Superman Super Post! (Part 1: Characters)

I think something a lot of people don't realize about the Superman is just. how. MUCH of it originated in adaptations before appearing in the comics themselves.  It's staggering, really.  Let's put it this way: it's so much that I have to split it into two parts.  So today we'll look at which of Superman's supporting cast are immigrants, and tomorrow we'll take a look at character appearances and other things.  (And keep in mind that these two parts aren't even counting the things that have already been discussed in previous posts.)

Sergeant Casey

Perry White

Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy Olsen first appeared in the The Adventures of Superman radio show during the serial episode "The Emerald of the Incas" (April 1940).  His first comics appearance was in Superman #13 (December 1941).  Like Perry White, he has become a staple of the Superman mythos, and has appeared in most adaptations.

Atoman

Atom Man (note the different spelling) first appeared in the Superman radio serial "Atom Man" and its immediate sequel "Atom Man vs. Metropolis" (October 1945), which was later adapted into the movie serial Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950). His first comics appearance was in World's Finest #271 (September 1981). Please note that Atoman has much more in common with the radio version than the serial version, who is just a disguise for Lex Luthor.

Inspector William Henderson

Professor Pepperwinkle

Professor Pepperwinkle first appeared in the The Adventures of Superman radio show during the 1940s.  He made his first comics appearance in Action Comics #442 (December 1974), Like Inspector Henderson, he also appeared in the Adventures of Superman tv series before making it to the comics.

Mr. Mxyzptlk

Mxyzptlk, a mischievous imp from the 5th Dimension, first appeared in the Superman comic strip in February 1944 (strip name: "The Mischievous Mr. Mxyztplk").  He later appeared in comics in Superman #30 (September 1944).  It's interesting to note that when he first appeared, his name was spelled "Mxyztplk"; it wasn't until Action Comics #208 (September 1955) that it was changed to the current spelling.

Metallo

Metallo first appeared in the Superman comic strip in December 1958.  The story would later be retold in Action Comics #252 (May 1959), his first appearance in comics.

Ben Hubbard

Ben Hubbard was first mentioned in Superman: The Movie (1975) as a neighbor of the Kents, and hinted to be in a relationship with Martha after Jonathan died.  He made his first real appearance in Superman Returns (2006) in deleted scenes, and then his first comics appearance is Action Comics #855 (March 2007), although I've heard he's been mentioned before that.

Ursa and Non

Ursa and Non first appeared in Superman II (1980) as General Zod's lieutenants, roles that were formerly filled in the comics by Jax-Ur and Faora Fu-Ul.  They first appeared in comics in Adventure Comics #845 (January 2007).

Superwoman

Superwoman (aka Kristin Wells) first appeared in the Elliot S! Maggin novel, Miracle Monday (1981); she was a person from the 29th century - a descendant of Jimmy Olsen - who travelled back in time to figure out the secret identity of Superwoman, only to discover that it was actually her.  She later appeared in comics, starting with DC Comics Presents Annual #2 (January 1983), but the Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped her character from continuity.

She was later reintroduced to comics in the 2000s, but as two separate characters.  Kristin Wells showed up in Superman #668 (December 2007) and was revealed to be Karsta War-Ul, a Kryptonian living on Earth, while the new Superwoman first appeared in Supergirl #35 (January 2009) and turned out to be Lucy Lane.