Action Comics 1

Action Comics 1

"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. Featuring the first appearance of the Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation Superman, it is considered the first true superhero comic, and though today "Action Comics" is a monthly title devoted to Superman, it began, like many early comics, as an anthology. [cite web |url=http://comics.ign.com/objects/740/740475.html |title=Action Comics |accessdate=2007-04-25 |publisher=IGN]

"Action Comics" was started by publisher Jack Liebowitz. The first issue had a print run of 200,000 copies, although sales of the series would soon approach 1,000,000 a month. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were paid $10 per page, for a total of $130 for their work on this issue. They effectively signed away millions in future rights and royalties payments. Starting in 1978 Siegel and Shuster were provided with a $20,000 a month annuity which was later raised to $30,000. Liebowitz would later say that selecting Superman to run in "Action Comics" #1 was "pure accident" based on deadline pressure. He also selected the "thrilling" cover, depicting Superman lifting a car over his head. [cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE0DD103FF930A25751C1A9669C8B63 |title=Jack Liebowitz, Comics Publisher, Dies at 100 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |last=Nash |first=Eric P. |date=December 13, 2000 |publisher=New York Times] Christopher Knowles, author of "Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes", compared the cover to "Hercules Clubs the Hydra" by Antonio del Pollaiolo. [cite web |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12056 |title=The "Action Comics" #1 Cover Debate – Part 1 |accessdate=2008-08-01 |last=Knowles |first=Chris |date=November 28, 2007 |publisher=Comic Book Resources]

Contents

* "Superman" (pp. 1 - 13) by Siegel and Shuster.
* "Chuck Dawson" (pp. 14 - 19) by H. Fleming.
* "Zatara Master Magician" (pp. 20 - 31) by Fred Guardineer.
* "South Sea Strategy" (pp. 32 - 33) by Captain Frank Thomas.
* "Sticky-Mitt Stimson" (pp. 34 - 37) by Alger.
* "The Adventures of Marco Polo" (pp. 38 - 41) by Sven Elven.
* '"Pep" Morgan' (pp. 42 - 45) by Fred Guardineer.
* "Scoop Scanlon Five Star Reporter" (pp. 46 - 51) by Will Ely.
* "Tex Thompson" (pp. 52 - 63) by Bernard Baily.
* "Stardust by 'The "Star-Gazer" (pp. 64)

uperman

In January 1933, Jerry Siegel wrote a story entitled "The Reign of the Superman." Siegel and Joe Shuster then created a comic book entitled "The Superman" later in 1933. A Chicago publisher expressed interest, but didn't follow through, and in frustration, Shuster tore up all the pages of this comic except for the cover. Later, in 1934, Siegel had trouble falling asleep and decided to pass the time creating dramatic elements for a comic strip. Building on his previous ideas, he envisioned a child on a far-off planet named Krypton, where all the residents had super powers. Because Krypton would soon explode, the boy was sent to Earth by his father, where he became Superman. [cite web |url=http://superman.nu/a/siegel.php |title=HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SUPERMAN! |accessdate=2007-04-25 |publisher=superman.nu]

The Superman section of "Action Comics" was made up of a cut up comic strip. Siegel and Shuster had shopped Superman around as a comic strip, but were continually turned down. National Publications was looking for a hit to accompany their success with "Detective Comics", and didn't have time to solicit new material. Jack Liebowitz, co-owner of National Publications told editor Vin Sullivan to create their fourth comic book. Because of the tight deadline, Sullivan was forced to make it out of inventory and stockpile pages. He found a number of adventurer stories, but needed a lead feature. Sullivan asked former coworker Sheldon Mayer if he could help. Mayer found the rejected Superman comic strips, and Sullivan told Siegel and Shuster that if they could paste them into 13 comic book pages, he would buy them. [cite web |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/12/28/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-83/ |title=Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #83 |accessdate=2007-04-25 |publisher=Comic Book Resources]

The original five panel comics strip was cut apart, rewritten, and redrawn to create the first page of "Action Comics" #1.

# Superman's rocket ship leaving an exploding Krypton.
# No copies exist, but it most likely depicted the rocket ship being discovered on Earth, and the baby Superman being taken to an orphanage.
# No copies exist, but it most likely displayed the baby Superman's strength; lifting a chair as a baby.
# Superman in costume but without his cape is shown racing a train.
# Superman in his costume, hovering over a city.

Siegel rewrote and extended the fourth panel into panels 4, 5, and 6 on the first page, and Joe Shuster created three new drawings for them. Instead of racing the train in his costume, he is dressed as Clark Kent. Siegel and Shuster decided that they would not show him in his costume until he had officially adopted his Superman alter-ego. Shuster also redrew panel 7. Finally, two new panels (8 and 9) were inserted to complete the first page. [cite web |url=http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=1119&si=126 |title=From Papers to Comics to Papers |accessdate=2007-04-26 |publisher=Diamond Galleries]

Siegel and Shuster had tried for years to find a publisher for their Superman character (originally conceived as a newspaper strip) without success. The writer and artist had worked on several features for National Periodical Publications' other titles (Slam Bradley in Detective Comics, for example) and were asked to contribute a feature for National's newest publication. 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. 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. "Action Comics" was soon followed by the "Superman" comic book series in 1939, along with a wealth of other comics starring numerous costumed superheroes.

Collectibility

*As of Sept 2007, "Action Comics" #1 is the most valuable comic for a given condition, followed by "Detective Comics" #27 and "Superman" vol. 1 #1. [cite web |url=http://www.nostomania.com/servlets/com.nostomania.CatPage?name=Top100ComicsMain |title=Nostomania's 100 Most Valuable Comic Books |accessdate=2007-04-26 |publisher=Nostomania] [cite web |url=http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/09/20/the-7-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neatorama.com%2F2006%2F09%2F20%2Fworlds-most-valuable-comic-books%2F&frame=true |title=World’s Most Valuable Comic Books. |accessdate=2007-04-26 |publisher=Netscape]

*Fewer than 100 copies of "Action Comics" #1 are known to exist.cite web |url=http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=3621&si=121 |title=$1 Million Reward For Rare Comic Book Offered By Baltimore Business Executive |accessdate=2007-04-26 |publisher=Diamond Galleries]

*There are five known CGC Graded copies with a grade above VG (CGC 4.0), with a single issue having the best grade of VF+ (CGC 8.5). There are at least two known uncertified copies in higher grade, including the famous Edgar Church/Mile High copy. [cite web |url=http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=14803&si=123 |title=Mastro to Offer “Forgotten” Action #1 |accessdate=2007-04-26 |publisher=Diamond Galleries] [cite web |url=http://comics.drunkenfist.com/the-most-valuable-comic-books-in-the-world/ |title=The Most Valuable Comic Books in the World |accessdate=2008-07-18 |publisher=It's All Just Comics]

*In 2003 Stephen A. Geppi, owner of Diamond Comic Distributors, offered up to $1,000,000 for a near mint (CGC grade 9.4) copy of "Action Comics" #1 at the First Annual Las Vegas Comic-Con. There are however no known copies in that grade.

*In 1996, NY-based Metropolis Comics (www.metropoliscomics.com) sold two high grade copies for $150,000 each. Today, those copies are worth $500,000 each.

*EC and "Mad" publisher William Gaines, whose father was also a comic book publisher and had business dealings with DC Comics at the time "Action Comics" #1 was published, claimed in a "Comics Journal" interview that he at one point had dozens of copies of the issue around his house, but they were probably all thrown out. ["An Interview with William M. Gaines", "The Comics Journal" #81, May 1983, p. 55]

Reprints

In the mid-1970s, DC reissued several of its most popular Golden Age comics under the "Famous First Editions" series, including Action Comics #1. These reprints were oversized, roughly double the size of the original editions. A cardboard-like cover was placed over these copies, showing that they were a part of the Famous First Edition series. However, there have been many reports over the years of the outer cover being removed and these reprints being sold as legitimate first issues to unsuspecting buyers. [cite web |url=http://reviews.ebay.com/ACTION-COMICS-1-1st-Superman-BEWARE-OF-REPRINTS_W0QQugidZ10000000000083834QQ_trksidZp3286.c0.m17 |title=Beware of 1st Superman reprints |accessdate=2008-08-06 |publisher=eBay]

As well as stories from the issue appearing in many collections, the entire comic was reprinted as part of DC Millennium Editions.

Cultural references

* In the "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" episode of "The Simpsons", Homer sees a copy of Action Comics #1, along with the United States Declaration of Independence, an Inverted Jenny postage stamp sheet and a Stradivarius violin at a yard sale all for 5¢ and tosses them aside as "junk". These items, because of their immense historical value and rarity would be worth more than $1,380,000 US.

* In the "Homie the Clown" episode of "The Simpsons", Krusty the Clown uses a variety of highly valued items to light his cigarettes, including a $100 bill and a copy of "Action Comics" #1.

*Hiro Nakamura, a character of NBC's TV series Heroes, is given "Action Comics" #1 from his grandfather in a graphic novel supplement to the series.

References


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