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Jonathan Kent

Jonathan Kent

322 appearances · Golden Age · 1950–2026 · 17 key issues
Who is Jonathan Kent?

A kindly Kansas farmer living in Smallville, Jonathan Kent and his wife Martha discovered a rocket-borne infant from another world and chose to raise the child as their own son, Clark — becoming the moral cornerstone who shaped the boy who would one day become Superman.

Few figures in DC's vast mythology have proven as quietly essential as Jonathan Kent, the warm-hearted Kansas father whose presence has anchored Superman's world since his Golden Age debut in Superboy #8 in 1950. Across an extraordinary 76-year publishing span — threading through Superman, Adventures of Superman, and beyond — he has shared countless pages with Clark Kent, Superman, Superboy, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang, a constellation of DC's most beloved characters that speaks to just how central he is to the mythology. With 287 catalog appearances and 17 recognized key issues to his name, Jonathan is far more than a supporting player; he is a moral cornerstone, the kind of character whose every appearance carries genuine emotional weight. For collectors and fans alike, tracing his journey through the decades is to trace the very heart of what makes the Superman story endure.

⚠ Identity — our best guess (help us confirm)

Real name. Jonathan Kent

Powers. None (ordinary human)

We're not fully sure this is right. Is it?
Teams & affiliations
KryptoniansLegion of Super-Heroes
★ First appearance
Superboy #8
May 1950

Trivia

  • Jerry Siegel has written more of Jonathan Kent's comics than any other writer in our catalog — 26 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years — 1950–2021

Superboy #8 1950
Superboy #8
Action Comics #242 1958
Action Comics #242
Superboy #86 1961
Superboy #86
Superman #193 1967
Superman #193
The Superman Family #166 1974
The Superman Family #166
Adventure Comics #493 1982
Adventure Comics #493
Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties #[nn] 1983
Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties #[nn]
Action Comics #596 1988
Action Comics #596
Superman: The Man of Steel #57 1996
Superman: The Man of Steel #57
Supergirl #30 1999
Supergirl #30
Infinite Crisis #4 2006
Infinite Crisis #4
Adventure Comics #519 2010
Adventure Comics #519
Identity Crisis #[nn] 2016
Identity Crisis #[nn]
Bizarro Comics: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] 2021
Bizarro Comics: The Deluxe Edition #[nn]

Appearances (1–150 of 322, oldest first)

Buntes Allerlei (1953)
World's Finest Comics (1941)
Superman Adventure Book (1955)
Action Comics (1938)
Colossal Comic Annual (1956)
#5
The Brave and the Bold (1955)
#20
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1958)
#4
Super Adventure Comic (1950)
Stålpojken (1959)
Superman Supacomic (1959)
#20
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (1958)
Superman Annual (1960)
#6
Stålmannen (1949)
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (1954)
Gigant (1963)
Giant Superboy Album (1965)
#2
Superman en Batman (1967)
Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly (1965)
#31
Binky's Buddies (1969)
#7
The Superman Family (1974)
Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (1976)
Limited Collectors' Edition (1972)
Superman Poche (1976)
DC Comics Presents (1978)
#29
The Great Superman Comic Book Collection (1981)
The New Adventures of Superboy (1980)
The Best of DC (1979)
Les Géants des Super-Héros (1981)
#4
Super-Heróis (1982)
Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties (1983)
The Man of Steel (1986)
The Man of Steel [So Much Fun] (1987)
#1
Adventures of Superman (1987)
World of Krypton (1987)
#4
World of Smallville (1988)