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Dan Turpin
Dan Turpin

Dan Turpin

33 appearances · Bronze Age · 1971–2026
Who is Dan Turpin?

Created by Jack Kirby, Dan Turpin is a tough, no-nonsense Metropolis police detective who first appeared amid the cosmic conflict between New Genesis and Apokolips. A street-level lawman, he relies on grit and experience rather than superpowers to protect ordinary people from extraordinary threats.

Born in the Bronze Age imagination of Jack Kirby himself, Dan Turpin made his debut in The New Gods #5 in 1971 and has proven to be one of DC's most enduringly grounded figures — a tough, street-level presence who has spent decades woven into the fabric of Superman's Metropolis across Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, and Superman. Over more than fifty years of publishing history, he's kept remarkable company, sharing pages with Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and even Green Lantern, which speaks to just how deeply embedded he is in DC's mythology. There's something special about a character launched by Kirby who finds his lasting home in the Superman corner of the universe — a reminder that even the Man of Steel's world needs people who fight without a cape.

Teams & affiliations
Justice League InternationalNew GodsParademons
★ First appearance
The New Gods #5
Oct 1971

Top series

Covers through the years — 1971–2025

The New Gods #5 1971
The New Gods #5
Superman #7 1987
Superman #7
Adventures of Superman #486 1992
Adventures of Superman #486
Superman Adventures #1 1996
Superman Adventures #1
Adventures of Superman #604 2002
Adventures of Superman #604
Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1 2006
Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1
The Brave and the Bold #9 2008
The Brave and the Bold #9
The Infinite Crisis Omnibus #[nn] 2012
The Infinite Crisis Omnibus #[nn]
Nightwing #95 2022
Nightwing #95
Superman Adventures Compendium #1 2025
Superman Adventures Compendium #1

Appearances

The New Gods (1971)
#5
Superman (1987)
Action Comics (1938)
Superman Annual (1987)
#2
Adventures of Superman (1987)
Superman Adventures (1996)
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow (1995)
#8
Superman: The Doomsday Wars (1998)
#1
Superman & Savage Dragon: Metropolis (1999)
Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special (2006)
#1
Infinite Crisis Companion (2006)
The Brave and the Bold (2007)
#9
The Infinite Crisis Omnibus (2012)
Madman Library Edition (2021)
#2
Nightwing (2016)
Superman Adventures Compendium (2025)
#1
Detective Comics 66 (Facsimile Edition) (2026)