Look up!
- Ron Clyburn
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
I’m doing something a little different with my blog. For the next two weeks, I’ll be posting daily Superman content in anticipation and celebration of James Gunn’s Superman, premiering July 11th. Yes, I have tickets to see it that day in IMAX. I have a feeling it’s going to be epic, but what’s even more epic is my son and daughter-in-law are flying in from Las Vegas to see it with us. I’m super stoked (pardon the pun). Now, let’s get started, and we’ll start at the beginning. As you’ll see, Superman’s backstory has changed over the years from the original version.
Action Comics #1 – 1938
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both from Cleveland, Ohio, created Superman, with Siegel as the scriptwriter and Shuster as the artist, first appearing in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938. (On April 4, 2024, at a Heritage Auction, a highly graded Action Comics #1 was sold for $6 million). Siegel and Shuster had a detailed origin story plotted out for their superhero, but that storyline ended up being cut for space. More of Superman’s backstory would be revealed later, in...
The Superman Newspaper Strip – 1939
A Superman newspaper strip was commissioned by the McClure Syndicate (not a criminal organization, but the first successful newspaper organization in the United States, established in 1844). In the strip, Siegel and Shuster were able to reveal parts of Superman’s origin story cut out of the comic. The planet Krypton is seen for the first time, and Superman's parents, Jor-L and Lora are revealed. The strip also reveals that Superman’s name is Kal-L (the spelling changed in later publications to Jor-El, Lara, and Kal-El). Also, the rocket ship from Krypton that brings Superman to Earth is said to be discovered by a “passing motorist,” who then takes baby Kal-L to an orphanage. It’s implied that Clark grew up in the orphanage, and not adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, and raised on a farm in Kansas.
Superman #1 – 1939
When Superman is given his own title, Siegel and Shuster are able to develop his backstory even further. They reveal the last name of the “passing motorist,” and his wife is Kent. The Kents do take baby Kal-L to an orphanage, but return later to adopt him. But instead of raising him on a farm in Kansas, the comic depicts Clark growing up in a large metropolitan city. When his parents die, Clark decides to become Superman.
Tune in for tomorrow’s blog for the story of how Superman hit the airwaves.
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