Superman: The Man of Steel # 0 1994 VF/NM

Superman: The Man of Steel #0, published by DC Comics in October 1994, is a highly notable comic milestone. It was released as a central component of DC's line-wide "Zero Month" initiative, which directly followed the reality-warping events of the Zero Hour: Crisis in Time crossover. During this month, every mainstream DC title published a "#0" issue to clarify or uncover previously untold aspects of their characters' origins.

Creative Team

• Writer: Louise Simonson
• Penciler / Cover Artist: Jon Bogdanove
• Inker: Dennis Janke
• Colorist: Glenn Whitmore

Core Plot & Synopsis: "Peer Pressure, Part 1"

The story cleverly balances a modern-day threat with psychological flashbacks to Clark Kent's childhood:

• The Quick Recap: The issue kicks off with a beautifully concise modern recap of Superman's post-Crisis origin story: the tragic end of Krypton, his rocket landing in Smallville, and his loving upbringing by Jonathan and Martha Kent.
• A Stalker in the Shadows: In present-day Metropolis, a mysterious, heavy-armored villain begins aggressively targeting Clark Kent's life through engineered "accidents," including burning down an orphanage as an intentional trap. Concurrently, Clark discovers that someone has physically broken into places or tracked down old records to cut or burn his face completely out of old high school and childhood photographs.
• Unmasking Conduit: This issue reveals that the stalker is Kenny Braverman, debuting his supervillain persona, Conduit. Kenny was born in Smallville on the exact same night Clark's Kryptonian rocket crash-landed. As a result of the ship's radioactive arrival, Kenny suffered from lifelong Kryptonite radiation poisoning. Throughout their youth, Kenny felt completely overshadowed by Clark's flawless athletic and academic achievements, developing a toxic, deep-seated hatred that follows them into adulthood.
• First Appearance of Conduit: This issue is primarily collected because it marks the formal 1st appearance of Conduit (Kenny Braverman), who went on to become one of Superman's main adversaries through the mid-1990s (culminating in the The Death of Clark Kent storyline).
• Chronological Reading Order: It carries the official tracking designation Superman Triangle #37 for 1994. The narrative started in this issue continues directly into Superman #0