Although the Man of Steel doesn’t officially turn 70 for another few months — Action Comics #1 sported a June 1938 cover date, but hit newsstands in April — modern tradition points to Feb. 29 as Superman’s birthday.
At the Superman Homepage, Barry Freiman traces the Leap Day tradition to 1988 and the big 50th-anniversary story in Time magazine, and then back even further, to a 1976 DC Comics calendar.
Of course, there are still other supposed birth dates: June 10, June 18, May 3 … What’s a Kryptonian to do?
In any case, happy birthday, Superman — at least until the next one comes in a few months.
Related: Bully’s birthday tribute for the man who has everything
February 29th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Er… Superman’s 70th birthday can’t be in 2008 *and* be on 29th Feb, no matter what “modern tradition” points to.
There was no Feb 29th in 1938!!!
February 29th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Eh, his birthday can’t be Feb. 29, June 10 and June 18, either.
That’s comics for you.
Feb. 29 — and certainly not Feb. 29, 1938 — was never a “real” birth date for Superman, anyway.
February 29th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I like the old idea of June 18 as his Earthday (well,it’s MY birthday) - the day the Kents found him; they didn’t know his birthday, so celebrated that instead. I have an idea Clark later worked out his birthday from the position of planets seen in one of those ‘Superboy dons a past-viewer’ tales, but I may be making that up.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
There is something of a tradition of giving comics characters a Leap Year birthday: Capt. Marvel and Orphan Annie are two other orphans who were born this day.
February 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Hey Thanks for the shout out for my article - also check out the tons of birthday greetings we got too from Ilya Salkind to Noel Neill to the Siegel heirs to Brad Meltzer to Sarah Douglas to Alex Ross and then some …