Action Comics is the comic book series that introduced the world to Superman, the first major superhero character as is popularly defined. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics, Inc., and later as National Comics and National Periodical Publications, before taking on its current name of DC Comics, a subsidiary of Time Warner.

Teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster launched their creation with Action Comics #1 in June of 1938. The character of the dynamic "Man of Steel" was an instant hit, and he permanently changed the medium of comic books and comic strips.

Action Comics was soon followed by the Superman comic book series, and a wealth of other comics starring numerous costumed superheroes.

As of the fall of 2004, Action Comics is still in publication, having passed its 800th issue. It is the second-longest running American comic book after Detective Comics, however it cannot claim to have had an uninterrupted run as it went on hiatus for a few months in late 1986. In the late 1980s, DC Comics tried unsuccessfully to change the format of the comic and publish it on a weekly basis, but it soon returned to a monthly format.

Originally, Action Comics was an anthology title 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.) 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 ultimately crowded out of Action altogether. Since then, it has usually been an all-Superman comic, though other backup stories have made occasional appearances.

In April 2003, Action Comics had its 800th issue, making the highest numbered comic (and second longest running after Detective Comics).

Note: Action Comics should not be confused with Action, the controversial British comic of the 1970s.

External links

• Action Comics #1 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG02/yeung/actioncomics/cover.html