The DC Superman Club was created in the fall of 1980, replacing the DC Super-Stars Society established in 1977. Membership in the DC Superman Club cost $3.00. Letters to Charter Members were addressed as "Superman Fan Club" from Editor-in-Chief Laurie Sutton. The Superman Club logo was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson. The logo is derived from the cover art of The Amazing World of Superman, Metropolis Edition (1973).

The original membership kit included a Charter Member certificate, a gold code card with serial number, a book cover, an iron-on transfer, and a gold-foil club sticker. The later printings of membership cards are white cardstock with blue text. The cards contain a Caesar cipher used to decode "Superman's Code Message" in each issue of The Daily Planet, Official Newsletter of the DC Superman Club. Similar codes were previously used by the Supermen of America, Superman Junior Defense League, and Superman-Tim Club.

Four issues of The Daily Planet were published from 1980–1981. The first issue reported that a Batman film was scheduled to be released in late 1981. The feature remained in development, eventually being released in 1989. Each issue contains a membership application to join the different club chapters: Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League, Legion of Super Heroes, Shazam, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

The membership kits included a 17.5 x 22 inch poster illustrated by José Luis García-López. The poster was previously distributed to members of the DC Super-Stars Society. An edited version was later used to promote the Super Powers line of figures from Kenner.