Action Comics Vol 1 1

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Action Comics Vol 1 #1
Published
Released
June, 1938
May 3, 1938

 Cover Artists
Joe Shuster Jack Adler

 Publisher
DC Comics

 Writers
Jerry Siegel

 Pencilers
Joe Shuster

 Inkers
Joe Shuster

 Editors
Vincent Sullivan

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—
*Action Comics*  #2

  *...And nothing less than a burst shell could penetrate his skin!*
## Appearing in "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Superman ***(First appearance)*** Template:Origin

**Supporting Characters:**

* Jor-L ***(First appearance)*** ***(Mentioned)***
* John Kent ***(First appearance)*** ***(Mentioned)***
* Mary Kent ***(First appearance)*** ***(Mentioned)***
* Lois Lane ***(First appearance)***
* George Taylor ***(First appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* Bea Carroll Template:1stUnnamed
* Butch Matson ***(First appearance)***
* Senator Barrows ***(Only appearance)***
* Alex Greer ***(Only appearance)***

**Other Characters:**

* Evelyn Curry ***(Only appearance)***

**Locations:**

* Krypton ***(First appearance)*** ***(Destroyed in flashback)***
* Earth-Two
	+ Ohio
		- Cleveland
			* Daily Star ***(First appearance)***
		- Template:WP
			* Governor's mansion
	+ Washington, D.C.

* Kryptonian Rocket ***(First appearance)*** ***(Appears in main story and flashback)***

## Appearing in Chuck Dawson: "The 4-G Gang (Part 1)"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Chuck Dawson ***(First appearance)***

**Supporting Characters:**

* Blacky ***(First appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* John Burwell ***(First appearance)***
* Butch ***(First appearance)***
* "Trigger" Holt ***(First appearance)***
* Notch Logan ***(First appearance)***

**Other Characters:**

* Dan Dawson ***(Only appearance)***
* Sheriff of Red Gulch ***(First appearance)***
* Deputy sheriff of Red Gulch ***(First appearance)***

**Locations:**

* 19th Century
	+ Wyoming
		- Dan Dawson's ranch
	+ Texas
		- Red Gulch
			* A-G Ranch

## Appearing in Zatara: "The Mystery of the Freight Train Robberies"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Zatara the Magician (Giovanni "John" Zatara) ***(First appearance)***

**Supporting Characters:**

* Tong ***(First appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* The Tigress ***(First appearance)***
* Train Inspector Babcock
* Monk
* Spike

**Other Characters:**

* Detective Brady ***(Only appearance; dies)***
* Detective Brown
* State Police Captain Kennedy

* Freight Train

## Appearing in "Sticky-Mitt Stimson"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Sticky-Mitt Stimson

## Synopsis for "Sticky-Mitt Stimson"Edit

A produce thief makes efforts to elude police.

## Appearing in "The Adventures of Marco Polo (Part I)"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Marco Polo ***(First appearance)***

**Supporting Characters:**

* Niccolò Polo ***(First appearance)***
* Maffeo Polo ***(First appearance)***
* Niku ***(First appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* Babylonians
* The Bararri Men

**Other Characters:**

* King of Armenia's emissary ***(Only appearance)***
* King of Armenia ***(Behind the scenes)***
* Pope Gregory X ***(Behind the scenes)***
* The Khan of Tartary ***(Behind the scenes)***

**Locations:**

* 13th Century
	+ Italy
		- Venice
		- Vatican City
	+ Armenia
	+ Turkey
		- Mount Ararat
		- Dora
	+ Iran
		- Bunder-Abbas
	+ India
		- Karghar Pass

**Vehicles:**

* Armenian galley
* Babylon warships

## Appearing in Pep Morgan: "The Light Heavyweight Championship"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Pep Morgan

**Supporting Characters:**

* Pop Burkett ***(Only appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* Doc Lowry ***(Only appearance)***
* Boomerang ***(Only appearance)***

**Other Characters:**

* Sailor Sorenson ***(Only appearance)***
* O'Rourke ***(Only appearance)***

**Locations:**

* Earth

## Appearing in Scoop Scanlon: "The International Jewel Thief"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Scoop Scanlon ***(First appearance)***

**Supporting Characters:**

* Rusty James ***(First appearance)***

**Antagonists:**

* Arnold ***(Only appearance)***

**Other Characters:**

* Police Officers

**Locations:**

* Earth
	+ The Bulletin

## Appearing in Tex Thomson: "Murder in England"Edit

**Featured Characters:**

* Tex Thompson ***(First appearance)***

**Supporting Characters:**

* Robert
* Betty

**Antagonists:**

* Sonja
* Chief
* Monk

**Other Characters:**

* Sheriff
* Sergeant Smith

**Locations:**

* Earth
	+ England

## Notes

The first "Superman" character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was not a hero, but a villain. Their short story "The Reign of the Superman" concerned a bald-headed villain bent on dominating the world. The story did not sell, forcing the two to preposition their character on the right side of the law. In 1935, their Superman story was again rejected by newspaper syndicates wanting to avoid lawsuits, who recognized the character as being similar to a lead character from Philip Wylie's 1930 novel. DC decided to take a chance with Superman, figuring if any lawsuits were filed, they would just drop the feature.

* The revised Superman first appeared in *Action Comics* #1, June 1938. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was being paid still a fraction of DC's Superman profits. In 1946, when Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC fired them, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they signed away any further claim to Superman or any character created from him. DC soon took their names off the byline. Following the huge financial success of Superman: The Movie in 1978 and news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communications gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $35,000 per year and health care benefits. In addition, any media production which includes the Superman character must include the credit, "Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster".

* *Superman, Champion of the Oppressed* was reprinted with added material in **Superman*  #1*. The story was reprinted in its original form in Template:Co, *Superman in the Forties*, Template:Co, *Superman: The Golden Age Volume 1*, *Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years* and *Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years*.
* The entire issue was reprinted in *Famous First Edition*  #C-26*, *Action Comics (US Postal Service)*  #1, and *Millennium Edition: Action Comics*  #1.*
* Lois Lane is kidnapped for the first time in the first Superman story.
* Although the Chuck Dawson story in this issue has been designated "The A-G Gang" by several sources (most notably the Grand Comic Book Database), the name of the gang is the **4-G Gang** according to the second part of this story in *Action Comics*  #2.
* "The 4-G Gang" is presented entirely in black and white.
* The inside cover of this issue directs the reader to use crayons to color the first page of this story, tear out the page, and send it into a contest where the best 25 submissions would win $1. The entry deadline was midnight, June 6, 1938.
* Also appearing in this issue of *Action Comics* was:
	+ "South Sea Strategy, Part I" (text story), by Frank Thomas

## Trivia

Original price for $0.10, in 2010, this issue sold for $1,500,000 online.

* *Zatara* writer/artist Fred Guardineer is also credited as "Gene Baxter" on his *Pep Morgan* story, in this issue.
* Russell Cole is credited as Edwin Alger in this issue.
* The cover has been copied, parodied, and reinterpreted several times, including:
	+ *Action Comics*  #800
	+ *The Multiversity*  #1
	+ *Superboy/Risk: Double Shot*  #1
	+ *Superman*  Vol 2 #124
	+ *Superman*  Vol 2 #136
	+ *Superman*  Vol 3 #19 (variant cover by Template:WP only)
	+ Superman: Tales of the Bizarro World (Collected)
	+ A panel on *Action Comics Annual*  #8
	+ A panel on *Infinite Crisis*  #5
	+ A panel on *Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare*  #2 (with an unknown metahuman)
	+ A panel on *Kingdom Come*  #1
	+ A panel on *Legion of Super-Heroes/Bugs Bunny Special*  #1
	+ A panel on *Supergirl*  #1
	+ A panel on *Superman: The Man of Steel*  #80
	+ A panel on *Superman: War of the Worlds*  #1

## See Also

* Write your own review of this comic!
* Discuss Action Comics Vol 1 1 on the forums
* Images from Action Comics Vol 1 1

## Links and References

Template:Superman Links

* Read "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed" online
* *Action Comics* #1 at Wikipedia

### Footnotes

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 First and only known appearance to date besides flashbacks
2. ↑ Superman back on top as Action Comics 1 sells for record 1,5 million