After years of fighting crime and saving to world, DC comic book superhero, Superman will be celebrating

his 75th birthday.

75 years ago the first DC comic book featuring Superman was published, and then released two

month later; Action Comics was the title of the series Superman first appeared in.

Mark Reynolds, an employee at The Comic Book Shop on North Division, has been reading Superman comic books for as long as he can remember and enjoys his iconic nature.

“Superman is the most iconic comic book character, and images in media,” Reynolds said. “He isn’t my favorite but I read his comics and I enjoy them.

“I enjoy the symbolism for what he stands for.”

Debatably the most iconic feature of Superman is the giant S that he sports on his chest.

In a article on metroplolis.com by comic book expert Brian G. Philibin, the Superman symbol is one of the few superhero symbols recognized worldwide.

“Superman’s symbol has become recognizable all over the world. However, at one time, it was not even very consistently drawn,” Philbin wrote. “it went through a great deal of metamorphosis.”

Along with the S being drawn the outline of the S also went through several changes. The first shape was an Indian arrow head, until it was changed to a triangle and then finally the iconic diamond shape came and stayed.

But the iconic figure that we know as Superman wasn’t always the good guy who saved the day.

“He was first created as a bald villain,” Craig Barnett, owner of The Comic Book Shop, said. “He was originally a bald headed villain.

“It wasn’t until 1938 when Siegel and Shuster sold Superman to Detective Comics, (now called DC), that he became a hero.”

John Waite, owner of the comic book shop Merlyn’s Science Fiction Fantasy Store, claimed that the timing of Superman’s arrival played a huge role of his fame.

When Superman came into the  comic book world, he came into a world at war. In 1938 wars were starting in Europe, the U.S. was in the Great Depression, and WWII was coming up.

“He came at a time when the world was broken,” Waite said. “And he helped poor people and middle class people have something to look up to and gave them hope.”

Superman will continue to reach new generations with the release of his new movie, Man of Steel, as well as his new comic book series.