Superman: A timeline

1938: In June, D.C. Comics buys the Superman idea and story for its new Action Comics No. 1. Superman leaps but does not fly; his alter ego, Clark Kent, works for the Daily Star.

1939: In January, Superman is sold as daily newspaper strip, becomes an instant hit during the Great Depression. That summer, Superman gets his own comic book, a giant balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a Superman club is founded.

1940: "The Adventures of Superman" debuts on radio; he now flies and works for the Daily Planet. The show also creates Jimmy Olsen and kryptonite.

1941: The first of 17 visually advanced Superman color cartoons hit movie theaters. In the comics, he aids Allies against Hitler and Japan.

1942: A Superman novel introduces Superboy; his own comic comes a few years later.

1948: Kirk Alyn stars in a 15-part "Superman" movie serial, and a 1950 sequel, "Atom Man vs. Superman."

1951: George Reeves stars in the movie "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951), followed by a six-year TV run of "Adventures of Superman."

1950s: Superman comics run amok, creating many new characters, such as Super-Girl (Superman's cousin) and even Superdog.

1978: Upbeat, semiserious epic "Superman: The Movie" introduces unknown Christopher Reeve and earns $300 million worldwide. Three sequels follow, each earning less at the box office.

1986: The vast Superman comics universe gets some serious reworking and downsizing in an attempt to reach contemporary readers.

1988: "Superboy" TV series starts a four-year run.

1993: "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," a romantic, sexy twist on the story with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, is a four-year TV-series hit.

1996: Superman and Lois marry in the comics; a new animated series begins.

2001: The still-running TV series "Smallville" successfully reshapes the Superboy idea, with a teenage, pre-costume hero.

2006: After 10 years of failed attempts and many different actors, directors and scripts, a back-to-basics "Superman Returns" opens, starring unknown Brandon Routh.

Source: DVD documentary "Look, Up in the Sky!: The Amazing Story of Superman"