Action Comics
Encyclopedia
Action Comics is an American comic book
series
that introduced
Superman
, the first major superhero
character as the term is popularly defined. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics
, Inc., and later as National Comics and as National Periodical Publications, before taking on its current name of DC Comics
.
and Joe Shuster
saw their creation, Superman (also known as Kal-El, originally Kal-L), launched in Action Comics #1
in April 1938 (cover-dated June). 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. 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 Allied 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.
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. (Zatanna
, a heroine introduced in the 1960s, is Zatara's daughter.) There was also the hero Tex Thompson
, who eventually became Mr. America and later the Americommando. Vigilante
also enjoyed a lengthy run in this series. Sometimes stories of a more humorous nature were included, such as those of Hayfoot Henry
, a policeman who talked in rhyme. 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. Since then, it has generally been an all-Superman comic, though other backup stories such as the Human Target
occasionally appear.
In number of issues, Action Comics is the longest running DC Comics
series, followed by Detective Comics
; however, it has not had an uninterrupted run, having been on a three-month hiatus on two separate occasions. The first of these occurred during the summer of 1986
, with issue #583 bearing a cover date of September, and issue #584 listing January 1987. The regular Superman titles were suspended during this period to allow for the post-Crisis
revising of the Superman story through the publication of John Byrne's six-issue The Man of Steel
limited series
. Publication was again suspended between issues #686 and #687 (February and June 1993) following the "Death of Superman" and "Funeral for a Friend" storylines, before Action Comics returned in June with the "Reign of the Supermen" arc. (The two "Funeral for a Friend" issues, #685 and #686, featured the cover announcement of "Supergirl in Action Comics", highlighting the passing of Superman.)
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. After May 1988's landmark issue #600, issues #611-615 all bore August cover dates. The Action Comics Weekly experiment lasted only until the beginning of March 1989, however, and after a short break, July's issue #643 brought the title back onto a monthly schedule. (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.) 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.
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. 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. 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
, Captain Marvel
, Catwoman
, Deadman
, Nightwing
, Phantom Lady
(Dee Tyler), Phantom Stranger
, Secret Six
, Speedy, and Wild Dog. Each issue also featured a two-page Superman serial, a feature which, according to an editorial in the first weekly issue, was intended as a homage to the Superman newspaper strips of the past.
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
. 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 others 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 a one-shot in Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame
in November 2000.
Another departure from a strict monthly schedule were the giant-size Supergirl
reprint issues of the 1960s (published as a 13th issue annually): issues #334 (March 1966), #347 (March/April 1967), #360 (March/April 1968), and #373 (March/April 1969).
An issue #0 (October 1994) was published between issues #703 and #704 as part of the Zero Month after the "Zero Hour" crossover event. There was also an issue #1,000,000 (November 1998) during the "DC One Million
" crossover event in October 1998 between issues #748 and #749.
" company-wide storyline, Action Comics had a crossover arc with the series Superman, titled "Up, Up and Away!
" and which told of Clark Kent attempting to protect Metropolis without his powers and eventually regaining his powers. Afterward, he leaves Earth and is replaced by the new Nightwing
and Flamebird
as the starring characters of the book.
Starting with issue #875, Thara Ak-Var
and Chris Kent
, two characters introduced in the "New Krypton
" story arc, took Superman's place as the main protagonists of the comic, while Superman left Earth to live on New Krypton. These are written by Greg Rucka
with artist Eddy Barrows
, who left the art duties on Teen Titans to pencil Action.
Starting in July 2009, Action Comics includes back-up stories featuring Captain Atom
.
On February 22, 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 (June 1938) sold at auction
for $1 million, besting the $317,000 record for a comic book set by a different copy, in lesser condition, the previous year. The sale, by an anonymous seller to an anonymous buyer, was through the Manhattan
-based auction company ComicConnect.com.
Although DC had initially announced that Marc Guggenheim
would take over writing of the title following the War of the Supermen limited series, he was replaced by Paul Cornell
.
Cornell has stated that Lex Luthor
would feature as the main character in Action Comics from issues #890-900 and Death
would appear in issue #894, with the agreement of the character's creator, Neil Gaiman
.
In April 2011, the 900th Action Comics issue was released. It served as a conclusion for Luthor's "Black Ring" storyline and a continuation for the "Reign of Doomsday
" storyline.
and drawn by Rags Morales
.
and hardcovers. These generally reprint only the Superman stories from the given issues.
storyline, which won the 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide
Fan Award for Favorite Comic Book Story that year.
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
that introduced
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, the first major superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
character as the term is popularly defined. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
, Inc., and later as National Comics and as National Periodical Publications, before taking on its current name of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Superman
Jerry SiegelJerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
saw their creation, Superman (also known as Kal-El, originally Kal-L), launched in Action Comics #1
Action Comics 1
Action Comics #1 is the first issue of the comic book series Action Comics. It features the first appearance of several comic book heroes, most notably the Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster creation Superman.-Contents:...
in April 1938 (cover-dated June). 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. 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 Allied Publications' other titles (Slam Bradley
Slam Bradley
Samuel Emerson "Slam" Bradley is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He is a private detective who exists in DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe...
in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
, 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.
Early anthology
Originally, Action Comics was an anthology titleComics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
featuring a number of other stories in addition to the Superman story. Zatara
Zatara
Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Fred Guardineer. He is a stage magician who also practices actual magic...
, a magician, was one of the other characters who had their own stories in early issues. (Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
, a heroine introduced in the 1960s, is Zatara's daughter.) There was also the hero Tex Thompson
Tex Thompson
Tex Thompson is a superhero owned by DC Comics who has used the costumed identities Mr. America and The Americommando. Created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily, his first appearance was in Action Comics #1 , the same comic that introduced Superman.-Fictional character biography:Thomson is originally...
, who eventually became Mr. America and later the Americommando. Vigilante
Vigilante (comics)
Vigilante is the name used by several fictional characters appearing in DC Comics. The original character was one of the first DC Comics characters adapted for live-action film, beating Superman by one year.-Greg Saunders:...
also enjoyed a lengthy run in this series. Sometimes stories of a more humorous nature were included, such as those of Hayfoot Henry
Hayfoot Henry
Hayfoot Henry is a fiction DC Comics character who made his debut in All Funny Comics #1 in 1943, then moved to Action Comics, where he had a feature story in issues #78 through #118, with one final appearance in issue #123. This was in a time when Action Comics was an anthology title with multiple...
, a policeman who talked in rhyme. 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
Tommy Tomorrow
Tommy Tomorrow was a long-running science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963. He first appeared in Real Fact Comics #6...
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
Congorilla
Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed into Congorilla by Robert...
), but soon after the introduction of Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
in issue #252 (May 1959) the non-Superman-related strips were crowded out of Action altogether. Since then, it has generally been an all-Superman comic, though other backup stories such as the Human Target
Human Target
The Human Target is the name of two fictional comic book characters that have appeared in books published by DC Comics. The first is Fred Venable, who appears in Detective Comics #201 , by Edmond Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff....
occasionally appear.
Hiatus, name changes, publication changes, and special numbering
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series, followed by Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
; however, it has not had an uninterrupted run, having been on a three-month hiatus on two separate occasions. The first of these occurred during the summer of 1986
1986 in comics
-Year overall:* Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a four-issue limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller and published by DC Comics, debuts...
, with issue #583 bearing a cover date of September, and issue #584 listing January 1987. The regular Superman titles were suspended during this period to allow for the post-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
revising of the Superman story through the publication of John Byrne's six-issue The Man of Steel
The Man of Steel (comic book)
The Man of Steel is a six-issue comic book limited series released in 1986 by DC Comics, several months after the twelve-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths completed. The Man of Steel was written and penciled by John Byrne and inked by Dick Giordano.-Overview:The mini-series was...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. Publication was again suspended between issues #686 and #687 (February and June 1993) following the "Death of Superman" and "Funeral for a Friend" storylines, before Action Comics returned in June with the "Reign of the Supermen" arc. (The two "Funeral for a Friend" issues, #685 and #686, featured the cover announcement of "Supergirl in Action Comics", highlighting the passing of Superman.)
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. After May 1988's landmark issue #600, issues #611-615 all bore August cover dates. The Action Comics Weekly experiment lasted only until the beginning of March 1989, however, and after a short break, July's issue #643 brought the title back onto a monthly schedule. (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.) 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.
Prior to its launch, DC cancelled its ongoing Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
title Green Lantern Corps, and made Green Lantern Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
and his adventures exclusive to Action Comics Weekly. 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
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
in 1989 (Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn
Emerald Dawn
Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn is a 1989-1990 limited series comic book published by DC Comics. The series retold the origins of Hal Jordan and how he became a Green Lantern in post-Crisis continuity...
), followed up by a new ongoing series in June 1990 (Green Lantern vol. 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
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
, Blackhawk
Blackhawk (comics)
Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
, Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
, Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
, Deadman
Deadman
Deadman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 , and was created by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino.-Publication history:...
, Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
, Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book companies, and a new version of the...
(Dee Tyler), Phantom Stranger
Phantom Stranger
The Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
, Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
, Speedy, and Wild Dog. Each issue also featured a two-page Superman serial, a feature which, according to an editorial in the first weekly issue, was intended as a homage to the Superman newspaper strips of the past.
The final issue of the weekly was originally intended to feature a book-length encounter between Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
and Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
penned by writer Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
. 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 others 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 a one-shot in Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame
Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame
"Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame" was a one-shot prestige format comic book published in 2000 by DC Comics.-Publication history:...
in November 2000.
Another departure from a strict monthly schedule were the giant-size Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
reprint issues of the 1960s (published as a 13th issue annually): issues #334 (March 1966), #347 (March/April 1967), #360 (March/April 1968), and #373 (March/April 1969).
An issue #0 (October 1994) was published between issues #703 and #704 as part of the Zero Month after the "Zero Hour" crossover event. There was also an issue #1,000,000 (November 1998) during the "DC One Million
DC One Million
"DC One Million" was a crossover storyline that ran through a self titled, weekly limited series and through special issues of almost all "DCU" titles published by DC Comics in November 1998...
" crossover event in October 1998 between issues #748 and #749.
2000s
After the "One Year LaterOne Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
" company-wide storyline, Action Comics had a crossover arc with the series Superman, titled "Up, Up and Away!
Superman: Up, Up and Away!
"Up, Up and Away!" is an eight-issue Superman story arc written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek with art by Pete Woods.It was originally published in Action Comics #837-840 and Superman #650-653 by DC Comics from May through August 2006...
" and which told of Clark Kent attempting to protect Metropolis without his powers and eventually regaining his powers. Afterward, he leaves Earth and is replaced by the new Nightwing
Nightwing
Nightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...
and Flamebird
Flamebird
Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the Superman and Batman mythos....
as the starring characters of the book.
Starting with issue #875, Thara Ak-Var
Thara Ak-Var
Thara Ak-Var is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, created by Geoff Johns and James Robinson. The character first appeared during the Superman: New Krypton storyline in Superman #681 . She is the latest character to take on the role of Flamebird...
and Chris Kent
Chris Kent (comics)
Christopher Kent is a fictional character, a Kryptonian in the , who first appeared in Action Comics #844 , the first part of the Action Comics story arc "Superman: Last Son". Created by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns, he is the biological son of General Zod and Ursa, and the foster son of Clark...
, two characters introduced in the "New Krypton
Superman: New Krypton
"New Krypton" is a Superman story arc written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson, and Sterling Gates with art by Gary Frank, Alex Ross, Renato Guedes, Jamal Igle and Pete Woods and published by DC Comics...
" story arc, took Superman's place as the main protagonists of the comic, while Superman left Earth to live on New Krypton. These are written by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
with artist Eddy Barrows
Eddy Barrows
Eduardo Barros is a Brazilian comic book artist, better known by his pen name of Eddy Barrows. He is best known for his work at DC Comics on such titles as Birds of Prey, Countdown to Adventure, Action Comics, Superman, Teen Titans, and 52.-Early life:Barrows was born in Belém do Pará, Brazil...
, who left the art duties on Teen Titans to pencil Action.
Starting in July 2009, Action Comics includes back-up stories featuring Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
.
On February 22, 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 (June 1938) sold at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
for $1 million, besting the $317,000 record for a comic book set by a different copy, in lesser condition, the previous year. The sale, by an anonymous seller to an anonymous buyer, was through the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-based auction company ComicConnect.com.
Although DC had initially announced that Marc Guggenheim
Marc Guggenheim
Marc Guggenheim is an American television writer-producer and a writer for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. His brother is screenwriter Eric Guggenheim.-Television:...
would take over writing of the title following the War of the Supermen limited series, he was replaced by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
.
Cornell has stated that Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
would feature as the main character in Action Comics from issues #890-900 and Death
Death (DC Comics)
Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman . The character first appeared in The Sandman vol. 2, #8 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg....
would appear in issue #894, with the agreement of the character's creator, Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
.
In April 2011, the 900th Action Comics issue was released. It served as a conclusion for Luthor's "Black Ring" storyline and a continuation for the "Reign of Doomsday
Reign of Doomsday
"Reign of Doomsday" is a 2011 comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that will run through the Superman family of books. The crossover involves Doomsday hunting down Steel, Superboy, Eradicator and Cyborg Superman, the four main characters introduced in the wake of the controversial...
" storyline.
Relaunch
On June 1, DC announced that it would relaunch 52 titles with all-new numbering. Action Comics was relaunched with issue #1 being written by Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and drawn by Rags Morales
Rags Morales
Ralph "Rags" Morales is an American comic book artist known for his work on DC Comics' Identity Crisis, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Batman Confidential, and Hawkman, Turok Dinosaur Hunter for Valiant Comics and Magic the Gathering: Dakkon Blackblade #1 from Armada/Acclaim Comics.Morales is the...
.
Collected editions
The Action Comics series is included in a number of trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
and hardcovers. These generally reprint only the Superman stories from the given issues.
- The Superman Chronicles
- Volume 1: reprints issues #1-13; New York World's Fair Comics #1; Superman #1; January 2006; ISBN 978-1-4012-0764-9
- Volume 2: reprints issues #14-20; Superman #2-3; February 2007; ISBN 978-1-4012-1215-5
- Volume 3: reprints issues #21-25; New York World's Fair Comics #2; Superman #4-5; August 2007; ISBN 978-1-4012-1374-9
- Volume 4: reprints issues #26-31; Superman #6-7; February 2008; ISBN 978-1-4012-1658-0
- Volume 5: reprints issues #32-36; Superman #8-9; World's Best Comics #1; August 2008; ISBN 978-1-4012-1851-5
- Volume 6: reprints issues #37-40; Superman #10-11; World's Finest Comics #2-3; February 2009; ISBN 978-1-4012-2187-4
- Volume 7: reprints issues #41-43; Superman #12-13; World's Finest Comics #4; July 2009; ISBN 978-1-4012-2288-8
- Volume 8: reprints issues #44-47; Superman #14-15; April 2010; ISBN 978-1-4012-2647-3
- Superman in the Forties, includes issues #1-2, 14, 23, 64, 93, 107; November 2005; ISBN 978-1-4012-0457-0
- Superman in the Fifties, includes issues #151, 242, 252, 254-255; October 2002; ISBN 978-1-56389-826-6
- Superman in the Sixties, includes issue #289; October 1999; ISBN 978-1-56389-522-7
- Superman in the Seventies, includes issue #484; November 2000; ISBN 978-1-56389-638-5
- Superman in the Eighties, includes issues #507-508, 554, 595, 600, 644; April 2006; ISBN 978-1-4012-0952-0
- Superman: The Action Comics ArchivesDC Archive EditionsDC Archive Editions, collect early, sometimes rare, comic books published by DC and other publishers into a permanent hardcover series. With more than 100 titles, this series began in 1989 with Superman Archives Vol. 1...
- Volume 1: reprints issues #1, 7-20, and summarizes #2-6; May 1998; ISBN 978-1-56389-335-3
- Volume 2: reprints issues #21-36; December 1998; ISBN 978-1-56389-426-8
- Volume 3: reprints issues #37-52; August 2001; ISBN 978-1-56389-710-8
- Volume 4: reprints issues #53-68; June 2005; ISBN 978-1-4012-0408-2
- Volume 5: reprints issues #69-85; March 2007; ISBN 978-1-4012-1188-2
Awards
Action Comics #687-689 were part of The Reign of the SupermenThe Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
storyline, which won the 1993 Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide
Comics Buyer's Guide , established in 1971, is the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry...
Fan Award for Favorite Comic Book Story that year.