We all have trade paperback (TPB) collections we'd like to see. Here's one of mine:

Gallery

This is an important series. Almost two years before The Man of Steel, and only two months before Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC was trying to give fans a new perspective on Superman with this mini-series. Written by Bob Rozakis and drawn by Curt Swan (and hey, covers by Frank Miller) this series fills in the gaps between being Smallville's Superboy, and Metropolis' Superman. Between Smallville High School and the Daily Planet. Did you ever wonder about Clark Kent's college years? Look no further! How he met Lori Lemaris? Here! Early confrontations with Lex Luthor in Metropolis? Ground zero! And this is thirteen years before Superman For All Seasons, and eighteen before Superman: Birthright! Simply put: Superman: The Secret Years did it first. For that reason alone, it deserves a trade paperback.

For the cover, my first thought is just go with #1, because it's the cover I always think of, when I think of this series, and the red just makes it pop. Supes is doing this pouty lip thing on that cover though, and it looks a little weird (it's supposed to be determination). So I think instead, I'd go with issue #4, with Supes and the eagle, because it just screams "Truth, Justice, and the American Way!" Plus, the blue background coloring sort of reminds me of both Superman For All Seasons and Superman: Birthright. As much as I think this series deserves a TPB for being first, anything that puts buyers in mind of the later stories can only help it to sell. After all, this story is nealy thirty years old now, and whether I like it or not, an older story needs help to sell to newer readers. Mentioning the Frank Miller cover in the solicitation couldn't hurt either...

...But then I went to add the cover image in here, and I automatically grabbed the issue one URL. I replaced it with issue four, but issue one just looks better. So pouty look or not, I'm going with #1 for the cover.