<P> The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences . The tight - fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and strongmen . Shuster first gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes . The emblem on his chest may have been inspired by the uniforms of athletic teams . Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes . Superman's face was based on Johnny Weissmuller's . </P> <P> The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians . It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes" and Doc Savage . It is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch; they never acknowledged as much . </P> <P> Superman debuted as the cover feature of the anthology Action Comics #1 (cover - dated June 1938 and published on April 18, 1938). The series was an immediate success, and reader feedback showed it was because of the Superman character . In June 1939, Detective Comics began a sister series, Superman, dedicated exclusively to the character . Action Comics eventually became dedicated to Superman stories too, and both it and Superman have been published without interruption since 1938 (ignoring changes to the titles and numbering). A large number of other series and miniseries have been published as well . Superman has also appeared as a regular or semi-regular character in a number of superhero team series, such as Justice League of America and World's Finest Comics, and in spin - off series such as Supergirl . Sales of Action Comics and Superman declined steadily from the 1950s, but rose again starting in 1987 . Superman #75 (Nov 1992) sold over 6 million copies, making it the best - selling issue of a comic book of all time, thanks to a media sensation over the possibly permanent death of the character in that issue . Sales declined from that point on . In February 2016, Action Comics sold just over 31,000 copies . The comic books are today considered a niche aspect of the Superman franchise due to low readership . </P> <P> Beginning in January 1939, a Superman daily comic strip appeared in newspapers, syndicated through the McClure Syndicate . A color Sunday version was added that November . The Sunday strips had a narrative continuity separate from the daily strips, possibly because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strips to ghostwriters . By 1941, the newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million . Shuster drew the early strips, then passed the job to Wayne Boring . From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strips were drawn by Win Mortimer . The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of movies released by Warner Bros . </P>

When did superman first appear in a comic book