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| Superman's 1st appearance in Action Comics (1938) #1 |
"Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster are the spiritual fathers of Superman (1938), the most famous superhero comic on Earth....Siegel and Shuster tried to make a living as authors of science fiction novels, but none of their stories found a publisher.
"Tired of waiting in vain, they founded their own magazine, Science Fiction, in October 1932. In their third issue (January 1933) they published a story called 'The Reign of the Superman,' which marked the first appearance of the iconic character, though not in the form as he is known today.
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| Front page of "The Reign of the Superman" by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster (provided by Lambiek Comiclopedia) |
"Here he was merely a monster created by mad scientist Professor Ernest Smalley with aid of a meteor. Smalley wants to make the perfect human being. His eugenetic experiment pays off, as Superman has indeed amazing telepathic super powers. But he eventually goes on a rampage until his power wears off.
"The story was clearly inspired by Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, which was adapted into film by Universal in 1931 starring Boris Karloff. Contrary to popular thought, the term 'superman' was not thought up by Siegel, nor Shuster.
"It first appeared as a concept in German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's 1883 treatise 'Also Sprach Zarathustra,' where it was described as the 'Übermensch.' This was later translated by some English translators as 'superman,' like in George Bernard Shaw's play 'Man and Superman' (1903).
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| Animated GIF of the cover of Action Comics (1938) #1 by the artist who goes by ABVH |
"Despite its historical significance the comic didn't have any impact. Clearly audiences were not in the mood for a story about an omni-powerful villain. Siegel and Shuster therefore tried out several other science fiction stories which kept being rejected by bigger publishing companies" (continued...)
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