Best Cyborg Superman Comics: Where to Start, Hank Henshaw Key Issues

Hank Henshaw has switched sides more often than he has changed faces. Astronaut, intimate enemy of Superman, thief of his likeness, then lieutenant of an empire of fear among the Green Lanterns: few villains have crossed as many borders between series. That mobility makes him confusing to read, because the best stories are scattered. This guide keeps only the ones where he drives the action and spells out the role he plays elsewhere.

As always on this guide, only verified information (creators, issue numbers, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected art or dialogue.

His first appearance

Hank Henshaw first appears in Adventures of Superman #465, cover-dated April 1990, written and penciled by Dan Jurgens, his creator. Henshaw is an astronaut there, far from the cyborg he will become. Issue #466 (May 1990) shows the accident of the shuttle Excalibur and the survival of his wife Terri: this is where the personal story is set up that will feed, three years later, his grudge against Superman.

Under the name Cyborg Superman, the character shows up in Adventures of Superman #500, cover-dated June 1993. That issue is the one of Superman's resurrection: it opens with "Life After Death" by Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood, and contains four short stories titled "First Sighting...," one for each contender for the title. The Cyborg's is written and penciled by Dan Jurgens, inked by Brett Breeding.

For a collector, the distinction matters: the astronaut identity and the 1993 disguise are not in the same issue. #465 is a quiet appearance of a character who is still human; #500 is the one of Superman's return, the big event of 1993, where the Cyborg's silhouette is revealed alongside those of Steel, the Eradicator and the new Superboy.

1: Reign of the Supermen, Stern, Kesel, Jurgens and Simonson (1993)

Superman has fallen to Doomsday, and four figures vie for the vacant cape. Hank Henshaw is the "Man of Tomorrow," a former astronaut with a partly robotic body who resents Superman for having saved him after a solar flare. He teams up with Mongul to destroy Coast City and build Engine City on its ruins, before launching a missile at Metropolis that the new Superboy stops.

Each series keeps its own team. In Action Comics (#687 to 691), you find Roger Stern, Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier. Karl Kesel writes the series The Adventures of Superman, from #501 to #505, with Tom Grummett on pencils and Doug Hazlewood on inks. On the Superman side, #78 to 82 are by Dan Jurgens, inked by Brett Breeding. That leaves Superman: The Man of Steel, issues #22 to 26, entrusted to Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke. The destruction of Coast City is in Superman #80 (August 1993), by Jurgens and Breeding.

What the arc brings to the character: everything that defines him afterward, the grudge, the fusion of flesh and machine, the alliance with a tyrant. Who is it for? The reader who wants the founding text and anyone who enjoys long-running crossovers. How should you read it? In cover-date order, jumping from one series to the next, or by following the Jurgens line from Superman #78 to #82 if you want to see the Cyborg up close. Issues #81 (September 1993) and #82 (October 1993) lead to the confrontation.

2: The Trial of Superman, with Dan Jurgens and Louise Simonson (1995-1996)

From November 1995 to January 1996, six Superman series tell the story of the Man of Steel's trial for the destruction of Coast City. Henshaw is one of the main characters of the arc: Tribunal Prime captures Superman's allies after discovering that the Cyborg works for him. At the sentencing, the Cyborg absorbs the technology of the Tribunal's planet to try to build a new Warworld.

Later, Tribunal Prime takes possession of the Cyborg, who in turn finds himself questioned over the destruction of Coast City. The arc ends with the Cyborg being sent into a black hole by Pollux and Ternion. Stories from the period make clear that he later escapes, reappearing in Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances.

What this story brings: it flips the logic of 1993. The culprit becomes an instrument, then a defendant, and his crime is used to judge someone else. Who is it for? Readers of the Jurgens and Simonson period and anyone who likes courtroom plots. How should you read it? With the collected edition, The Trial of Superman, published in November 1997, which saves you from chasing six series.

3: Sinestro Corps War, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert (2007-2008)

In 2007, the Sinestro Corps War makes Henshaw a soldier in Sinestro's army. Freed during the assault on Oa, he joins the ranks of the Green Lanterns' old enemies. The starting point is a 2007 special that Geoff Johns writes and Ethan Van Sciver draws. The thread continues in Green Lantern #21 to 25, where Johns reunites with Ivan Reis, with Oclair Albert on inks, along with parallel chapters in Green Lantern Corps. Henshaw wishes to be killed by the Anti-Monitor there and ends up gravely wounded when the Green Lanterns blow up Warworld.

What the episode brings: a Cyborg who is no longer a conqueror but a ghost, haunted by an old act of destruction, who joins an army bigger than himself. It will interest readers of Geoff Johns, whose career the page devoted to the creator details, and those who discover the Green Lantern universe through this big event. To place the war in the history of the Sinestro Corps, see the feature on the history of Sinestro.

Who is it for? Readers of space events. How should you read it? In the order of the key issues guide, beginning with Special #1, because the Cyborg is a reinforcement role and not the subject of the event.

4: Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg-Superman, Alan Burnett, Patrick Blaine and Jay Leisten (2007)

In the fall of 2007, DC publishes four one-shots devoted to the major figures of the Sinestro Corps. The Cyborg-Superman one is written by Alan Burnett and drawn by Patrick Blaine and Jay Leisten. It is a story where Henshaw sits at the center, which remains rare: most other stories place him in the service of another villain or a hero.

What this issue brings: a portrait. It suits readers who have read the Sinestro Corps War and want to go deeper on the character in one sitting, or those who like tight character studies.

Who is it for? Sinestro Corps War completists. How should you read it? After Green Lantern #25, as an epilogue, rather than before, because it assumes you know the Cyborg's place in the assault.

5: Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns, Tony Bedard (2010)

In Green Lantern Corps (vol. 2) #48 to 52, Tony Bedard tells the revolt of the Alpha Lanterns, with several artists, including Ardian Syaf on #49. Henshaw pulls the strings behind the scenes there: the Alpha Lanterns, the Green Lanterns' police force, are subverted by the Cyborg, who forces Ganthet to help him in the hope of recovering his original body. The arc appears in 2010, starting with #48 dated May, and ties into the Brightest Day event.

What this story brings: a Henshaw as strategist, who manipulates rather than strikes. Who is it for? Readers of Green Lantern Corps and anyone who wants a manipulation story after the big battles. How should you read it? With the trade paperback, which collects #48 to 52 and earlier issues of the series.

The Cyborg here is less a physical presence than an intelligence, and that position brings him closer to his original role: a man who tries to repair what he has lost by taking control of others. It is not the most spectacular Henshaw, but it is the most readable for anyone who already knows his first two lives.

6: Action Comics #979 to 984, Dan Jurgens (2017)

Dan Jurgens, the character's creator, returns to him in Action Comics. The "Revenge" arc, published in 2017, gathers the Eradicator, the Cyborg Superman, Metallo, Mongul and General Zod against Superman. Issue #980 restores Henshaw to his role as Cyborg Superman for Rebirth continuity.

What this arc brings: a Cyborg among others, within a coalition, with a logic of reunion: Jurgens gathers several figures from the Reign of the Supermen period there. Henshaw is therefore not the subject, but one of the faces of a reunion story. Who is it for? Readers of the 1990s who want to see their villains again.

How should you read it? Opening with #979, the one of the coalition, and keeping in mind that the Cyborg's role is secondary. If you are looking for a story where he drives the action, entries 1 to 5 are richer.

Where to start based on your profile

The right entry point depends on which Henshaw you are after, the Superman one or the Green Lantern one.

• You come from Superman: read Reign of the Supermen, following Superman #78 to 82 if you want to stay closest to the Cyborg, then The Trial of Superman.
• You come from Green Lantern: start with the Sinestro Corps War, then the 2007 one-shot and the Alpha Lanterns revolt.
• You collect debuts: look for Adventures of Superman #465, #466 and #500, which tell three different moments of the same character.
• You like 1990s events: read the collected edition of the Superman trial, published in November 1997.

If you are just discovering the Superman library, check the history of Superman in comics first, then come back to the 1990s crossovers. For the death of Superman, which Henshaw exploits, the feature on Doomsday gives the context of the battle.

Key issues to know

We put no numbers on anything: the value of an issue is judged on the copy, not on a price chart. The following entries are sorted by function, from the astronaut of the early days to the hidden leader of the Alpha Lanterns.

• Adventures of Superman #465 (1990): the first appearance of Hank Henshaw, by Dan Jurgens.
• Adventures of Superman #466 (May 1990): the accident of the shuttle Excalibur and Terri's survival.
• Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993): the first appearance of the Cyborg Superman, in an issue by Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood.
• Superman #80 (August 1993): the destruction of Coast City, by Jurgens and Breeding.
• Superman #81 and 82 (September and October 1993): the final confrontation of the Cyborg and Mongul with Superman.
• Green Lantern Corps #48 to 52 (2010): the revolt of the Alpha Lanterns, with Henshaw as the hidden leader.
• Superman: Lois and Clark #1 to 8 (2015 and 2016): the series by Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks, where Henshaw is a pilot whom Superman tries to save from the catastrophe that would make him the Cyborg; he is an important character there, but the story is the Kent family's.

For Henshaw, the trap comes from the Adventures of Superman issues: #465 from 1990 and #500 from 1993 belong to the same series but tell two versions of the character, and a listing that mixes them up should be passed over.

Frequently asked questions