1938 - June

 Action Comics #1, June 1938

Cover: 

• Superman is holding an automobile over his head in the process of smashing it against some large boulders while others run away in fear. 
• There is no mention of the name “Superman” or the contents of the book.

Story: 

• “Untitled” - 13 pages, credited to “Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster”
• First story in the anthology-style book

Fabulous Firsts:

• First appearance of Superman
• First cover appearance of Superman
• First appearance of Clark Kent
• First use of the traditional Superman logo in 3-D-style block letters on the first page
• First appearance of the Daily Star
• First time an editor is called “Chief"
• First appearance of Lois Lane (just named “Lois”)
• First “date” for Lois & Clark
• First time Lois disparages Clark (calls him “a spineless, unbearable coward!”)
• First time Superman saves Lois from danger
• First time Superman flies? (See Powers below)
• First use of artwork of Superman breaking through chains

Origin:

• Superman is from an unnamed “distant planet destroyed by old age.”
• Superman’s unnamed scientist father sends a child from the planet in a space-ship launched towards Earth.
• The molecular structure of beings from this unnamed planet is millions of years advanced to that of humans on Earth.
• The child, now known as Clark Kent, decides to use his abilities to “benefit mankind” and “helping those in need.”

Costume:

• On the cover, Superman has a blue body suit, with red high-ankle boots, red belt, red “S” insignia on a somewhat triangular yellow backdrop on his chest, red shorts, and a red cape.
• In the story, Superman’s boots are blue and his belt is yellow. The chest insignia is all yellow, including the “S”, and the shape is definitely a triangle.
• In the promotional ad after the story, the “S” is red.
• There is no noticeable difference between Superman’s hair and Clark Kent’s hair.

Powers: 

• 
  “Feats of strength” as a baby/toddler
• “Leap ⅛ of a mile”
• “Hurdle a twenty story building”
• “Raise tremendous weights”
• “Faster than a speeding train”
• “Nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin”
• A “bullet ricochets off Superman’s tough skin!”
• A “blade breaks upon Superman’s tough skin!”
• Superman leaps.
• Superman breaks down doors (both wooden and steel)
  
• Superman picks people up with one hand and sometimes throws them
• Superman picks up a car with one hand and smashes the car against boulders
• Superman appears to fly on Page 10, Panel 1
• Superman may exhibit super-hearing on Page 11

Characterization:

• Superman is a confident wiseguy. After he breaks down a steel door, he remarks to the Governor’s butler, “It was your idea.” While bringing Alex Greer to great heights all over Washington, DC, terrifying Greer, he then “misses” a building and starts to “fall”.
• Clark Kent is a confident reporter who seems to avoid confrontation when possible.
• Lois Lane writes the “Lonely Hearts” column at The Daily Star. Even though she decides to give Clark a “break” and go out with him, she has no patience for him. However, she seems in speechless awe of Superman.

Supporting Cast:

• Unnamed Scientist (unseen), father of Superman
• Unnamed Passing Motorist (unseen)
• Unnamed Orphanage Attendants
• Unnamed Construction Workers
• Strong Ants
• Jumpy Grasshoppers
• Unnamed Murderess
• Unnamed Governor’s Butler
• Unnamed Governor
• Evelyn Curry, innocent death-row convict
• Unnamed Messenger at Electrocution Site
• Unnamed Newspaper Reader
• Unnamed (except for “Chief”) Editor of the Daily Star, Clark Kent’s boss
• Unnamed Newspaper Worker #1, has a tip for Clark
• Unnamed Wife-Beater
• Unnamed Wife
• Unnamed Police Captain
• Lois
• Butch Mason, jerky guy at a nightclub
• Butch Mason’s Cronies
• Senator Barrows
• Unnamed Newspaper Worker #2, identifies slick lobbyists
• Alex Greer, slick lobbyist

Synopsis:

The feature begins with a quick, one-page origin of the character, along with a justification for his powers, citing ants and grasshoppers as references.

The real story then picks up in medias res as Superman is racing through the night with a woman in his arms. He leaves the woman on the outskirts of the Governor’s Mansion. He proceeds to break-in to the mansion and waken the Governor, demanding that the Governor look at new evidence to prove that Evelyn Curry, set to be executed in fifteen minutes, is innocent. The signed confession appears to be enough for the Governor as he stays the execution. Superman leaves a note revealing the real murderess is tied-up outside. Although wary of what Superman can do, the Governor is content with his belief that Superman appears to be on the right side of the law.

The next day, Clark Kent, Superman’s “civilian guise”, goes to his job as a reporter for a local newspaper, the Daily Star. Just after his editor gives him the steady assignment of tracking down Superman, Clark receives a tip about a wife-beating. He shows up at the scene as Superman, saves the wife, and has changed back to Clark before the police arrive.

Back at the Daily Star, Clark’s colleague Lois agrees to go out with Clark that evening. At a nightclub, Lois and Clark are approached by Butch Mason and his cronies who want to interfere with the couple’s evening. Frustrated with Clark’s response, Lois storms off and leaves in a taxi. Butch Mason and company get in a car and chase down the taxi, essentially kidnapping Lois. Superman appears, picks up Butch’s car, dumps everyone out, and smashes it to the ground. He then hangs Butch by his pants from a telephone pole.

The day after, Clark’s editor tells Clark to go to the country of “San Monte” in South America to cover a war that is breaking out. In response, Clark takes a train to Washington, DC, and shakes down a lobbyist who is apparently corrupting a Senator Barrows, trying to instigate a conflict in Europe. The story ends with Superman scaring the lobbyist by jumping with him all over the city, supposedly missing his landing spot as he leaps from the Capitol to another building. 

Favorite Quotes:

• “It was your idea.”
• “Missed – Doggone it!”
• “A physical marvel, a mental wonder, Superman is destined to reshape the destiny of a world!”

Oddities and Analyses:

• I wonder what consumers thought of the cover back in 1938. Having no idea as to who Superman was, or super-heroes for that matter, did they think that Superman was an antagonist, a villain? I mean, he is destroying someone’s car, much to the shock and fear of everyone else on the cover.
• A story has been told that the editors knew Superman was going to be a hit, hence putting the feature on the cover. If this were truly the case, why did Superman not appear on another cover until Action Comics #7? Why was Superman not mentioned in the house ads for Action Comics #1? It would seem that any foreknowledge of success is an example of revisionist history.
  
• I wonder for whom Clark Kent is showing off on Page 1 as he is lifting a steel beam? Did Clark work as a construction worker before he became a reporter? Do all those people know Clark has super strength?
• No mention is given as to where the name Clark Kent came from. The text just starts calling him that on Page 1.
• I know that grasshoppers can jump, but I have never seen one jump the proportional equivalent of “several city blocks” that the text claims. A quick internet search suggests that grasshoppers can jump about twenty times their length. Proportionally, this would give a six foot tall “grasshopper-man” the ability to leap 120 feet, much shorter than the typical length of a city block.
• This story begins an early use of Superman as a defender of the marginalized and down-trodden. There are many social justice themes in the early stories.
• The story in this issue was originally created for newspaper strips. This is evidenced by the sequential numbers in the panels, the pacing of the story, and the cliffhanger ending (which was an uncommon practice in comic books at the time, but not in daily comic strips).
• Why did the editor assign Clark to cover a war in South America the day after he made Superman Clark’s “permanent” assignment?
• If the editor is so interested in learning about Superman, why does he dismiss Lois’ account so quickly?
• There are really four stories here (although some are pretty short): the death row convict, the wife beater, Lois and Clark’s “date” with its ensuing drama, and Superman’s trip to DC.
• About Clark going to DC…There is no explanation as to why he does this in response to his editor telling him to go to South America. Maybe in the next issue we’ll get the connection between war in South America and a senator instigating a war in Europe?
• Why does Clark take a train to DC? You would think he would want to make this side trip as quickly as possible. Although, he has yet to really display super-speed.
  
• Superman does not appear to care too much about hurting people with the way he throws some of them around and dumps them out of cars.
• If you look at the second panel of Page 9, Lois herself is being dumped out as well, looking like she is going to land square on her head (although it is also possible to see it as Superman catching her in his other arm.)
• …And Superman is definitely flying in Page 10, Panel 1 (the image next to the Powers section). His body appears horizontal in the air, with one arm sticking straight out…c’mon!

Apropos of Nothing:

• Action Comics #1 also contains the first appearances of both Zatara and Tex Thomson.
• Zatara would become the father of future Justice League member Zatanna.
• Tex Thomson would become known as the costumed adventurer Mr. America.
• The Tex Thomson feature was illustrated by Bernard Bailey who would later co-create The Spectre in More Fun Comics with Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.

All comic-related images are the copyright of DC Entertainment.