Quiz of the Day
Comic Books & Superheroes
Saturday, 2 May 2026
Free Comic Book Day — superhero origins, comic book history, famous illustrators
1. Which superhero was the first to appear in comic books?
- Batman
- Wonder Woman
- Captain America
- Superman
Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster sold the rights for just $130. A near-mint copy of that first issue sold at auction for $6 million in 2024.
2. What is Spider-Man's real name?
- Bruce Wayne
- Clark Kent
- Tony Stark
- Peter Parker
Stan Lee created Spider-Man in 1962 as a teenager who gets bitten by a radioactive spider. The concept was initially rejected by Marvel's publisher who said 'people hate spiders' and 'teenagers can only be sidekicks.'
3. Which fictional metal is Wolverine's skeleton coated with?
- Vibranium
- Kryptonite
- Unobtanium
- Adamantium
Adamantium was named after the Greek word 'adamas' meaning 'unconquerable'. Wolverine's skeleton was bonded with it during the brutal Weapon X programme. Vibranium (Captain America's shield) is a separate fictional metal from Wakanda.
4. Who created the Marvel characters Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four?
- Bob Kane
- Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
- Stan Lee
- Jack Kirby
Lee wrote the stories and Kirby drew them in a revolutionary collaboration called the 'Marvel Method'. Kirby's dynamic art style and Lee's snappy dialogue transformed comics from kids' entertainment into a mainstream cultural force.
5. What is the name of Batman's home city?
- Star City
- Central City
- Metropolis
- Gotham City
Gotham was a real nickname for New York City, coined by Washington Irving in 1807. The name comes from an English village whose inhabitants pretended to be mad to avoid a royal visit — fitting for Batman's crime-riddled city.
6. Which country produces the most comics by volume?
- France
- United States
- South Korea
- Japan
Japanese manga accounts for about 40% of all published material in Japan. The manga industry is worth over $6 billion annually. In 2020, manga outsold American comics for the first time in US bookstores.
7. What year did Wonder Woman first appear?
- 1963
- 1941
- 1950
- 1938
Wonder Woman was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston, who also invented the lie detector test. Her Lasso of Truth was directly inspired by his polygraph work. He lived in a polyamorous relationship that also inspired the character.
8. What was the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize?
- Persepolis
- Maus
- Watchmen
- The Dark Knight Returns
Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' (1991) tells the story of his father's Holocaust survival, depicting Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. It won a special Pulitzer in 1992 and proved that comics could be serious literature.
9. Which superhero's weakness is Kryptonite?
- Superman
- Thor
- Green Lantern
- The Flash
Kryptonite was actually invented for the Superman radio show in 1943 so the voice actor could take a holiday — Superman would be weakened and just groan while a substitute actor took over.
10. What is a manga?
- A Japanese comic book or graphic novel
- A martial arts style
- A type of anime film
- A Japanese animation studio
Manga is read right-to-left, the opposite of Western comics. The art form dates back to 12th-century Japanese scrolls. One Piece by Eiichiro Oda has sold over 500 million copies, making it the best-selling manga series ever.
11. Which comic book publisher created the Avengers?
- Marvel Comics
- Image Comics
- DC Comics
- Dark Horse Comics
The Avengers were created in 1963 partly because the Justice League was selling well for DC. The original lineup was Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Wasp. The MCU films have grossed over $30 billion worldwide.
12. What does DC in DC Comics stand for?
- Detective Comics
- District of Columbia
- Dynamic Characters
- Direct Current
DC Comics is technically 'Detective Comics Comics' — a tautology. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. The company was originally called National Allied Publications before adopting the DC name.
13. Which superhero was created during WWII punching Adolf Hitler on the cover of his first issue?
- Wonder Woman
- Superman
- Captain America
- The Flash
Captain America #1 (March 1941) showed Cap punching Hitler months before the US entered WWII. Creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby received hate mail and death threats from Nazi sympathisers — the NYPD had to post guards at their office.
14. What is Free Comic Book Day?
- A digital comics giveaway event
- A day when participating shops give away free comics
- A day when all comics are discounted
- A day celebrating comic book creators
Free Comic Book Day started in 2002 and takes place on the first Saturday of May. Over 2,000 comic shops worldwide participate, giving away millions of specially printed comics to attract new readers.
15. Which Tintin book has the young reporter travelling to the Moon — published 16 years before the actual Moon landing?
- The Shooting Star
- Explorers on the Moon
- Flight 714 to Sydney
- Destination Moon
Hergé's 'Destination Moon' (1953) and 'Explorers on the Moon' (1954) featured remarkably accurate details: a two-stage rocket, weightlessness, and space suits. Hergé consulted scientists to get the details right.