Joe Heath is a big fan of comic books and watching things in order. So he made this spreadsheet containing every serial, short, film, television episode, commercial, motion comic, and web series based on a comic book. Now he’s watching them all. Previously, Joe vigilantly viewed The Vigilante. This time, he double dips into what 1948 has to offer: the first live-action Superman and some guy called Congo Bill.

Superman (January 5th, 1948)

Released on January 5th, 1948 by Columbia Pictures, this 15-part movie serial was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr. Together, Bennet and Carr would go on to direct Congo Bill. Separately, Bennet would direct Batman and Robin, Atom Man vs. Superman, and The Miraculous Blackhawk: Freedom’s Champion, while Carr would direct 37 episodes of The Adventures of Superman.

The serial was written by Lewis Clay, Royal Cole, Arthur Hoerl, George H. Plympton, and Joseph F. Poland. Plympton had previously written Hop Harrigan, Poland wrote The Adventures of Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher, and Cole and Poland had teamed up for Captain America. Clay, Hoerl, and Plympton would team up again for Congo Bill, Cole, Poland, and Plympton for Batman and Robin, Poland and Plympton for Atom Man vs. Superman, Cole and Plympton for The Miraculous Blackhawk: Freedom’s Champion and finally, Cole would go solo for an episode of The Adventures of Superman.