Cover: Ross Andru & Dick Giordano

Action Comics #500

Oct 1979 · DC · 1.00 USD

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“The Life Story of Superman”

★ Milestone — Clark Kent

About this Issue

Action Comics #500 holds a firm place in comics history as the first American comic book series ever to reach its 500th consecutively numbered issue — a milestone DC leaned into fully by devoting the entire 64-page package to a celebration of Superman's mythology. The main story functions as the definitive pre-Crisis synthesis of Superman's life on Earth-One, weaving four decades of accumulated continuity into a single cohesive narrative before John Byrne's 1986 reboot would sweep much of it away. Because the story was specifically written to orient newer readers arriving on the wave of the 1978 Superman film's popularity, it serves as a cultural time-capsule of exactly what 'Superman' meant at the height of the Bronze Age. It also marks the first appearance of a Lex Luthor-engineered Superman clone, a story thread that would continue through Action Comics #524.

In "The Life Story of Superman," the Man of Steel reflects on his most defining moments at the Metropolis World's Fair, narrating his journey from Krypton to Earth with heartfelt sincerity. Written by Martin Pasko and illustrated by Curt Swan, this landmark issue captures Superman’s legacy with emotional depth, while Luthor exploits the moment with a chilling twist: a clone forged from Superman’s own memories. The cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano perfectly captures the spectacle of the fair, setting the stage for a battle that tests identity as much as strength.

writer Martin Pasko · artist Curt Swan · inker Frank Chiaramonte · colorist Adrienne Roy · letterer Gaspar Saladino · cover Ross Andru, Dick Giordano

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $6

CGC 9.8 · 74 in census $147

CGC 9.6 · 58 in census $82

CGC 9.4 · 39 in census $47

CGC 9.2 · 19 in census $39

CGC 9.0 · 10 in census $30*

CGC 8.5 · 9 in census $23

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CGC 8.0 · 7 in census $22*

CGC 7.5 · 6 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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VG $10 Newsstand $11.88 VG $12.65 Newsstand $14.99 VF $14.99 VG+ $15 FN $15.49 VF $17.95

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History

The central story, 'The Life Story of Superman,' was written by Martin Pasko with pencils by Curt Swan and inks by Frank Chiaramonte — DC's go-to artistic voice for Superman throughout the Bronze Age — under the editorship of Julius Schwartz, with E. Nelson Bridwell serving as associate editor and contributing a separate two-page prose history of Action Comics that ran on the inside front and back covers. Crucially, the story had not been conceived for this issue at all: it was originally prepared for publication in DC's oversized All-New Collectors' Edition format, but was redirected to anchor the #500 celebration instead. The cover, depicting Superman, Lois Lane, and Supergirl against an 'infinity' background collage of prior Action Comics anniversary issues (#100, #200, #300, and #400), was pencilled by Ross Andru with inks by Dick Giordano and colors by Tatjana Wood.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of a Lex Luthor-created Superman clone, who returns in Action Comics #524.
First appearance of J. Robert Arngrim, the entrepreneur whose Mind-Prober Ray device drives the plot.
Action Comics #500 was, at the time of publication, the first American comic book series to reach 500 consecutively numbered issues.
The main story 'The Life Story of Superman' was written by Martin Pasko, pencilled by Curt Swan, and inked by Frank Chiaramonte; the issue was edited by Julius Schwartz.
The story had originally been prepared for DC's All-New Collectors' Edition oversized format before being repurposed for the #500 milestone.
The interior cover essay, 'The Action Comics Story,' was written by E. Nelson Bridwell and chronicles the series' full 41-year run up to that point.
Much of the flashback material depicting Superman's early life was adapted panel-for-panel from Superman #146, and the story was subsequently reprinted in a reformatted Tor Books paperback titled The Superman Story (1983).
A Mark Jeweler advertising insert variant and a Whitman edition of this issue were also produced and distributed alongside the standard DC edition.