Superman: At Earth's End (by Tom Veich and Frank Gomez) has gone down in history as arguably one of the single worst comic books in DC history. The story is a perfect representation of the excess and nonsense of the 1990s era of comics, something that was charming to some but awful to others. Superman At Earth's End was DC's attempt at duplicating the underlying story idea that has worked so well for the likes of Dark Knight Returns, Maestro and Old Man Logan.
It took Superman to a post-apocalypse wasteland ravaged by war and destruction had some potential, but in execution was entirely mishandled. The story now stands as the perfect representation of all the worst elements of '90s comics, and for good reason. From designs and character portrayal to the desire to be overly edgy and excessive in every panel, this comic earned its reputation as one of the worst comics ever.
How Superman: At Earth's End Fits The '90s
By no means can it be said that the '90s was entirely bad for the comic book industry. After all, the era enjoyed the likes of Grant Morrison's JLA, Rob Liefeld's X-Force and a generally good era for Batman too. But there were some issues with the era which are almost universally recognized, and even earned the era the nickname "The Dark Age." Superman At Earth's End was basically the pinnacle of everything wrong with the era. That said, there are plenty of fans who can still enjoy the comic for what it is, especially lovers of this age.
Superman At Earth's End tells the story of an aged Superman in a post-apocalypse America as he tries to save Gotham from destruction. In this future, Gotham is ruled over by twin clones of Adolf Hitler, who use science to create human-animal hybrid monsters. Armed with these creatures and giant robots, they use the body of Bruce Wayne to keep their best monsters in production. With his invulnerability and Kryptonian powers diminishing, Superman takes the fight to these "DNA Diktators" to recover the body of his friend.
There are few comics that encapsulate an entire decade as well as Superman: At Earth's End. Everything about it, from concept and art to character designs and plot represents the overly edgy aesthetic of the era. The comic pushes the boundaries of regular comic book stories into the realm of absurdity, something that helped define '90s action, both in comics and film. This very excess is what earned the comic its negative reception. The idea itself could have been good had it been told in a different era. Indeed, the slate of Future State Superman comics, as well as Kingdom Come, have all shown that fans love a good story of an aged Superman. But it's vital the tone match the hero.
Why Superman: At Earth's End Just Didn't Work
There are many fans nostalgic for the '90s style of comics who may find the story a fun callback, even a no-nonsense gritty action story. Although there are certainly stories representative of this era that are much better, many fans may say this is still worth a read. It followed a tone that had worked well for series like Lobo, Etrigan and The Dark Knight Returns, so attempting to channel that into a Superman story was inevitable. But because the character just didn't fit the tone and there was so much thrown out in one story, the comic just didn't work.
Superman At Earth's End remains divisive among fans, even of the Elseworlds imprint that was known for testing new ideas. In many ways, Superman At Earth's End just feels like the natural culmination of so many of these ideas and tropes concentrated into a single comic. As many flaws as the comic has, it does still retain the charm of its particular era that is sure to please a healthy number of fans all the same.