1993 SkyBox : The Return of Superman Trading Cards

The one true Superman stands revealed

The Return of Superman Trading Cards were released released by SkyBox International on August 25, 1993. The base cards reprint artwork from "The Reign of the Supermen!" and "Better Than Ever" storylines. The series is follow-up to Doomsday: The Death of Superman Trading Cards, released in 1992. The title is a reference to "The Reign of the Superman" by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, first published in 1933.

Each box contains 36 packs with 8 cards per pack. According to SkyBox, there were 10,000 cases and at least 35,300 factory sets produced. Complete sets are included with a limited edition collector album. A limited binder that combines The Death of Superman series was sold separately.

The Return of Superman binder collection includes an exclusive title card and special insert. The title card reprints the cover of Action Comics #692 (October 1993). The full artwork appears on base card #97, "And Now - Clark Kent!" The cover was sketched by Ed Hannigan, penciled by Kerry Gammill, inked by Jackson "Butch" Guice, and colored by Denis Rodier.

Factory sets include a special "Earth's Greatest Hero!" insert card. The insert depicts the trade paperback cover of The Return of Superman (December 1993). The cover was illustrated by all four Superman creative teams. Silver bordered SP1 inserts received a print run of 35,000 copies. Gold bordered SP1 inserts are limited to 300 cards.

The odds of finding one of four gold-foil puzzle cards are approximately 1:36 packs, or about one per box. Each gold-foil card contains an image of Superman that is exclusive to this series. The cards assemble a 5 x 7 inch image of the Superman emblem. Uncut puzzle sheets and color proofs have been released to the public.

Promo cards were distributed to through dealers and conventions. A select number of promo cards were numbered and autographed by Brett Breeding or Dan Jurgens.

The four replacement Supermen first appeared on trading cards in the 1993 DC Bloodlines series from SkyBox. Collector editions of The Adventures of Superman #500 include a promo sheet of DC SkyCaps. The characters are featured on a series of six trifold cards released by Kellogg's Canada.