Martha Kent

Few characters in DC's vast history have proven as quietly essential as Martha Kent, the warm-hearted cornerstone of Superman's mythology who first appeared in Superboy #18 in 1952, brought to life by the legendary team of Bill Finger and Curt Swan. Emerging from the Golden Age, she has endured across an extraordinary 74 years — from the pages of Superboy and Superman through Adventures of Superman and beyond — accumulating 281 catalog appearances and 14 key issues that collectors prize. She shares her stories with the most iconic names in comics: Clark Kent, Superman, Lois Lane, even Green Lantern pass through her world. That kind of staying power, across generations of readers and reinventions of the Man of Steel himself, tells you everything about how indispensable Martha Kent truly is to the heart of the DC Universe.