Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive... Superman is the #1 superhero of Metropolis and the world! Superman was created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster after years of on and off development from a bald science experiment to The Man of Steel that is famous today. Siegel and Shuester would draw inspiration from pulp fiction and adventure novels, Popeye, The Mask of Zorro and circus strongmen to create both Superman and Clark Kent. Superman made his official debut in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938 and the rest is history.
This month's Daily Planet Reporter Spotlight is on longtime reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner, Clark Kent! Kent began his journalistic journey upon leaving his home of Smallville, Kansas to travel the world. He would receive his Bachelor's in Journalism and continue his travels as a freelance journalist. He gained notoriety across several continents for his reporting on natural disasters, corruption and activism; one of the most notable being on the late Kobe Asuru. After a brief stint at The Daily Star, Kent came to work here at the The Daily Planet and has since garnered acclaim for his work. His quick reporting and knack for gathering intel has won him two Pulitzer Prizes and multiple other awards in journalism. As the husband and reporting partner of fellow renowned journalist Lois Lane, the two of them have become an unstoppable team that is dedicated to providing the public with truth and justice.
For the past few months I've taken on the task of reading the entirety of the Superman comic period known as "Triangle Era". Triangle Era was essentially an intiative beginning in late 1990 where the multiple Superman titles released each month would have connecting storylines. The varying titles would usually have their own A-plots but would have subplots that connected throughout each of them. Triangle Era officially began on November 22, 1990 with Superman #51 and would continue until Action Comics #785 November 28, 2001, lasting 11 years. When it began in 1990, there were 3 Superman titles Action Comics , Superman, and The Adventures of Superman but would expand to 4 in May of 1991 with the addition of Superman: The Man of Steel and then to 5 in 1995 with Superman: The Man of Tomorrow . Each issue of the era was marked by a small triangle with the year and then a number for what issue number it was for that year, hence the name Triangle Era. These 11 years of titles would total in 531 single issues full of events, crossovers and great Superman stories. [Comic history note: The triangle year number may be different than the release date, this is a traditional comic books thing where the cover date is often 2 months after release date so shop owners know when to take issues off the shelf]
Beyond giving readers more Superman to read, they were given more fleshed out world of Metropolis. A new title every week and a connecting story allowed for the writing teams to do a lot of character development for Clark and his supporting cast. Characters from the Daily Planet were given full story lines, old friends of Clark had major roles and Lois and Clark were finally allowed to develop a real relationship. Various new background characters have roles in the story too, with us following their lives in Metropolis alongside Superman's adventures. This has been my favorite part of my read so far, this is probably the only way that this type of development can happen in comics. Almost all comics are monthly now so it's not possible for this type of character development to happen for characters outside the main few so it's a treat to get to read this.
I've only (..only) gotten to issue number 93 so I have. quite a way to go but it's been a great read so far. I definitely reccomend reading Triangle Era, it's a long one but very rewarding in learning more about Clark, his supporting cast, and what it means to be Superman.
DEVELOPING STORY
From the first page of Action Comics #1 Superman has existed to be a Champion of The Oppressed. His first collection of stories in that issue and many through out the Golden Age followed Superman fighting corrupt officials, standing against injustice, and protecting innocents. After WWII he would slowly become a more comforting character to distract from the horrors of the war but political topics were still discussed, albeit less frequently.
The Superman radio serials didn't shy away however, releasing 3 stories in the late 40s that attacked issues in post-war America. The three stories "The Hate Mongers Association", "Knights of the White Carnation" and "The Clan of the Fiery Cross" all attacked racism, hate groups and fascism. "The Clan of the Fiery Cross" is the most famous of the three with it being the inspiration for 2019 graphic novel Superman Smashes The Klan. Since the 2010s, this idea of Superman has been dipped into more often. Grant Morrison's New 52 Action Comics run is the most deliberate example apart from Superman Smashes the Klan along with some stories sprinkled throughout the years. 2024 brought a new entry into this with Absolute Superman, having Superman be part of an opressed Kryptonian class and the early issues having him fight against militarized corporations in South America.
Superman's powers haven't always been the same with them being added to over his long history. At his debut he was only equipped with super strength, super speed, invulnerabilty and leap 1/8th of a mile or 20 story buildings. Action Comics #11 and then Action Comics #20 gave Superman his super hearing, X-ray vision, telescopic vision and super-breath. He wouldn't be able to fly until the 1940s, with him first taking to the skies in a 1940 radio serial and the Fleischer cartoon series released in 1941. The comics would add flight to his powers 2 years later in Action Comics #65.
If you couldn't tell by the existence of this shrine, Superman is my favorite superhero. He's classic character and maybe a generic choice to some but he's a character with so much depth. Despite public perception viewing Superman as an invulnerable happy-go lucky God-like figure, his actual self is very far from that. Superman/Clark Kent is a kind-hearted, stubborn and emotional man who is as human as he is alien. To me, the best Superman stories are ones that lean into this imperfect human and have him bring that into his work as Superman. Beyond his character, I also really love the relationships he has with not only his friends & family but the people of Metropolis. You see this in a lot of stories but most consistently (that I've read) has been in Triangle Era where they had the time to flesh out every aspect of Metropolis. It shows to me that he's not only their hero but their neighbor and wants what's best for the city as a whole. There's a lot more I could say but it's best just to read it yourself! Check out the reccomendation lists on the side.
These are my personal recommendations on comics that give you a sense of Who Superman and Clark are. Superman has a long history and many continuities so not all of these are main continuity but they are all, in my opinion, some of the best to really Get It. Bolded are REQUIRED (imo)
Action Comics #1 - The beginning
Superman Smashes the Klan - Inspired by the Superman radio serial "Clan of the Fiery Cross", on Superman as his own version of an immigrant and Champion of the Oppressed
Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow - The end of Silver Age Superman to prepare for the end of the multiverse
Superman (1939) Annual #11 "For The Man Who Has Everything" - Showcase of the two sides of Superman with an emotional story on loss
Superman: Birthright - All encompassing Superman origin
Superman: For All Seasons - A coming of age for Clark and Superman, loneliness and acceptance.
Superman:Kryptonite- Continuation of For All Seasons, Balance and vulnerability
All-Star Superman- Superman is dying, how will he spend his last days
The Death and Return of Superman - The Man of Steel is dead! His death, absence and inevitable return
These are reccommendations for current or upcoming Superman comics. All of these are as of May 2025
Action Comics (2016) #1087 onwards - New adventures of Superboy!
Superman (2023) - Superman has returned after some off-world events! The 2023 relaunch of the Superman ongoing.
Absolute Superman - An alternate universe Superman! Spawned from a larger universe event but is a completely new story to jump in on
Superman: Unlimited - A brand new Superman ongoing promising a classic Superman for a new era
Supergirl (2025) - The new ongoing for Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin! A fun, silver-ageesque story to learn more about her
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton - The story of Krypto the Superdog!
Adventures of Superman: The Book of El - Superman and his family are put up against a powerful enemy that pushes them to new limits, release date Sept 3, 2025
Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum - Superman puts himself up against new types of Kryptonite, release date Aug 13, 2025