Superman #1/1966
Superman #1/1966 (Egmont Ehapa) marks the debut of DC Comics in the German-language market under Ehapa's exclusive license, making it the direct gateway through which an entire generation of German-speaking readers first encountered Superman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White, and the wider DC mythology. As the inaugural issue of a series that would run nearly two decades—eventually broadening to incorporate Batman and other DC characters—it established the template for how American superhero comics would be translated, recolored, and reformatted for European audiences. The issue's origin-retelling structure (covering Superman's full journey from Krypton to Metropolis reporter) was a deliberate editorial choice to onboard entirely new readers, signaling Ehapa's ambition to build a sustained comics readership in Germany from scratch.
In "Die Superman Story," the origins of Earth's mightiest hero unfold from the dying world of Krypton to the small town of Smallville. Witness Jor-El’s desperate act to save his son Kal-El, the discovery of the infant by Jonathan and Martha Kent, and the quiet upbringing that shaped Clark Kent into a young man with extraordinary powers. As he learns to master his abilities, confronts suspicion from Lana Lang, and bonds with his loyal dog Krypto, the path to Metropolis begins—shadowed by the green glow of Kryptonite and the weight of a legacy lost.
In a flashback to his early days at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent sets out to prove he belongs in the newsroom, determined to earn his place despite Perry White’s skepticism. With quiet persistence and a sharp eye for detail, he shows that being a reporter isn’t just about the byline—it’s about the courage to ask the right questions.
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Ehapa Verlag, a German subsidiary of the Danish Egmont publishing group founded in 1951, secured the exclusive rights to publish DC Comics in West Germany beginning in 1966 and held that license through 1989. The September 1966 launch of this Superman series was the company's first foray into DC superhero material, following its earlier success distributing Disney comics. Rather than simply photomechanically reproducing the American pages, Ehapa re-colored all artwork using four-color intaglio (Kupfertiefdruck) printing on paper stock noticeably superior to the cheap newsprint of US originals, giving the stories a visually distinct character. The 32-page format—with stories famously beginning on the inside of the front cover and running through to the back cover—was a compact, kiosk-friendly design that distinguished the German editions from their American sources.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published September 1966 by Ehapa Verlag GmbH (Egmont Ehapa), Stuttgart, Germany — the first issue of DC Comics published in German under Ehapa's exclusive DC license (held 1966–1989).
- The issue reprints Silver Age stories sourced from DC's American Superman titles, including material originally published in Superman (DC) #146 (July 1961) and Superman (DC) #133 (November 1959), translated into German.
- A third story in the issue — Superman battling a dimensional creature — traces back to Action Comics (DC) #162 (November 1951), as documented by the Grand Comics Database.
- The lead story delivers a full origin recap of Superman: Krypton's destruction, Jor-El sending Kal-El to Earth, the Kent adoption, Lana Lang's suspicions, the first encounter with Krypto, and Clark Kent's move to Metropolis as a reporter.
- Characters appearing in this issue include Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El (as a baby in flashback), Jor-El, Lara, Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, Krypto, Perry White, and Lois Lane.
- A documented printing-error variant exists — the 'Grüner Balken' (green bar) edition — in which a small panel of the Superman logo on the cover printed green instead of blue, making it a distinct catalogued variant.
- Starting with issue #3/1967, the series cover title was changed to 'Superman und Batman,' eventually becoming 'Superman Batman'; this first issue is therefore the only one published solely under the 'Superman' title banner.
- Stories from this issue were later reprinted in Superman Superband (Egmont Ehapa, 1973 series) #1, confirming the editorial significance Ehapa placed on this debut material within its own reprint program.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Superman #133 (1959), Superman #146 (1961), Superman #177 (1965)
Reprinted in Superman Superband #1 (1973)
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