Cover: John Byrne

Superman #20

Aug 1988 · DC · 0.75 USD; 1.00 CAD; 0.40 GBP

📊 ~45,458 copies sold its debut month

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“Doom in the Heartland!”

About this Issue

Superman #20 (vol. 2, August 1988) is a pivotal bridge issue in John Byrne's post-Crisis Superman run, serving double duty as both a two-title crossover conclusion and a deliberate warm-up act for the landmark 'Supergirl Saga' that immediately follows. The issue marks a significant moment in the reintroduction of a Supergirl to the post-Crisis DC Universe: Matrix — an artificial protoplasmic life form created by a pocket-universe Lex Luthor — quietly arrives at the Kent farm in Smallville, setting up her full reveal in Superman #21. Simultaneously, the story represents the first substantive Post-Crisis team-up between Superman and the new Doom Patrol lineup, cementing the Paul Kupperberg-era roster within the rebooted DC continuity. Taken together, these two narrative threads make the issue an essential junction point between Byrne's Superman and the broader late-1980s DC universe.

In "Doom in the Heartland!", Superman answers a call in Kansas City, only to find the Doom Patrol already battered and broken—defeated by Metallo. Meanwhile, Lana brings Ma and Pa Kent face-to-face with Supergirl for the first time, setting off a quiet moment of family connection amidst the rising tension. Written by John Byrne and illustrated by Byrne with inks by Karl Kesel and John Byrne, this 1988 issue blends heartfelt domestic scenes with urgent superhero action, all rendered in vivid colors by Petra Scotese and lettered by John Costanza, with a striking cover by Byrne.

writer, artist John Byrne · inker Karl Kesel · inker Byrne · colorist Petra Scotese · letterer John Costanza · cover John Byrne

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $2,294

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

More listings for this title

VERY FINE $2.99 CGC 9.8 $63.99 Superman # 20 (DC Comics 1988) $2.6 Superman #20 DC Comics Comic Book $7.49 The REIGN of Superman 20 DC Comics Collector's Pack NEW SEALED $109 The REIGN of Superman 20 DC Comics Collector's Pack NEW SEALED $199.95

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 6 total · seen 42 days ago

🏪 Real comic shops near you sell this issue on eBay — from our directory:

Listings on eBay · clicking supports ComicBooks.com

Read it digitally

DC Universe Infinite DC’s subscription reader ▸ Amazon Kindle Buy the digital edition ▸

Opens a search on each platform — digital availability varies by title.

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

The story, titled 'Doom in the Heartland!', was written and drawn by John Byrne with inking by Karl Kesel and colors by Petra Scotese, concluding a two-part crossover that began in Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #10. According to the Grand Comics Database, the issue carried a planned shipping date of April 5, 1988, though its cover date reads August 1988; DC had announced plans to take Superman bi-weekly at this period, but those plans collapsed when Byrne departed the series shortly after this issue. Superman #20 falls near the very end of Byrne's celebrated run, with the 'Supergirl Saga' in issues #21–22 serving as his actual finale on the title.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story title: 'Doom in the Heartland!' — written and penciled by John Byrne, inked by Karl Kesel, colored by Petra Scotese; cover date August 1988.
The issue is the concluding chapter of a two-part crossover with Doom Patrol (vol. 2) #10, in which Metallo seizes control of Robotman (Cliff Steele) using components from 'Bin Number 19' installed in Robotman's body.
Matrix (Supergirl) appears in her pre-saga buildup role, having traveled to Smallville where she meets Lana Lang and the Kents — a key step in her amnesiac journey toward the full reveal in Superman #21.
The Doom Patrol roster featured in the issue — Celsius (Arani Caulder), Negative Woman (Valentina Vostock), Robotman (Cliff Steele), Tempest (Joshua Clay), Lodestone (Rhea Jones), and Karma (Scott Fischer) — represents the Paul Kupperberg-revived lineup of the team operating in their own concurrent series.
Superman's prior Post-Crisis encounter with the Doom Patrol is noted by the DC Database as having occurred in DC Comics Presents #52 (Pre-Crisis), with that shared history carried forward into the rebooted continuity.
The issue is reprinted in the collected edition Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 4 (2022 edition), placing it within the canonical Byrne-era hardcover library.
DC's official collected edition Doom Patrol by John Byrne: The Complete Series also reprints this issue, reflecting its status as a shared chapter between the two titles.
The issue falls among the final handful of stories produced by Byrne on the Superman title before his departure; DC had planned a bi-weekly schedule for the book at this time, but those plans were abandoned when Byrne left the series.