Adventures of Superman # 498 Third Printing 1993 NM-

Adventures of Superman #498 (1993) is a historic comic book titled "Death of a Legend". Published by DC Comics with a cover date of January 1993 (hitting shelves in late November 1992), this issue is highly significant as Part 1 of the 8-part "Funeral for a Friend" storyline. It deals directly with the immediate, devastating aftermath of Superman #75, where the Man of Steel was killed by Doomsday.

The Creative Team

• Writer: Written by longtime definitive Superman creator and artist Jerry Ordway.
• Artists: Illustrated with pencils by Tom Grummett and inks by Doug Hazlewood.
• Cover Artists: Designed by Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood, featuring an iconic, somber cover of Earth's superheroes gathered around a memorial stone, staring at Superman's empty, tattered costume.

Core Storyline & Plot

• Metropolis in Mourning: The issue opens with a city—and a world—in utter shock. Medics and scientists at Centennial Park formally pronounce Superman dead. The Justice League and the citizens of Metropolis begin picking up the pieces of the absolute destruction left behind by Doomsday.
• The Secret Grief: Because the public does not know Superman is Clark Kent, Jonathan and Martha Kent are forced to watch the media coverage from their farmhouse in Smallville, enduring an agonizing, private heartbreak without being able to claim their son's body.
• Lois Lane's Despair: A heavily traumatized Lois Lane struggles to cope with the loss. She tries to write Superman's obituary for the Daily Planet, balancing her duty as a journalist with her profound grief as his fiancée.
• The Supergirl Connection: Matrix (Supergirl), who was dating Lex Luthor II (a cloned Lex Luthor posing as his own son) at the time, attempts to help maintain order in a chaotic, grieving city.
• The Cadmus Intervention: The story takes a dark turn when Director Paul Westfield of the Project Cadmus research facility secretly schemes to acquire Superman's corpse, setting up a major plot point for the next few issues.