I've decided to keep any Superman feature films off this list, but any other kind of media is fair game.
11. Superman Family Adventures (2012-2013)
First off, I just gotta say, I'm really sad to see this series being cancelled. Hands down, it's the best Superman comic on the market and has been for the last couple years. It's a very simplified version of Superman intended for kids. And when you read it, you remember what you loved about the character so much in the first place.
10. Face To Face With Yesterday (1991)
In the Adventures of Superman #474, Clark has a flashback to his teen years and a car accident caused by a drunk driver. It's compelling because Clark is still learning of his powers at this point in his life, and he has to cope with the fact that he survived the crash when he probably shouldn't have while one of his good friends doesn't.
9. The Super Menace of Metropolis (1987)
John Byrne's run on Superman had this little gem hidden amongst all the big stories. Lex Luthor creates a device that makes Superman believe he's seeing a super monster in Metropolis. While the Man of Steel is trying to save the city, he's actually causing damage everywhere he goes, and the citizens think he's going crazy.
8. The Hunter (1988)
I had to throw in this episode from the Ruby-Spears Superman cartoon. I've probably watched it 100 times. General Zod wants to get revenge on Superman from the Phantom Zone, so he creates The Hunter - a monster that can take the form of whatever it touches - to battle and kill Kal-El.
7. Funeral For A Friend (1993)
Superman died and came back to life, but in the middle of it all was this story arc that showed the effects of Superman's death on everyone else in the world, from his close friends to other heroes that admired him. It's a neat story, because it shows the essence of the character when he isn't even there.
6. The Man Of Steel (1986)
John Byrne re-imagined Superman in this 6-issue mini-series that set the guidelines for the next 25 years or so. The series chronicles the early years of Clark and Superman, including his first meetings with Lois, Luthor, Batman, and Bizarro.
5. Superman/Aliens (1995)
Blink and you'll miss this three-issue series where Superman gets lost in space and has to battle against the Aliens. You know, the ones from the Sigourney Weaver movies. So Supes is away from a yellow sun long enough to lose his powers, and uh-oh, an Alien Queen plants her seed in Kal's chest. But Superman has a little help from a pretty blonde named Kara... but can they survive battling countless Aliens?
4. The Secret Revealed (1986)
In this charming little story, Luthor hires a team to deduce who Superman really is when he isn't saving the world. Old baldy actually learns the truth about the glasses, and the ending might just surprize you!
3. "The Mad Scientist" (1941)
The city is doomed! If the Mad Scientist's demands aren't met by midnight, he'll blast Metropolis with his death ray! This looks like a job for Superman! And you can watch it in the very first Fleischer cartoon. It's classic, beautiful, and almost won an Academy Award.
2. The Supergirl Saga (1988)
I'm a sucker for any story that has General Zod in it. I'm also a really big Supergirl fan. Put 'em together, and look what you got. In this three-part story, Superman is visited by a girl from a pocket universe in a costume that looks eerily similar to his. She explains that her universe needs his help to stop General Zod and his flunkies from destroying all of existence. Superman, naturally, goes with her. I mean, it's not like he HAS to report for work at the Daily Planet tomorrow. Seriously, how did Clark Kent ever keep his job? The guy really must be the greatest journalist ever. Or every time he gets fired he just spins the world backwards to get his job back again. I dunno. I'm getting off topic. Superman battles the villains in an alternate apocalyptic dimension, and in the end does the one thing you wouldn't ever expect him to do and the repercussions stick with him for the rest of his life. Well, at least until he decides he has to spin the world backwards again.
1. For The Man Who Has Everything? (1985)I almost feel dirty having this on the top of my list, because it's really on the top of everyone's list for Superman stories. Alan Moore really understood the character. So Batman and Wonder Woman show up at the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday and he's in a comatose state from a bad dude named Mongul. Mongul used this creature to make Kal-El believe he's in his perfect life... and this is where it gets deep. Superman dreams about having a life on Krypton and what it would be like to be married with kids of his own. It's probably the smartest approach to a Superman story ever and really gets into the psyche of the dude of steel. It's been reprinted a bajillion times, so you shouldn't have trouble finding it.
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