FIRST COMIC-STRIP
SUPERHERO
The^ Phantom, aka “the ghost
who walks”, was created by
US cartoonist Lee Falk and
first made an appearance in
Feb^ 1936 (two years before
Superman). The
Phantom^newspaper strip featured
the adventures of Kit Walker,
who^ sported a mask and a
figure-hugging purple outfit
as the eponymous superhero.
The character continues to
fight crime in newspaper
strips today.COMIC BOOKS
SUPERHEROES
Most valuable comic
Action Comics #1, published
on 18 Apr 1938 (but cover-
dated June), was valued at
$8,140,000 (£6,490,920)
by the Nostomania
comic-book price guide
in Jan 2017. For the most
expensive comic book –
i.e., the highest price paid
for one – see opposite.
Action Comics #1 marked
the debut appearance
of Superman, the
first superhero with
superpowers, created
by writer Jerry Siegel
(USA) and artist Joe
Shuster (CAN/USA).First superhero to die
Crime-fighting vigilante
The Comet, aka John
Dickering, was drawn by
Jack Cole (USA) for Pep
Comics. He first appeared
in Jan 1940 and was
shot and killed (by the
henchmen of his nemesis,
Big Boy Malone) 17 issues
later in Jul 1941.Longest time between
a superhero’s death
and revival
There were 37 real-time
years between the death
of Captain America’s
sidekick Bucky Barnes
in Avengers vol. 1 #56
(1968) and his return
in Captain America
vol. 5 #1 (2005). Ed Brubaker
revised Bucky’s history in
2005 to reintroduce him
as Winter Soldier.Best-selling videogame
based on a comic
According to VGChartz,
Batman: Arkham City
(Rocksteady, 2011) had sold
more than 11.13 million
copies as of 27 Apr 2016.Largest superhero
wardrobe
Including variants
on designs, Marvel’s
Iron Man has
58 different sets ofarmour, starting with the
Model 1 and ending with
the Model 52. The latter
can transform from a car
to armour and back again
with the push of a button
on the car’s dashboard.MOST...
Movies adapted
from the work of a
comic-book creator
With the inclusion of 2016’s
Doctor Strange (USA),
the comic-book creations
and co-creations of Stan
Lee (USA) had been
adapted into Hollywood
films 29 times as of
31 Jan 2017.FIRST FEMALE SUPERHERO
The first female character to appear in print as a
superhero was Fantomah (above), a shape-shifting
ancient Egyptian princess with supernatural powers.
Created by Barclay Flagg (aka Fletcher Hanks, USA),
she debuted in Jungle Comics#2 in Feb^ 1940.The first superheroine to wear a mask and
costume, however, was the Woman in Red (below),
created by Richard Hughes and George Mandel (both
USA) for Thrilling Comics#2, published in Mar1940.She was the alter ego of policewoman Peggy Allen.MOST CONSECUTIVE COMIC-BOOK
ISSUES DRAWN AND WRITTEN
Comic fans might think of Stan Lee or Brian
Michael Bendis as contenders for having
enjoyed the longest continuous run writing
a character or team comic book. However,
the record holder is actually Canadian Dave
Sim, creator of the indie comicCerebus.From Dec^ 1977 until Mar2004, Sim wrote anddrew the adventures of the titular aardvark
Cerebus for a total of 300consecutive issues.FIRST FEMALE
CHARACTER
TO STAR IN HER
OWN COMIC BOOK
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
debuted in the first issue of
the comic Wags, published in
the UK in 1937; her US debut
came in the first issue of
Jumbo Comics in Sep 1938.
In spring 1942 came the
first issue of Sheena, Queen
of the Jungle. The debut
issue of Wonder Womanalsoappeared in 1942, but not
until the summer.MOST PROLIFIC
CREATOR OF COMIC-
BOOK CHARACTERS
From the introduction of
the Destroyer in Aug1941to Stripperella in 2011
(and beyond), Stan Lee
(USA) has introduced
at least 343^ characters
to the world through
comic books. This total
includes “Stan the
Man”’s collaborations
with co-creators such
as artists Jack Kirby and
Steve Ditko (both USA).