"I've seen first hand how Superman actually transforms people's lives. I have seen children dying of brain tumors who wanted as their last request to be able to talk to me, and have gone to their graves with a peace brought on by knowing that their belief in this kind of character is intact. I've seen that Superman really matters. They're connecting with something very basic: the ability to overcome obstacles, the ability to persevere, the ability to understand difficulty and to turn your back on it." - Time Magazine, 1988

Even during World War II, Superman’s influence was felt. During the dark days which led up to the D-Day invasion, an unidentified Army Infantry Major, worried about troop morale, said, "When I saw one of our boys in our landing craft nonchalantly reading a copy of Superman Comics, I knew everything would be all right."

That was the effect Superman had on people. They knew he represented everything they were fighting for. He was more than just a comic book hero; he was the embodiment of hope for our fighting forces. Superman helped the oppressed break the shackles of tyranny. He stood for equal rights, civil liberties, and fair play.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the midst of the Great Depression. The story goes that Siegel awoke from a fitful night’s sleep and immediately raced to his friend Joe’s apartment. Breathlessly, he described the idea that had kept him awake most of the night. The idea was for a character who was incredibly strong, able to leap an eighth of a mile, nearly indestructible, and a near-genius intellect. As Siegel spoke, Shuster started drawing. In no time, Shuster had Siegel’s character on paper. The two started throwing ideas back and forth. Siegel eventually started writing the story. In January, 1933, the two produced a story which appeared in the third issue of a fan magazine called “Science Fiction” in which their character wrecked havoc as the story’s VILLAIN. Siegel wrote the story called “The Reign of the Superman” under the name Herbert S. Fine.

Shortly after the story appeared, Siegel thought the character might work better as a comic strip hero. Shuster went back to work on character designs. The strip they created was collected in a comic book form (typical for those days) and submitted in early 1933 for publication under the name “The Superman”. However, the publisher balked and decided he couldn’t market such a fantastic character. Shuster, outraged by the publisher’s rejection, tore most of the book up. All that remained was the cover. The character was shelved after that. Both were eighteen.

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster did get exposure from their stories, though, and a character named Slam Bradley became their primary means of employment. Looking suspiciously like an early version of Superman, Slam Bradley was an adventurer who was consistently getting himself into trouble.

In 1934, Jerry approached Joe about making another attempt at Superman. Only this time, they would go strictly as a comic strip. The package was put together with almost seven weeks worth of strips and submitted. The package was submitted and rejected time and again. One company, told them the idea was too fantastic for a comic strip and perhaps they should try it as a comic book.

Finally, in 1937, the package ended up in the hands of Sheldon Myer at Detective Comics, Incorporated (later known as National Periodical Publishers, Inc. and, later still, DC Comics, Inc.). Myer showed their creation to his boss M.C. Gaines. Siegel and Shuster were already producing Slam Bradley for Detective Comics so Gaines asked them for more. They cut and pasted the comic strip into a thirteen page comic book and sent it on. At the end, they added the blurb “AND SO BEGINS THE STARTLING ADVENTURES OF THE MOST SENSATIONAL STRIP CHARACTER OF ALL TIME: SUPERMAN!”.

Action Comics #1 was produced in the Spring of 1938 with the thirteen page story at the front of the book and a picture of Superman hefting a car overhead and smashing it into the ground as villainous thugs ran for cover.

Reportedly, Siegel and Shuster sold the rights of their character to Detective Comics, Inc. for $130 and the chance to become contract creators for the company. During WWII, while both were enlisted in the armed services, Detective Comics, Inc. spun off the character as Superboy without compensating the creators. When they returned in 1945, Siegel and Shuster successfully sued for a piece of the Superboy and received a judgment of $100,000. However, feelings soured between the company and the young men and, in 1948, Detective Comics refused to renew their contracts.

In the meantime, Superman’s popularity skyrocketed. In 1940, the character appeared in Action Comics, Superman Comics, and World’s Finest Comics. A popular radio serial was created based on the character and an animated series of short films appeared in 1941 from Paramount Studios.

Ten years later, Jerry Siegel had fallen on hard times. Joe Shuster suffered from macular degeneration and was nearly blind. Siegel’s wife, Joanne, who was the inspiration for Lois Lane, went to DC Comics’ president and explained their situation. The company’s president allowed Siegel to return and write occasional stories but would get no special treatment or credit.

In 1978, as DC Comic’s parent company, Warner Brothers, was preparing for the release of the big budget “Superman: the Movie”, a group of comic creators banded together in favor of Siegel and Shuster. Wanting to avoid bad publicity in light of the new movie, Warner Brothers agreed to allow an annual stipend for both starting at $20,000. At the time of their deaths, it is believed to be much greater than that. Along with that, they were granted the credit they deserved with their names appearing first in the opening credits of the movie and then listed on the title of each Superman story from then on.

In an interesting development, in 1999, the heirs of Jerry Siegel, his wife Joanne and his daughter, Laura, were granted judgment to retain 50% ownership of the copyright of Superman. This means DC Comics, and its parent company Time-Warner, will share ALL profits of the Superman character and related characters with the Siegel's. It also means that the Siegel's could produce a line of Superman related materials but they would have to share any profits they received with DC Comics. Beyond that, the copyright for Superman runs out in 2033. After that date, Copyrighted materials of Superman would become public domain. However, since DC Comics still owns the trademark on the character name, use of those materials would remain limited at best.

Next time: Superman’s Story…