Action Comics #1 (1938)

Action Comics #1 is the one that started it all. It's the one that introduced Superman. And boy oh boy, did it change the game. This is the issue that brought us the costumed superhero that we know and love today.

Let's talk about what's inside. This issue features Superman's origin story, where we see his infant self sent from a "distant planet" destroyed by old age to Earth via a spaceship. He was found and turned over to an orphanage. His powers weren't as extensive as they are now - he couldn't fly and was invulnerable only to things "less than a bursting shell." But don't worry, his powers gradually increased in later issues without explanation.

In this issue, we also see Superman save a woman who was wrongly accused of murder, stop a man from abusing his wife, and confront a lobbyist trying to involve the United States in WWII. But Superman isn't the only hero in this issue. We also meet Chuck Dawson, who is looking to reclaim his stolen ranch.

Zatara and Tong also make an appearance as they take on the Tigress and her gang who have been robbing trains. The state police and our heroes manage to round up the gang, but the Tigress gets away.

There are also other features in this issue, like Scoop Scanlon stopping an international jewel thief with his partner Rusty James, and Tex Thompson solving a murder in England with the help of two kids, Robert and Betty.

Action Comics #1 is a piece of comic book history. It's the one that started it all and set the stage for the superheroes we know and love today. And if you happen to have a copy lying around, you could be sitting on a goldmine.