Книга: 1938 Comics Characters Debuts: Superman, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Jor-El, Human Torch, Crimson Avenger, Zatara

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Superman, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Jor-El, Human Torch, Crimson Avenger, Zatara, Tex Thompson. Excerpt: Clark Kent Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions) is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster . He serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman . Over the decades there has been considerable debate as to which personality the character identifies with most. From his first introduction in 1938 to the mid-1980s, 'Clark Kent' was seen mostly as a disguise for Superman, enabling him to mix with ordinary people. This was the view in most comics and other media such as TV (starring George Reeves ) and radio. In 1986, during John Byrne 's revamping of the character, the emphasis was on Superman being the alter-ego of Clark Kent, the side of the character he most identifies with. Different takes persist in the present. Overview Through the popularity of his Superman alter ego , the personality, concept, and name of Clark Kent have become ingrained in popular culture as well, becoming synonymous with secret identities and innocuous fronts for ulterior motives and activities. His name alludes to two pulp characters: Doc Savage , whose full name is Clark Savage Jr., and The Shadow , whose alias in the pulps was Kent Allard (though in the radio serial it was Lamont Cranston). Another theory is that 'Kent' was a combination of the real and pen names of Doc Savage's creator, Lester DENT, who wrote as KENNETH Robeson. Superman's co-creator and first writer was an avid fan of the pulp genre. Beginnings In the earliest Superman comics, Clark Kent's primary purpose was to fulfill the perceived dramatic requirement that a costumed superhero cannot remain on full duty all the time. Clark thus acted as little more tha...