The cover of Action Comics #1 is the most iconic cover in the history of comics. Period.

It is a cover that has been homaged countless times. Every person who reads comics knows, or can guess, instantly what this comic is when they see it. The world’s greatest superhero burst onto the scene in this cover and into the hearts of billions of people around the world. I don’t think any superhero still around today can say that their first cover appearance did as much for their premiere as this one did.

DC knows this. WB knows this. The fans know it, and don’t even care how much money we shell out for the tidal wave of memorabilia that has commemorated it over the years.

I bought myself a little Christmas stocking stuffer yesterday as I was doing a few returns at Target for my family, and man am I glad I happened to be browsing the toy aisles that day.

Hot Wheels has released series of cars from pop culture many times and has always caught my eye, but in this premium series was a release that was next level for me. It is an EXACT replica of the car Superman is smashing on the cover of Action #1.

Even though I have long left toy collecting behind me (a good decision for my home and wallet, believe me!), I couldn’t pass this one up, and nabbed it immediately.

The paint job is incredible, and the details are perfect right down to the shiny hues in the same spots as Joe Shuster placed them on the cover. I was crazy about this instantly because of its fidelity to the source material, something which I’m sure all fans can resonate with.

Whenever I collect memorabilia based on something I love, I want it to be identical to what it is memorializing. I am not interested in a random Volkswagen Eurovan with a decal of Superman flying on the side. No thanks. I have never been interested in toys with a remote likeness of an actor or loose take on a character (see pictured). You can like those things if you want, they’re just not for me.

This car looks like someone reached their hand into the cover of Action #1 and pulled it directly out of Superman’s world. I couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately I looked up what other Hot Wheels Mattel had released from the Pop Culture series, and the rest are either not very good or not comic related. Oh well.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled for future releases from here on to be sure, but if this piece remains one of a kind, I’m happy with that too!

After all, you can never have too much stuff commemorating the cover of Action Comics #1.

If you’re interested, this toy was released Fourth Quarter of 2024 and should be available at a store near you as we speak!