4. Peace on Earth
Writer: Paul Dini Artist: Alex Ross
Written by Paul Dini whose credits include Batman: The Animated Series and the Arkham Asylum games, not to mention numerous Batman comics like the superlative Mad Love, and creator of Harley Quinn, Dini joins legendary artist Alex Ross to tell a Christmassy Superman story filled with humanity. Superman decides that through an enormous act of charity he will inspire others to do good. This is the least comic book-like of all the books on this list as there is minimal writing from Dini because there are only a couple of lines per page, the book reads more like a graphic poem than a traditional comic. Instead, the focus is on Ross art which has never been more impressive than here. The book does several things well it addresses the question of why Superman doesnt solve all of the worlds problems in the world he exists in (eliminating famine, war, etc. with his powers) , while also holding up a mirror to our real world and the good we could be doing ourselves to make the world a better place rather than waiting for a supergod to show us how. Superman as a symbol for hope his chest emblem is after all the literal Kryptonian symbol of hope and a figure of inspiration is a quality that should always be remembered for this character. He is beloved because he teaches us to fight pessimism with hope and to remind us of the potential for heroic acts of kindness we all have within us every day, urging us to act on them instead of passively ignoring them.
Ross and Dini dedicated the book simply For Superman himself, who inspires us all. At the end of the book when Clark is showing kids how to grow crops, Dini contributes some beautiful lines which perfectly captures the characters philosophy: "Patiently and gently, I share with others the way to scatter the seeds a few at a time, evenly between the rows so that each one will have enough space. I tell them not every seed will make it - but all of them deserve the chance to grow."