2025 is going to be a big year for Superman. With over 250M views and a million social posts, James Gunn's Superman teaser trailer officially became the most viewed trailer in the history of both DC and Warner Bros when it was released on December 19th.
With so much attention returning to the Man of Steel in the months and years ahead, it made a lot of sense to introduce the Superman CPI!
Over the past ten years, this index has produced a solid 53% return:
It wasn’t an easy choice to select the key issues for this index. Considering that Superman is the granddaddy of all superheroes, he's accumulated a lot of key issues since 1938. I've categorized his key issues into four categories: (1) the Grails; (2) Superman's mythos; (3) Superman's rogue's gallery; (4) iconic covers; and (5) first crossovers with other iconic DC characters such as Batman and Wonder Woman.
Of course, there will always be room for debate! We'd love to hear about what should've been and what shouldn't have been in this index.
The Grails
In this category are the Golden Age key issues that 99% of us could only dream of having even in low grade. I don't think I've ever even held an actual copy of one of these books in my hands.
More Fun Comics #31 (1938) (first advertisement for Action Comics #1);
Detective Comics #15 (1938) (second advertisement for Action Comics #1);
Action Comics #1 (1938) (first appearance of Superman, Lois Lane);
Action Comics #2 (1938) (second appearance of Superman); and
Superman #1 (1939) (first-self-titled series for any superhero; first mention of Superman's adoptive parents).
Mythos
This group focuses on characters and events that are a part of the Superman mythos; i.e., the collection of concepts, characters, stories, and ideas from various versions of Superman's storyline. What would the Superman story be if we had never learned about the destruction of Krypton, the existence of the Fortress of Solitude, or that kryptonite was Superman's achilles heel?
Action Comics #6 (1938) (first appearance of Jimmy Olsen);
Action Comics #11 (1939) (first time Superman uses his x-ray vision);
More Fun Comics #101 (1945) (first appearance of Jor-El and Superboy);
Superman #7 (1940) (first appearance of Perry White);
Superman #61 (1949) (first appearance of kryptonite);
Adventure Comics #210 (1955) (first appearance of Krypto);
Action Comics #241 (1958) (first appearance of the Fortress of Solitude);
Superman #75 (1993) (the death of Superman); and
Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (1996) (Clark and Lois Lane are married).
Superman's Rogues Gallery
Superman has one of the most famous rogues' gallery in history. I included six of his most iconic nemeses in the index. Did I miss anyone?
Action Comics #23 (1940) (first appearance of Lex Luthor);
Superman #30 (1944) (first appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk);
Superboy #68 (1958) (first appearance of Bizarro);
Adventure Comics #283 (1961) (first appearance of General Zod);
The Forever People #1 (1971) (first appearance of Darkseid); and
Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (1992) (first full appearance of Doomsday).
Classic Covers
Over his 87 year history, Superman has graced some of the most iconic comic book covers of all-time. Excluding Action Comics #1 and Superman #1, below is a list of some of his most famous covers. The four issues below aren't really key issues except for the fact that they have famous covers.
Superman #14 (1942) (all-American Superman cover)
Superman #233 (1971) (classic Neal Adams cover of Superman breaking free from chains);
Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (1985) (iconic George Perez cover of Superman carrying a slain Supergirl);
Superman #204 (2004) (classic Jim Lee cover).
Crossovers
Superman doesn't exist in isolation, but lives in a shared universe with other superheroes. In fact, one could argue that Superman wouldn't be Superman without Batman; they are DC's yin and yang. Although they both fight for justice, Superman is a symbol of hope while Batman inspires fear in criminals. Let's take a look at major crossover events in Superman's history.
New York World's Fair #2 (1939) (first time Superman, Batman and Robin appear together on a cover);
All-Star Comics #7 (1941) (first time Superman and Batman appear in a story together);
All-Star Comics #36 (1947) (the first time the DC trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) appears on a cover);
The Brave & The Bold #28 (1960) (first appearance of the Justice League);
Superman #199 (1967) (first time Superman and Flash race); and
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #4 (1985) (Superman vs. Batman).