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Action Comics should not be confused with Action, the controversial British comic of the 1970s.
Action Comics

Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the debut of Superman. Cover art by Joe Shuster. Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics
Publisher DC Comics
Schedule Monthly
Format Standard format used at the time of publication. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company
Publication date June 1938 - present
Number of issues 865
Main character(s) Superman
Creative team
Writer(s) Current:
Geoff Johns
Artist(s) Gary Frank
Creator(s) Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Collected editions
Superman Chronicles Vol 1 ISBN 1401207642
Superman Chronicles Vol 2 ISBN 1401212158
Superman in the Forties ISBN 1401204570
Archives Vol 1 ISBN 1563893355
Archives Vol 2 ISBN 1563894262
Archives Vol 3 ISBN 1563897105
Archives Vol 4 ISBN 1401204082
Archives Vol 5 ISBN 1401211887

Action Comics is an American comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined. Geoff Johns (born 25 Jan 1973 in Detroit Michigan) is an American Comic book Writer, best known for his work for Gary Frank (born 1969 is a British Comic book Artist and Penciller, notable for his work on Midnight Nation Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics, Inc. Detective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937 best-known for introducing the iconic Superhero Batman , and later as National Comics and as National Periodical Publications, before taking on its current name of DC Comics, a subsidiary of Time Warner. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City.

Contents

Publication history

Superman

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster saw their creation, Superman, AKA Kal-El (originally Kal-L), launched in Action Comics #1 in April 1938 (cover-dated June). Jerome "Jerry" Siegel (October 17 1914 – January 28 1996 who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, Siegel was a fan of movies Joseph "Joe" Shuster (July 10 1914 - July 30 1992 was a Canadian -born American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics 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 (Approximate present-day value (In "near mint" condition): $1,380,000 USD. ) Siegel and Shuster had tried for years to find a publisher for their Superman character (originally conceived as a newspaper strip) without success. Superman was originally a bald madman created by Siegel and Shuster who used his telepathic abilities to wreak havoc on mankind. He appeared in Siegel and Shuster's book Science Fiction. [1] Siegel then commented, "What if this Superman was a force for good instead of evil?" The writer and artist had worked on several features for National Periodical Publications' other titles (Slam Bradley in Detective Comics, for example[2]) and were asked to contribute a feature for National's newest publication. Samuel Emerson "Slam" Bradley is a Fictional character that has appeared in various Comic book series published by DC Comics. Detective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937 best-known for introducing the iconic Superhero Batman 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[3]. 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. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Action Comics was soon followed by the Superman comic book series in 1939, along with a wealth of other comics starring numerous costumed superheroes. The cover to Action Comics #1 remains one of the most homaged covers of all time.

As of 2008, Action Comics is still in publication, surpassing a milestone of 850 issues. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common This makes it the second-highest-number American comic book series, after Dell Comics' Four Color. Dell Comics was the Comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in Pulp magazines. Four Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was an extremely prolific American Comic book Despite being continually published since 1938, it is not the longest-running American comic book; that distinction belongs to Detective Comics. Detective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937 best-known for introducing the iconic Superhero Batman

Hiatus, name changes, publication changes, and special numbering

Cover of Action Comics #800 (April 2003). The cover is a modern look of the cover on action comics No. 1. Art by Drew Struzan.
Cover of Action Comics #800 (April 2003). The cover is a modern look of the cover on action comics No. 1. Art by Drew Struzan. Drew Struzan (born 1947 is an American Artist. Struzan has painted album covers advertising collectibles and book covers but he is best known for his extensive

Action Comics is the second-longest running DC Comics series after Detective Comics; however, it cannot claim to have had an uninterrupted run, as it went on hiatus for three months twice, once in 1986 (when the regular Superman books were suspended during the publication of John Byrne's The Man of Steel six-issue limited series, and again in 1992 (when the Superman books went on a 3-month hiatus following the "Death of Superman" and "Funeral for a Friend" stories). DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Detective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937 best-known for introducing the iconic Superhero Batman John Lindley Byrne (born July 6 1950) is a British -born Canadian - American author and artist of Comic books Since the A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues The Death of Superman is a Comic book Storyline (culminating in Superman #75 in 1992 that served as the catalyst for DC Comics '

In 1988, DC Comics tried unsuccessfully to return the format of the comic to an anthology and publish it on a weekly basis, but it returned to a monthly format less than a year later. (However, the temporarily increased frequency of issues allowed Action to further surpass the older Detective Comics in the number of individual issues published. It originally passed Detective Comics in the 1970s when that series was bi-monthly for a number of years. ) Another departure from a strict monthly schedule were the giant-size Supergirl reprint issues of the 1960s and very early 1970s (published as a 13th issue annually). Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman

An issue #0 (October 1994) was published between issues #703 and #704 as part of the Zero Month after the Zero Hour crossover event and issue #1,000,000 (November 1998) during the DC One Million crossover event in October 1998 between issues #748 and #749. Zero Hour Crisis in Time is a five-issue Comic book Limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994 Zero Hour Crisis in Time is a five-issue Comic book Limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994 DC One Million was a crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1998.

Important issues

Early anthology

Originally, Action Comics was an anthology title featuring a number of other stories in addition to the Superman story. Zatara, a magician, was one of the other characters who had their own stories in early issues. This article is about Giovanni "John" Zatara For his nephew see Zachary Zatara. (Zatanna, a heroine introduced in the 1960s, is Zatara's daughter. Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ) There was also the hero Tex Thomson, who eventually became Mr. Tex Thomson (sometimes called Tex Thompson) is a Fictional character, a superhero owned by DC Comics who has used the costumed identities Mr America and later the Americommando. Tex Thomson (sometimes called Tex Thompson) is a Fictional character, a superhero owned by DC Comics who has used the costumed identities Mr Vigilante also enjoyed a lengthy run in this series. Vigilante is the name used by several fictional characters appearing in DC Comics. Sometimes stories of a more humorous nature were included, such as those of Hayfoot Henry, a policeman who talked in rhyme. Hayfoot Henry was a DC Comics character of the 1940s who made his debut in All Funny Comics, then moved to Action Comics, where Gradually the size of the issues was decreased as the publisher was reluctant to raise the cover price from the original 10 cents, so there were fewer stories. For a while, Congo Bill and Tommy Tomorrow were the two features in addition to Superman (Congo Bill eventually gained the ability to swap bodies with a gorilla and his strip was renamed Congorilla), but soon after the introduction of Supergirl in issue #252 (May 1959) the non-Superman-related strips were crowded out of Action altogether. Congo Bill was a long running DC Comics adventure Comic strip, first published in More Fun Comics #56 (June 1940) created by Tommy Tomorrow was a long-running science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963 Congo Bill was a long running DC Comics adventure Comic strip, first published in More Fun Comics #56 (June 1940) created by Supergirl is a fictional Comic book superheroine that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic Superhero Superman Since then, it has generally been an all-Superman comic, though other backup stories such as The Human Target occasionally appear. The Human Target is an American Comic book character created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino: a unique Private detective and Bodyguard

Action Comics Weekly (1988-1989)

For slightly less than a year in 1988-1989, the publication frequency was changed to weekly and the title became Action Comics Weekly, and was an anthology format series; this change lasted from issue #601 to issue #642. During this time, Superman appeared only in a two page story per issue; however, he was still the only character to appear in every issue of the run.

To boost the profile of Action Comics Weekly, prior to its launch DC cancelled its ongoing Green Lantern title Green Lantern Corps, and made Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his adventures exclusive to Action Comics Weekly. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. The move was largely a failure, as many fans felt the Action Comics Weekly stories were of extremely poor quality. During the Action Comics Weekly run, a Green Lantern Special was published in 1988, tying in with the events happening in Action Comics Weekly. Green Lantern was soon moved out of the title, with Green Lantern Special # 2 (1989) published concluding the story plots from Action Comics Weekly, and the character was relaunched with a limited series in 1989 (Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn), followed up by a new ongoing series in June 1990 (Green Lantern Vol. A limited series is a term originated by Marvel Comics referring to a Comic book series with a set number of issues 3).

The rest of these issues featured rotating serialized stories of other, mostly minor, DC heroes, as try-outs that led to their own limited series. Characters with featured stories in the run included Black Canary, Blackhawk, Catwoman, Deadman, Nightwing, Phantom Lady (Dee Tyler), Phantom Stranger, Secret Six, Speedy, and Wild Dog. Black Canary is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. Blackhawk, a long-running Comic book series was also a Film serial, a radio series and a Novel. Catwoman is a Fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise. Deadman is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in DC Comics. Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional Superhero that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. The Phantom Stranger is a Fictional character of unspecified Paranormal origins who battles mysterious and Occult forces in various titles published The Secret Six is the name of three distinct Fictional Comic book teams in the DC Comics universe, plus an alternate universe's fourth Wild Dog is a Fictional Vigilante published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Wild Dog #1 (September 1987 and was created by

The final issue of the weekly was originally intended to feature a book-length encounter between Clark Kent and Hal Jordan penned by writer Neil Gaiman. Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Harold "Hal" Jordan is a Fictional character, a DC Comics Superhero. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and While Gaiman's story primarily teamed up Green Lantern and Superman, it also featured other characters from Action Comics Weekly including the Blackhawks (in flashback), Deadman and the Phantom Stranger. The story ran counter to DC editorial policy at the time as it portrayed Hal Jordan and Clark Kent as old friends who knew each other's secret identities. This was not considered canon in 1989 (though other issues of Action Comics Weekly implied Hal and Clark were friends) and Gaiman was unwilling to change this aspect of the story. The story was pulled and a different story was run. Gaiman's story was finally published as Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame one-shot in 2000. Green Lantern/Superman Legend of the Green Flame was a one-shot prestige format Comic book published in 2000 by DC Comics.

Collected editions

Awards

Action Comics #687 through 689 were part of The Reign of the Supermen storyline, which won the 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic Book Story that year. The Death of Superman is a Comic book Storyline (culminating in Superman #75 in 1992 that served as the catalyst for DC Comics ' Comics Buyer's Guide ( (CBG is the second longest-running Periodical reporting on the Comic book industry

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp82-84 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
  2. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp120 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
  3. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp124 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
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 DC Comics is one of the largest Comic book and Graphic novel publishers in North America.
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