An Introduction to “For the Man Who Has Everything…”

Superman Annual #11, “For the Man Who Has Everything…” was released in September 1985, with Alan Moore on writing duties and Dave Gibbons on pencils, inks, and letters with colours by Tom Ziuko. In the eyes of some, it is the greatest Superman story ever created. #Superman 1/9

The story orients around Superman’s birthday, with Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman all converging on the fortress of solitude to confer gifts on their friend & colleague, only to find that the villain, Mongul, has already attacked Clark and left him in a vivid hallucination. 2/9

Within that hallucination, Clark experiences an alternate life on Krypton, one that slowly disintegrates around him as the other heroes battle Mongul for their lives. Eventually released from his illusion, Superman lashes out violently and the heroes secure their victory. 3/9

Along the way, the story explores the depth of Superman’s emotional pain and the conspicuous gap between the grief he’s experienced and the public face of righteousness and humility that is, for Moore, as much a part of his costume as the big red cape. 4/9

The story also appears at an important time for Superman comics with DC’s first relaunch nearly on the horizon, a development that will largely erase decades of Superman continuity in the interest of starting anew. This story, however, has those decades to draw upon. 5/9

Creatively, Superman Annual #11 features legendary creators, Moore & Gibbons, paired together one year prior to the collaboration that would become one of the bestselling and most influential graphic novels of all time, 1986’s Watchmen. 6/9

Additionally, the adaptation of the story for the “Justice League Unlimited” Animated Series was hugely popular and even achieved what might be the highest standard for a televisual adaptation of Alan Moore’s work: Moore himself is said to have liked it. 7/9

Finally, in terms of cultural capital, “For the Man Who Has Everything…” is widely considered to be one of the finest Superman stories of all time, an important touchstone for a comics character who might not have a standout/definitive story the way many other icons do. 8/9

In the days ahead, Sequential Scholars will go a little granular by conducting close reading on this single issue, in the interests of unpacking it and developing a deeper understanding for what this story does and why/where it resonates with generations of Superman fans. 9/9