Action Comics #252
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAction Comics #252 (May 1959) introduced Kara Zor-El — Supergirl — the first major Kryptonian character added to Superman's mythology since the Man of Steel himself debuted in 1938. By establishing that Superman was not the sole survivor of Krypton, writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino cracked open an entire extended Kryptonian family universe that would eventually give rise to General Zod, Doomsday, and decades of 'House of El' storytelling. Designed deliberately for a young female readership, Kara was written as a flawed, emotionally textured teenager — a true immigrant navigating an alien world — rather than simply a gender-swapped clone of her famous cousin. Reader response was immediate and overwhelming, confirming DC had created one of the medium's most durable superheroines.
In "The Menace of Metallo!" from Action Comics #252 (1959), a near-fatal accident transforms criminal John Corben into a man of metal, powered by uranium and driven by a dangerous new mission. When bullets meant for Lois Lane strike him, he seizes the chance to impersonate Superman—using the hero's identity to fuel his own sinister plans. As he hunts for more power, Corben discovers he can also feed on kryptonite—though his greed blinds him to the fact that the kryptonite he's stolen is nothing more than a fake.
In "The Supergirl from Krypton!" from Action Comics #252, Superman encounters a mysterious rocket crash and uncovers his long-lost cousin, Supergirl, who survived the destruction of Argo City. She shares the story of how her father sent her to Earth to escape Kryptonite poisoning, and Superman helps her begin a new life by placing her in the Midvale Orphanage.
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Editor Mort Weisinger commissioned the character to energize Action Comics as the Silver Age gathered steam. Otto Binder — who had already pioneered the concept of a teenage female counterpart to a male superhero when he co-created Mary Marvel at Fawcett in 1942 — first tested the concept with a disposable 'Super-Girl' wish-projection in Superman #123 (August 1958); strong reader feedback convinced Weisinger to greenlight a permanent character. Binder and artist Al Plastino, already one of the most productive creative pairings in the Superman line, delivered the canonical Kara Zor-El just nine months later. Plastino also drew the issue's lead story — the first appearance of Metallo — making the physical book a remarkable dual-debut artifact produced almost entirely by the same artist.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, in the story 'The Supergirl from Krypton,' written by Otto Binder and illustrated by Al Plastino (May 1959).
- First appearance of Metallo (John Corben), in the lead story 'The Menace of Metallo!', written by Robert Bernstein and illustrated by Al Plastino — making Action Comics #252 a dual-first-appearance issue.
- John Corben's Metallo dies at the end of his debut story, defeated by a fake Kryptonite prop; this original Silver Age incarnation has only the single appearance in this issue.
- First appearances of Zor-El and Alura — Supergirl's parents, and Superman's aunt and uncle — establishing the broader Kryptonian family tree for the first time.
- Kara adopts the civilian identity of 'Linda Lee' and is placed at Midvale Orphanage; her alias follows the double-'L' naming convention shared by Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and other key women in Superman's life.
- The issue is a three-story anthology: 'The Menace of Metallo!' (lead), a Congo Bill / Congorilla feature (middle, written by Bernstein, art by Howard Sherman), and 'The Supergirl from Krypton!' (closing story). The cover, by Curt Swan inked by Plastino, was edited by Mort Weisinger.
- Supergirl became the regular backup feature in Action Comics from issue #252 through #376 (1959–1969) — a ten-year, continuous run before moving to Adventure Comics.
- DC reprinted the issue in its 'Millennium Editions' prestige reprint line (cover date July 2000) with a gold foil-enhanced cover; the stories have also been collected in Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol. 1, The Supergirl Archives Vol. 1, and Supergirl: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Superman #93 (1954)
Reprinted in Albi del Falco #205 (1960), Superman Annual #1 (1960), Superman Annual #2 (1960), Action Comics #334 (1966), Superman #4/1966 (1966), Superserien spesialnummer #[nn] (1967), Superman en Batman #6/1967 (1967), Star Album (Supermoça) #1 (1968), Superman #217 (1969), Supermann #15/1969 (1969), Secret Origins #2 (1973), DC Special Series #19 (1979), The Great Superman Comic Book Collection #[nn] (1981), The Great Superman Comic Book Collection #[nn] (1981), Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties #[nn] (1983), DC Silver Age Classics Action Comics 252 #[nn] (1992), The Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told #[nn] (1992), Superman in Action Comics #1 (1993), The Silver Age of Superman The Greatest Covers of Action Comics from the '50s to the '70s #[nn] (1995), Giant Superman Annual #1 Replica Edition #[nn] (1998), Millennium Edition: Action Comics 252 #[nn] (2000), Supergirl Archives #1 (2001), Superman in the Fifties #[nn] (2002), Showcase Presents: Superman #1 (2005) + 14 more
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