Episode 22: Superman #1

About this episode

This episode discusses the significance of Superman #1 and its impact on the portrayal of Superman, including its cultural and historical context.

In this episode I discuss the publication of Superman #1, the first comic book dedicated to the stories of one character. I talk about why this is significant, what DC Comics was probably thinking about when they published Superman #1, the issue's immediate success, why its contents are significant, how Superman #1 is the start of a major change in the portrayal of Superman, and alllll about the Jewishness of Superman, from Siegel & Shuster's immigrant parents to the antisemitic atmosphere in which Superman appeared to where Superman lands on the assimilation-vs-acculturation continuum to the various very Jewish elements of Golden Age Superman to which Jewish denomination Superman belongs to.

People in this episode

Host: Jess Nevins

Topics covered

• Superman
• comic book history
• Jewish identity
• DC Comics
• Golden Age comics
• cultural assimilation

Keywords

• Superman
• comic books
• Siegel
• Shuster
• DC Comics
• Jewishness
• Golden Age
• antisemitism
• assimilation
• acculturation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DC Comics

Books & works: Superman #1

More episodes of The History of Comics in 500 Issues

• Episode 28: Tijuana Bibles · November 9, 2025 · 1h 41m
• Episode 27: African Comics Before WW2 · October 19, 2025 · 40 min
• Episode #26: Marvel Comics #1 · September 28, 2025 · 1h 9m
• Episode 25: Rin Tin Tin #1 · August 10, 2025 · 51 min
• Episode 24: Amazing-Man Comics #5 · July 27, 2025 · 1h 1m
• Episode #23: Colonialism in the Bandes Dessinées beginning with Alain Saint-Ogan's "Zig et Puce" · July 13, 2025 · 55 min