Skip to content

Please note that when you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Thanks!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks!

John Henry Irons, Steel Reading Order, Superman’s Ally

In the aftermath of The Death of Superman storyline, the DC Comics Universe was without a Man of Steel, but not for long, as soon appeared one man who became Steel, John Henry Irons (a reference to the African American folk hero John Henry).

First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 (1993), Irons was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove as part of the Reign of the Supermen storyline, which followed the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday. With Superman temporarily gone, four potential successors to Superman appeared to try to replace him as defender of Metropolis. Steel was one of them.

A brilliant engineer and weapons designer, Doctor John Henry Irons had once created powerful weaponry for a defense contractor, AmerTek, only to watch it fall into the wrong hands. Haunted by guilt, he abandoned his former life, faking his death and moving to Metropolis, where he was saved during a construction accident by Superman himself. Inspired by this event and Superman’s words (“live a life worth saving”), Irons finds a way to redeem himself, and, after Superman’s death, he takes up the mantle. He wanted not to replace Superman, but to honor him. To do this, Irons built a high-tech suit of armor and wielded a mighty hammer as the armored hero Steel.

When Superman eventually comes back, he accepts Steel as an ally. Since then, John Henry Irons kept fighting the good fight and was eventually joined by his niece, Natasha Irons, who would eventually become a hero in her own right. A brilliant teenager assisting her uncle, Natasha got her own armor of steel, and her relationship with John evolved as he became a true father figure for his niece. Being Steel became a family affair.

Where to Start with the John Henry Irons Comics?

Before going into the Steel reading guide, if you just want a good way to explore John Henry Irons’s past in comics, DC Comics put out a 300-page book in 2023 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the character’s first appearance.

  • Steel: A Celebration of 30 Years
    Collects Action Comics #4, Adventures of Superman #500, Convergence: Superman: Man of Steel #1-2, JLA #17, Justice League Unlimited #35, Steel #1, Steel # 34, Steel #1, Suicide Squad #24, and Superman: The Man of Steel #22, #100, and #122!

Steel Reading Order: The John Henry Irons Comics

Steel first appears during the Reign of the Supermen arc, which takes place after Superman’s death. Reading The Death of Superman isn’t required, but it provides useful background on the events leading up to his debut and helps clarify the larger context of Metropolis and the emergence of multiple Supermen.

  • Superman: Reign of the Supermen
    Collects Action Comics #687-688, Adventures Of Superman#500-502, Superman #78-79, Superman Annual #5, Superman: The Man Of Steel #22-23, and Superman: The Man Of Steel Annual #2.

Following his introduction, Steel was given his solo series in 1994, initially written by co-creator Louise Simonson. The Steel series ran for 52 issues until 1998, with writer Christopher Priest taking over from issue #34. The comics explored John Henry Irons’ efforts to be a hero on his own terms, focusing on his family life, moral convictions, and battles against both street-level and technological threats–Natasha Irons first appears in Steel #1.

The only printed collection of these Steel comics is Steel: The Forging Of A Hero, a trade paperback from 1997. However, all of the individual 52 issues are available as digital comics:

What you need to know to read the First Steel comic book series:

In 1994, the first crossover event between DC Comics and Milestone Media was published. It was called “Worlds Collide,” and John Henry Irons played a part in the story. The whole storyline, including Steel #6 & #7, has recently been collected in the Milestone Compendium Two.

Then, shortly after (after issue #8), came another crossover event, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time. After the conclusion, DC Comics published its zero month (Steel #0!) before going back to the regular numbering (with issue #9).

After Steel #21, John Henry Irons appeared in the Superman-centric crossover “The Trial of Superman.” While Superman is abducted by a group of intergalactic enforcers known as the Tribunal, who accuse him of committing crimes against the universe, Steel joins the effort to protect Earth and investigate the cosmic forces involved.

  • Superman: The Trial of Superman
    Collects Superman (vol. 2) #106-108; Adventures of Superman #529-531; Action Comics #716-717; Superman: The Man of Steel #50-52; Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #3.

Around Steel #43, the Genesis event, told in one miniseries, took place. It’s about the “Godwave,” a powerful energy force that originally spread through the universe, creating gods, demigods, and super-powered beings. Now, the Godwave is returning—and it’s destabilizing reality. As it passes through the universe again, it causes heroes and villains alike to lose or alter their powers, and it triggers existential crises across the board.

The 50th issue of Steel is part of the Millennium Giants crossover, the story about the awakening of three colossal beings and the fight led by the Superman family to stop them.

Around the time the Steel series came to its end, John Henry Irons had joined the roster of Grant Morrison’s JLA team, starting with issue #16, only leaving the series completely at the end of the World War Three storyline in JLA #41.

John Henry Irons became a regular supporting character in Superman: The Man of Steel and Adventures of Superman. He and his niece Natasha moved to Metropolis, where he established Steelworks, a high-tech laboratory and engineering facility. He also helped Superman build a new Fortress of Solitude.

  • Superman: City of Tomorrow Vol. 1
    Collects Action Comics #760-763, Adventures of Superman #573-576, Superman (vol. 2) #151-154, Superman: The Man of Steel #95-98; Superman: Y2K
  • Superman: City of Tomorrow Vol. 2
    Collects Action Comics #764-768; Adventures of Superman #577-581; Superman (vol. 2) #155-159; Superman: The Man of Steel #99-103
  • Superman: Emperor Joker
    Collects Superman (vol. 2) #160-161; Adventures of Superman #582-583; Superman: The Man of Steel #104-105; Action Comics #769-770; Superman: Emperor Joker #1.
  • Superman Vol. 5: President Lex
    Collects Adventures of Superman #581; President Luthor Secret Files and Origins #1; Superman: Lex 2000; Superman (vol. 2) #162-165; Superman: The Man of Steel #108-110; Action Comics #773
  • Superman: Our Worlds at War
    Collects Superman #171-173, Adventures of Superman #593-595, Superman: The Man of Steel #115-117, Action Comics #780-782, Supergirl #59, JLA: Our Worlds at War, Wonder Woman #172-173, Young Justice #36, Impulse #77, Superboy #91, and World’s Finest: Our Worlds at War.

We enter a period where the issues of Superman: The Man of Steel are not well-collected. The consequences of the War will have repercussions on John for a time, culminating in tragedy in Superman: The Man of Steel #134, the final issue of the series. That story was concluded in Superman Versus Darkseid: Apokolips Now #1.

After that, John Henry Irons still appeared as a recurring character in the different Superman titles of the era. He left his armor behind, though.

  • Majestic: Strange New Visitor
    Collects Action Comics #811, Adventures Of Superman #624, Superman #201, As Well As The 4-Issue Miniseries That Returned The Kheran Warrior To The Wildstorm Universe!

Eventually, at the end of the Infinite Crisis event, in the wake of the Battle of Metropolis, John went back into the Steel armor to fight alongside Earth’s heroes. The consequences of this are explored during the 52 maxiseries in which he and Natasha are among the characters the comics put on the frontline.

Following up on one storyline from 52, the 12-issue series Infinity Inc., written by Peter Milligan with art by Max Fiumara, is set up a year after the end of the Everyman Project. It mostly focuses on Natasha Irons, her uncle, and the Infinity Inc. team as they deal with the consequences of previous events and move forward.

Infinity Inc. (vol. 2) #11 & #12 (available in digital) are part of the Dark Side Club Story Arc (those issues came out after Teen Titans (2003) #59, Birds of Prey (1999) #118, Flash (1987) #240, and Teen Titans (2003) #60).

Not long after that, John Henry Irons made multiple appearances in the Superman comics by James Robinson.

The New 52 Steel Adventures

In The New 52 continuity launched in 2011, John Henry Irons was reintroduced as a brilliant engineer and former LexCorp scientist who became Steel to stand against Superman’s enemy, John Corben (Metallo). He debuted in Action Comics #4 (2012), written by Grant Morrison. In this version, Irons builds his own powered armor to help stop Corben when Superman is temporarily incapacitated.

Steel didn’t have a lot to do during that era, but he showed up in Animal Man during the Rotworld crossover and in Suicide Squad during the Forever Evil crossover.

In Superman: Doomed, Brainiac uses Doomsday to infect Superman with a mutating virus, turning him into a Doomsday-like creature to distract Earth’s defenders. During the crisis, Steel teams up with Lana Lang to support Superman and help stop Brainiac’s plan.

  • Superman: Doomed (event)
    Collects Superman: Doomed #1–2, Action Comics Vol. 2 #30–35, Superman/Wonder Woman #7–12, Superman Vol. 3 #30, Action Comics Annual Vol. 2 #3, Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1, Supergirl Vol. 6 #34–35, Batman/Superman #11
  • Action Comics Vol. 7: Under the Skin
    Collects Action Comics #36-40 and Futures End #1

During the inconsequential Convergence event, Superman is missing, so now it’s up to Steel to defend Metropolis from the GEN13 kids in the Superman: Man Of Steel miniseries.

  • Convergence: Zero Hour Book Two
    Collects Superman: Man Of Steel #1-2, Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #1-2, Supergirl: Matrix #1-2, Aquaman #1-2, and Green Lantern/Parallax #1-2.

At that point, we entered the short DC You era. Introduced at the end of the New 52 era, Steel’s romantic relationship with Lana Lang developed notably as he continues to assist Superman and other heroes.

DC Rebirth: Steel & Superwoman

During the DC Rebirth era (2016–2021), John Henry Irons remained a trusted member of Superman’s extended family, though he again served primarily in a supporting role. Despite the reboot of the DCU, Steel’s continuity was largely preserved from the New 52, including his relationship with Lana Lang and his position as a scientific expert and tech-based hero–he was prominently featured in the Superwoman series next to Lana and Natasha. Together, they formed Team Steel.

Like everybody else, John Henry Irons appeared in the pages of Dark Nights: Metal series and some tie-ins, but not as a major player. After that, we entered the short post-Rebirth era simply called DC Universe. Once again, Steel does mostly cameos, small supporting parts, but nothing of note.

Then came the Dark Nights: Death Metal event that ended this era. Steel appeared in this story, like everybody else.

Infinite Frontier, Dawn of DC, and Beyond

During the Infinite Frontier era (2021–2022), John Henry Irons played a limited but consistent supporting role within the Superman family of titles, particularly in stories focused on Metropolis and the broader Superman legacy.

The Infinite Frontier era concluded with the comics crossover event Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. When the Dawn of DC era began, John Henry Irons returned to a more visible role as he starred in the new series Steelworks, written by actor Michael Dorn (the voice of Steel in Superman: The Animated Series) with art by Sami Basri, which follows John Henry as he is thinking about stepping back from frontline heroics to focus on reshaping Metropolis through science and innovation. But also, Steel and Natasha regained a prominent place in the newly expanded Superman family.

And now, it’s time for the DC All In era!

More to come!

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

Pin
Tags:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *