ins with the story tends to make them increasingly convoluted and are not crucial to the main narrative. However, I think they are important to read, as many series-shifting plotlines can happen.

For the tie-in issues, I only read them as they come up in the reading guide that I am working through. This can become problematic because the tie-in issues are not always included in collected editions of the event. So you may need to hunt for them.

Reading Order:

References:

• Wikipedia
• Comic Book Herald
• Comic Book Reading Orders

Feature Image from Steel #1 cover art by Alex Garner