88 Years Later, DC's Greatest Comic Cover Ever Is Still a Stunning Achievement

Published Aug 23, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team. Sign in to your ScreenRant account 88 years later, DC’s greatest comics cover ever is still a stunning achievement. One of North America’s biggest publishers, DC Comics, has helped shape the genre’s growth and progression. Some of the biggest names in comics, both in terms of characters and creators, have graced the pages of DC’s numerous titles. The early history of DC Comics is complicated, as the company that fans know today is actually the amalgamation of two different publishers: National Allied Publications and All-American Publications. What is considered the first DC Comic appeared in 1935, consisting of reprints of newspaper strips. Before long, however, original content began appearing in tabloid-sized publications. A hit with kids, the comics' industry was off and running. Yet something was still missing from DC, and the comics' industry as a whole. Comics were selling well by this point, but a character was needed that would leap off the page and fire the imagination of readers. The reprints were not delivering returns as hoped, so National Allied (now called Detective Comics, Inc.), turned to two young men from Ohio: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and a creation of theirs called “Superman.” In 1938, they brought this character to audiences, and nothing has been the same since. Metropolis · Daily Planet Edition SupermanTrivia Challenge 🌏OriginsLast son ☠VillainsKneel! ⚡PowersInvincible 🎥FilmsBelieve 💫LegacyHope UP, UP AND AWAY! → 01 Before he was Clark Kent, Superman was born Kal-El on a distant planet doomed to destruction. His parents Jor-El and Lara placed him in a rocket ship as an infant, sending him across the cosmos to Earth. What is the name of Superman’s home planet? AThanagar BKrypton CApokolips DOa ✓ Correct! Krypton was a scientifically advanced planet that exploded due to its unstable core. Jor-El, Superman’s father, was the only scientist who foresaw the catastrophe and managed to save his son by launching him toward Earth in a small spacecraft. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Krypton. Thanagar is Hawkman’s homeworld, Apokolips is Darkseid’s domain, and Oa is the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Krypton’s destruction is the defining event of Superman’s origin story. NEXT → 02 Superman’s greatest love is a fearless, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who works alongside Clark Kent at the Daily Planet. She’s known for her relentless pursuit of the truth and for being one of the few people who sees both the hero and the man. Who is she? ADiana Prince BLana Lang CLois Lane DCat Grant ✓ Correct! Lois Lane has been Superman’s primary love interest since her debut in Action Comics #1 in 1938. A brilliant investigative reporter, she’s as iconic as Superman himself — tough, smart, and unafraid to chase the biggest stories in Metropolis. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lois Lane. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Lana Lang is Clark’s high school sweetheart from Smallville, and Cat Grant is a gossip columnist at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is Superman’s iconic partner. NEXT → 03 Despite being nearly invulnerable under Earth’s yellow sun, Superman has one famous weakness — a radioactive mineral from the remnants of his destroyed homeworld. Exposure to it drains his powers and can even kill him. What is this substance called? AKryptonite BVibranium CNth Metal DRed Sun Ore ✓ Correct! Kryptonite is the irradiated remnants of planet Krypton. Green Kryptonite is the most common and deadly variety, but there are many other types — Red Kryptonite causes unpredictable behavior, Gold Kryptonite can permanently strip his powers, and Blue Kryptonite affects Bizarro. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Kryptonite. Vibranium is from Marvel’s Black Panther universe, Nth Metal is tied to Hawkman, and Red Sun Ore isn’t a real DC substance. Kryptonite is the iconic green-glowing mineral that is Superman’s ultimate weakness. NEXT → 04 In 1978, a then-unknown actor donned the cape and made the world believe a man could fly. His portrayal of Superman became the gold standard for superhero films and he starred in four Superman movies. Who is this legendary actor? AHenry Cavill BBrandon Routh CTom Welling DChristopher Reeve ✓ Correct! Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in Superman: The Movie (1978) is widely regarded as the definitive live-action Superman. His performance perfectly balanced the heroic confidence of Superman with the endearing clumsiness of Clark Kent, setting the template every Superman actor has followed since. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill played Superman in the DCEU starting with Man of Steel (2013), Brandon Routh starred in Superman Returns (2006), and Tom Welling played young Clark in TV’s Smallville. Reeve was the original big-screen Superman. NEXT → 05 Superman’s greatest enemy isn’t a superpowered alien — he’s a brilliant, ruthless human billionaire who believes Superman is a threat to humanity’s potential. This bald-headed genius has been Superman’s archenemy for over 80 years. Who is he? ABrainiac BLex Luthor CDarkseid DDoomsday ✓ Correct! Lex Luthor is the ultimate foil to Superman — where Superman represents hope and selflessness, Luthor represents ambition and ego. Despite having no superpowers, his genius-level intellect and vast resources make him Superman’s most persistent and dangerous adversary. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Lex Luthor. Brainiac is an alien android who collects cities, Darkseid is the god-like ruler of Apokolips, and Doomsday is the monster who famously killed Superman. But Lex Luthor is the definitive archenemy — Superman’s dark mirror. NEXT → 06 After crash-landing on Earth as a baby, Kal-El was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind farming couple. They raised him with strong moral values in a small rural town. Where did Clark Kent grow up? AGotham City BMetropolis CSmallville, Kansas DCoast City ✓ Correct! Smallville, Kansas is the quintessential American small town where Jonathan and Martha Kent raised Clark with heartland values of honesty, compassion, and humility. It’s the foundation of who Superman is — not the powers from Krypton, but the character instilled by his Kansas parents. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is Smallville, Kansas. Gotham is Batman’s city, Metropolis is where Clark moves as an adult to work at the Daily Planet, and Coast City is Green Lantern’s home. Smallville is where the Kents raised Clark on their farm. NEXT → 07 As Clark Kent, Superman disguises himself as a mild-mannered reporter working at Metropolis’s most famous newspaper, alongside Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. Their editor-in-chief Perry White runs the newsroom. What is the name of this newspaper? ADaily Planet BDaily Bugle CMetropolis Star DGotham Gazette ✓ Correct! The Daily Planet, with its iconic globe on the rooftop, is one of the most recognizable fictional newspapers in pop culture. Working there gives Clark Kent both a cover identity and a way to stay informed about threats to the city and the world. ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is the Daily Planet. The Daily Bugle is Spider-Man’s Marvel universe newspaper, the Metropolis Star and Gotham Gazette are lesser DC publications. The Daily Planet — with its spinning globe — is Superman’s journalistic home. NEXT → 08 This Kryptonian military commander was banished to the Phantom Zone for treason before Krypton’s destruction. He escaped and came to Earth seeking vengeance, famously demanding that others “Kneel before” him. His iconic portrayal by Terence Stamp cemented him in pop culture. Who is this villain? ABizarro BParasite CMetallo DGeneral Zod ✓ Correct! General Zod is one of Superman’s most terrifying foes because he has all of Superman’s powers but none of his morality. Terence Stamp’s portrayal in Superman II (1980) made “Kneel before Zod” one of the most quoted villain lines in film history. Michael Shannon later reimagined the role in Man of Steel (2013). ✗ Not faster than a speeding bullet on that one! The answer is General Zod. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman, Parasite drains powers through touch, and Metallo is a cyborg with a Kryptonite heart. General Zod is the Kryptonian military leader whose cry of “Kneel before Zod!” echoes through decades of Superman stories. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Kryptonian Record / 8 Are you the Man of Steel — or still stuck in a phone booth? ↻ FLY AGAIN Action Comics #1 Has the Best Cover in Comics History There Was Nothing Quite Like Superman Before Superman’s first appearance in Action Comics #1 is today regarded as a watershed moment in pop culture, as it marked the emergence of the modern superhero. Scholars have argued that mythological heroes, such as Hercules, were the first “superheroes,” but for the first time, modern readers had larger-than-life characters that fought epic battles in a world just like their own. The cover’s imagery, of Superman hoisting a car over his head, ready to smash it to bits while the bad guys flee in terror, is seared into the brains of comic fans the world over. Action Comics #1 sells this philosophy beautifully on its iconic cover by Superman’s co-creator Joe Shuster. The cover’s imagery, of Superman hoisting a car over his head, ready to smash it to bits while the bad guys flee in terror, is seared into the brains of comic fans the world over. Shuster drew panicked expressions on the criminal’s faces, and this realism sells the cover even more. Another bad guy is trying to crawl away in the background, and it is these little details that help make this cover iconic. According to legend, Action Comics became an instant bestseller, but it took the publisher a while to figure out that Superman was the reason it sold so well. It is worth noting that Superman would not appear on the cover of Action Comics again until its seventh issue, over a year after his debut. The issues in-between are showcases for more generic adventure art, and when compared to the Superman covers, they are quite tame and do not grab the reader’s attention. There Would Be No Comics Industry Without Action Comics #1 The cover to Action Comics #1 is the single most iconic cover in comic book history, for it gave a fledgling industry a massive boost, and forever cemented it in the hearts and minds of readers. By the early 1940s, thanks to Superman, DC and a host of competitors, the comic book field was booming, with some books having print runs into the millions. None of this would have been possible without Action Comics #1’s dynamic cover, which persuaded fans to give a new type of comic strip a chance. The first superheroes, like Superman, appealed to readers exactly because of the realism of those early adventures. Superman famously did not go after super criminals at first, instead taking on slum lords and abusive husbands. He fought the social ills of the day, making him a working-class hero. The cover to Action Comics #1 promises fans that Superman is on their side, and that the evildoers will be punished. A 9.0 copy of Action Comics #1 sold for over three million dollars in an auction in 2014. The sheer number of homages and parodies of Action Comics #1’s cover has also helped ensure its stature as the best ever. DC itself has created numerous riffs on it, as has its chief competitor, Marvel Comics. Many independent comic creators have crafted their own versions of this iconic cover as well, and no doubt future generations will riff on it too. DC Owes Its Success to One Comic Book Cover DC Comics Joe Shuster created visual poetry with his cover to Action Comics #1, and helped inaugurate many more iconic ones to follow. DC Comics has some of the most recognizable covers in the industry, be it The Dark Knight Returns #1 or Crisis On Infinite Earths #7. These covers have inspired numerous artists, as well as many parodies. They, too, are permanently stuck in fans' heads, but none of them would have been possible without Action Comics #1 leading the way, making it DC’s greatest cover even after 88 years.