18 | On the cover

gulfnews.com/tabloid
Thursday, June 13, 2013

On the cover | 31

gulfnews.com/tabloid
Thursday, June 13, 2013

MEANWHILE...
IN 1933, JERRY SIEGEL AND JOE SHUSTER,
BOTH SONS OF IMMIGRANTS, PUBLISH THE
REIGN OF THE SUPER-MAN" WHERE A BALD
HOMELESS MAN GAINS TELEPATHIC POWERS
AND INTENDS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

Celebrating 75 years of Superman

Follow 75 key points in the Man of Steel mythology, from
its inception to this years film adaptation
By Dwynn Ronald V. Trazo and Hugo A. Sanchez
Senior Infographic Designers

Jerry Siegel
writer

Symbol used in
Superman #1
issue

Joe Shuster
artist

Although it was published in

April, Action Comics #1 had a
cover date of June, 1938.
Supermans birthday is
celebrated on both occasions

In Superman #1, the planet

Krypton is finally named;
Clark is raised by a kindly,
elderly couple; Clarks mother
is named Mary Kent; his
parents die soon before Clark
moves to Metropolis

THE COMIC STRIP

WOULD BE REJECTED
OVER THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS BY 17 DIFFERENT
PUBLISHERS...

UNTIL...
ON APRIL 18, 1938, THE
WORLDS FIRST COMIC
BOOK SUPERHERO IS
FINALLY INTRODUCED
IN ACTION COMICS #1.
SUPERMANS OUTFIT IS
BASED ON CIRCUS
ACROBATS, HIS POWERS
ARE LIMITED TO GREAT
STRENGTH, SUPER SPEED,
RESISTANCE TO INJURY,
AND GREAT LEAPING
ABILITY (1/8TH OF A MILE).
FELLOW REPORTER LOIS
LANE ALSO DEBUTS,
WORKING FOR THE DAILY
STAR NEWSPAPER, WHICH
LATER WOULD BE KNOWN
AS THE DAILY PLANET

START OF
GOLDEN AGE
OF COMICS

40
19

38
19

39
19

The first issue is released with

a first run of 200,000 copies
priced at 10 at a time when
the average American earned
less than $25 per week; it
would be selling 500,000
copies a month by issue #7
The first of
many variations
of the symbol
Jerry Siegel and I came up
with the S insignia... We
wanted to somehow use
the first letter of the
characters name... We
kiddingly said, Well, its the
first letter of Siegel and
Shuster... Initially I made it
like a shield... As the strip
evolved, the emblem
became larger and larger.
Joe Shuster

More Fun Comics #101 introduces

Superboy and his hometown of
Smallville

Used in Superman
#9; the logo is
trademarked

Superman and Batman guest star

in All-Star Comics #36 with the
Justice Society

In Superman #11, he can now fly, as

in the radio shows and cartoons

POST
GOLDEN AGE
OF COMICS

Action Comics #64 debuts villain

the Toyman (Winslow P. Schott);
uses toys as a motif in his crimes

4
194

2
194
SIEGEL AND SHUSTER EVENTUALLY MAKE A
NEW VERSION OF SUPERMAN, THE LAST
SURVIVOR OF PLANET KRYPTON, AN ALIEN
IMMIGRANT NAMED KAL-L BUT KNOWN
AS CLARK KENT ON EARTH

Used in the Max

Fleischer Superman
cartoon series

3
194

41
19

6
194
5
194

Superboy moves to Adventure

Comics #103 as More Fun
Comics changes to a funny
animal format

In Superman #17, it is revealed

that the Man of Tomorrow has a
hidden base known as the Secret
Citadel, located inside a
mountain range near Metropolis

PRE SILVER
AGE OF
COMICS

8
194
7
194

Superman
#58 names
the Fortress
of Solitude

1950
1949

Young Clarks
high school
love Lana
Lang is
introduced in
Superboy
#10

Used in Columbia
Superman series
Superman, the
15-part movie
serial debuts
from Columbia
Pictures; actor
Kirk Alyn plays
the Man of Steel

Symbol used in
Superman #4 issue
In a two-page story for Look
magazine called "How Superman
Would End the War", Superman
fights foreign leaders and ends
World War II by rounding up
Hitler and Stalin

Superman
#26 issue

Sources: DC Comics, Warner Brothers, The science of Superman: The last guide of the last Son of Krypton, supermansupersite.com, comicmix.com, supermanhomepage.com, comicvine.com, dc.wikia.com

Superman #30 introduces the 5th

Dimensional being, Mr. Mxyzptlk
(mix-yez-pitel-ick), who can only be
made to leave by tricking him into
saying or spelling his name backwards
(kel-tipz-yex-im)

Superman
and the Mole
Men film is
released; stars
George
Reeves

1952

1951

Superman
teams up with
Batman in
Superman
#76

1954

1953

Adventure
Comics #210
debuts pet
dog Krypto

1956
1955

Superman
#113 mentions
Kal-El for the
first time

Superman
actor George
Reeves dies
at age 45; his
death is ruled
a suicide

1958

1960

1957

1959

Kryptonian villain General Zod and

the Phantom Zone are introduced in
Adventure Comics #283
Superman is up for copyright
renewal, original creators Siegel and
Shuster file lawsuit to regain rights
but are unsuccessful

1962
1961

START OF
SILVER AGE OF
COMICS

Supermans Pal, Jimmy Olsen

#17 has Jimmy asking Superman
to tell him his secret identity
Used in The
Adventures
of Superman
The Adventures of Superman TV
show starts and runs until 1958;
stars George Reeves; Phyillis
Coates plays Lois Lane

Supermans enemy Luthor is given

the first name of Lex in
Adventure Comics #271; reveals
that Lex and Superboy knew each
other as teenagers in Smallville
and were originally friends
Supermans cousin, Supergirl,
begins her public career as a
superhero in Action Comics
#285

Seduction of the Innocent book

is published; psychologist and
author Dr Fredric Wertham
calls Superman un-American
and fascist; claims hidden
sexual themes in Batman and
Robin; and says Wonder Woman
is a lesbian

1964

1963

1965

Superman's Mission for President

Kennedy appears in Superman
#170; it was originally pulled from
publication due to John F.
Kennedy's assassination but
the story was eventually
published at the request of
President Lyndon Johnson
and the Kennedy family

Broadway musical, It's a

Bird... It's a Plane... It's
Superman! is produced;
it stars Bob Holiday as
Superman

Attacks on comics lead to a

US Senate investigation;
standards are set as
Comics Code
Authority is
created

Superboy
#68
introduces
Supermans
imperfect
duplicate,
Bizarro

1966

19