Superman is 75 Years Old Today

Seventy-five years ago today, Action Comics #1 was released, marking the first published appearance of Superman and Lois Lane. The issue, which kicked off the concept of superhero comics and has been widely regarded as the single most important comic book in American history, recently sold at auction for more than $2.1 million. The check paid to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for their work on the issue recently sold for what is believed to be the most-ever for a historical check. It's also one of the most-reprinted single issues of all time, appearing in a number of "Best of..."-style collected editions as well as in a number of special "collector's" reprints over the years. In the story, Superman appears as a mighty, but decidedly less godlike, form than in the recent past. A "champion of the oppressed," Superman can leap tall buildings but not fly, and while he may be bulletproof, he couldn't do anything crazy like collapsing a building with a punch. Over the years, Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (and then their heirs) were engulfed in a number of legal battles with National Periodicals, DC Comics and Warner Bros. over the rights to the character of Superman and the story told in that first issue. Warner won a recent, decisive victory which seemed to put the case to rest, but actions Warner Bros. tried to take against Siegel lawyer Marc Toberoff ended unsuccessfully and Toberoff has hinted that the Siegels might still have other legal avenues to exhaust before they call it quits. The issue also featured the first appearance of Zatara the Magician, whose daughter Zatanna is currently a member of the Justice League Dark, but will soon be making the move to the Justice League of America.