Supreme #42
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSupreme #42 is the second chapter of Alan Moore's landmark reconstruction of the Superman mythos, and the issue where his structural template for the run snaps fully into place: a contemporary framing sequence counterpointed by period-accurate flashback sequences rendered in the graphic style of whichever comics era Moore is pastiching. It packs in an extraordinary number of first appearances — Radar the Hound Supreme, Judy Jordan, the League of Infinity, Zayla Zarn, Giganthro, Witch Wench, Boy Achilles, Young Bill Hickok, Supremium, the Supreme Museum, and the Time Tower — all introduced as Silver Age analogues to cornerstone Superman mythology. The League of Infinity, Moore's riff on the Legion of Super-Heroes, has since been identified by critics as a conceptual dry run for the cross-historical team concept he would later refine in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The Moore run that this issue anchors went on to win the 1997 Eisner Award for Best Writer, cementing the run's place among the medium's most celebrated.
In "Secret Origins," Ethan Crane returns to the quiet town of Littlehaven, searching for fragments of his forgotten past. Through poignant flashbacks, glimpses of his formative years unfold, revealing moments that shaped the man he is today. Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Joe Bennett, with inks by Norm Rapmund and colors by Steve Oliff and Olyoptics, this issue blends personal mystery with the quiet power of memory. The cover, a collaborative effort by Joe Bennett, Richard Horie, and Norm Rapmund, captures the story’s introspective tone.
In "Secret Origins," Supreme—still grappling with lost memories—returns to the quiet town of Littlehaven, where echoes of his past surface in fleeting, vivid flashbacks. Amid the familiar streets and quiet moments, he encounters Lucas Tate and a mysterious woman named Hilda, whose presence hints at a deeper connection to the life he can’t quite recall.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $13.75–$34.99 3 listings
More listings for this 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 ▸History
Rob Liefeld invited Alan Moore to take over Supreme on the explicit condition that Moore could discard the existing continuity entirely, which Moore accepted, having found the pre-existing book 'not very good.' Moore's approach was consciously reconstructive rather than deconstructive — a Silver Age love letter modeled on the Mort Weisinger-era Superman — and he later described it as a partial apology for the darkness of his earlier superhero work. For the period-evocative flashback sequences that debut in this issue, Moore originally envisioned veteran Superman artist Curt Swan, but Swan's declining health made that impossible, and Rick Veitch was brought on instead; Veitch would contribute meticulous era-accurate art to the flashback segments through the end of the 'Story of the Year' arc. Eric Stephenson served as editor, and also coordinated additional guest artists for specific flashback segments throughout the broader run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published September 1996 by Image Comics; written by Alan Moore, present-day art by Joe Bennett (pencils) and Norman Rapmund (inks), flashback art by Rick Veitch; lettered by Todd Klein; edited by Eric Stephenson.
- Second issue of Alan Moore's run, which began with Supreme #41; this issue is part two of the 'Supreme: The Story of the Year' arc and the first issue to employ the dual present/flashback structure that defined the entire run.
- First appearances of Radar (the Hound Supreme), Judy Jordan (analog to Lana Lang), the League of Infinity (analog to the Legion of Super-Heroes), Zayla Zarn/Futuregirl (analog to Saturn Girl), Giganthro, Witch Wench, Boy Achilles, and Young Bill Hickok — all members or associates of the League of Infinity.
- First appearance of the Supremium meteorite (the series' Kryptonite analog), the Supreme Museum, the K-Zam Radio Station, and the Time Tower — the League of Infinity's base, described as running down the central bore of time itself.
- First appearances of Ethan Crane's adoptive parents Joe Crane and Joanne Crane, and of Judy Jordan's granddaughter Hilda Jordan, establishing the Littlehaven (analog to Smallville) backstory.
- Darius Dax (the Lex Luthor analog) appears as an active villain in the present-day framing sequence; Master Meteor and Korgo the Space-Bully are referenced in flashback as childhood-era antagonists.
- The flashback structure introduced here — in which Ethan's returning memories manifest as vintage comic pages drawn to match the style of a given historical era — was identified by critics as a conceptual precursor to Moore's later cross-historical team concept in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
- The full 'Story of the Year' arc (issues #41–52) was later collected in the Checker Book Publishing Group trade paperback Supreme: The Story of the Year (2002), which also exists in a limited hardcover leather-bound edition; the run earned Moore the 1997 Eisner Award for Best Writer.
Cast · 17 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Supreme #1 (1998), Supreme #[1] (2002), Supreme #1 (2003), Supreme #[1] (2003), Supreme #1
Key issues in Supreme
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.