Ask any long-time comic collector if Wolverine’s first appearance is The Incredible Hulk #180 or #181, and their eye will more than likely start to twitch. Comic pricing database Key Collector has an entire page dedicated to “Debatable Firsts.” But, many of these issues are the subject of debate because it doesn’t mark a clear first appearance: the debut character is unnamed, appears retroactively, or (worst yet) only appears on a single panel. There are only a handful of cases where two comics featuring the same character prominently are both considered that character’s first appearance.
Videos by ComicBook.com
One of the most controversial is the 1940 debut of Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch enemy and one of the most iconic, instantly-recognizable villains in DC Comics. However, for decades, there has been a raging debate among comic book collectors over whether Action Comics #23 or Superman #4 constitutes Luthor’s first appearance – and both sides have strong arguments to make. This controversy is a major asterisk next to a listing on eBay now, which advertises a CGC-graded 4.0 copy of Action Comics #23 as the “1st appearance of Lex Luther [sic]” – and is backed by the CGC’s own label for the book.
Why Some Collectors Are Certain Action Comics #23 is Lex Luthor’s First Appearance
Action Comics #23 was published in February of 1940. Comic book database Mike’s Amazing World of Comics (an authoritative longtime web resource for collectors) specifies its approximate newsstand date as February 22nd. In this era, Action Comics was a monthly publication, with new issues arriving on newsstands the third week of every month. In addition, the Library of Congress has copyright data for the issue dating it February 23rd.
Within the comic itself, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent by the Daily Planet (referred to here by name for the first time) to report on a border skirmish between the nations of Galonia and Toran. As Superman works to prevent all-out war, he discovers that a mysterious man named “Luthor” is manipulating the conflict for his own ends. To hear Luthor tell it, he is “an ordinary man with the brain of a super-genius … preparing to make myself supreme master of th’ world,” stoking the Galonia-Toran conflict to “sends the nations of the Earth at each other’s throats, so that when they are sufficiently weakened, I can step in and assume charge!” Little has changed for Luthor in the intervening eighty-six years, though in this issue, he sports a full head of red hair.
Explicitly within the issue, Superman has never heard Luthor’s name before, let alone encountered him. Similarly, while Luthor is familiar with Superman as a public figure, he gives no indication that he has personally met Superman prior. This is the argument in favor of Action Comics #23 as Lex Luthor’s first appearance: it is demonstrably the first appearance within the in-universe continuity of DC Comics. However, there’s a technicality that works against it.
Why Other Collectors are Positive Lex Luthor’s First Appearance is Elsewhere
In Superman #4, Superman discovers a plot by Luthor to steal an experimental weapon that generates artificial earthquakes. When they confront each other, Luthor greets Superman by remarking “So! We encounter each other once more!” Superman recognizes his foe immediately as “Luthor! The mad scientist who plots to dominate the earth!” Within continuity, Superman #4 clearly takes place after Action Comics #23: Superman and Lex Luthor both express that they have fought before. And yet some insist that Superman #4 is the true first appearance.
Their argument comes back to release date: Superman was a quarterly publication in 1940, and #4 was the spring issue. Even at that time, it was common practice for issues to arrive at retail months prior to their cover date: Action Comics #23 was cover-dated for April, but reached newsstands in February. So it was for Superman #4, which is listed with a newsstand date of February 15th, 1940 – a week before Action Comics #23. Moreover, the Library of Congress copyright date is listed as January 23rd, 1940, a full month before the copyright date on Action Comics #23.
How Both Sides of the Argument Can Be Right
The debate around Lex Luthor’s first appearance highlights how different conceptions of a “first appearance” can be. To some fans, it might be more important to hold in their hands the issue that, eighty-six years ago, was the first time another Superman reader encountered Lex Luthor. To another, it’s more meaningful for them to have the story where Superman himself matched wits with his arch-foe for the first time. Consensus is ultimately impossible (those in the Action Comics #23 camp point out that newsstand dates from that era aren’t verifiable), meaning that it comes down to personal preference and individual opinion.
Putting the debate around its pedigree aside, Action Comics #23 is still an iconic golden age book. Lex Luthor is the same mad genius now that he was then; fans might even notice his plan to manipulate a global conflict is very similar to the master plan of Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor in last year’s Superman. It is also irrefutably the first mention of the Daily Planet newspaper, and the first appearance of classic golden age hero Black Pirate in a back-up feature. The issue’s Joe Shuster and Paul Cassidy cover is bright, colorful, and dynamic. It’s golden age Superman at his finest, and it pops on this copy available on eBay now. To one Superman fan, it will make a spectacular collection centerpiece, Luthor’s first appearance or not.
Which issue do you think is Lex Luthor’s true first appearance? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
More Collectibles
-
Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company -
Image courtesy of The Pokemon Company -
Images Courtesy PriceCharting and The Pokémon Company
Forum Conversation: Which DC Superhero Has the Most Iconic Costume?
Go to ForumIt’s difficult not to go with Superman here. Batman is the most popular DC character, but Superman and Wonder Woman to me more represent the heart of DC Comics, and regardless of what era you’re from or your exposure to comics, the moment you see a picture of Superman’s costume, you know exactly who it is.
Ever since I saw Godspeed in the tv show The Flash on the CW, it has been my favorite costume. Reverse Flash comes in a good 2nd. Between the tv show, comics, and even animation. They’ve all been good. Ive loved the villians costumes over the superheros
I agree, Superman is probably one of the best examples of a costume being instantly recognizable no matter how much the design changes. Even small changes to the colors or style still make it obvious who the character is. I also really like some of the modern takes on his look, especially the Superman Blue Leather Jacket, which gives the classic character a more casual and contemporary feel.