Superman a madman?

This Day in History: April 18, 1938 

Action Comics #1 (June 1938),
the debut of Superman.
Cover art by Joe Shuster.

Superman created by Siegel and Shuster was originally a bald madman who used his telepathic abilities to wreak havoc on mankind. Having tried for years to no avail in finding a publisher for their Superman character, Seigel had a reverse thought, "What if this Superman was a force for good instead of evil?"

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster saw their creation, Superman (also known as Kal-El, originally Kal-L), launched in Action Comics #1 on April 18, 1938. This Superman is the Superman we have all known and loved for decades. In its first issue having been dubbed by the publisher as being ridiculous, strong sales proved differently. So, instead of being banned from the cover of Action Comics as intended, Superman became a permanent presence in issue #19 onward.

The series saw the introduction of several characters and themes which would become longstanding elements of the Superman mythos.

Cover of Action Comics #23 (April 1940).
The first appearance of
Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor.
Art by Joe Shuster.

Action Comics #1 - Lois Lane made her debut in the first issue with Superman.
Action Comics #6 - An unnamed "office boy" with a bow tie makes a brief appearance in the story "Superman's Phony Manager" (November 1938), which is claimed to be Jimmy Olsen's first appearance by several reference sources.
Action Comics #13 - Superman was first depicted as possessing the power of flight (June 1939).
Action Comics #18 - Superpower of X-ray vision depicted for the first time (November 1939).
Action Comics #20 - Superpower of telescopic vision and super-breath introduced (January 1940).
Action Comics #23 - Luthor, a villain who would later become Superman's archenemy, was introduced (April 1940).
Action Comics #64 - The original Toyman was created by writer Don Cameron and artist Ed Dobrotka (September 1943).

Superman has remained a pop culture icon, a protector and defender blessed with X-ray vision, herculean strength and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. After the initial launch in April, 1938, a daily newspaper comic strip came next, debuting on January 16, 1939, with a retelling of the character’s origin on the doomed planet Krypton. Since then, Superman has appeared in innumerable comic books, TV shows, movies, radio serials, video games, novels and even a Broadway musical.