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Combine common axes
These books are ranked using the premise + setting labels extracted for Superman: Birthright. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.
Premise labels used: origin story, rebooted origin, modern retelling, hero formation, identity search, secret identity, rivalry, public mistrust
Setting labels used: Smallville, Metropolis, Krypton, Kansas, West Africa, African conflict, post-9/11 world, modern day
This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their premise + setting embeddings are close.
Clark Kent grows from Smallville outsider to Metropolis’s first great hero in a retelling of Superman’s origin.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · coming of age · secret identity · heroic awakening · dual identity · first contact with legacy
Setting labels: Smallville · Metropolis · Kansas · Earth
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1362
A seasonal, four-voice retelling of Clark Kent’s early path toward becoming Superman, rooted in Smallville and family.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · coming of age · identity struggle · dual life · early hero
Setting labels: Smallville · Metropolis · Kansas town · rural America · American heartland · small-town to city transition · fictional reality
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1434
John Byrne reboots Superman’s origin, introducing his early life, allies, enemies, and first steps as a hero.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · relaunch · reboot · character reinvention · mythos reset · first meeting · hero origin
Setting labels: Metropolis · Smallville · Gotham City · Krypton · 1980s · post-Crisis · comic-book universe
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1434
A reimagined Superman origin follows Clark from Krypton to Kansas, the Navy, Atlantis, and Metropolis.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · superhero origin · coming of age · identity formation · hidden powers · alien outsider · humanity versus power · choice and responsibility · heroic becoming
Setting labels: Krypton · Kansas · Smallville · Metropolis · Atlantis · the Navy · the military · school · ocean settings · American heartland · space
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1497
A modern Superman origin follows Clark Kent as he seeks his place, discovers purpose, and faces an alien threat.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · coming of age · self-discovery · identity crisis · alien outsider · hidden powers · job search · heroic debut
Setting labels: Metropolis · Smallville · Earth One continuity · alternate universe · modern day · Krypton · Daily Planet · Kansas · alien invasion
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1603
Seven connected snapshots follow Clark Kent from uncertain kid to emerging hero, with each chapter showing a different stage.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · coming of age · character study · youth development · humanized hero · secret identity · self-discovery · formative moments
Setting labels: Smallville · Metropolis · Kansas · DC Universe · Earth · school years · college years · early career
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1728
An alternate-universe Superman is pushed toward violence by a ruthless corporation, a brilliant monster, and a test of his morals.
Why this is here
Premise labels: alternate universe · reimagined origin · angry hero · corrupt corporation · villain manipulation · identity crisis · moral test · war for the soul
Setting labels: alternate universe · dystopian world · Earth · Smallville · Kansas · Krypton · global conflict · corporate state
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1759
Grant Morrison reboots Superman as a young, vulnerable crusader navigating Metropolis, public fear, and a growing cosmic threat.
Why this is here
Premise labels: superhero origin · reboot · young hero · depowered hero · public distrust · alien outsider · journalist hero · social justice
Setting labels: Metropolis · Krypton · Smallville · future timeline · urban America · space opera · alternate continuity · New 52 continuity
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.1837
A trans teen heroine inherits dream powers meant for her sister and runs toward acceptance, family, and destiny.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin story · superhero origin · trans heroine · inherited powers · precognitive dreams · queer coming-of-age · found family · runaway story · identity acceptance · alien-human hybrid
Setting labels: Earth · Metropolis · small town · alien sanctuary · superhero universe · contemporary setting · rural America · dream sequences · queer haven
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.2052
Bucky Barnes recounts his life from wartime sidekick to Winter Soldier in a brisk, retro-styled Marvel origin retelling.
Why this is here
Premise labels: origin retelling · sidekick story · wartime backstory · teen hero · secret history · character origin · life story · retcon
Setting labels: World War II · European theater · Nazi Germany · modern day frame · superhero universe · alternate continuity · wartime espionage
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.2072
Young Superman’s first brush with kryptonite sparks a mystery that tests his powers, fears, and relationships.
Why this is here
Premise labels: first encounter · vulnerability · mortality · origin discovery · heroic weakness · secret identity · investigation · superhero early days
Setting labels: Metropolis · Smallville · Kent farm · early Superman era · Krypton · Earth · retro continuity · Golden Age-inspired · Silver Age-inspired · modern update
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.2162
A superteam called The Boys is attacked by a rival squad, then forced to confront the hidden origins of its own members.
Why this is here
Premise labels: superhero showdown · retaliation · origin stories · team under siege · corporate superpowers · secret backstory
Setting labels: contemporary urban setting · corporate-controlled superheroes · alternate reality · war-referential setting · post-9/11 echoes · global locations
Semantic match: ranked by premise + setting
Distance: 0.2174
