Elliot S Maggin

If you've been reading the current Superman titles, then you're no doubt aware that things have gotten pretty weird lately. Superman and Lois Lane are the characters from two reboots ago, and Clark Kent's a completely separate person with a secret so strange that we don't really know who the heck he is yet --- and that's before we throw New Super-Man, Cyborg Superman, and at least two Superboys into the mix. But to be fair, this isn't the first time that there's been a weird split between "Clark Kent" and "Superman," and while it might be the weirdest, it has some pretty stiff competition on that front, too. Like, say, the time that Superman had powers and Clark didn't, even though they were the same guy, based entirely on which set of clothes they were wearing.

Since 2005, the Eisner Awards have handed out the Bill Finger Award For Excellence In Comic Book Writing. Named for the often unsung co-creator of Batman, it functions as something of a lifetime achievement award for writers, honoring the contributions of creators like Jerry Siegel, Otto Binder, Steve Gerber, Bill Mantlo, Harvey Kurtzman, and more. And this year, when the awards are presented in San Diego for Comic-Con International, they'll be going to two of the the true greats of the Silver and Bronze Ages. As announced today, the Bill Finger Award recipients for 2016 are Elliot S. Maggin and Richard E. Hughes.

It’s the third Monday in May and you know what that means… Good Miracle Monday, everyone! Today of course marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of when Superman defeated the great and powerful C.W. Saturn, and the people of Metropolis learned the meaning of joy. Although our collective memory of that monumental day remains hazy, throughout the world humanity celebrates with a day dedicated to friends, family and recreation and --- if it brings happiness --- reflection. The holiday first appeared in Superman: Miracle Monday, a novel by Elliot S. Maggin, published in 1981, which follows a time-traveler named Kristin Wells from the 29th century who journeys back to discover the origin of the holiday and accidentally becomes wrapped up in its very events. While Miracle Monday has become a holiday for Superman fans in the vein of April 27th for Alien fans or May 4th for Star Wars lovers, it remains a fairly obscure piece of the franchise's history that has only been referenced on a handful of occasions.

This week the fans of DC's TV shows finally get to see the live-action comic book crossover that we've all been waiting for, as Melissa Benoist's Supergirl on CBS gets a visit from a new friend from another reality when The CW's The Flash, played by Grant Gustin, makes his first appearance on her show. We're beyond excited to see what happens when these two DC heroes team-up on the screen, because it looks like the story could capture all the joy of superheroics that sometimes gets lost in other adaptations of the genre. To mark the occasion, we've put together a list of some of Supergirl's best team-up stories in comics, featuring Egyptian queens, unrequited loves, and many, many Draculas.

For a character who's so definitively aspirational, Superman sure has given us a whole lot of dubious messages over the years. I mean, yes, he represents the best that we can be and reminds us that if we do good to each other, every man can be a Superman, but there's also stuff like the regrettable wartime propaganda. And, y'know, that time in the early '80s where there was a story that was all about how cigars can give you super-powers. Okay, okay, not you. The person who actually gets the super-powers is Perry White, because it turns out that the best thing for you when you're in the hospital is to light up a cigar --- but only if Superman gives it to you.

Many of comics’ most popular heroes have been around for decades, and in the case of the big names from the publisher now known as DC Comics, some have been around for a sizable chunk of a century. As these characters passed through the different historical eras known in comics as the Golden Age (the late 1930s through the early 1950s), the Silver Age (the mid 1950s through the late 1960s), the Bronze Age (the early 1970s through the mid 1980s) and on into modern times, they have experienced considerable changes in tone and portrayal that reflect the zeitgeist of the time. With this feature we’ll help you navigate the very best stories of DC Comics’ most beloved characters decade by decade. This week, we’re taking a look at the best Lex Luthor comics.

Batman's villains are unquestionably the greatest bad guys in comics. The best of them are compelling, complex characters in their own right that can work in a variety of stories, and even the second-stringers tend to be, at the very least, visually interesting...

If you've been feeling a little happier than usual today, or didn't want to go into work because you were filled with a sense of contentment and relief and you just don't know why, there's a reason for that: It's the Third Monday in May, or as it's known in the DC Universe, Miracle Monday...