Ahead of the release next week of Action Comics #1000, DC has released a brief video chronicling the evolution of Superman’s iconic S-shield over the past 80 years.
The 25-second video traces the visual history of the logo from its initial appearance, in 1938’s Action Comics #1, to its current design, with all the notable iterations in between, including the bleeding version of the symbol used during the bestselling 1992 storyline “The Death of Superman.”
A symbol of hope for the last 80 years. #ACTION1000 pic.twitter.com/C3okD8roY1
— DC (@DCComics) April 12, 2018
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Man of Steel has sported the emblem since his debut, with the design first revised as early as Action Comics #7. Originally simply a stylized symbol for the hero’s name, the logo took on a new meaning in the 1978 adaptation Superman: The Movie, in which it was explained to be a sort of Kryptonian coat of arms for the House of El.
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In 2004, writer Mark Waid expanded the meaning behind the S-shield in his miniseries with Leinil Yu Superman: Birthright, in which it Kryptonian symbol for hope, which was famously echoed in Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel.
On sale April 18, Action Comics #1000 marks the DC debut of longtime Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis. He’s joined in the special issue by a creative lineup that include Superman director Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, Paul Dini, Jim Lee, Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, José Luis García-López, Tom King, Clay Mann, Jordie Bellaire, Brad Meltzer, John Cassaday, Laura Martin, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Scott Snyder and Tim Sale.
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