Set Description:
Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by DC Comics. The first and oldest of these is Action Comics, which began in April 1938.
Action Comics was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories.
The second oldest periodical is Superman, which began in June 1939.
Superman is part of the DC Universe, which is a shared universe of superhero characters owned by DC Comics, and consequently he frequently appears in stories alongside the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and others.
Sales history
Superman has sold more comic books over his publication history than any other American superhero character. Exact sales figures for the early decades of Superman comic books are hard to find because, like most publishers at the time, DC Comics concealed this data to deny competitors, but given the general market trends at the time, sales of Action Comics and Superman probably peaked in the mid-1940s and thereafter steadily declined. Sales data first became public in 1960, and showed that Superman was the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s and 1970s. Sales rose again starting in 1987. Superman #75 (Nov 1992) sold over 23 million copies, making it the best-selling issue of a single comic book of all time, thanks to a media sensation over the supposedly permanent death of the character in that issue.
The final issue of the original title was #423 in September 1986, to be followed by Adventures of Superman from the next issue.
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