CGC Registry Featured Set: JoeyD’s All Over Da Supes

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The secret origin of Superman dates back to a prototype of the character that was first published in a short story titled “The Reign of the Superman” in a fanzine publication called Science Fiction: The Advanced Guard of Future Civilization #3 in 1933, by co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This early version was a bald, evil scientist – much closer to Lex Luthor than to Superman.

Meanwhile, DC Comics produced a prototype Action Comics publication in 1936. The black-and-white comic was assembled solely for the purpose of the copyrighting the title, and used a rejected cover from Detective Comics #2 and interior art from Detective Comics #1. Only a few copies are believed to have been produced, and two are found in the CGC Census. A CGC 9.2 copy was sold for $204,000 in 2021.

By 1938, Siegel and Shuster had changed their Superman character to the classic image we know today and famously sold it to DC Comics for $130.

Superman made his debut in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938. The character was an instant success and Superman was quickly rushed into his very own series.

Just as it had done with Action Comics, DC Comics produced an ashcan comic, titled “Superman Comics” in 1939 to quickly copyright the title. The cover was a black and white reprint of the cover of Action Comics #7 cover, and inside reprinted the first seven pages of Action Comics #8. The 10-cent price tag was hand-written on the cover. Only 3-4 copies are believed to have been produced to secure the copyright, and two are recorded in the CGC Census. One of these copies, graded CGC 8.5, was sold for $288,000 in 2022.

Superman #1 was officially released soon after in 1939. Before this, comics were called things like “Detective Comics” and “All-Star Comics.” “Superman” was the very first comic book series devoted entirely to one superhero. The series continued until issue #423 in 1986. It was re-booted with Vol. 2 that same year, introducing readers to the new, modern post-Crisis-on-Infinite-Earths-era Superman.

On July 10, 2016, roulette44 posted that they had completed their set of Superman (Vol. 1), writing “For the first time, the set is 100% complete - every single issue, all CGC graded! Some upgrading left to do to meet my minimum grade requirements, but really not that many (15-20 books). Very exciting!”

Some of the super comics in this collection include:

• a Superman #1 graded CGC 8.5 Restored - the first issue of Superman
• a Superman #4 graded CGC 7.5 - the second appearance of Lex Luthor
• a Superman #76 graded CGC 8.5 - Superman and Batman learn each other’s secret identities for the first time
• a Superman #199 graded CGC 9.0 - the first Superman/Flash race
• a Superman #423 graded CGC 9.8 - the final issue of the series, featuring a classic story by Alan Moore, Curt Swan and George Perez

“Wanted to give a shout out to several fellow collectors who helped make this set possible (sometimes only after excessive whining or haggling!),” roulette44 wrote on their profile page. “Will certainly continue focus on upgrades moving forward! One day a cgc 6.0+ blue label #1 is the caviar wish.....but not many of those going around, and not exactly cheap either!”

About the CGC Comics Registry

The CGC Comics Registry is a place where comic book collectors come together to share their collections and knowledge with one another. It's a valuable resource for new collectors and experienced fans alike, with a wide range of collections on display. To participate, all you need is a free CGC Collectors account. The group is an online community developed to increase the choices, convenience and education available to collectors.

The CGC Registry has grown to over 100,000 registered sets in the last year! There are now more than 697,000 books registered and it is thrilling to see the steady, continued growth of the CGC Registry. To learn more about how to navigate the CGC Registry, click here.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for many other types of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes.