SUPERMAN (1ST SERIES)

Dates: 1 Summer 1939-131 Aug 1959 (all ND or Non Distributed in the UK at the time); 132 Oct 1959-423 Sep 1986; 424 Jan 1987 (titled Adventures of Superman)-499 Feb 1993; 500 early Jun 1993-649 Apr 2006; 650 May 2006 (title becomes Superman again) -714 Oct 2011
Issues: CLICK HERE to view issues, super-size cover images and values in 9 grades

AS WITH ALL ISSUES/TITLES IN THIS GUIDE, VALUES SUGGESTED ARE FOR 'RAW' COPIES. THIRD-PARTY GRADED COPIES CAN FETCH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ESPECIALLY IN HIGH GRADES.

The most iconic superhero of them all gained his own title in the Summer of 1939 with the first four stories from Action Comics were collected into one package. The back cover had the first pin-up in comics.

Superman was once the world's best-selling comic book at over a million copies a month at his height in the 1960s. As a back-issue, the character is a steady seller ratherthan anything spectacular. Bronze Age issues from the 1970s and the 100 page giants are ones to watch out for, definitely a market of growing interest and attention.

Up until issue #131, these comics were not officially distributed in the United Kingdom. Copies only came over through US Army and Air Force bases and through family relations - we Brits had to contend with reprints from Australia for the most part!

Issue #132 was the first officially distributed issue of Superman in the UK through newsagents and other magazine outlets. Prior to this, all issues of this title were Non Distributed in the UK and are therefore always cents copies. To my knowledge, Superman #132 and Batman #127 were the first officially distributed DC comics in the UK as they were the most well known characters. Annoyingly I sold my ninepence-stamped Supeman #132 ages ago - anyone out there with a copy, do send me a picture!

The British-priced variants are considerably rarer than their US cents counterparts as it is thought that only 2-3% of the print run was put aside for export to the UK, South Africa and Australasia.

Right throughout the late 1940s and through the 1950s kids could get their Superman fix from the Australian reprints of Superman but these were older 1940s Golden Age stories. This was the first time that we saw the latest Superman adventures. Also love the Superman annuals that started in 1951 right through to the 1960s - a great way of seeing early Superman stories (see British section).

Dec 2021: Comic Connect sold a Superman #1 CGC 7.0 for an eye-watering $2,604,750.

 

See also:

SUPERMAN (1ST SERIES) ANNUAL / SUPERMAN (2ND SERIES) / SUPERMAN (2ND SERIES) ANNUAL / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES / SUPERMAN AND HIS INCREDIBLE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE / SUPERMAN ANNUAL, THE ADVENTURES OF / SUPERMAN FAMILY / SUPERMAN 80 PAGE GIANT 2010 / SUPERMAN 80 PAGE GIANT 2011 / SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES ANNUAL / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES SPECIAL / SUPERMAN ARCHIVES / SUPERMAN BOOK AND RECORD SET / SUPERMAN GALLERY, THE / SUPERMAN II: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES / SUPERMAN III MOVIE SPECIAL / SUPERMAN IV MOVIE SPECIAL / SUPERMAN MEETS THE QUIK BUNNY / SUPERMAN PIZZA HUT GIVEAWAYS / SUPERMAN PLUS #1 / SUPERMAN RADIO SHACK / SUPERMAN SPECIAL / SUPERMAN RECORD COMIC / SUPERMAN (2ND SERIES) SPECIAL / SUPERMAN SPECTACULAR / SUPERMAN VS. ALIENS / SUPERMAN 80 PAGE GIANT 1999 / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES) / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS2 / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS3 / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN VERSUS ALIENS AND PREDATOR / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN VERSUS VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES / SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: WORLD'S FUNNIEST / SUPERMAN AND BUGS BUNNY / SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES / SUPERMAN AND SAVAGE DRAGON: METROPOLIS / SUPERMAN AND SAVAGE DRAGON: CHICAGO / SUPERMAN BEYOND / SUPERMAN CHRONICLES / SUPERMAN - CODENAME: PATRIOT / SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL / SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS / SUPERMAN FOR EARTH / SUPERMAN FOREVER / SUPERMAN INC. / SUPERMAN IN THE EIGHTIES / SUPERMAN IN THE FIFTIES / SUPERMAN IN THE FORTIES / SUPERMAN IN THE SEVENTIES / SUPERMAN IN THE SIXTIES / SUPERMAN KING OF THE WORLD / SUPERMAN METROPOLIS SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS / SUPERMAN MONSTER, THE / SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE / SUPERMAN RETURNS PREQUEL / SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE MOVIE AND OTHER TALES OF THE MAN OF STEEL / SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE OFFICIAL MOVIE ADAPTATION / SUPERMAN SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS / SUPERMAN 10 CENT ADVENTURE / SUPERMAN: THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN: THE TRIAL OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN 3-D / SUPERMAN THROUGH THE AGES / SUPERMAN TRANSFORMED! / SUPERMAN VS. BRAINIAC / SUPERMAN VERSUS. DARKSEID: APOKOLIPS NOW! / SUPERMAN VS. THE FLASH / SUPERMAN VS. LEX LUTHOR / SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI / SUPERMAN VS. PREDATOR / SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN / SUPERMAN VS. THE REVENGE SQUAD / SUPERMAN VS. THE TERMINATOR: DEATH TO THE FUTURE / SUPERMAN VILLAINS SECRET FILES / SUPERMAN: WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN Y2K / BATMAN AND SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: WORLD'S FINEST / ALL STAR SUPERMAN / ALL STAR SUPERMAN HARDCOVER / ALL STAR SUPERMAN TRADE PAPER BACK / ABSOLUTE ALL STAR SUPERMAN / BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN / DEATH AND RETURN OF SUPERMAN OMNIBUS, THE / SUPERMAN: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN TRADE PAPERBACK / FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND 3D / GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, THE / INCREDIBLE HULK, THE VS. SUPERMAN / JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA KINGDOM COME SPECIAL: SUPERMAN / LOIS AND CLARK, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES) ANNUAL / ACTION COMICS (2ND SERIES): SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): WHAT PRICE TOMORROW? / SUPERMAN UNCHAINED / ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): SECRETS AND LIES / SON OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES / SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES TRADE PAPER BACK / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): FURY AT WORLD'S END / SUPERMAN VS. MONGUL / ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN TRADE PAPERBACK / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): PSI-WAR / TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS: CYBORG SUPERMAN / TEAM SUPERMAN / TEAM SUPERMAN SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): FUTURES END / SUPERMAN BY GEOFF JOHNS AND JOHN ROMITA JR. DIRECTOR’S CUT / SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS DELUXE EDITION / SUPERMAN UNCHAINED DELUXE EDITION / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): UNDER FIRE / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): KRYPTON RETURNS / CONVERGENCE: SUPERMAN / CONVERGENCE: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN VS. DARKSEID / SUPERMAN (6TH SERIES) / DARK CRISIS: WORLD WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE - SUPERMAN / JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS - SUPERMAN / SHOWCASE PRESENTS: DC COMICS PRESENTS: SUPERMAN TEAM-UPS / SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN / SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN FAMILY / SUPERMAN ANNUAL REPLICA EDITION / GIANT SUPERMAN ANNUAL / MANN AND SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: UP, UP, AND AWAY / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: THE NEVER-ENDING BATTLE / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: LAST SON OF KRYPTON / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: THE MAN OF STEEL / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: THE MAN OF STEEL (2013 EDITION) / SUPERMAN ADVENTURES TRADE PAPERBACK / SUPERMAN BEYOND: MAN OF TOMORROW / SUPERMAN VS. SHAZAM / SUPERMAN VS. ZOD / THREE-DIMENSION ADVENTURES SUPERMAN / WORLDS' FINEST: THE SECRET HISTORY OF SUPERMAN AND BATMAN / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): THE MEN OF TOMORROW / SUPERMAN UNCHAINED DIRECTOR'S CUT / JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR: SUPERMAN / DC COMICS PRESENTS: SUPERMAN - LOIS AND CLARK 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR / BATMAN AND SUPERMAN IN WORLD'S FINEST: THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS / SUPERMAN '78 (MINI-SERIES) / SUPERMAN VS LOBO (MINI-SERIES) / SUPERMAN AND THE AUTHORITY (MINI-SERIES) / SUPERMAN AND ROBIN SPECIAL / FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN OF METROPOLIS (MINI-SERIES) / FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN VS IMPERIOUS LEX (MINI-SERIES) / SUPERMAN GIANT / SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN (MINI-SERIES) / TALES FROM THE DARK MULTIVERSE: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (ONE SHOT) / SUPERMAN YEAR ONE / SUPERMAN GIANT (WALMART EDITION) / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): REBIRTH / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES) / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): BEFORE TRUTH / SUPERMAN (3RD SERIES): RETURN TO GLORY / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES) ANNUAL / SUPERMAN UNCHAINED TRADE PAPERBACK / DC COMICS ESSENTIALS: SUPERMAN UNCHAINED / SUPERMAN AND JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA / SUPERMAN: THE FINAL DAYS OF SUPERMAN / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): SON OF SUPERMAN / BATMAN AND SUPERMAN IN WORLD'S FINEST: THE SILVER AGE TRADE PAPERBACK / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): TRIALS OF THE SUPER SON / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): MULTIPLICITY / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): BLACK DAWN / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): REBIRTH DELUXE EDITION / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): REBORN / SUPERMAN: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN TRADE PAPERBACK (NEW EDITION) / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): HOPES AND FEARS / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): IMPERIUS REX / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES): BIZZAROVERSE / SUPERMAN (4TH SERIES) SPECIAL / SUPERMAN (5TH SERIES) / SUPERMAN BY MARK MILLAR / SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS HARDCOVER / SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS TRADE PAPERBACK / SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS TRADE PAPERBACK (NEW EDITION) / SUPERMAN BLUE / SUPERMAN TOP CAT SPECIAL / MAN AND SUPERMAN 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR

Total value for all issues of this title listed:

Condition

PR
1.0
FR
1.5
GD
2.0
VG
4.0
FN
6.0
VF
8.0
VF/NM
9.0
NM-
9.2
NM
9.4
MINT
10.0
Issues 564 747 747 747 747 747 747 747 747
Total £ 36,170 72,390 108,620 217,890 379,790 954,980 1,636,060 2,278,130 2,734,770 Total title value in pounds in UK markets
Total $ 45,720 91,530 137,360 275,350 479,940 1,203,580 2,061,660 2,868,550 3,443,590 Total title value in dollars in US markets

Note: some PR issues may have no value. Selected issues in FN, VF or VF/NM may not exist in some titles.