Wow, it's neat to see this classic comic story line get some attention, after all these years! I remember hearing the news making an announcement, and the family talking about it in brief. Plenty of people were cynical enough to observe that it was likely a clever way to grab readers' attention (which it was, but at least they seemed to make an effort to make things really interesting).
My brother bought only the actual comic featuring Superman's death, because he didn't like Superman and the idea of him, too goody-two shoes to be likeable (or something to that effect). My own curiosity was peaked when they talked about four new Supermen arriving to fill Superman's shoes, and it was made easier when a friend pointed to a supermarket that sold a package of comics that included the double sized issue with the spiritual journey that showed Jonathan Kent convincing Kal-El to come back, as well as four issues that featured the debut of each of the four Supermen. The packet also had a few other goodies related to it; there were these things that I think were called poggles, and there was this really awesome poster with all four Supermen in cool action poses, with the tagline "But which is the real one?"
I didn't really follow the series beyond that pack of five issues, but occasionally took a peak at the Superman comics as time went on. I was never really preoccupied with the question of which was the real one, though. I always liked entertaining the idea that each one really was the real Superman in their own way; that his death and resurrection had somehow caused aspects of him to refract into four different aspects or versions of himself, and each were close to each other in terms of strength; so his death and resurrection had made him, and the idea of him, stronger.
In those days, I found comic books to be impractical to invest too much interest in; it was always frustrating to face what I felt was an impenetrable labyrinth of continuity and years of storytelling that I could never hope to catch up on, and the trend of comic series cross-referencing each other drove me nuts. Additionally, I had a very unsatisfying experience with a Star Trek TNG Borg story that caught my eye, and I made a concerted effort to try and get the whole four part story; which I managed for the first three parts, but the third disappear from stores unbelievably quickly. All these elements, and the last one in particular, were the death of comic book collecting for me for many long years. The bright spot in all this angst about comics was Dave Sterns' novel, The Death and Life of Superman!
I had given up on knowing the details of Superman's true resurrection except by word of mouth and second and third hand rumor (in retrospect, I'm actually surpised by how good information can turn out to be by way of this method, I've been surprised by how accurate reports were for that original Classic G.I. Joe comic series!) Anyway, having given up on knowing Superman's story, I was surprised one day when I saw that book in the store. I went war-wacky, I had to have that book! I spent a week doing chores to get the money I needed for that thing! After a week, I was terrified at the thought that the book might have sold out; but I had the money, and begged and cajoled my mother to take me back to the mall.
I absolutely devoured that book. It was the most wonderful thing to get exposure to the back story elements that were behind every continuity reference, and it was a godsend to have the whole story of Superman's death and rebirth consolidated into one volume of prose storytelling. No need to worry about any comic issues I might have missed; I finished the book with a sense of satisfaction I never thought possible.
I only felt some twinge of disappointment about each moment when the possibilites of the four Supermen were collapsed, and their true origins revealed. I felt it tragically diminished them. Still, I always hold an alternative bubble of continuity in my head, where the four Supermen are permitted to remain as legitimate aspects of the original Superman; having died and resurrected, and irrevocably changed by the experience.
