Action Comics 1

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Action Comics #1 is a comic book that was published in April 1938 (cover-dated June) by National Allied Publications, a corporate predecessor of DC Comics. Featuring the first appearance of the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation Superman, it is considered the first true superhero comic, and though today Action Comics is a monthly title devoted to Superman, it began, like many early comics, as an anthology.^[1]

Contents 1 Contents 2 Superman 3 Collectibility 4 Cover 5 Reprints 6 Cultural references 7 References

[edit] Contents

• "Superman" (pp. 1 - 13) by Siegel and Shuster.
• "Chuck Dawson" (pp. 14 - 19) by H. Fleming.
• "Zatara Master Magician" (pp. 20 - 31) by Fred Guardineer.
• "South Sea Strategy" (pp. 32 - 33) by Captain Frank Thomas.
• "Sticky-Mitt Stimson" (pp. 34 - 37) by Alger.
• "The Adventures of Marco Polo" (pp. 38 - 41) by Sven Elven.
• '"Pep" Morgan' (pp. 42 - 45) by Fred Guardineer.
• "Scoop Scanlon Five Star Reporter" (pp. 46 - 51) by Will Ely.
• "Tex Thompson" (pp. 52 - 63) by Bernard Baily.
• "Stardust by 'The "Star-Gazer" (pp. 64)

[edit] Superman

In January 1933, Jerry Siegel wrote a story entitled "The Reign of the Superman." Siegel and Joe Shuster then created a comic book entitled "The Superman" later in 1933. A Chicago publisher expressed interest, but didn't follow through, and in frustration, Shuster tore up all the pages of this comic except for the cover. Later, in 1934, Siegel had trouble falling asleep and decided to pass the time creating dramatic elements for a comic strip. Building on his previous ideas, he envisioned a child on a far-off planet named Krypton, where all the residents had super powers. Because Krypton would soon explode, the boy was sent to Earth by his father, where he became Superman.^[2]

The Superman section of Action Comics was made up of a cut up comic strip. Siegel and Shuster had shopped Superman around as a comic strip, but were continually turned down. National Publications was looking for a hit to accompany their success with Detective Comics, and didn't have time to solicit new material. Jack Liebowitz, co-owner of National Publications told editor Vin Sullivan to create their fourth comic book. Because of the tight deadline, Sullivan was forced to make it out of inventory and stockpile pages. He found a number of adventurer stories, but needed a lead feature. Sullivan asked former coworker Sheldon Mayer if he could help. Mayer found the rejected Superman comic strips, and Sullivan told Siegel and Shuster that if they could paste them into 13 comic book pages, he would buy them.^[3]

The original five panel comics strip was cut apart, rewritten, and redrawn to create the first page of Action Comics #1.

1. Superman's rocket ship leaving an exploding Krypton.
2. No copies exist, but it most likely depicted the rocket ship being discovered on Earth, and the baby Superman being taken to an orphanage.
3. No copies exist, but it most likely displayed the baby Superman's strength; lifting a chair as a baby.
4. Superman in costume but without his cape is shown racing a train.
5. Superman in his costume, hovering over a city.

Siegel rewrote and extended the fourth panel into panels 4, 5, and 6 on the first page, and Joe Shuster created three new drawings for them. Instead of racing the train in his costume, he is dressed as Clark Kent. Siegel and Shuster decided that they would not show him in his costume until he had officially adopted his Superman alter-ego. Shuster also redrew panel 7. Finally, two new panels (8 and 9) were inserted to complete the first page.^[4]

Siegel and Shuster had tried for years to find a publisher for their Superman character (originally conceived as a newspaper strip) without success. The writer and artist had worked on several features for National Periodical Publications' other titles (Slam Bradley in Detective Comics, for example) and were asked to contribute a feature for National's newest publication. They submitted Superman for consideration, and after re-pasting the sample newspaper strips they had prepared into comic book page format, National decided to make Superman the cover feature of their new magazine. The dynamic "Man of Tomorrow" was an instant hit, and he permanently changed the medium of comic books and comic strips by formalizing a new fantasy subgenre. Action Comics was soon followed by the Superman comic book series in 1939, along with a wealth of other comics starring numerous costumed superheroes.

[edit] Collectibility

• As of Sept 2007, Action Comics #1 is the most valuable comic for a given condition, followed by Detective Comics #27 and Superman vol. 1 #1.^[5][6]

• Fewer than 100 copies of Action Comics #1 are known to exist.^[7]

• There are five known copies with a grade above VG (CGC 4.0), with a single issue having the best grade of VF+ (CGC 8.5).^[8]

• In 2003 Stephen A. Geppi, owner of Diamond Comic Distributors, offered up to $1,000,000 for a near mint (CGC grade 9.4) copy of Action Comics #1 at the First Annual Las Vegas Comic-Con.^[7] There are however no known copies in that grade.

• In 1996, NY-based Metropolis Comics (www.metropoliscomics.com) sold two high grade copies for $150,000 each. Today, those copies are worth $500,000 each.

[edit] Cover

The cover of Action Comics #1 is one of the most referenced comic covers, including:

• The cover of Sensation Comics #51 is among the earliest homages. It depicts Wonder Woman hoisting a car in the same manner.
• It is also recreated by Kal-L (the Golden-Age Superman) in Infinite Crisis #5 in the setting of Earth-Two, the Golden Age DC Universe.
• A reenactment also appears in Kingdom Come, alongside a reenactment of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman.
• Superman: The Movie begins with a young boy reading Action Comics #1 before the film's opening credits.
• The 2006 film Superman Returns also references the cover of issue 1 in two scenes.
• It is re-enacted in a full page spread in the Elseworlds Frankenstein pastiche The Superman-Monster in which the Monster lifts Eloise Edge's carriage when the horses bolt.
• The cover of Superman #136 shows the Superman of 2999 AD lifting a hovercar.
• The cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #306 shows Spider-Man hoisting a police car in the same manner as Superman on the cover of Action Comics #1.
• In a Elseworlds Superman: The War Of The Worlds, have a scene with Superman hoisting a car in the same manner on the cover of Action Comics #1.
• In the beginning the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Citizen Max", while Montana Max is furiously destroying his room, at one point there is an extreme close up of a comic book that Monty tears to shreds. Its cover appears to be a reproduction of that of Action Comics #1, only under-detailed. The possible parody name is unknown, due to how tight the shot is on the comic. Only the word "Comics" is barely visible.
• Internet writer Maddox spoofed the cover for an announcement of his own comic book.
• Although not a parody of the issue itself, the comic was turned into Active Comics for the film Unbreakable, a thriller where David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is told by a stranger (Samuel L. Jackson) who collects comic books, that he is in fact a superhero with the powers of invulnerability and to sense danger ala Spider-Man's spider sense.
• The cover was parodied on the cover of Fallen Angel #15.
• The cover was re-enacted in Action Comics #685 with Supergirl raising a modern variation of the green automobile above her head.
• Superboy & Risk #1 recreates the cover.
• The Action Comics #1 cover art is again homaged on the cover of DC Comics Superman #124 from June 1997.
• Superman #201 shows Mr Majestic in the same stance as Superman from the original cover of Action Comics #1
• The cover is yet again recreated on the front cover of Fuzzy Bunnies From Hell #1 With Frank the demon taking task of raising the car aloft.

[edit] Reprints

As well as stories from the issue appearing in many collections, the entire comic was reprinted as part of DC Millennium Editions.

[edit] Cultural references

• In the "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" episode of The Simpsons, Homer sees a copy of Action Comics #1, along with the United States Declaration of Independence, an Inverted Jenny postage stamp and a Stradivarius violin at a yard sale all for 5¢ and tosses them aside as "junk". These items, because of their immense historical value and rarity would be worth more than $1,380,000 US.

• In the "Homie the Clown" episode of The Simpsons, Krusty the Clown uses a variety of highly valued items to light his cigarettes, including a $100 bill and a copy of Action Comics #1.

• Hiro Nakamura, a character of NBC's TV series Heroes, is given Action Comics #1 from his grandfather in a graphic novel supplement to the series.

[edit] References