Superman is high on most people's list of early comic book heroes, though there were others who came before him.
SUPERHEROES are becoming household names, so much so that characters previously obscure to non-comic readers are getting their own TV shows today. At the very top of the mountain, after all these years, stands the greatest superhero of all time – The Man of Steel, Superman.
But is it true that Superman was not the first true superhero in pop culture?
Verdict:
TRUE
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's true!
In 1938, Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, which is now the most valuable comic ever.
Clark Kent, or Kal-El, was also the first to fight crime in a flashy costume with out-of-this-world abilities such as super speed and super strength, before the heat vision and what-not were introduced.
Though comics scholars generally agree that Superman was the first true superhero of the comics, many debate that he wasn't – and with valid arguments too.
Debuting in 1936, The Phantom is considered by many to be the first comic book superhero.
So, who was the first? It depends on how one defines the term "superhero".
If we are talking about a flamboyant, heroic character who dons an iconic costume, then the honour should go to "The Ghost Who Walks", The Phantom.
Kit Walker debuted in February 1936 with his purple bodysuit, striped trunks, hood, blank-eyed mask, and black leather gunbelt bearing a "death’s head" skull.
Clark Savage Jr, aka Doc Savage, predates the Phantom as he first appeared in pulp novels back in 1933.
But purists would argue that the title should go to Clark Savage Jr, more popularly known as Doc Savage, who trains his mind and body to the peak of the human condition
Savage started off as a pulp hero in literature debuting in 1933’s Doc Savage Magazine #1 before moving into the comic world in 1940.
But if you want to get really technical with it, here's something to consider: Doc Savage was only created because of the success of another hero, The Shadow.
Before him, no other heroes in literature and radio embodied what is referred to as a "superhero" until The Shadow came along as a narrator in 1930s radio show Detective Story Horror.
Hugo Hercules came out in a short-lived Chicago Tribune comic strip in 1902, as a man with super strength.
But if you really want to get historical, then the honour should go to none other than Hugo Hercules.
The comic strip about the titular man with superhuman strength who wandered around town and helped needy people was first published in the Chicago Tribune in September 1902.
Now you too have some extraordinary power, in the form of nerd knowledge. Now go forth and put those who learn about these superheroes from Hollywood to shame!
References:
1. https://www.britannica.com/
2. https://www.comicbasics.com/
3. https://screenrant.com/first-
4. https://www.
5. http://kids.
