A superhero (also known as a "super hero" or "super-hero") is a fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest." Since the debut of Superman in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas — have dominated American comic books and crossed over into other media. A female superhero is sometimes called a "superheroine." By most definitions, characters need not have actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes, although sometimes terms such as "costumed crimefighters" are used to refer to those without such powers who have many other common traits of superheroes. For a list of comic book supervillain debuts, see List of comic book supervillain debuts. 1900s Newspaper comics Despite its short run, it is seen as the earliest superhero fiction comic. Play Often cited as perhaps the earliest superhero akin to those to become popularized through American comic books. 1910s Magazine Novel 1920s Notable non-superhero characters that influenced the superhero genre 1930s Radio Pulp fiction Newspaper comics Other media Notable non-superhero characters that influenced the superhero genre Comic book 1940s Newspaper comics Comic book 1950s Comic book Television Manga 1960s Comic book Television Radio 1970s Comic book Movies Television 1980s Comic book Movies Television Other Media 1990s Comic book Movies Television 2000s Comic book Manga/Anime Movies Television 2010s Comic book Manga/Anime Movies Television 2020s Comic book Movies Television See also List of years in comics List of comic book supervillain debuts Notes References Daniels, Les. The Golden Age of DC Comics: 365 Days. New York: H.N. Abrams, 2004. External links Comic Book Timeline Guardians of the North "The Comic Book Villain, Dr. Fredric Wertham, M.D." The Silver Age and the Marvel Age at Web Cite The Bronze Age at Web Cite The Gimmick Age at Web Cite Coville, Jamie. "The History of Superhero Comic Books", "Part 1: Comic Strips Lead to a New Form" Evanier, Mark. "News from Me", POV Online, August 26, 2001 Comics-related lists Comic book publication histories Debuts