Superman: Rebirth #1
Superman: Rebirth #1 serves as the formal handoff issue that retired the New 52 version of the Man of Steel and installed the pre-Flashpoint, post-Crisis Superman as the definitive Kal-El of the relaunched DC Universe — a structural pivot that ended five years of the New 52 era's divisive approach to the character. By dramatizing the pre-Flashpoint Superman's failed attempt to resurrect his younger counterpart using the Regeneration Matrix (a direct callback to the original Death and Return of Superman saga), the issue anchored the Rebirth initiative's thesis: that legacy, history, and emotional continuity with older readers mattered. It also formally introduced the family-centric premise — a married Superman raising a super-powered son — that would define one of the most critically praised Superman runs of the modern era and eventually spin off into Super Sons. The issue sits at the narrative hinge between the end of the New 52 and the beginning of the Tomasi/Gleason Superman volume that would ultimately be collected in a New York Times bestselling omnibus.
"Superman Rebirth" marks a pivotal moment in the Man of Steel’s legacy, as the post-Crisis Superman encounters Lana Lang at his tomb, confronting the aftermath of his death and resurrection. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, with Doug Mahnke’s striking art and Jaime Mendoza’s inks, the story unfolds with emotional weight as Superman and Lana seek answers at the Fortress of Solitude—only to discover the pieces needed to restore him are absent. The cover by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza captures the solemnity of this journey, setting the tone for a rebirth rooted in memory and hope.
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Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason — the team that had previously defined the Batman and Robin title — Superman: Rebirth #1 was published on June 1, 2016, with a cover date of August 2016, as part of DC's line-wide Rebirth relaunch overseen by Geoff Johns. Interior art was handled by Doug Mahnke with inks by Jaime Mendoza and colors by Wil Quintana; the regular cover was by Mahnke, while a variant cover was produced by Andy Park. The issue was positioned immediately between Justice League (vol. 2) #52 — where the New 52 Superman died — and Action Comics #957, the first issue of the new ongoing, making it an explicit narrative bridge rather than a standalone debut. Tomasi had already been writing the final arc of the New 52 Superman titles ('The Final Days of Superman'), so the creative continuity between that storyline and this one-shot was deliberate and tight.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1, 2016 (cover dated August 2016); a one-shot that bridges Justice League (vol. 2) #52 and Action Comics #957.
- Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason; interior art by Doug Mahnke (pencils) and Jaime Mendoza (inks); regular cover by Doug Mahnke; variant cover by Andy Park.
- The issue establishes the pre-Flashpoint/post-Crisis Superman — who had been living secretly on the New 52 Earth with his wife Lois Lane and son Jonathan Kent since the Convergence event — as the new, permanent Superman of the DC Rebirth universe.
- Jonathan Samuel Kent (Jon Kent), the biological son of the pre-Flashpoint Clark Kent and Lois Lane, appears in this issue; he was originally created by Dan Jurgens and first debuted in Convergence: Superman #2 (July 2015). Superman: Rebirth #1 is his first appearance in a mainline Rebirth title and the launch point for his Superboy arc.
- The story's central plot involves the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lana Lang searching the Fortress of Solitude for the Regeneration Matrix — the technology that restored Superman to life after his battle with Doomsday — only to discover it does not exist on Prime Earth, forcing Clark to accept his younger counterpart's death as permanent.
- After failing to find a means of resurrection, the pre-Flashpoint Superman carves a statue of the New 52 Superman and places it in the Fortress between those of Jonathan and Martha Kent, symbolically cementing his commitment to carrying on the mantle on Prime Earth.
- The issue was collected in Superman Vol. 1: Son of Superman (the first trade of the Tomasi/Gleason run) and is also included in the Superman by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason Omnibus, which gathers the entire Rebirth-era run in a single hardcover edition.
- The Tomasi/Gleason run launched by this one-shot eventually led directly to the Super Sons series (featuring Jon Kent and Damian Wayne) and the 2017 'Superman Reborn' crossover, which formally merged the histories of the New 52 and post-Crisis Supermen into a single continuity.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Superman #2 (2016), DC Rebirth Omnibus #1 (2017), Superman #1 (2017), Superman #1 (2017), Superman #1 (2017), Superman #2 (2017), Superman Rebirth #1 (2017), Superman: Rebirth #1 (2017), DC Rebirth Omnibus Expanded Edition #[nn] (2017), Superman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition #1 (2017), Superman Anthologie #[nn] (2018), Batman y Superman: Colección Novelas Gráficas #80 (2020), Colección Héroes y Villanos #6 (2021), Superman: The 85th Anniversary Collection #[nn] (2023), Superman: Action Comics by Dan Jurgens Omnibus #1 (2025)
Key issues in Superman: Rebirth
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