![]() ![]() This could technically be considered the first appearance of Jonathan Kent. The “passing motorist” mentioned in Action Comics #1 is seen rescuing the child from the rocket. Earth is chosen as Kal-L’s destination because of its ability to support life. This exchange between Jor-L and the Council would become an essential part of the origin story in subsequent retellings. Jor-L learns that Krypton is going to explode and tries to warn the Council, but the Council doesn’t believe him, forcing Jor-L to plan his own contingency. Jor-L and Lora are seen for the first time (note the original spelling), and we learn that Superman’s birth name is Kal-L. Once again, we’re told that the planet is full of supermen. ![]() There is an extended sequence on Krypton, which is named for the first time. This gave Siegel and Shuster a chance to expand on the origin and use some of the scenes they had to cut from Action Comics #1. In 1939, McClure Syndicate commissioned a Superman newspaper strip. There is no mention of Earth’s yellow sun powering Clark. If you were a kid in 1938, that explanation was all you needed. ![]() Siegel and Shuster show their work by saying that ants and grasshoppers can lift things larger than they are and jump great distances. The one-page origin story goes on to state that everyone from Clark’s unnamed home planet had the same super-strength he did. This seems to imply that he grew up in the orphanage, which is a bit depressing. We then see a panel of baby Clark Kent lifting furniture at the orphanage, much to the surprise of his minders, followed by a panel where an adult Clark is seen showing off his powers. This moment isn’t seen, and the Kents are not named. The narration tells us that a “passing motorist” discovered the child and dropped him off at an orphanage. A caption tells us that the planet is dying of old age, so a scientist puts his son in a “hastily devised space-ship” which is then launched towards Earth. Readers see a panel of Krypton during its final moments, but the planet is unnamed. The details of Superman’s backstory are brief, establishing the bare basics. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster originally had an extended sequence detailing the Man of Steel’s origin, but it was ultimately cut for space. Superman’s first appearance devotes a single page to his origin. ![]()
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