I'll start this by saying that Superman For All Seasons is one of my all-time favorite comics. Written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale and colors by Bjarne Hansen, this limited series is told in four parts, each representing a different season and featuring commentary on Superman from a different narrator. This is not a look at the beginning of Superman through his own eyes or thoughts, but through how he has affected others. Spring, the first issue, focuses on Clark before he sets out for Metropolis and is narrated by his father Jonathan Kent. Summer is narrated by Lois Lane and is interesting in that it largely focuses on Superman as a concept. Lex Luthor fittingly narrates Fall, describing a "love story" between him and Metropolis where he is betrayed by the city in favor of Superman. The final issue is narrated by Lana Lang, with Winter representing the end of the beginning and the future to come. This comic is a coming of age story not an origin, we see Clark grow into Superman throughout the story rather than become him. That is what makes this story so great to me, the grandeur of becoming a hero as iconic as Superman is likened to the end of childhood and leaving home. I love Superman the most when we're reminded he's human. Regardless of the fact he's an all-powerful alien, he is an incredibly human character.

For All Seasons explores this beautifully, taking human moments and blowing them up to encapsulate these larger-than-life experiences of Clark's, in turn making them into moments everyone has experienced as they grow up. Learning his origins and leaving to become a hero in Metropolis becomes him leaving home for the first time, his struggle to adjust to his new identity becomes him adjusting to his newfound adulthood, and not feeling at home in Metropolis or Smallville is simply growing older. We see Superman fail and run home to where it was safe, only to find it changed and just as uncertain as the place he left. There is nowhere to hide from the questions and problems of life and he learns that just as we all do. Superman isn't all-powerful, he can't save everyone, he can't stop a tornado or a flood, he can't stop the loneliness he feels as the Other as both Clark and Superman and that makes him human. He is kind, he sees the good in others, he wants to help in any way he can, he's snarky at times, he has enemies, he loves his parents and friends and it all makes him human. Many compare him to a God but that takes away from what makes him a great character, he isn't meant to be perfect he's meant to be the best possible. He chooses good despite all odds, despite his power and what he's seen because he believes in humanity and the people who have raised him.

This comic is a beautiful and unique look into one of the most iconic characters of all time and does so without us seeing his own thoughts. We learn about him and his influence from those he's touched and I think that is what makes it such an impactful work. How we think of ourselves matters little but how those around us remember us is what will live on once we're gone. If you want to pick up a self-contained Superman story that's got some heart I will always recommend For All Seasons , you can read it online here. If you want some more comics similar I recommend All-Star Superman, Superman Birthright and for general great Superman, I'd say Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow and Superman: Secret Identity, Superman (2016) and the newest Superman run.