Superman on screen Pictures - CBS News Superman on screen Kirk Alyn as "Superman" in the 1948 serial, "Superman." Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, the superhero character - who escaped the destruction of his home planet Krypton, to wage battle against the forces of injustice - first appeared in the pages of Action Comics in 1938. Superman also became a popular figure in radio and cartoons, before leaping into live action movies and TV shows. Credit: Columbia Pictures