Fun fact: the JLU version of this story is one of the few adaptations of his work Moore has publicly stated he actually likes.

There's a lot to find in this story. What always catches my attention is that Kal-El's view of Krypton is one focused on politics and social issues. Of course it is -- Clark Kent is a reporter, and a good one, an investigative reporter. Clark trained to seek out the truth and face it. In a way, that's where Superman comes from -- he's what happens when you combine the willingness to face a reality that seems broken with the optimism and courage to act to make things better. A person like that expects to see bad things in the world, so the Black Mercy gave him an imperfect world -- but in so doing it gave his investigative mind enough evidence to recognize that the world wasn't right. Once again it's shown that Superman got his powers from his Kryptonian origins, but everything that makes him a hero came from his life on Earth.

The angriest Superman that I can recall. I stopped collecting a year or so after the Death of Superman and Knightfall. So he may have gotten angry after that, but in all the comics I read up to that, this is the most vengeful I can recall seeing him. It was an understandable and justified anger. No misunderstanding or weird kryptonite. This was an earned anger. It has been years since I read this and had forgotten how much Krypton was a reflection of the 70s and 80s, and sadly, it is, in a way, more of a reflection of today.

The Animated episode of Justice League made this story hit the feels. This is probably the closest Mongul came to actual death. Noone could ever imagine the amount of fury Superman would have for this slight

"All just a dream" stories usually suck, but stories like this really dig into our heroes and interrogate who they are and why we love them. These are the good stories about dreams. Stories like this, and the TNG episode "Tapestry," are great because they still put our heroes to work, and they have the chance to grow, to learn, and to become better people. I love that stuff.

The absence of Kandor in the simulation went way over my head when I was a kid, reading 'old' comics that my father shamefully hid away in the attic, but I didn't put two and two together then. I appreciate you reminding me of this issue all the way into adulthood and putting into words what I appreciate about classic comics and graphic novels. Thank you, Steve!

I loved this story so much I used it in a D&D game I ran. The players got everything they wanted, had every enemy fall before them with minimal difficulty for almost three hours before they realized something was up. It's the only good twist I've ever pulled off as a game master, and I owe it all to Alan Moore.

People love a "What could have been" story. One of my favorites is JLA "The Nail" in which the Kents don't find Kal-El because of a flat tire.

I absolutely love when you do these I wasn’t a comics reader growing up, but I still have trades of “A Superman for all seasons” and “All Star Superman” It makes me sad that the movies keep trying to deconstruct Superman instead of celebrating him. Also, if you haven’t seen MovieBob’s video on the ‘78 Donner Superman movie, it’s really worth a watch.

"Not everybody has hidden depths." Thank you; I needed that laugh today 💖

The fact this is the episode of Justice League they chose to add to the Xbox 360 to show off its video steaming potential, says a LOT about the popularity and impact of the story as a whole.

This is easily one of my favourite stories of all time. A great little bit you didn't mention in the video was when Mongul came across the heroes studying the black mercy, and said "You humans really are almost intelligent, aren't you?", which Robin throws back at him when he dumps the plant on his head. And speaking of Robin, this is by far the pre-Crisis Jason Todd's shining moment. (The *post*-Crisis Todd's best story, IMO, was "The Diplomat's Son", but that's a tale for another time....)

I love this story. The characters were given so much personality. Especially Robin you hit the nail on the head with his insecurities. This version of Jason Todd feels so different from the one fans voted on killing. I especially loved the tongue and cheek panels of Wonder Woman walking away from the Dynamic Duo saying "lets get you two inside before you freeze to death", and Robin turns to Batman saying "Us Freeze, while she's wearing that?" Batman simply says "Think clean thoughts chum" then turns to the audience and cracks a grin almost as if he was checking out Wonder Woman himself or just simply amused by Jason's quip. Great stuff!! Great review as well. Can't wait till the next one. The Man of Steel mini series may be?

FANTASTIC Superman story, and one that holds up to this day. I'm not always a Moore fan, although I recognize his talent and importance. But this story is one of the best.

“What do you think [Mongul]’s seeing?” “Whatever it is, it’s too good for him.”

I remember reading this when it came out - I was blown away at the time.

That was a great comic, and I hope more people learning about Superman have a chance to read it.

And to think the last time I saw a story about Supe's birthday, it involved Batman invading his proprety just so he could prank him.... Superman is really unlucky with his birthdays, isn't he? Honestly this story is kinda nostalgic to me, even though I never read it, due to the adaptation it got in the Justice League cartoon.

The true horror was Jor-El joining Ma.K.G.A. But seriously this is one of the best Superman stories and best Alan Moore stories.

Everyone knows about the animated adaptation, but not many people know that DC comics writers Mike Carlin and Andrew Helfer loosely adapted "For The Man Who Has Everything" for the 1988-1992 live-action Superboy tv series. They had to make some changes, but the inspiration is clear, and Mike Carlin told me it is absolutely meant to be TV Superboy's version of that story. Instead of a perfect dream, he gets trapped in a series of nightmares as this alien parasite drains all his adrenaline. In one nightmare he discovers that he's been a robot all along. At which point a new Superboy arrives to replace him, declaring himself the new Superboy. (Played by wrestler Lex Luger) and he beats the crap out of Superboy, eventually causing him to explode into pieces. Some really cool practical effects. The show seems a little campy by today's standards, but it's a really fun episode. (season 3 episode 10, Mindscape)

Steve Shives always does an interesting analysis of stories like this, but this segment is particularly outstanding. I never thought about the twist that Kandor was reduced to an empty crater in Superman's fantasy despite the fact that the Black Mercy should have crafted a utopia for Kal-El. The real point of Moore's story is that holding onto a sanitized view of the past stops you from moving forward, something that is a real problem in our current political struggles. There is no such thing as going backwards to make America great. What we have to do is go forward to decide what "great" should really mean and strive for that.

Moore is a wizard, weaving words and ideas into feelings and more.

The adaptation of this story by Justice League Unlimited is what sealed me on why I loved Superman and contrasted especially with his "World of Cardboard" speech to Darkseid in the JLU finale... Understanding that Superman has such gentleness but still (mostly) controls his righteous anger against people like Darkseid, Luthor, and Mongul, is the kind of father I've wished I've had.

One of my favorite Superman stories. And you dropped it on my birthday, too. Thanks for the gift, Steve. And keep up the good work

I think you either reviewed this issue or an adaptation of it previously, but I love your enthusiasm and your ability to find new nuances even in familiar territory.

Moore at his peak. Such a tremendous talent.

Superman is my favorite character and this is one of my favorite Superman stories. It's definitely my favorite of the three excellent stories Alan Moore wrote. You have some very cool insights including one I've also held that I rarely, if ever, see anyone else discuss: that the cracks in Superman's fantasy scenario are his subconscious mind struggling to free himself from the Black Mercy. I love the JLU adaptation of the story though I have one minor quibble: Robin isn't in it. It works fine without him but I love having him in it because... I just like Robin (and I liked Jason Todd better when he was basically Dick Grayson 2.0 than the Post-Crisis version.).

I remember reading this back in the day. Actually, it feels a lot like the story is parroting life today. :)

What a great issue. I know I own it, but it is hidden somewhere in my attic. Time to go to look for it.

I appreciate the observation that, in the hands of a lesser writer, the 1950s Atomic Age BANG ZAP sci-fi dialogue of Black Mercy Krypton just doesn't work (to the modern eye, surely, but it was the sort of thing comics readers and writers alike were trying to get away from in the 80s too), but Alan Moore's sense of rhythm and feel (and humanity, and sense of humor) make the hokey and corny seem right and, somehow, real.

Awww, Batman got the nice alien a flower

I definitely enjoyed this Superman story, both the comic and the animated version adapted into justice league unlimited series. Definitely a great Superman story.

Jeff Loveness wrote an interesting 2-parter in Justice League 51-52 about the Black Mercy back in 2015. It’s more of a semi-sequel, but it’s still really quite good.

Overly Sarcastic Productions did a big video on Superman a few months ago and gave this story (though I think more so its animated version) significant attention. The animated version is in my view a bit better, removing Jor-El's Make Krypton Great Again phase and instead depicting Superman's dream world as an actual paradise for him, which reinforces the themes even more. OSP argued that the story demonstrates two key character traits of Superman: 1) He doesn't WANT to be Superman. His ideal world is not a heroic power fantasy, but him living an ordinary life with no powers but a family that loves him. If he could hang up the cape and live the rest of his life as a civilian, he would. 2) But he CAN'T. The world needs Superman, and his personal happiness from retirement would come at the cost of who knows how many lives as villains rampaged and disasters went unstopped. Clark/Kal doesn't want to be Superman, but he isn't willing to sacrifice anyone else for his own happiness, so he must do it, because no one else can. He's a hero not just because he saves people, but because of what he gives up in order to do it. Both of these traits are, in particular, things that Lex Luthor will never understand about Clark, and so always underestimates him. Though it is interesting to contrast the second point with Moore's interpretation in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"'s finishing line about how "Superman [incorrectly] thought the world couldn't get along without him."

This was the only time I liked the Jason Todd Robin. Great video.

I interviewed J.M. DeMatteis, who wrote the JLU adaptation in episodes 146 and 147 of my podcast (same as my username). Interestingly, he did not know how significant that story was when he agreed to do the adaptation.

Truly an outstanding piece of work. I was only familiar with the story from its offshoots (Batman the Animated Series). Thank you for illuminating the source! ❤

Steve, thank you, This lecture would have been a great class discussion in a college classroom. Thank you.

I like how in the justice league cartoon Batman just got Superman cash because it’s hard to get presents for the man who has everything

I love the JLU episode based on this story. It was great.

God the colours on these Moore/Gibbons comics is amazing. Its one of the main reason Watchmen is so beautiful.

This was great! Loved it! Hope to see more superman stories like this

Man I felt so awful for batman and superman they aren't even real but I know how fucking hard it is to really let go of the past

The black mercy is also probably the inspiration for the nexus in Star Trek generations

I always wondered where that infamous panel of Superman shouting 'MONGUL!' came from. Now I know!

I first read this story back in 1987 in DC's Anthology 'The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told.' Which reprinted some of his most memorable tales from the 1930's to the 1980's. Maggie Thompson in The Comics Buyer's Guide considered this the essential Superman story in that book and when I first read it back then I completely agreed with her, This was also right after I had first read Moore and Gibbon's Watchmen and it impacted me in much the same way Watchmen did as well. Interestingly I got to see Dave Gibbons at a Comic-Con Int panel some decades later when he was promoting his Vertigo series 'The Originals' and some people asked him about his memories on 'For the Man Who Has Everything' and he really got nostalgic about it mentioning it was one of his favorite comics and praised the DCAU animated adaptation of it.

One of your finest analyses, Steve. Thanks!

I refuse to believe that Batman’s line about how difficult it is to choose a gift for Superman ISN’T a reference to the time that Batman decided to break into the fortress as a birthday present.

If I remember it correctly, This story is actually feautred in The Greatest Batman Stories ever told graphic novel.

This story has Always been my favorite superman story when I read it as a kid and when I saw it Justice League Unlimited Mongul became my favorite villain because some villains are just evil

Great video. I love this story. I have a kinda related question. Are you going to do a similar video series for Spider-Man? With tge release of Across the Spider-Verse it would seem to be a good time to do it.

Thanks for this, Steve. Your discussion of the story was excellent.

This story makes a lot more sense for Supergirl than Superman since Supergirl actually grew up on Krypton and remembers her life friends and family there so it makes more sense that she would miss it than her cousin who was sent to Earth when he was still a baby

The moment I read the title, I knew which story this would be about. It is well deserving of the title of "best superman ever"

"For the Man Who has Everything" is one my favorite episode of JLU and while I've yet to read the comic(I really should), I was aware that the episode changed some things in order to fit the prior established lore of the rest of the DCAU and make it easier to adapt. Things like, the absence of Robin(not even being Jason Todd but that's because of a "Bat-Embargo") and the name of Kal-El's Kryptonian wife being "Loana" while being an obvious fusion of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. However, I was not aware that Batman's gift was the Krypton Rose in the original. In the episode, the Rose was Wonder Woman's gift while Batman just brought cash which I thought it was pretty funny, citing how hard it is find a gift for the man who "has everything." Another thing I loved about this story and its cartoon adaptation was exploration of Superman's character: In the cartoon, Mongul thinks Superman's heart's desire is ruling the universe as he thought it was more "honest" when it's actually living a humble farm life with his family. As later expanded in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow," Superman truly desires a simple and quiet life with his loved ones. Another is how he felt after figuring out it's not real. Even then, he still treats his not-real-son as his real son, tearfully saying goodbye as he promises he'll never forget. Even in a world he knows isn't real, he still treated everyone and everything in it with _heartbreaking compassion_ and care as he would in the real world. He is a "bleeding heart" and that's GOOD. That thing that makes him Superman is not his superpowers but his superhuman ability to *care.* As ironic as it sounds, Alan Moore actually _gets_ Superman, he truly understands the character. At no point does he portray Superman as bleak and gloomy as his own characters in Watchmen. Yeah, he might indulge in bit of self-angst or doubt but he's still the caring and optimistic person we all know. Because the entire point of the Watchmen is to explore what it'd be like if these "superheroes" acted as if they were gods, if they detached themselves from humanity. Another point is that Watchmen world is "what if you had a Superhero setting where Superman(or any genuine Superman-alike) did not Exist?" Yet, most people actually end up misreading it as Alan Moore have a cynical view on Superheroes that gave way to grimdark stories. It's why he hates all adaptations of his work because they miss the point, all of them but the animated adaptation of For the Man Who Has Everything. Went on a but of tangent there.

1 - This was great, and you gave a great review 2- This had a direct antecedent, an 'imaginary story' from the 60's in which Superman watched the 'Krypton Lives' scenario on a computer, in the company of Batman and Robin, no less. Ironically, it had one of the darkest moments of those sets of stories (which even Bridwell said became too numerous as time went on). Basically, the Els of course live on and eventually give Kal a little brother, Zal-El - then the baby and their parents die in a shuttle accident. I think this is one of the only times prior to the current TV series that Superman has any sort of blood sibling, and they killed him, Jor and Lara - like that. The rest of it - is actually pretty messed up, or in other words, Silver Age. 3 - Van is also the name of Superman's Kandorian cousin, Van-Zee, who later became the second hero called Nightwing - Superman being the first, and of course, this story had the Robin who became Robin because Dick became Nightwing. Lyla was the name of an actress Kal met when time-traveling to Krypton in order to experience life there. 4 - Just a note, but the Jason here still had his Pre-CoIE origin, basically a cut-and-paste of Grayson's. 5 - You mentioned all the Easter Eggs, but one I love that you showed here was them not going to visit the 'Gold Volcano'. This volcano infamously created the rare 'Gold Kryptonite', which of course removes all Kryptonians' powers, forever. He's avoiding going there because he is no longer trying to avoid being Superman, something Gold K would allow for him. I hope the Swamp Thing team up in DC Comics Presents is next.

A favorite comic of mine.

10:01 I think this implied what happened to Mongul in DCAU when he's in _la-la_ land by the Black Mercy.

"Absence of Kandor" works even better spoken, since it's a homophone for dishonesty... it really is a beautiful insight into the Man of Steel, and a great test of a fictional character is to imagine them in a similar scenario. Thinking about what they want more than anything, about how it would logically be if it were so... and trying to get something with real depth, too, not just a throwaway (we don't just see a Krypton that survived, but how Kal-El would live there. I do also think there's two levels to the problems on Krypton - part of it is him tearing himself free, perhaps, but I think part of it is that his heart's wish really is that restrained; he *wishes* his father had just been an angry bigoted crank, rather than 100% correct and wise to see the fatal flaws in an entire world, but still unable to warn people of real and pressing danger...)

The DCAU version of this was so good.

The adaptation of this story in the Justice League cartoon is also the only adaptation of his work that Moore actually likes. You can tell because his name is actually on it.

For some reason, I think this comic book version is somehow better than the JLU episode.

I find that this story hits much harder as a Supergirl tale than for Superman. I just can't believe that the vision makes sense as Superman's heart's desire, even if Kryptonian memories are especially acute very early in life. That doesn't hurt your point, though. I wouldn't call this an exploration of nostalgia if it WERE a Supergirl story, but rather one of grief. Superman, on the other hand, is dreaming of a world he has no direct memory of. I just think it hurts his characterization to claim that's the one thing he wants most. Isn't part of the story that he's among the best of us? That his upbringing with the Kents made him something like the MOST human among us? Which, again, only helps your case, it just doesn't make me feel "heart's desire." It feels more like a corrupted dream, which does come through in the story, but I think is at odds with what the story is trying to do. Thanks for your thoughts ^^

Another brick in the defense to trolls spouting "Superman stories are boring because powers". Kal stories are fun because Super, but good Kal stories are good because man.

And me thinking this banger of a series have ended. A pleasent surprise.

JL animated did covered this issue so beatifully.

Lovely work, and one of the great Superman stories. Any chance you'll do Moore's DC Comics Presents isue where Superman and Swamp Thing meet? You know; complete the Moore/Supes Hat Trick?

It took me YEARS to realize that Superman's fantasy of Krypton gradually getting corrupted was a result of him starting to resist the Black Mercy and trying to wake up to the real world.

It's videos like this that make me love Superman even more. It also makes me sad that Dean Cain is the poler opposite of Superman by supporting a Man who stands for everything that Supes opposes. Proof I guess that actors aren't always like their characters.

Christmas in a weird other reality, like Picard in the Christmas scene in Generations.

And it's not a bad update of the silent scifi movie Metropolis, which makes sense actually.

14:30 to me it also reads as Superman not actually remembering Krypton, the dream is just Earth with a kryptonian facade.

Looking forward to a video about Moore's third and last...or first...Superman story, "The Jungle Line" -- the issue of DC Comics Presents where Superman meets Swamp Thing. Sort of. And once again Alan Moore bases the story on something based in reality: What if Superman actually caught a cold and it turned into a fever? And you might even ber able to touch on Supreme, the bloody awful (pun intended) violent 90s Superman clone that Moore re-wrote into a wonderful homage, parody and "meta" commentary on the Golden Age Superman.

Am I going crazy? Is this a re-upload? (good work, but I could have sworn I saw this one already)

Little of Gilliam's Brazil, but the edited version, as in the director's cut, the ending is different.

Bring your torch to work day

I haven't read many DC stories, I'm more familiar with Marvel. You make me want to read more DC :)

Also the Deep Space nine episode Beyond the Farthest Star.

Another reason why the Kryptonian dialog works, imo? ...the story's, like, good?

Back in the day, DC should have hired Alan Moore to revamp Superman, instead of John Byrne. Or maybe Elliot S. Maggin.

That's a good one. Got that issue new and haven't read it in decades. Lot of stuff I don't remember and some I may not have picked up on at the time. Amazing how pressient it was regarding the fascistic turn taking place in the simulation. Makes you think.

Woa woa woa! Time out, time the heck out! You just skipped over the fact that Batman got a horticulturalist to breed a one of a kind rose that he named krypton, that is just the sweetest god damn thing ever! I ship that so badly T_T

Steve, I like how you see that the imperfections of this world are a result of Sups battling back from a vision that he knows is false, because otherwise, that's a giant red flag to me. For instance, Mongol is locked in the perfection of utter triumph, and you can 100% bet that he isn't beset but pesky details like rebellions, assassination attempts, having to actually administer a functioning government to keep his slaves alive, environmental disasters brought on by his wars, etc etc. So I have to ask why Sups would imagine his old man turning into some kind of bigot and an estrangement between them or his mother dead - you'd think he'd imagine a wonderful relationship with his birth parents, the same as with his adoptive parents (remember he has a 'real' just about perfect life with them - I lost my mother to cancer when I was 10 years old, and believe me, if I were locked into a dream if her living, never having succumbed to a terrible disease, I never would see her as anything but my wonderful mommy). Yeah, having a realistic nightmare of your mother dead from some disease, your father a bitter jerk and bigot, the world falling apart and family attacked? Maybe it makes things easier to try to get away, or maybe that the place isn't happy ever after land makes it even more real, and therefore harder to leave, because nobody wants cracks in the perfect facade of the perfect dream life, nobody wants a happy life turned to a nightmare of uncertainty and suffering and fear. So while I question the choice, Moore is a genius, and his senario works, so thank you Steve, for another thoughtful and interesting video.

Is it just me or are Kal-El's glasses reminiscent of Eradicator Superman's?

That wasn't a REPLICA of Kandor that Superman hid.

❤

I love this comic and video, but I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't see it sooner. I don't know why my notifications were not turned on when it came out, but I have fixed that now. I wonder if this story played a partial influence on the Wachowskis when they made the Matrix. The premise has some similarity - someone being in a false reality and has to force themselves to realize none of it is true to wake up to find the truth. Could be me overthinking it

This immediately reminded me of that embarrassing Harry Potter stageplay, wherein we learn that, actually, it's a good thing that Wizard Hitler murdered that child, because otherwise the child would have become a Wizard-fascist, and Wizard Hitler would have taken over the world. Contrast that with the Animated Series' Perchance to Dream (the only one of these three media products I've actually consumed), where the alternate reality is a truly ideal world - it's only fault is that it's fake, and that's enough for Batman to want out. Contrast those with For the Man Who Has Everything, where the artificiality of the world IS relevant, but that's not the only reason Superman might have to want out. Kal's "Sometimes I think you wish the world had ended" would seem to be an indictment of this naive, neoliberal, Panglossian notion that whatever happens in reality is necessarily the best of all possible worlds. On the other hand, Superman himself later says "Perhaps it's for the best," which would seem to align with that very notion: yes, ultimately, it's good that my entire planet was wiped out. Of course, since it's a dream reality and not an actual alternate reality like in that stageplay, there is a little more ambiguity available. So that's interesting.

Was Ultron bowing to Mongol

Alfred wrote fanfics

I see what you chose to make a video about this now.

Also seems like Ursela K LeGuin stories and also some Lofecraft ideas, if it's a tentacle beast.

you forgot about: barbara gordon and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. your integrity to the telling of alan more does him credit, sir. alan moore is a name worthy of respect. . . get this, some people want to dress that particular story up and turn it into just the prettiest maypole. but, not to the slyest and most stow worthy detective gotham has to offer. never drop the faith, my brother. you give moore so much respect that it is almost palatable . clearly, you have nothing but respect for alan moore. please, tell us more.

Why did he realize it wasnt real?

The Old Krypton zealots look like red Klansmen. Super subtle, I can see why so many people claim comics weren't political in the past. /s

Superman's heart's desire is for his dad to be alive, but estranged and intolerant. Superman has daddy issues. Maybe it's from the time his earth dad chose to die in a storm?

:ZKD

First

Batman should have married Lois Lane in this story.

Moore is... REALLY overrated. REALLY pervy, and personally I find his works less a "deconstruction" of superheroes, and more "I just don't like standard superhero comics." This might be less the latter, but still. Also his dialogue tends to be really clumsy. Killing Joke? Yeah, sorry, the dialogue is just bad. Awkward.