To my mind, it's a travesty that this era of Superman doesn't get more play, because as far as I'm concerned, this is much more the definitive 'classic' version of him than the Silver Age version ever was. I mean, the whole reason Superman is the definitive hero that he is is because he's HEROIC, not simply because he has superpowers. 'Truth, justice and the American way', right? What does the Silver Age Supes do that's heroic? Sure, he saves people every now and then, but most of his stories involve him A: teaching somebody a 'lesson' using his powers, B: having his powers taken away/changed/transmuted/whatever, or C: being transformed in some thoroughly random way that involves Kryptonite and, usually, his powers. They're not stories about heroism - they're stories about a guy with superpowers and how he messes around with his supporting cast. Compare that to this story. This story involves one of the Weisinger era's trademarks - Superman getting his powers 'taken away' - but look how differently it uses it! The Weisinger version would feature the real Superman, and would primarily be about how he managed to keep up the charade of having superpowers until eventually they returned, so he wouldn't be killed by crooks - in short, a story about superpowers. THIS story, on the other hand, is about heroism, first and foremost. When 'Superman' realizes that he has 'lost' his powers, his first reaction is dismay, yes ("I'm through! Finished! Washed up!"), but the second, upon realizing that there is dirty work afoot, is to resolve to fight crime anyway - even at the cost of his life. In short, this ordinary guy is so inspired by Superman's example (what he thinks is his own example) that he basically decides to KILL HIMSELF RATHER THAN SOIL HIS HEROIC LEGACY! In short, 'I am a hero, and a hero saves lives - even if it means the loss of my own.' Now, I ask you, what could be more heroic than that? Superman is presented here not merely as a superhero, but as a shining ideal to live up to. There's no hint of snarkiness or mean-spiritedness, no trace of irony - without the genuine Superman's last-minute intervention, that man really would have died, and he would have died a hero. Any Superman who can inspire that sort of bravery is the 'classic' version as far as I'm concerned.