The Man of Steel, Superman was one of the first superheroes introduced to the world. His debut appearance came in 1938 in the pages of Action Comics #1. While Batman came shortly after that, and he has become arguably the most popular hero in DC, Superman still stands at the top of the hill as the world's greatest hero.

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Every year, new fans are discovering comic books and superheroes for the first time. With that in mind, everyone needs to discover Superman, and they need a place to start to discover what makes the Man of Steel the world's most important superhero. When it comes to comic books, there are some perfect places to start for new fans.

10 All-Star Superman

All-Star Superman and Lois kissing

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is widely considered one of the best Superman stories ever made. All-Star Superman place in an alternate future where Superman saves the Earth, but he absorbs so much energy from the sun that he is now dying.

This was all a plan by Lex Luthor to poison Superman, and he finally succeeds. This story shows what Superman does in his last days, knowing his time on Earth is coming to an end.

9 Superman: Red Son

Superman: Red Son

In 2003, Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, and Kilian Plunkett created a comic book that asked an interesting question. What would the world look like if Kal-El landed in a field in the Soviet Union rather than Kansas and was raised by a Soviet family during the height of communism?

What resulted was Superman: Red Son, a comic that shows that while Superman ended up as a socialist and helped the Soviet Union remain a superpower, he still ended up as a force for good in the world.

8 Superman: Last Son

Superman: Last Son Of Krypton

Released in 2006, Last Son is a Superman storyline that stretches from Action Comics #844-846, #851, and Action Comics Annual #11. This is a storyline written by Geoff Johns and Superman director Richard Donner, with pencils by Adam Kubert. This is a treat for fans of the Donner Superman movies.

In the story, a Kryptonian child crashes to Earth, and Clark Kent and Lois Lane offer to take the child in, naming him Chris. However, soon General Zod, Ursa, and Non show up and put everyone on Earth in danger. This was the issue that brought the trio into DC continuity.

7 Action Comics: Brainiac

Brainiac Superman

Superman has several villains that are synonymous with him, but none are as intriguing as Brainiac. The alien collects cities from different civilizations to ensure that they remain in a collection after their planets have died. The best Superman storyline with Brainiac came in the pages of Action Comics in 2008.

RELATED: 10 Things Fans Forgot About Brainiac

Geoff Johns and Gray Frank told the story as they killed Jonathan Kent, brought back the city of Kandor to the post-Crisis world, and returned the Silver Age version of Brainiac. This turned out to be the first time Superman fought the real Brainiac and not one of his probes.

6 Superman: Secret Identity

Superman: Secret Identity

In 2004, Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen released the four-issue miniseries Superman: Secret Identity. This series took place on an alternate Earth in one of DC's Elseworlds stories and features a world where there are no superheroes, but the DC characters only live as comic book characters.

The main character is a teen named Clark Kent, who one day gains Superman's powers, becoming the only superpowered person in his world.

5 Superman: Earth One

In 2010, movie and television screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) turned his attention to comic books and told a Superman story with artist Shane Davis. This story was titled Superman: Earth One and was part of the new series of DC graphic novels under the Earth One banner.

These books, which also included Batman and Wonder Woman, told the heroes' stories as new characters, unburdened by their continuity and past. The series reimagines the character of Alexandra "Lex" Luthor as someone who is trying to find a way to kill Superman.

4 Man Of Steel

Man of Steel Issue 1

After Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was time to reinvent all the DC superheroes for a new generation. Superman did it perfectly when it introduced a new Superman origin story with John Byrne's 1986 series Superman: The Man of Steel.

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Byrne did a lot right in his origin story. He brought Jonathan and Martha Kent back and made them an important part of Clark's life. He also did the most important thing in Superman history. Byrne made Lex Luthor a successful businessman rather than a mad scientist character.

3 Superman: Birthright

Superman floating in cover art for Birthright.

Superman: Birthright was one of many Superman origin stories, and this one appeared as a limited series in 2003 by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu. This story ended up replacing John Byrne's Man of Steel origin story in the DC Universe.

The changes made in this series was making Lara and Jor-El much more sympathetic, which Byrne did not in his version. Their goal in sending Superman to Earth was to find a place he would be safe. This also did a great job of showing him traveling the world as a young man, helping people everywhere.

2 Death Of Superman

Death Of Superman

The most iconic Superman story of all time came in 1992 with Death of Superman. Yes, this was a gimmick to sell more issues, and it worked with staggering sales numbers. It was also assured that Superman would be back, and he was sooner rather than later.

However, the event series was still iconic, with Superman giving his life to stop Doomsday from destroying Earth. Arguably, the best book of this entire Death of Superman series was Adventures of Superman #498, titled "Funeral for a Friend," where readers truly understood what Superman meant to the world.

1 Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow

Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow

Arguably, the best Superman story ever told was titled Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. Published in 1985 by Alan Moore and Curt Swan, this was a two-part story in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583.

These two comics told the final story in the life of the Silver Age version of Superman, which delved into his history and the fact that he disappeared. The story takes place 10 years after he was last seen, and Lois Lane tells the story of his final days. This was the final comics before Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted the DC Universe.

NEXT: Superman: 5 Undeniable Ways His Death Changed Comics For The Better (& 5 For The Worse)