10 Superman Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

Another Superman in retirement story - because even Kryptonian's deserve a workplace pension - Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross is a perfectly paced slow burner of a book.

As the Joker is on his way to trial for the murder of all The Daily Planet staff, including Lois Lane, a new 'hero' called Magog shows up and kills him. A swell of support from the public sees him walk free, forcing a disgusted Superman to turn his back on the people he has spent decades protecting.

It takes Magog to wipe out half of America's food production for Wonder Woman to be able to finally coax him back into action, and with a reformed Justice League by his side, a head-on collision with the new heroes is unavoidable.

Another entry into the Elseworlds canon, Kingdom Come is as fresh now as it was 23 years ago. This is in no part down to the excellent storytelling and the stunningly beautiful artwork that fills every single one of its 212 pages, and even though it would get the sequel treatment in 1999 in the often overlooked 'The Kingdom', it is the original that stands strong even to this day.