Superman and Jaws Somehow Fought 50 Years Ago

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Each month, we take a look back at comic books released 10, 25, or 50 years in the past. We also occasionally feature a surprise issue when a month has a fifth week. This time, I’m sharing a recent discovery: an old Superman comic where he battled…the shark from Jaws!

Comic book fans have a saying: when a trend starts appearing in comic books, it’s probably on its way out. Comic books have always tried to stay current, and some believe the very first wave of superhero comics in the Golden Age happened because publishers were simply trying to profit from the initial popularity of the genre.

Trends come and go, but sometimes, the things they inspire outlast the original trend itself. Comic books are often based on popular movies, and occasionally, the comic book series becomes much more enduring than the movie that started it all. A prime example is Archie Andrews, who was created as a take on the popular Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney – briefly a huge movie star.

Sometimes comic books simply draw inspiration from existing characters, like basing a teen hero on Andy Hardy. Other times, they directly try to profit from popular trends. We saw this with Marvel and DC rushing out Kung Fu comics in the early 1970s to capitalize on the Kung Fu craze, and again when MTV became popular – suddenly Superman was involved, and superheroes in general frequently mirrored whatever was popular at the time.

Okay, so you won’t believe this, but it’s those weird, of-the-moment references that led me to Action Comics #456 from November 1975. Seriously, Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Tex Blaisdell actually had Superman fight… Jaws?! I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it!

How did this comic book tie into editor Julius Schwarz’s philosophy on comic book creation?

Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz were two of the most influential editors in Superman’s history. Weisinger oversaw all Superman comics from the late 1950s to 1970, having previously worked on the books under Whitney Ellsworth. Schwartz then took over from around 1971 until 1986. Both editors shared a unique creative process: they’d start with a compelling cover image and then ask the writers to develop a story that fit it.

Mike Grell brilliantly recreated the iconic movie poster for Jaws, which became an instant classic when the film first came out in 1975.

The challenge, naturally, was that everyone knows a shark poses no real danger to Superman. So, writer Cary Bates needed to find a fresh approach to make the story interesting.

Let’s see what he came up with!

How did this comic book ACTUALLY involve a killer shark?

Cary Bates needed a shark-related element for the story, so he decided to revive the Shark, an old Green Lantern villain created when Julius Schwartz was editing that series. This Shark wasn’t just any shark—he was a super-evolved creature with the power to instill fear. Meanwhile, Captain Strong, a strange take on the Popeye character created by Bates, had taken a group of children on a trip to the Metropolis aquarium.

The tiger shark drained the life force from one of the children, reducing them to basic biological matter, and in doing so, transformed itself back into the original Shark!

Even though Shark is incredibly powerful, he’s no match for Superman. So, the writer, Bates, creates several tricky scenarios over the next few issues to distract Superman. For example, Shark creates huge waterspouts. When Superman tries to destroy them with his heat vision, the water bends the beams back towards Metropolis, forcing Superman to intercept them while Shark gets away.

The most memorable part is when Shark captures Superman in a whirlpool and then exploits his fears against him.

Ultimately, Superman discovers the Shark is depleting the ozone layer, and he quickly stops him with a single blow.

Bates includes a final scene mirroring the cover art, where the weakened shark attempts to bite Superman.

I think Bates did a pretty clever job at trying to work to that amazing cover.

I’m looking for suggestions of comic books with cover dates for January, or any other month, from the years 2016, 2001, 1976, and 1951 to feature in a spotlight. If you have any ideas, please email me at brianc@cbr.com! Keep in mind that comics usually came out about two months after their cover date (October for a book released in August). It’s easier to pinpoint release dates for comics from the last decade thanks to online records, so that can help with your suggestions.

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2025-12-31 16:09