Considered one of the most important comic books in history, Action Comics #1 introduced the world to Superman in 1938. Credited with bringing the concept of superheroes into the common consciousness, the comic contains several features of interest, namely that Superman was found on the side of the road after his ship crashed and he was later brought into an orphanage, rather than adopted by the Kents on the spot as it is normally told. The comic shows that Superman is a man of power, and for this reason he decides to be a "champion of the oppressed." He does this by protecting a woman from murder, getting a signed confession and bringing it to the mayor, and of course, saving Louis Lane. One of the original Action Comics #1 copies (with there estimated to be only between 50 to 100 in existence) was recently sold for $6 million dollars.

If you have ever noticed that Superman sounds confident in suit, but more timid when blending in as Clark, you can thank the Superman Radio Show which introduced this important piece of voice acting which would influence Superman's characterization moving forward. While most might not know of the radio show, they are most certainly familiar with the introduction, which opened with the lines "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound..."Look up in the sky", "it's a bird!", "it's a plane!", "it's superman!" The Radio Show introduced us to so many bits of Superman's lore; The Daily Planet as Clark's workplace, Perry White as his boss, and also Kryptonite, a weakness so iconic that the word "kryptonite" is synonymous with "weakness" itself. Most importantly, this radio show leaned into Superman's characterization as a "champion of the oppressed" with stories about him fighting back against the KKK and living out the ideals of religious and racial tolerance.

Did you know that the original creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, intended Superman to be a newspaper comic, rather than a character in a comic book?

Growing up, I loved Superman, and my parents new this, so one Christmas they got me either a CD set or VHS tape of the 1940s animated Superman cartoons, also known as the Fleischer shorts. These shorts were rather basic, from a narrative standpoint, and followed a 15 or so minute adventure with Superman. It often involved a fantastical villain (e.g. a mad scientist, or robots), Lois Lane ending up in trouble and needing saving (unfortunately she was a damsel-in-distress in the comics for many decades before she got any real personality), and Superman suiting up and saving the day with his mighty strength. Even though the narrative beats were predictable and simple, the visuals were magical. I can't quite find the word to describe that feeling I would get seeing Superman's bright blue and red suit dash across the screen as he flew high and threw punches. As a kid, the appeal of Superman was his asthetic value, and this show brought that. It contained the same voice actors from the aformentioned radioshow, and it revolutionized animation in the 40s, helping show audiences what animation could be, especially as it regarded Superhero stories. These animations will always hold a place in my heart as the brightly colored Superman that wasn't burdened with complexity, but just there to give a good show by saving the day.

Christopher Reeve's Superman was the first real super hero movie that made it into the spotlight and captivated the nation. The film is responsible for creating the iconic image of Superman's fortress of solutude as a crystalline structure. The following films, while generally agreed upon by the public (and Christopher Reeve himself) to have dwindled in quality, the films still tried to tackle various causes, such as humanity's problem with nuclear arms. As for the man himself, what's there to say about him that hasn't been said before? Christopher Reeve often said in interviews that he was not Superman, that he played the part and played it well. But we know better. Christopher Reeve was not Superman; Superman wishes he was Mr. Reeve. A strong activist, he stood for environmental causes and fought against systemic injustice. When he endured his horsing accident, paralyzing him from the neck down, he used the remaining 9 years of his life to advocate for disability rights and has several legislative acts named after him and his wife. His life shows that just because something tragic happens to you doesn't mean you can't make something beautiful out of it all. He embodied the character and power of Superman as a human being more than he ever could have imagined.

Centered around the youth of Clark Kent, "Smallville" follows him and his friends around his highschool years as he discovers his powers and grows into his identity as a superhero and finds out who he really is. The show tackled real world issues, such as unlawful deportation of racial minorities, xenophobia, family abuse, corrupt law enforcement, and even school safety and gun violence. Tom Welling performs well in the role of Superman and even shares a handful of scenes with the paralyzed yet beaming Christopher Reeve.

While poorly recieved at its release, Superman Returns was both a sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve films, and was also in a class and style of its own, with Brandon Routh being well cast for the role. There are a few call backs to the older films, with Superman uttering the same line to Lois that he did in the first film after saving her from a flight accident. This marked the first film that tried to portray Superman in a more gritty and grounded light. While Superman Returns was certainly ambitious, Brandon Routh will always be my first Superman.

Divisive is the best word to use to describe this rendition of Superman. Many enjoyed this grounded and darker take of the man of steel, while others thought it missed the point of the character entirely. Henry Cavill's performance of the character marks the first live action attempt of portraying Superman in a world with other metahumans, including the Justice League. Even to those who dislike the atmosphere of this portrayal, none can deny that these films paved the way for the current DC Cinematic Universe."

Arguably the most human Superman we have seen in live action, David Corenswet's version of Superman carries the past 90 years of the character's history on its back, showing the joyful, ‘I love doing my job’ spirit of Christopher Reeve, the darker, more formidable atmosphere brought by the villains of Cavill’s era, and the timeless hope that humanity has always looked for in Superman. David Corenswet, through director James Gunn, showed us that Superman is a punk rocker because he is kind in a hateful world, and that maybe kindness is our greatest super power. Because of this, David Corenswet is now my favorite Superman.

As I mentioned earlier on this page, the asthetic of Superman was heavily important to me as a child. I think this is true as an adult. Part of the appeal of comic books is their bright and flashy visuals. Superman's costume is no exception. I think the original design by Joe Shuster is absolutely phenomenal, because note how consistent Superman's outfit has been for the last 80 or so years. There has been no need to completely redesign Superman to the point of removing his key characteristics. There are exceptions over the years, like our favorite "Mullet Superman" in the black suit, or Superman Red and Superman Blue. But I wanted to include these pictures because I think it does an amazing job at showing off each of Superman's outfits across the decades, and how each is oddly similar to one another, and yet deeply grounded in its own time. The Fleischer Superman feels unashamedly 40s, and the Superfriends outfit feels unashamedly 70s. I am glad to be living in an era where we have another cinematic interpretation of Superman, and this one doesn't feel the need to mute the colors or remove the underwear that is so umblematic of the 1900's strongman. I wonder what type of suit the man of steel will don next...