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light tan/ow pages
4th Superman cover, classic Joe Shuster train cover; cf is ad for Superman #1


Scarcely a year after his debut in Action Comics #1, the Man of Steel had become such an undeniable sensation that DC capitalized on his fame by giving him his own solo title. The release of Superman didn't mean the publishers were pulling him from Action , mind you. In fact, the company featured Superman on the cover with increasing frequency, no longer relying on pulp-style covers or repurposed pieces from other anthology titles. Superman was clearly a keeper.

That was made obvious with this legendary cover by Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, which serves as a fine example of the strong imagery that typified the early adventures of the insanely popular hero. In addition to noting the announcement of the character's upcoming solo series, this issue also boasts the debut of Superman's first real arch-nemesis, the Ultra-Humanite. Clearly inspired by villains from Saturday serials and Republic B-thrillers, the wheelchair-bound mad genius proves to be a cunning rival for our super-protagonist. A truly historic issue no matter which way you slice it and — as with so many of these early Action issues — extremely rare.