30 years later, Superman needs a new triangular era
Superman has always been one of DC’s main heroes, but the early 1990s through the early 2000s were particularly good for the Man of Steel. This period was known as the “Triangle Era”, and it became the main Superman comics in one continuous story. Long before the days of binge-watching a show on a streaming service, these monthly titles offered long-form storytelling by delivering one chapter of an episodic saga per week. Emblematic of the era that gave readers The Death of Supermanthis kind of storytelling and marketing has made every Superman book a must.
Now DC is revisiting The Death of Superman for 30 years, but they would also be wise to launch and restructure a Superman comic line in the vein of the Triangle era. This approach would build on each book and transform the Superman family titles in one of their most cohesive and exciting publishing endeavors.
Beginning in 1991 and following suit in the following decade, the various Superman monthly comics (Superman, The Adventures of Superman and action comics) featured triangles on their covers with a number. These numbers indicated the order of the story within, with the books bleeding deeper and deeper into each other’s storylines. This resulted in a period where each issue of each book was significant, as it was an individual chapter of an arc or “book”. Continuous plot threads and character development were stronger than ever in the Superman books, with the comics becoming something of a weekly soap opera of action-adventure. In many ways, it was the type of storytelling that John Byrne had done before.
When he rebooted the Superman mythology after Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne, in the eyes of many, set to work to “wow” Superman. That actually meant making Superman a character, giving him down-to-earth stories beyond the wacky scope of silver age and even bronze age comics and generally making his world one whose readers wouldn’t completely scoff as a result of books like Return of the Dark Knight and watchmen. Superman’s Triangle era complemented this by giving him the relatability of a less unlucky Spider-Man, but combined with Chris Claremont’s soap opera storytelling. x-men.
The creators behind Triangle Era were numerous, and they were equally consistent. They included names such as Dan Jurgens, Jon Bogdanove, Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway and Louise Simonson, the latter having previously been part of the aforementioned Claremont creative era of x-men. It’s both the consistency and quality the group brought to the table that made the various comic book titles work so well. A second coming of the Triangle era could not only surpass sales of these books, but put Superman back on the map. Currently, the Superman the books aren’t nearly where they should be in terms of interest or praise, especially since it’s the iconic Man of Steel in question. A second coming of the Triangle era could not only surpass sales of these books, but put Superman back on the map.
For this to work, it would take several Superman more titles. Currently there is Superman: Son of Kal-El and action comics, the first focusing on Jon Kent and the second featuring Clark. Good additions would include The Adventures of Superman, Superman: Man of Steel and maybe Superman Family or a similar book that might feature characters like Steel, Supergirl, and the Conner Kent Superboy. Intertwining a continuous story in these books would again make everyone need to read, giving a kind of sales shield for the whole line. However, it would also require cohesive creative teams, with stories having to be planned months or even years in advance.
This level of care was what made Triangle Era feel like a product DC cared about, and so, fans took notice and ate it. The same kind of planning and care could yield pretty much the same results, not to mention building a healthy environment. Superman line to compete with the large amount of Batman books. It could also be used to highlight members of the Superman mythos who may not appear too often anymore, namely those of the Death and Come back time. So while the 1990s is best known for killing off Superman, it could be used as a template to give him and his book family new life.