Cover: Ed Hannigan & Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson

Action Comics #583

Sep 1986 · DC · 0.75 USD; 1.00 CAD; 0.40 GBP

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“Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”

★ 1st appearance — Jon Kent

About this Issue

Action Comics #583 concludes Alan Moore's two-part 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?', which DC explicitly marketed as the final story of the pre-Crisis Superman — a deliberate curtain call for nearly five decades of Silver Age continuity before John Byrne's line-wide relaunch. Moore's approach was quietly radical: instead of a triumphant exit, Superman voluntarily strips himself of his powers and disappears into anonymity, a domesticated ending that reframed the entire mythology. The issue also represents the capstone of Curt Swan's decades-long run as the character's defining visual interpreter, making it simultaneously an artistic farewell and a publishing watershed. Its influence extended well beyond 1986, inspiring Neil Gaiman's structurally similar 'Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?' and remaining a touchstone for how comics handle the formal ending of a superhero era.

"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" is a landmark issue in Superman's mythos, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Curt Swan with inks by Kurt Schaffenberger and Murphy Anderson. In this poignant, self-contained story, Lois Lane recounts a final, desperate battle at the Fortress of Solitude, where Superman faces a terrifying alliance of foes—including Brainiac in Luthor’s body, the Kryptonite Man, and the Legion of Super-Villains—only to uncover a shocking truth and summon Mr. Mxyzptlk, whose fate becomes the final, irreversible cost of heroism. The cover, by Ed Hannigan and Curt Swan with inks by Murphy Anderson, captures the emotional weight of the moment.

writer Alan Moore · artist Curt Swan · inker Kurt Schaffenberger · inker Murphy Anderson · colorist Gene D'Angelo · letterer Todd Klein · cover Ed Hannigan, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $12

CGC 9.8 · 148 in census $116

CGC 9.6 · 82 in census $72

CGC 9.4 · 40 in census $42*

CGC 9.2 · 29 in census $38*

CGC 9.0 · 16 in census $34*

CGC 8.5 · 16 in census $33*

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CGC 8.0 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

Newsstand $4.99 Sketch $9.99 VF+ $10 VF/NM $11.99 Newsstand $12 VG+ $14.95 VERY FINE $14.99 MINT $14.99

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History

The story originated as the personal editorial vision of Julius Schwartz, who wanted his final issues steering the Superman titles — after sixteen years on the books — to serve as a proper send-off for the pre-Crisis character. Schwartz's first choice to write it was Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, but Siegel declined due to legal and scheduling complications, and Moore was reportedly approached at San Diego Comic-Con and accepted enthusiastically. Moore specifically requested Curt Swan on pencils, valuing Swan's classic Silver Age aesthetic as essential to the story's nostalgic register; Swan was inked in this second installment by Kurt Schaffenberger (with Murphy Anderson contributing uncredited inks), a pairing that produced a warmer, more vintage look than the George Pérez inks on the first part in Superman #423.

Trivia · 8 facts

Part 2 of Alan Moore's 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?', continued from Superman #423 (both cover-dated September 1986, on sale June 3, 1986).
First full appearance of Jonathan Elliot — the super-powered infant son of Superman and Lois Lane in this alternate-reality setting — who makes only a single unnamed panel cameo in the preceding Superman #423.
Superman's retirement alias 'Jordan Elliot' is a deliberate homage to his Kryptonian birth father Jor-El, while infant son Jonathan is named after his adoptive father Jonathan Kent.
Story credits: script by Alan Moore; pencils by Curt Swan; inks by Kurt Schaffenberger and Murphy Anderson (uncredited); letters by Todd Klein; edited by Julius Schwartz with E. Nelson Bridwell as consulting editor.
Cover pencils by Ed Hannigan (layouts) and Curt Swan (signed as 'Swanderson'); cover inks by Murphy Anderson — and the cover art incorporates caricatures of four real DC figures: Murphy Anderson, Curt Swan, publisher Jenette Kahn, and editor Julius Schwartz, waving Superman goodbye.
The story is formally designated as taking place on 'Earth-423' per the Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (2005), and was explicitly presented as an 'Imaginary Story' — a Silver Age format convention revived for this occasion — meaning it operates outside canonical Earth-One continuity.
The issue has been collected repeatedly, including in DCU: The Stories of Alan Moore, DC Universe by Alan Moore, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (1997), and the Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition (2009), the latter featuring a new cover by Brian Bolland.
A 2026 Facsimile Edition of this issue drew criticism from collectors and the Superman Homepage for not being a true facsimile — it was reportedly sourced from a later reprint that omitted the original story-page Superman logo, the Siegel and Shuster creator credit, and other original elements.