Superman is a comic book character.
A superhero ( sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero ) is a type of heroic stock character who possesses supernatural or superhuman powers and who is dedicated to fighting crime , protecting the public , and usually battling supervillains . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters , especially in American comic books since the 1930s . Superman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . Superman debuted in Action Comics # 1 ( cover-dated June 1938 ) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials , newspaper strips , television programs , films , and video games .