2 ADAMS, NEAL
of red hair. He was followed by
other villains who made their initial
appearances in Action Comics, such
as Ultra- Humanite (issue #13),
Prankster (issue #51), Toyman
(issue #64), and the evil android
Brainiac (issue #242). Another
landmark issue is Action Comics
#252, which features the introduc-
tion of Supergirl.
Action Comics has been in con-
tinuous publication since 1938
and is the second-longest running
title published by DC Comics,
after Detective Comics. It reached its
milestone 850th issue in 2008, and
is only behind Dell Comics’ Four
Color as the title with the greatest
number of issues. In 1988, DC
Comics attempted to return Action
Comics to its roots as an anthology
feature. Beginning with issue #601,
the title was changed to Action
Comics Weekly to refl ect its new
distribution format. Superman’s
presence in the series was reduced
to a two-page spread, while other heroes such as Green Lantern , Deadman, Phantom
Lady , Nightwing, the Secret Six, and the Blackhawks were highlighted. Ultimately, this
new incarnation of the title proved unsuccessful and in 1989, Action Comics reverted
back to being the primary home of Superman.
Charles ColettaADAMS, NEAL (1941–). Considered one of the fi nest comic book illustrators of all
time, Adams was born in New York and attended the High School of Industrial Art in
Manhattan. Known for his distinctive and innovative artistic style and for his activism
for artists’ rights within the comics industry, Adams has been one of the most infl uen-
tial comic book artists of all time. He fi rst approached DC Comics when he was 18,
and his timing could not have been worse as the popularity of comics was in a steep
decline. After receiving no response from DC Comics, he went over to Archie com-
ics where Joe Simon ( Captain America co-creator) told Adams that he was going to
do Adams a big favor by turning him down. Although Adams did get some work at
Archie and also did backgrounds for the Bat Masterson strip by Howard Nostrand,The cover of Action Comics issue #1, June 1938, the first
appearance of Superman in a comic book format. Photofest