If you were to ask the average person on the street, "When was Superman's first appearance?" Most would not know, some may tell you Superman number one and even fewer would tell you Action Comics number one. Ask the same question of a fan boy and he would tell you it was not Action Comics number one as the common lore would have you believe.
I personally have never been much of a Superman fan. When I was ten years old I fell asleep in the theater watching the 1978 version of Superman. I awoke to an empty theater and the movie had been over for 30 minutes.
But I digress, what really stands out in my mind is the fact that two teenagers created such an enduring character. In 1933 the Superman character was far from the Eagle Scout we have know for that last 76 years. When Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegle published The Reign of Superman, the Superman was a homeless man named Bill Dun standing in a breadline when a scientist, Professor Ernest Smalley offered Bill a real meal and a new suit. Just imagine if men wore suits as everyday attire in 2014.
Again I digress. In the Reign of Superman Bill Dun is an evil individual who gained telepathic powers from a drug Smalley administered to him. Dun used his powers for petty crimes such as cheating at the gambling tables and he forced one person to write him a check for tens of thousands of dollars. As the story progessed the Superman became obsessed with power and he became maniacal. His coup de grace was sabotaging the "greatest Peace Conference" of all time then he was going to use his powers start a world war. However the Superman has a vision of the future and realized when the inevitable time comes and the drug has worn off he would be back to sleeping on park benches and standing in the bread line. The story ends with Bill Dun returning to the anonymity and poverty from where he came.
As I read the Reign of The Superman, I kept thinking of the 2011 movie Limitless. Many aspects of the premise of Limitless are the same as Sielge and Shuster's 1933 creation. Making it even more impressive that two 19 year old kids not only produced timeless persona but the idea of wonder drug capable dramatically increasing ones ability to use his brain beyond the normal limits is just as timeless. Simply amazing.
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With his shaved head I wonder if Dun was the inspiration for Lex Luthor
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Over the course of the next five years Joe and Jerry tried to find a medium for a re-imagined Superman. Finally finding a publisher in Action Comics. As part of the deal in getting Superman published they sold the rights to the publisher for $130.
In Action Comics number one Superman could not fly. He was more of a caped John Cater. He possessed great strength had the power to jump over 20-story buildings and outrun trains and his skin was impenetrable. Not until May 1943 is Superman explicitly referred to as a "being who can fly like a bird" and not until later that same year can it be said, without qualification, that Superman actually possesses the power of flight.
By 1945, Superman is able to fly from Metropolis to Burma in the wink of an eye. "Light travels 186,000 miles a second, but has nothing on Superman," notes the text, "who finds himself hovering over the jungles of Burma in the wink of an eye!"
By 1945, Superman is able to fly from Metropolis to Burma in the wink of an eye. "Light travels 186,000 miles a second, but has nothing on Superman," notes the text, "who finds himself hovering over the jungles of Burma in the wink of an eye!"
Of the 64 pages in Action Comics number one Superman is in the first 13 pages and those are the pages that make Action Comics #1 worth $3,207,852. I have uploaded them for your enjoyment.
