Adventures of Superman #430
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAdventures of Superman #430 — 'Homeward Bound!' — is one of the earliest showcases of Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway's post-Crisis approach to Clark Kent's interior life, centering not on a world-ending threat but on the quiet cost of a dual identity: Superman defeats the Fearsome Five while Clark Kent misses his parents' 49th wedding anniversary. The issue introduces Deuce and Charger as two new Fearsome Five members, and its emotionally grounded climax — Jonathan Kent steadying his son rather than scolding him — set a tone for the title's humanist streak that would carry through the entire Wolfman-Ordway run. The story was considered representative enough of the era to be reprinted twice in DC's ongoing Superman: The Man of Steel collected-edition line.
In "Homeward Bound!", Clark Kent faces a rare personal crisis as the demands of being Superman begin to strain his life off the battlefield. Torn between his duties as Earth’s protector and his desire to be present for his parents’ 49th wedding anniversary, Clark must navigate the growing tension between his dual identities. Written by Marv Wolfman and brought to life with dynamic art by Jerry Ordway—both interior and cover—this 1987 issue captures a poignant moment in Superman’s journey, with Tom Ziuko’s colors and Albert DeGuzman’s lettering adding depth to the emotional core.
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The issue was produced by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Jerry Ordway — who handled both pencils and inks — with colors by Tom Ziuko, lettering by Albert DeGuzman, and editorial oversight from Mike Carlin and Andrew Helfer. It was published in July 1987, placing it squarely inside the coordinated three-title Superman publishing structure (Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, Superman) that DC had rebuilt in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths and John Byrne's Man of Steel relaunch. The issue carries a continuity note connecting it to Action Comics #589 and Superman #7, though at least one contemporary blogger documented that Wolfman's internal timeline conflicted in minor ways with Byrne's own narrative on the Superman title — a byproduct of multiple creators working on interlocking books without tight plot coordination.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'Homeward Bound!' — written by Marv Wolfman, drawn (pencils and inks) by Jerry Ordway, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by Albert DeGuzman; editors Mike Carlin and Andrew Helfer.
- Cover date: July 1987; part of DC's post-Crisis Superman publishing era across three coordinated Superman titles.
- First appearances of Deuce and Charger, two new metahuman recruits added to the Fearsome Five's roster for this storyline.
- The Fearsome Five's returning members — Shimmer, Mammoth, and Gizmo — cross over from their Teen Titans origins into the Superman line for this arc, with Wolfman drawing on his own earlier work with the team.
- The Green Lantern Corps characters (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kilowog, Ch'p, Salakk, Katma Tui) appear only in flashback, referencing Action Comics #589.
- Cat Grant, though listed as a supporting character, had her actual first appearance six issues earlier in Adventures of Superman #424 (January 1987), created by Wolfman and Ordway.
- The cover depicts Mammoth menacing the Kent farm, though the character never appears anywhere near Smallville in the story itself — a noted creative license.
- The story was reprinted in Superman: The Man of Steel (DC, 2003 series) #4 and again in Superman: The Man of Steel (DC, 2020 series) #2, as well as in international editions from Grupo Editorial Vid (Mexico, 1987) and Egmont Ehapa (Germany, 1988).
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Reprints
Reprinted in Supermán #24 (1987), Der Neue Superman #8/1988 (1988), Superman: The Man of Steel #4 (2005), Superman in the Eighties #[nn] (2006), Superman: The Man of Steel #2 (2021)
Key issues in Adventures of Superman
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