Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938. He is a superhero who has been consistently featured in American comic books since then. His popularity has led to adaptations across various media, including radio, novels, films, television, theater, and video games. He remains an iconic and enduring figure in popular culture.
In 1965, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain rights to Superman using the renewal option in the Copyright Act of 1909, but the court ruled against them.
In 1925, Le Corbusier described the idea that 'Everything is known to us'.
In 1927, the film Metropolis was released, which influenced the naming of Superman's home city, marking a cultural connection to the superhero's world.
In 1930, Philip Wylie's novel Gladiator, featuring a protagonist named Hugo Danner with powers similar to Superman, was published, serving as one of the influences for the creation of Superman.
In 1932, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met while attending Glenville High School in Cleveland and bonded over their shared admiration for fiction, marking the beginning of their collaboration.
In January 1933, Jerry Siegel published his short story, "The Reign of the Superman," in his magazine, which Joe Shuster illustrated, marking the first iteration of a character with Superman's name, though different powers and motivations.
In May 1933, Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago, published Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48, a comic book containing all-original stories, setting the stage for Siegel and Shuster to present their own comic book concept to the company.
In July 1933, Leo O'Mealia responded to Jerry Siegel's request for artists, leading to a collaboration on Superman strips featuring a scientist-adventurer from the future. Although a few strips were produced, they were rejected by O'Mealia's newspaper syndicate.
In June 1934, Jerry Siegel partnered with Russell Keaton, an artist in Chicago, to further develop Superman. Siegel sent Keaton a script detailing Superman's origin as a child sent from the future. Keaton created two weeks' worth of strips but they were ultimately rejected by a newspaper syndicate.
In June 1935, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster secured work with National Allied Publications, owned by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, where they published their strips "Henri Duval" and "Doctor Occult" in New Fun Comics #6.
In the year 1935, the evolved Superman origin story featured baby Kal-El arriving on earth. He is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent and subsequently adopted by them. The Kents name him Clark and teach him the importance of using his superhuman gifts for the benefit of humanity, shaping his moral compass.
In 1936, Wheeler-Nicholson formed a joint corporation with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz called Detective Comics, Inc. to release his third magazine, Detective Comics.
In December 1937, Jack Liebowitz asked Jerry Siegel to produce comics for an upcoming anthology magazine called Action Comics, though Siegel did not initially propose Superman.
In early January 1938, McClure Newspaper Syndicate rejected Superman, leading Max Gaines to forward the strips to Jack Liebowitz for consideration in Action Comics.
In early January 1938, due to Wheeler-Nicholson's deep debt, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned his company into bankruptcy and seized it, marking a significant shift in the ownership of the publishing venture.
In a contract dated March 1, 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave away the copyright to Superman to their employer, DC Comics.
In April 1938, Action Comics began publication, marking the first and oldest of the Superman periodical comic books published by DC Comics.
On April 18, 1938, Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, made his first appearance in Action Comics #1, published in America, marking the beginning of his regular publication in American comic books.
In August 1938, DC Comics trademarked the Superman chest logo.
Action Comics #1, published in 1938, originally explained that Superman's strength was common among Kryptonians due to their species being "millions of years advanced of our own".
In 1938, Action Comics #1 introduced Superman's origin story: born on an alien world, sent to Earth in a spaceship before his planet's destruction, and his parents die.
In 1938, Superman represented a kind of Corbusierian ideal. Superman's X-ray vision made walls permeable. Through his benign authority, Superman rendered the city open, modernist and democratic.
In 1938, Superman's success led to a wave of imitations, including Batman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel, marking the beginning of America's Golden Age of Comic Books.
In 1938, the origin story and supporting cast of Superman were established, though details varied across different versions. Radically altered versions, like the communist Superman in "Superman: Red Son", also exist. DC Comics has also featured crossover stories where different versions of Superman interact.
In 1965, the court ruled Siegel and Shuster had transferred the renewal rights to DC Comics in 1938.
Since 1938, several elements of the Superman narrative have remained consistent.
Since 1938, the catalog of Superman's abilities and his strength has varied considerably.
Since Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman has displayed superhuman strength, famously depicted on the cover lifting a car over his head.
Since Action Comics #1 in 1938, Superman has possessed a highly durable body, invulnerable for most practical purposes, capable of deflecting bullets.
Superman is due to enter the US public domain on January 1, 2034, but this will only apply to the character as he is depicted in Action Comics #1, which was published in 1938.
In January 1939, a Superman daily comic strip began appearing in newspapers, syndicated through the McClure Syndicate, expanding the character's reach beyond comic books.
In June 1939, Action Comics #13 introduced Ultra-Humanite, Superman's first recurring villain, being a mad scientist.
In June 1939, the second oldest Superman periodical, simply titled Superman, began publication, further establishing the character's presence in comic books.
In October 1939, Jack Liebowitz established Superman, Inc. to develop the franchise beyond the comic books.
In December 1939, Captain Marvel was first published by Fawcett Comics. DC Comics filed a lawsuit against Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement.
In 1939, Action Comics #11 introduced Superman's superhuman hearing, allowing him to hear sounds too faint or at frequencies beyond human range.
In 1939, Superman first uses X-ray vision in Action Comics #11, allowing him to see through objects.
In 1939, the earliest Superman paraphernalia appeared: a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club and the first Superman toy was a wooden doll made by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.
In April 1940, Action Comics #23 introduced Lex Luthor, Superman's best-known nemesis, depicted as either a mad scientist or a wealthy businessman.
In May 1940, Superman #5 carried an advertisement for a "Krypto-Raygun", which was a gun-shaped device that could project images on a wall.
In 1940, Superman gained the ability to fly in the second episode of the radio serial, a departure from his original mode of transportation via running and leaping.
In 1940, The Adventures of Superman, a radio show, began, and ran for 2,088 episodes.
In 1940, Whitney Ellsworth was hired as an editor and dictated that Superman not kill, and sexuality was banned. He favored colorfully outlandish villains such as Ultra-Humanite and Toyman.
In 1940, the Schutzstaffel (SS) newspaper Das Schwarze Korps denounced Superman and his creator Jerry Siegel, falsely claiming that Superman was Jewish.
In late 1940, new editor Whitney Ellsworth instituted a code of conduct, softening Superman's character and giving him a sense of humanitarianism, banning him from killing.
Since 1940 in Action Comics #20, Superman has possessed superhuman breath, enabling him to manipulate large amounts of air and hold his breath indefinitely.
By 1941, the Superman newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million, showcasing the widespread popularity of the character.
In 1941, Mort Weisinger became the editor of Superman comics, leading to a more disciplined and planned approach to the character's mythology and universe.
In August 1942, Superman #17 featured a story where Lois suspects Clark is Superman and attempts to prove it, but Superman ultimately deceives her, a common plot before the 1970s.
By 1942, Superman transitioned from being a vigilante to working side-by-side with the police.
In a 1942 spinoff novel by George Lowther, the names of Superman's parents were changed to Jor-el and Lara.
In 1943, Jerry Siegel was conscripted into the United States Army, leading to changes in the writing of the Superman comic strips.
In 1943, Jerry Siegel was conscripted into the United States Army. While Siegel was serving, DC Comics published a story featuring a child version of Superman called "Superboy", without buying the character from Siegel.
Kryptonite made its first appearance in 1943 in an episode of the radio serial.
From 1944, DC Comics began regularly publishing stories of Superman's childhood and adolescent adventures, during which he was known as "Superboy".
In 1944, Mister Mxyzptlk, Superman's first recurring super-powered adversary, was introduced.
In October 1946, Superman, Inc. merged with DC Comics.
In 1946, the Superman radio program tackled social issues, including a version of the Ku Klux Klan, anti-semitism, and veteran discrimination.
After Siegel's discharge from the Army, in 1947 he and Shuster sued DC Comics for the rights to Superman and Superboy. They settled out-of-court with DC Comics, which paid the pair $94,013.16 in exchange for the full rights to both Superman and Superboy. DC Comics then fired Siegel and Shuster.
Between 1938 and 1947, DC Comics paid Siegel and Shuster at least $401,194.85.
In 1947, an episode of the radio serial places the yet unnamed community in Iowa where the Kents raise Clark.
In March 1948, the trial began in the DC Comics lawsuit against Fawcett Comics for copyright infringement. The judge ruled that Fawcett had indeed infringed on Superman.
In June 1949, the community where the Kents raise Clark is named Smallville in Superboy #2.
From 1949 to 1956, Win Mortimer drew the Superman newspaper strips, continuing the visual storytelling of the character.
In 1949, Superman #59 features the first instance of Superman using heat vision by applying his X-ray vision at its highest intensity to project beams of heat from his eyes.
In 1949, The Adventures of Superman radio show episodes were lengthened to 30 minutes.
In 1949, kryptonite made its first appearance in comics in Superman #61.
Around 1950, American superhero book sales declined, leading to the cancellation of many characters. However, Superman's sustained popularity allowed him to survive this decline.
In 1951, The Adventures of Superman, a radio show, ended after 2,088 episodes.
In 1952, Astro Boy was first published, inspired by Mighty Mouse, which was a parody of Superman, marking the influence of American superhero fiction on Japanese culture.
Fawcett Comics settled out of court with DC Comics, paid DC Comics $400,000, and agreed to stop publishing Captain Marvel. The last Captain Marvel story from Fawcett Comics was published in September 1953.
In 1954, the Comics Code Authority was created, but this code is not to be confused with Whitney Ellsworth's code implemented earlier for Superman.
Around 1955, Curt Swan succeeded Wayne Boring as the principal artist on Superman comic books.
In 1955, the Superman animated shorts from the 1940s were first broadcast on Japanese television, gaining popularity and inspiring Japan's own superhero genre.
From 1949 to 1956, Win Mortimer drew the Superman newspaper strips, continuing the visual storytelling of the character.
In 1956, the TV show Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves began airing in Japan, further contributing to the popularity of superheroes in the country.
In 1957, the first Japanese superhero movie, Super Giant, was released, marking a significant milestone in the development of Japanese superhero media.
In July 1958, Brainiac, Superman's first alien villain, debuted in Action Comics #242.
In 1958, Action Comics #241 depicted the Fortress of Solitude as a cave in a mountain, secured by a heavy door and opened with a gigantic key only Superman could use.
In 1958, Mort Weisinger introduced letters columns in Superman comics to encourage feedback and build a stronger connection with readers.
In 1958, the first Japanese superhero TV show, Moonlight Mask, premiered, further establishing the superhero genre in Japanese television.
In 1959, DC Comics rehired Jerry Siegel as a writer.
In 1959, Superman #129 introduced Superman's freeze breath, demonstrating his ability to freeze targets by blowing on them.
In 1960, Superboy #78 revealed Superboy made his costume out of the indestructible blankets found in the ship he came to Earth in.
In 1960, sales data for Superman became public, revealing that Superman was the best-selling comic book character during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1961, Superman #146 established that Superman's powers, excluding strength, are activated by the light of Earth's yellow sun.
In 1961, Superman #149 featured the first story where Superman dies, murdered by Lex Luthor using kryptonite; however, this story was considered "imaginary" and disregarded in later books.
In 1963, Action Comics #300 detailed that all of Superman's powers, including strength, are activated by yellow sunlight and can be deactivated by red sunlight.
In 1964, Superman #171 established that Superman is vulnerable to magic, with enchanted weapons and spells affecting him like a normal human.
In 1965, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain rights to Superman using the renewal option in the Copyright Act of 1909, but the court ruled against them. DC Comics fired Siegel once again.
In April 1966, Superman #188 depicted Superman's death from kryptonite radiation, only to be revived in the same issue by an android doppelganger.
In May 1966, the initial run of the Superman newspaper strip concluded, marking the end of an era for the character in that medium.
In 1966, Superman had a Tony-nominated musical play produced on Broadway, named It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman, featuring music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams and book by David Newman and Robert Benton.
In 1967, after DC Comics merged with Warner Communications, licensing for Superman was handled by the Licensing Corporation of America.
In 1970, Mort Weisinger's tenure as the editor of Superman comics came to an end, marking the conclusion of an era characterized by a highly structured and intricate Superman universe.
In 1970, Weisinger retired from DC Comics and Julius Schwartz replaced him as editor, updating Superman by making Clark Kent a television anchor and retiring overused plot elements.
In 1971, Gerald Clarke wrote in Time that Superman's popularity signaled the end of the Horatio Alger myth and viewed the character's continuous updates as representing the mood of the nation.
In 1972, DC Comics licensed Captain Marvel and published crossover stories with Superman.
In 1975, Warner Brothers agreed to give Siegel and Shuster a yearly stipend, full medical benefits, and credit their names in all future Superman productions in exchange for never contesting ownership of Superman.
In 1996, after Jerry Siegel died, his heirs attempted to take the rights to Superman using the termination provision of the Copyright Act of 1976.
In 1977, the Superman newspaper strip was revived, coinciding with a series of movies released by Warner Bros, revitalizing the character's presence in newspapers.
In June 1978, Action Comics #484 featured Clark Kent admitting to Lois that he is Superman, and they subsequently marry in the story.
In 1978, for the Superman movie, the producers decided to make Clark Kent a newspaper journalist once again, as this was how most people knew the character outside of comic book readers.
In 1978, the Superman movie portrayed the Fortress of Solitude as a structure made of white crystal.
In 1978, while writing the script for the Superman movie, Tom Mankiewicz established the "S" on Superman's chest as the crest of Superman's Kryptonian family, the House of El.
In the 1978 movie starring Christopher Reeve, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz consciously made Superman an allegory for Jesus Christ, with baby Kal-El's ship resembling the Star of Bethlehem and Jor-El giving his son a messianic mission.
The 1978 Superman movie placed Smallville in Kansas, as have most Superman stories since.
The success of the Superman film released in 1978 arguably paved the way for later big-budget superhero movies like Batman and Spider-Man.
New Adventures of Superboy #22 (Oct. 1981) places Smallville in Maryland.
In 1983, the Superman newspaper strip ended again, marking the end of a revival period coinciding with Warner Bros. movies.
From 1986, beginning with Man of Steel #1, Superman's powers began to emerge more slowly, and he started his superhero career as an adult.
In 1986, Schwartz retired from DC Comics and Mike Carlin succeeded him. Also in 1986, DC Comics decided to reboot the DC Universe with the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline. John Byrne rewrote the Superman mythos, reducing Superman's powers and revising supporting characters.
In 1986, in Man of Steel #1, it's revealed that Martha Kent makes Superman's costume from human-manufactured cloth, rendered indestructible by an aura projected by Superman.
In later stories, beginning with Man of Steel #1 in 1986, it's explained that Superman's body projects an aura that renders any tight-fitting clothes he wears invulnerable, making his costume as durable as he is even if made of common cloth.
Starting in 1987, sales of Superman comic books began to rise again, marking a resurgence in the character's popularity.
The success of the Superman film released in 1978 arguably paved the way for later big-budget superhero movies like Batman released in 1989.
In October 1990, Superman #48 showcased how a power-amped meta can affect Superman's psyche or microbiology to induce strokes or mangle his internal organs.
In 1991, DC Comics purchased Fawcett Comics and with it the full rights to Captain Marvel. DC eventually renamed the character "Shazam" to prevent disputes with Marvel Comics.
In November 1992, Superman #75, featuring 'The Death of Superman', sold over 23 million copies, becoming the best-selling issue of a comic book of all time.
In 1992, Superman co-creator Joe Shuster told the Toronto Star that Clark Kent's name was derived from cinematic leading men Clark Gable and Kent Taylor, with the persona based on Harold Lloyd and himself.
In 2010, the court ruled in DC's favor on the grounds that the 1992 agreement with the Shuster heirs barred them from terminating the grant.
In Nov-Dec 1992, Superman: The Man of Steel #17–18 introduced Doomsday, the first villain to evidently kill Superman in physical combat without exploiting his weaknesses.
Joe Shuster died in 1992. DC Comics offered Shuster's heirs a stipend in exchange for never challenging ownership of Superman, which they accepted for some years.
In January 1993, during The Death and Return of Superman story arc, Superman died in Superman #75 after a battle with Doomsday but was later revived using Kryptonian technology by the Eradicator.
In 1996, Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for the DC Universe books.
Copyright lawyer and movie producer Marc Toberoff struck a deal with the heirs of both Siegel and Shuster to help them get the rights to Superman. The Siegel heirs called off their deal with DC Comics in October 2001.
In an October 2001 letter, the Siegels accepted DC's offer of several million dollars and a yearly stipend of $500,000 in exchange for permanently granting DC the rights to Superman.
In 2002, K.C. Carlson took Mike Carlin's place as editor of the Superman comics.
The success of the Superman film released in 1978 arguably paved the way for later big-budget superhero movies like Spider-Man released in 2002.
In 2003, the Shuster heirs served a termination notice for Shuster's grant of his half of the copyright to Superman.
In 2004, the Siegel heirs sued DC for the rights to Superman and Superboy.
In September 2005, Wonder Woman Vol 2 #219 showed that Superman is highly susceptible to psychokinetic phenomena, ranging along telekinesis, illusion casting and mind control.
In 2008, the judge ruled in favor of the Siegels in their lawsuit against DC Comics. However, the appeals court ruled in favor of DC, arguing that the October 2001 letter was binding.
In 2010, DC Comics sued the Shuster heirs. The court ruled in DC's favor on the grounds that the 1992 agreement with the Shuster heirs barred them from terminating the grant.
In the 2013 movie Man of Steel, Jor-El asks Superman to redeem the Kryptonian race by guiding humanity down a wiser path, revisiting the messianic theme.
In May 2016, Superman #52 depicted Superman's death from kryptonite poisoning, resulting in him being replaced by the Superman from an alternate timeline.
In March 2018, Action Comics sold 51,534 copies, reflecting the general trend of lower sales for superhero comic books, while Amazing Spider-Man #797 sold 128,189 copies.
In 2018, Superman licensed merchandise made $634 million in sales globally.
Between 1938 and 1947, DC Comics paid Siegel and Shuster at least $401,194.85, equivalent to $7,550,000 in 2024.
In 2024, the US$130 paid to Siegel and Shuster in late February for their work on Action Comics is equivalent to $2,900, highlighting the historical monetary value of their early contributions.
Under current US copyright law, Superman is due to enter the US public domain on January 1, 2034. This will only apply to the character as he is depicted in Action Comics #1.
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