Superman is a fictional superhero (Si apre in una nuova finestra), who first appeared in American comic books (Si apre in una nuova finestra) published by DC Comics (Si apre in una nuova finestra). The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and artist Joe Shuster (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and first appeared in the comic book Action Comics #1 (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (cover-dated (Si apre in una nuova finestra) June 1938 and published April 18, 1938).[1] (Si apre in una nuova finestra) Superman has been adapted to a number of other media which includes radio serials, novels, movies, television shows and theatre.

Superman was born on the planet Krypton (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and was given the name Kal-El at birth. As a baby, his parents sent him to Earth (Si apre in una nuova finestra) in a small spaceship moments before Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside, near the fictional town of Smallville (Si apre in una nuova finestra). He was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent (Si apre in una nuova finestra), who named him Clark Kent. Clark developed various superhuman abilities, such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His adoptive parents advised him to use his abilities for the benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as a vigilante (Si apre in una nuova finestra). To protect his privacy, he changes into a colorful costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark Kent resides in the fictional American city of Metropolis (Si apre in una nuova finestra), where he works as a journalist for the Daily Planet (Si apre in una nuova finestra). Superman's supporting characters (Si apre in una nuova finestra) include his love interest (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and fellow journalist Lois Lane (Si apre in una nuova finestra), Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen (Si apre in una nuova finestra) and editor-in-chief Perry White (Si apre in una nuova finestra). His classic foe is Lex Luthor (Si apre in una nuova finestra), who is either a mad scientist or a ruthless businessman, depending on the story.

Although Superman was not the first superhero character, he popularized the superhero archetype and established its conventions. Superheroes are usually judged by how closely they resemble the standard set by Superman. He was the best-selling superhero character in American comic books up until the 1980s.[2] (Si apre in una nuova finestra)