Superman of the Übermensch; they never acknowledged as much. Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by DC Comics. The first and oldest of these is "Action Comics", which began in April 1938. "Action Comics" was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories. The second oldest periodical is "Superman", which began in June 1939. "Action Comics" and "Superman" have been published without interruption (ignoring changes to the title and numbering scheme). A number of other shorter-lived Superman periodicals have been published over the years. Superman is part of the DC
Superman in film and Burton signed on with a pay-or-play contract of $5 million. Warner Bros. originally planned on a theatrical release date for summer 1998, the 60th anniversary of the character's debut in "Action Comics". Nicolas Cage, a comic book fan, signed on as Superman with a $20 million pay-or-play contract, believing he could "reconceive the character." Peters felt Cage could "convince audiences he [Superman] came from outer space." Burton explained Cage's casting would be "the first time you would believe that nobody could recognize Clark Kent as Superman, he [Cage] could physically change his persona." Kevin Spacey was approached for the