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Superman Comics
About Vintage Superman Comic Books
There’s a fair amount of debate about the beginning of the Golden Age of comics. Some peg it to 1933, when the format of newsstand comic books was codified, but others place the moment in June of 1938, when Superman made his debut in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s first issue of “Action Comics,” whose cover featured the red-caped superhero from the planet Krypton lifting a car over his head.
“Action Comics” number one is probably the rarest comic book in the world, easily commanding six figures for a clean copy. Issues two through six did not have Superman covers, but seven did, which is why it is also highly prized. Superman’s archenemy, Lex Luthor, came on the scene in 1940 with issue 23—naturally, that issue is also collectible...
By this time, Superman had his own comic book. The first issue of that comic from the summer of 1939 (the first five “Superman” comics were quarterly) is almost as sought-after as issue one of “Action Comics.” In it, the first four Superman stories from the early issues of “Action Comics” are reprinted, including four pages that never made it into issue one.
“Superman” number two is notable for its full-page ad for the New York World’s Fair, while the cover of number 17 from July/August of 1942 depicts Superman, flying high above the Earth, holding the terrified caricatures of Adolph Hitler and Emperor Hirohito by the backs of their uniforms. Also collectible is issue 53, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Man of Steel.
The “Superman” comic ran for 423 issues until 1986, when it became “The Adventures of Superman.” Comics from that series are considerably less valuable.
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Upcoming Events
- The People of the [Comic] Book: A Discussion of Jews and Comics
Apr 1. San Francisco, CA. - Cartoon Art Museum and The Hero Initiative Present A Benefit for Ed Hannigan: WonderCon Weekend Party
Apr 2. san Francisco, CA. - Musuem of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival 2010
Apr 10–11. New York, NY.
Interviews & Articles
An Interview with Golden Age Comics Collector and Historian Greg Theakston
My older brother started bringing comics home in 1957 when I was around five years old. The whole form just fascina… [more]
An Interview With Vintage Comic Book Collector Jamie Coville
I’ve been interested in comic books since I was very young. My two older brothers had Spider-Man and Fantastic Four… [more]
An Interview With Comic Character Advertising Pinback Collector Mark Lansdown
I started off collecting comics, and still do, but I’d been given a few early Disney pinbacks as a child and always… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Cover Browser
Philipp Lenssen's incredible archive of over 94,000 comic book covers - Wow! Wham! Yikes! Browse by title from the … [read review or visit site]
Comic Character Pinbacks
Mark Lansdown's excellent collection of over 800 pinbacks representing 200+ comic characters from 100+ strips. Beau… [read review or visit site]
Doug Gilford’s Mad Cover Site
Doug Gilford's great Mad Magazine reference site features cover scans and reference information on every issue of t… [read review or visit site]
Golden Age Comic Cover Gallery
Ben Samuels' site includes high resolution scans of about 250 classic comic book covers from the 1940s and 50s. Div… [read review or visit site]
TheComicBooks.com
Jamie Coville's in-progress ode to the history of 20th century comic books. Start with his Newsstand Period Part 1 … [read review or visit site]
The Incredible Hulk Library
Bursting at the seams with content... Julio Molina-Muscara has created a great reference guide to comic books featu… [read review or visit site]
Popeye's Thimble Theatre
Bruce Shults takes us on a comprehensive Popeye fan tour, from the early comic strips to cartoons and collectible m… [read review or visit site]
Barnacle Press
This collection of obscure newspaper comic strips provides scans browsable by title, year and date. Showcases comic… [read review or visit site]
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