The historic Action Comics #1000 hits comic book shelves next month. As part of the celebration, variant covers for this special 80th anniversary issue have slowly been trickling in from the industry’s top artistic talent. One such variant was illustrated by Dan Jurgens for Dynamic Forces. The variant highlights the Man of Steel’s visual evolution over the last 80 years.
Superman (otherwise known as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent) debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938, establishing the ultimate superhero archetype that continues to be recognized to this day. Beginning with the Golden Age of the late 1930s, Jurgens’ cover for this oversized anniversary issue spans the character’s incredible history.
The cover includes references to the death of Superman’s home planet of Krypton, as well as the iconic hero’s own death (at the hands of Doomsday) and eventual resurrection. Jurgens boasts a particular attachment to this grim period in the character’s history, as he penned the very Death of Superman arc portrayed on the variant cover.
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Beyond that, Jurgens is no stranger to writing and illustrating the Superman mythos — he contributed heavily to various Superman series in the ’90s and is currently the writer for Action Comics.
Starring new stories by creators such as Brian Michael Bendis and a never-before-seen illustrated story by the legendary Curt Swan, Action Comics #1000 is out April 18.