If you’re looking for a hero for the times, he’s flying into theaters July 11, and according to the taglines, all you need to do to find him is ‘look up.’ James Gunn’s new Superman is far from the first time audiences have met DC’s Man of Steel, of course; with almost nine decades’ worth of stories across media by this point, there’s an avalanche of material featuring Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and the rest of the Metropolis crew for fans to dig through after finishing this summer’s big screen reboot. So much so, in fact, that we thought it was about time to offer up three Superman classics in different formats as post-cinema desserts — for your consideration, of course.

This is For Your Consideration, in which we try to come to terms with the inescapable fact that, honestly, there’s too much out there to have time to watch, read, or hear everything — by making some suggestions about things that you might have overlooked but would enjoy, anyway. Think of it as recommendations from a well-meaning friend.

All-Star Superman is the heart and soul of Superman

While the new Superman movie is very much James Gunn’s creation — the sense of humor is a giveaway in that direction — much of the heart of the new cinematic Superman comes from the work of comic book writer Grant Morrison, who has championed the idea of Superman as an avatar of humility and kindness, but one who’ll do whatever necessary to stand up for the oppressed, for decades now across a number of different comic book projects. Perhaps the pinnacle of this approach comes in his 2005 series All Star Superman, created with artist Frank Quitely, which brings Superman to bring, vital life just as he discovers that he’s dying, giving his never-ending mission a new sense of urgency. Filled with invention, compassion, and an endless supply of love, the result is something that’s touching, urgent, and inspirational.

Available to read on DC Universe Infinite

Superman: The Animated Series is a Superman history lesson brought to life

Following on the heels of the fan-favorite Batman animated series of the early 1990s, Superman: The Animated Series saw many of the same writers, animators, and other geniuses from Warner Bros. Animation move to Metropolis to streamline the Superman mythos of more than half a century by that point into something easily digestible, and exciting enough to keep Saturday morning audiences tuning in every week. They succeeded, and not by playing it safe: the animated series took big swings in recreating some classic villains (Toyman especially!) and folding in characters and concepts that weren’t traditionally part of Superman lore in the comic books — but the result was a show that felt timeless, charming, and effortlessly… well, super.

Available to stream on Max

Superman: The Movie still shows how to bring Superman from the page to the screen

If there’s one core piece of Superman storytelling outside of the original comic books, it has to be 1978’s Superman: The Movie — a film that, at the time, felt like a risky proposition (it was the first big budget superhero movie ever!) and had some impressively big names attached, whether it was Godfather author Mario Puzo writing the screenplay or acting legends Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman appear in major roles in the movie. All this even as the movie’s lead was an unknown and there was a big question about whether or not audiences would buy into the special effects of the whole thing — there was a reason why the tagline of the movie was “You’ll believe a man can fly.” The end result, of course, worked out, with Christopher Reeve proving to embody Superman in a way fans still harken back to almost 50 years later, and a story that transformed Superman from a successful comic book character into a true American icon. All these years after it was first released, this still feels like the gold standard of Superman stories.

Available to stream on Max

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.