Superman

Kal-El was born on the planet Krypton and rocketed to Earth as an infant by his father Jor-El moments before the world's destruction. Raised as Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas, he first used his extraordinary solar-powered abilities as Superboy before growing into the Man of Steel.

Few characters in the history of the medium can claim what Superman can: a Platinum Age debut in 1938, brought to life by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster, that didn't just launch a career but invented the very idea of the superhero. Over nearly nine decades of continuous publication — spanning 3,121 catalog appearances and an extraordinary 113 key issues — this Man of Steel has anchored DC's universe across Action Comics and his own self-titled series, sharing the page with icons like Batman, Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane, and Green Lantern in stories that have defined what comics can be. No character better rewards the curious collector: whether you're chasing his earliest appearances or diving into landmark runs, Superman is the original, the template, the one against whom every cape that followed has been measured.