CGC Registry

For This Is the Day... That a Superman Died


Set Type: Superman (Doomsday! Funeral for a Friend Reign of the Supermen!)
Owner: Iconic1s
Last Modified: 2/15/2022
Views: 2115

Award Time Standings

Award Time Rank: 1
Award Time Score: 4651
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Set Description

Title "And sometimes I despair the world will never see another man like him..." Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song BlankReeves My love of this set began when my Mom sent me The Death of Superman trade paperback for Christmas in 1992. I was always a Superman fan but did not collect before this storyline. When reading through the TPB I was overwhelmed upon reaching the last page and witnessing Superman’s ultimate sacrifice. This had a profound impact on me that most certainly changed the way I have spent a good deal of my free time since then. I immediately started searching for the individual Doomsday books from the TPB. I found them while joining in as the Funeral for a Friend and Reign of the Supermen stories unfolded. Collecting cards came next; I remember getting the One True Superman card in the mail… what fun times! I have collected all types of Superman memorabilia since then and am especially grateful that my Wife supports my collecting. The above image, titled A Superman, is an original mixed media work by John Alvin and is one of the highlights of my collection... the collection whose genesis was the actual TPB shown below, still in my possession. BlankTPBFrontBlankTPBBack I've had raw copies of the first printings of these books since the 90’s; some have made their way into this set and are identified in their descriptions. I remember having zero interest in the later printings back then... oh, if I only knew then what I know now! I spent 30 years in the Marine Corps and moving every 2-3 years made collecting tough at times. At one point I did not see my entire collection for four years while overseas. Many of my books and other collectibles ended up being stored for a total of 10 years nearly 2000 miles away while I finished my service and settled down. When I at long last pulled my collection from storage and was driving it cross-country the rental truck had a blow-out, a minor setback during an otherwise smooth trip. Alone and unafraid, I took the below picture while waiting for roadside assistance. With my collection on board... Pano In 2018 I finally had everything under one roof and started the real work on this set. With few exceptions, each comic description will tell how I was able to add that book. In December 2019, I purchased 15 books in this set from a fellow Death of Superman aficionado. This filled 11 empty slots with 9.8's and expanded my set from 82 to 93 percent complete at the time. It also allowed me to upgrade three existing books to 9.8 and one to 9.9. Seven books were the lone 9.8’s in the census at the time and would have taken me years to find individually, if I ever found them at all. One happened to be my grail of all grails, Adventures of Superman 498 fourth printing! To show my gratitude for being able to add these books and to acknowledge the dedication that it took to collect them, I've included the Set Name they came from in their descriptions... the 'NO ONE CAN KILL SUPERMAN!' collection. This set reached 100 percent completion on 12 March 2020. This was 27 years, 2 months, and 17 days from the day I first beheld, in the pages of that TPB, what was previously thought to be impossible... the End... to Superman's Never-Ending Battle... at the hands of Doomsday. There are 98 total books in this Set Type; my set consists of two 9.9's, 95 9.8's, and one 9.6. Thirty-three are Signature Series, I have 31 of those 33 in 9.8 Universal as well, and have a second competitive set for those; that set also holds The Beast... a triple cover 9.8 copy of Superman: The Man of Steel 18! My goal is every book in at least 9.8 but I will forever strive to improve this set, as well as my overall collection of these books. That is why... Ross Below is a breakdown of how this set first* achieved 100% completion: • 23 books were from my own submissions, 10 of those were from my original raw collection • 15 were from the ‘NO ONE CAN KILL SUPERMAN!’ collection • Three were from CGC board members • Four were obtained in a trade • 53 were from various other sellers and sites including eBay, My Comic Shop, and ComicLink *I have since upgraded or swapped out some of the books that originally brought this set to 100% completion Noteworthy moments from my own submissions: • First to submit Justice League America 70 third printing for grading, graded 9.8 Universal on 11 September 2019 • First to have Action Comics 683 second printing grade 9.8 Universal, grade date 7 April 2020, three copies • First to have Justice League America 69 third printing grade 9.8 Universal, grade date 25 September 2020 • First to have Justice League America 70 fourth printing grade 9.8 Universal, grade date 16 February 2021 • First to have Superman 76 second printing grade 9.8 Universal, grade date 24 April 2020, two copies • I also had the following challenging books earn 9.8's through my submissions; Adventures of Superman 498 third printing, Adventures of Superman 505 Collector's Edition, Superman 73 second printing, Superman 75 third printing and Platinum Edition, Superman: The Man of Steel 18 fourth and fifth printing, 19 third printing, and Green Lantern 46 second printing Set Type firsts: • First set to reach 100 percent completion • First set with a complete run of all first printings graded 9.8 • First set with all four second printings of the Doomsday cameos graded 9.8 • First set with both printings of Action Comics 683 graded 9.8 • First set with all three printings of Action Comics 684 graded 9.8 • First set with all four printings of Adventures of Superman 498 graded 9.8 • First set with both (Regular and Collector's) printings of Adventures of Superman 505 graded 9.8 • First set with all four printings of Justice League America 69 graded 9.8 • First set with all four printings of Justice League America 70 graded 9.8 • First set with both printings of Superman 73 graded 9.8 • First set with all four printings of Superman 74 graded 9.8 • First set with both printings of Superman 76 graded 9.8 • First set with both printings of Superman: The Legacy of Superman 1 graded 9.8 • First set with both printings of Superman: The Man of Steel 20 graded 9.8 • Fourteen books in this set are the first 9.8 copy of that issue • Four books in this set are confirmed (could be more) to be the first ever graded copy of that issue Adding the 'NO ONE CAN KILL SUPERMAN!' books to this set made this the lone set with all printings of the below issues graded 9.8 at that time: • Action Comics 685, three printings • Adventures of Superman 497, three printings • Superman 77, three printings • Superman 82, two printings + Collector's Edition I submitted 68 additional books while building this set; 16 of those became multiple 9.8's while the rest did not make the cut. I went through hundreds of raw copies to obtain the small successes that I did have with my own submissions. In the case of one particular Funeral for a Friend book, I went through over 50 copies before finding any that were worthy of submission. I opened three Doomsday! 7 issue Collector's Packs, two Funeral for a Friend 9 issue Collector's Packs, nine Funeral for a Friend 9 issue Limited Collector's Sets, three Superman's Greatest Hits 7 issue Collector's Packs, and seven Toys R Us Two-Packs looking for submission candidates during my pursuit of 9.8's for this set... whew! Rather than showing the back cover of some books, I have included other items in second image slots where I thought they would add to the set's overall presentation. I had 38 books in this set reholdered so that all books would be in current and pristine holders. To preserve gallery consistency going forward, I will (try) not put a book in this set unless/until it is in the current CGC holder. Oh no... it looks like Superman has gotten himself into trouble again! Darkseid Don't worry... in reality this piece was a gift from the Marines at my last unit. It is two original comic pages and was drawn and inked by Stephen B. Scott. Putting this set together was almost as fun as I imagine it would be to actually knock out Darkseid with one punch! I hope whoever takes a look at it enjoys it just as much! The Registry Award judges had this to say when awarding it Best Presented Set in 2020… "With a big surge at the end of 2019 this set shot up the ranks like a speeding bullet! Using his patience and laser-like focus Iconic1s has put together a complete set over the span of 27+ years. Your tireless efforts did not go unnoticed by our judges and we are sure that the collecting community will agree! Thank you for sharing your collection and personal journey with us all." And then they said this when it was awarded Best Modern Age Set in 2021... "During the early 1990s, Superman was a long way from where he started back in 1938. DC sales were at all-time lows. Superman in particular wasn’t selling well at all. It seemed like the public had all but abandoned the Man of Steel. In 1992, DC’s newly formed Superman creative team got together to give new life to the Son of Krypton… by killing him off. The idea was born of a joke made by Jerry Ordway, one of the creative team, but eventually it evolved into a provocative storyline that gave Superman something entirely new: vulnerability. It also invited readers to look at a world without the greatest super-hero of all time. Readers certainly took up the invitation and were riveted with the storyline to say the least. DC’s sales skyrocketed across the titles, and Superman 75 became the best-selling comic of 1992. During Christmas of the same year, Iconic1s received the Death of Superman trade paperback, officially launching a 27+ year journey to collect every issue of the entire storyline! What an accomplishment! This collection boasts some of the highest graded storyline issues, many of them the first 9.8's to be added to the census, as well as two 9.9's with Adventures of Superman 500 and Superman: The Man of Steel 18! Arguably, though, some of the toughest books in this set are the later printings! With such high readership, later printings were definitely not as appreciated as the first, and are very hard to find in nice shape. We’re impressed with the high grades of Iconic1s set, but it’s the heart that’s gone into assembling this collection that really makes it shine! We’re proud to award Iconic1s with Best in Modern Age for this extraordinary set! Congratulations Iconic1s!" THANK YOU to the judges for the recognition and the very kind words! There are more thank yous with specific comics; I had the help of a few good people with some of these books! Thanks also to CGC forum member StephenWA for sharing how to use HTML in this description! And now, without further ado... Fist

comic_category_sm 2022
Slot DescriptionThe Comics Registry IDComic GradeScore Updated
Action Comics 683 0230981030 9.8 40 3/8/2018
Action Comics 683 Second Printing 2095335003 9.8 40 4/10/2020
Action Comics 684 1006319005 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Action Comics 684 Second Printing 2028182023 9.8 40 8/26/2019
Action Comics 684 Third Printing 1218701020 9.8 40 5/31/2019
Action Comics 685 2032265017 9.8 40 6/27/2019
Action Comics 685 Second Printing 0191861004 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Action Comics 685 Third Printing 0191861005 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Action Comics 686 0958709012 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Action Comics 686 Second Printing 2117041007 9.8 40 7/4/2020
Action Comics 687 2054669016 9.8 40 9/7/2019
Action Comics 687 Collector's Edition 1261119002 9.8 40 5/13/2018
Action Comics 688 2041066005 9.8 40 9/16/2019
Action Comics 689 2041066007 9.8 40 9/16/2019
Action Comics 690 2110952007 9.8 40 4/24/2020
Action Comics 691 1177177002 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Action Comics 692 1428329013 9.8 44 7/1/2019
Adventures of Superman 496 1300127009 9.8 40 3/8/2018
Adventures of Superman 496 Second Printing 1078020001 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Adventures of Superman 497 1145203004 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Adventures of Superman 497 Second Printing 1397040007 9.8 25 5/3/2019
Adventures of Superman 497 Third Printing 1254743002 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Adventures of Superman 498 2120276016 9.8 40 6/5/2020
Adventures of Superman 498 Second Printing 1110488003 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Adventures of Superman 498 Third Printing 2057266009 9.8 25 11/13/2019
Adventures of Superman 498 Fourth Printing 1274009011 9.8 26 12/17/2019
Adventures of Superman 499 2504609007 9.8 44 10/2/2019
Adventures of Superman 499 Third Printing 2046450006 9.6 25 12/29/2019
Adventures of Superman 500 3789740015 9.9 50 5/29/2021
Adventures of Superman 500 Collector's Edition 1078020005 9.8 53 10/17/2020
Adventures of Superman 500 Poly-Bagged Platinum Edition 1034436005 9.8 240 3/8/2018
Adventures of Superman 501 2041066001 9.8 40 9/16/2019
Adventures of Superman 501 Collector's Edition 0715141064 9.8 48 5/14/2018
Adventures of Superman 502 2041066006 9.8 40 9/16/2019
Adventures of Superman 503 1428216008 9.8 44 8/25/2019
Adventures of Superman 504 2041066011 9.8 40 9/16/2019
Adventures of Superman 505 1135754006 9.8 24 12/17/2019
Adventures of Superman 505 Collector's Edition 2119943001 9.8 40 7/21/2020
Green Lantern v3 #46 0066134039 9.8 65 10/1/2020
Green Lantern v3 #46 Second Printing 2010732004 9.8 32 5/14/2019
Justice League America 69 1049745001 9.8 53 10/7/2020
Justice League America 69 Second Printing 1992038024 9.8 40 12/16/2018
Justice League America 69 Third Printing 2139731003 9.8 40 9/30/2020
Justice League America 69 Fourth Printing 2070479020 9.8 40 12/26/2019
Justice League America 70 0998748001 9.8 44 10/7/2020
Justice League America 70 Second Printing 1609313023 9.8 39 12/18/2020
Justice League America 70 Third Printing 2041066020 9.8 35 9/16/2019
Justice League America 70 Fourth Printing 3718920003 9.8 32 2/19/2021
Justice League America 71 2041066019 9.8 32 9/16/2019
Newstime #nn 0502341004 9.8 48 6/12/2019
Supergirl/Lex Luthor Special (1993) 1 1591716010 9.8 35 10/4/2019
Superman 73 0230981018 9.8 40 3/8/2018
Superman 73 Second Printing 2041066015 9.8 25 9/16/2019
Superman 74 1580621002 9.8 53 12/31/2020
Superman 74 Second Printing 0191861017 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Superman 74 Third Printing 2058435012 9.8 50 9/6/2019
Superman 74 Fourth Printing 1393380054 9.8 25 5/31/2019
Superman 75 2504910017 9.8 88 8/3/2020
Superman 75 Poly-Bagged Edition 1240360021 9.8 176 4/23/2018
Superman 75 Poly-Bagged Platinum Edition 1198036004 9.8 480 3/8/2018
Superman 75 Second Printing 1049745002 9.8 28 10/17/2020
Superman 75 Third Printing 1580641001 9.8 88 9/21/2020
Superman 75 Fourth Printing 1104969017 9.8 40 10/8/2019
Superman 76 1428330004 9.8 44 12/31/2020
Superman 76 Second Printing 2105011001 9.8 40 4/28/2020
Superman 77 1428330007 9.8 44 7/5/2019
Superman 77 Second Printing 0191861019 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Superman 77 Third Printing 1110656004 9.8 25 12/17/2019
Superman 78 1599460024 9.8 44 2/15/2022
Superman 78 Collector's Edition 0287108028 9.8 40 4/4/2018
Superman 79 1049745007 9.8 44 6/3/2021
Superman 80 2504606018 9.8 44 11/23/2020
Superman 81 1428330017 9.8 44 6/5/2021
Superman 82 2504607017 9.8 70 10/25/2019
Superman 82 Collector's Edition 1111938004 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Superman 82 Second Printing 1110488011 9.8 64 12/17/2019
Superman 83 0998748021 9.8 44 10/17/2020
Superman: The Legacy of Superman 1 1320370005 9.8 35 5/29/2021
Superman: The Legacy of Superman 1 Second Printing 1110488009 9.8 32 12/17/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 17 1062264005 9.8 62 10/7/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 17 Second Printing 1126790021 9.8 32 5/17/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 18 1197450004 9.9 90 12/17/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 18 Second Printing 1992038022 9.8 32 4/12/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 18 Third Printing 1185342014 9.8 35 10/17/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 18 Fourth Printing 1184407011 9.8 35 1/18/2022
Superman: The Man of Steel 18 Fifth Printing 1416825017 9.8 32 5/4/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 19 2551929008 9.8 53 12/27/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 19 Second Printing 1993232015 9.8 32 11/26/2018
Superman: The Man of Steel 19 Third Printing 2010732001 9.8 32 5/14/2019
Superman: The Man of Steel 20 2048589023 9.8 24 10/1/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 20 Second Printing 3709450021 9.8 40 9/26/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 21 0079428017 9.8 24 4/17/2018
Superman: The Man of Steel 22 2078094001 9.8 24 10/1/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 22 Collector's Edition 1402911017 9.8 24 4/29/2018
Superman: The Man of Steel 23 1252437018 9.8 24 4/14/2018
Superman: The Man of Steel 24 3715928003 9.8 24 11/22/2020
Superman: The Man of Steel 25 1241793019 9.8 24 4/2/2018
Superman: The Man of Steel 26 0144520017 9.8 24 12/17/2019

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