Superman ➟ The Comic Strip Hero (1 of 5)

[@dymoure]

Just seeing Jerry and Joe gives me the chills. I'd would've loved to talk to them.

[@broken1394]

Awww

[@raqui174]

These two men deserve so much credit they created a phenomenon and what’s sad is that they were not not able to enjoy it as they should.

[@JR-ju3kj]

It's even sadder when you find out how they were awfully exploited by DC Comics and how they died with basically nothing and how horribly they were treated. Here you have a character who Warner Brothers and DC has probably made billions of dollars off of and their creators weren't even being paid a living wage for their creation( when they created Superman, DC, which at the time was known as National Periodical Publications, only paid them $130.00 - and that was split between the two of them, not each and to add insult to injury, their names were even misspelt on the check). But sadly, there are many horror stories/cautionary tales of people being poorly treated by DC Comics and Marvel Comics. But because of those kinds of cautionary stories, that's what lead to the formation of successful independent comic book publishers like Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

[@tonygriego6382]

The two fathers of the superhero. They will never be forgotten. True Legends in the pantheon of popular culture.

[@LukeMaynard]

I only just now found out that both of these guys lived long enough to see Christopher Reeve as Superman, and it made both of them ecstatically happy with how he turned out. That just kind of makes my day.

[@vividwatch47]

Though Joe Schuster was the only one of the two to show up at "Superman: The Movie"'s premiere.

[@anarchomando7707]

@@vividwatch47 yeah but Jerry wasn't in the best financial situation

[@JR-ju3kj]

Not only did both of them live long enough to see Christopher Reeve as Superman, both of them actually lived into the 1990s(Joe Shuster died in 1992 and Jerry Siegel died in 1996).

[@SkyRider4815]

These dudes started the superhero genre real fathers of superheroes

[@Dawn_Of_Justice]

The 2 men that started it all!

[@snakes3425]

After Bendis' run they're spinning in their graves

[@steverogers2404]

Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Siegel. For co-creating one of the greatest heroes of all time.

[@johnkenneth3602]

Cap : ) you're my favorite Avenger .

[@steverogers2404]

Thank you. BTW, Love the Icon :)

[@adonis7626]

Steve Rogers Since Steve Roger was an US Soldier, and the Superman comics were given to the American Army during WW2 (+ DC comics exist in the Marvel Universe) Your comment, with your name, are accurate.

[@sladewilson377]

@@adonis7626 dc comics doesn't exist in marvel that is bull.

[@anarchomando7707]

@@sladewilson377 it's joked about but never seriously considered

[@snakes3425]

It's sad when you realize these men put their heart and souls into Superman, only to have their names stripped from their own work and banned from ever mentioning they created Superman, by the time the movie came out few people even knew who Jerry and Joe were let alone that they created Superman. I mean all they wanted was a raise, credit for Superboy and more creative control, why DC didn't just promote them to editors on all Superman comics and give them a by line on Superboy is beyond me

[@hefley4]

There are a lot of very good non-fiction books about Superman, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Schuster, and their love/hate relationship with DC comics and its successors over the character. It is in many ways a two-edged sword all around with different sides to the story. It is ironic that, had they not agreed to sign over their character when they sold him, Jerry and Joe may have never seen Superman get the exposure to become a success. They were still largely young guys at the time, and Supes was the first of his kind -- barely a year later, Bob Kane -- perhaps older and certainly more savvy -- cut a far better deal for himself when he invented Batman for DC; yet it is of note that Kane then turned around and kept partner and co-creator Bill Finger out of the limelight, keeping the credit, fame, and fortune for himself for years. So business savvy and force of personality were a big part of what sort of deal one got, apparently. Also, from DC's point of view, they made legal agreements with Jerry several times in the decades following his original firing, part of which was that he agreed to never again contest Superman's ownership -- which he broke later. They probably also figures that, if they caved to him and really paid him what would have reflected what Supes was worth to them, all sorts of others would demand the same. So they had some legal right to do what they did. That said, Supes not only made billions but is probably why National (DC) survived. They could have done much better by Jerry and Joe, just out of principle, legal wranglings aside, than they did. It is a crime that these two spent so much of their lives in poverty. But business is complicated and it doesn't always turn out in six-color simplicity after twelve panels happily ever after.

[@alexauclair1]

Greed arrogance and hubris that’s why

[@JR-ju3kj]

What happened to Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster is one of the worst and most horrible stories of creators being exploited and mistreated that I've ever heard in my life. When I heard the stories about them living in poverty and sleeping on park benches and then eventually dying after living in poverty with basically nothing, when they created an iconic and legendary character that was generating so many profits, it makes me really angry and very upset. As an aspiring comic book writer and artist, that's why I'll never work for Marvel Comics or DC Comics and it's why I want to do my own independent comic books and own my own creations and make money off of them. What happened to them really is a sad and sobering cautionary tale.

[@Connie-gq1nz]

😮😮😮

[@swimming-champ1992]

Siegel and Shuster really are a super duo

[@Globalman43]

I agree with you. As long as we keep on buying Superman, we are keeping Siegel and Shuster's memory alive.

[@FirstnameLastname-my7bz]

I love these men so much and THEIR ideas behind Superman, many of which didn't get readapted by most other writers that followed.

[@keelychow4569]

“Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am.” - Clark Kent in an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

[@samspudding8644]

Before he was Superman, he was always Clark Kent in Siegel & Shuster's stories, too. Clark Kent created the Superman persona as well as the mild mannered reporter disguise.

[@BatcaveComics83]

Imagine how much that sketch would be worth today 6:06

[@snakes3425]

I often wonder what ever happened to Jerry and Joe's original notes, and designs for Superman

[@daustin8888]

@@snakes3425 They are probably owned by the estates

[@NTEDOG561]

I’m sure someone has them preserved somewhere

[@Codejunkereg]

them not recieving their rightful credit to being the creators of superman, reminds me a lot of Bill Finger, who still does not recieve his rightful credit to being Batman's co-creator. All we see is "Batman created by Bob Kane" It should actually say "Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger". DC needs to learn how to give the creators the true credit they deserve especially when these two men shuster and seigel made your flagship character.

[@markkilmer4630]

Wow...that all is really interesting...I never knew anything about superman...

[@snakes3425]

130 dollars was a lot of money in the 1930s they didn't know or expect that Superman would become a hit

[@snakes3425]

cont... Siegal did get a job writing stories for DC again, but DC banned him from recieving any credit for his work, and he was once again fired talking with a co-worker about how the deal wasn't fair. In it's early years DC sued anyone who created a superhero who looked even remotley like superman to remove any competition, irony is latter on they then bought the characters they put out of buisness and reintroduced them most famous being Captain Marvel (the original)

[@CSquared15]

GREAT DOCUMENTARY!

[@djintheuk]

thanks for posting this I was annoyed when I missed the repeat on BBC4.

[@ghostwhiskey]

What really pisses me off is that the people at DC whoever it was who made the deal that prohibited Siegel and Shuster from receiving any profit from their own creation probably feels good about himself for being a smarter businessman,I doubt they feel any guilt whatsoever for being a complete scumbag. The only good thing is that no one remembers the name of those people but everyone remembers the real creators and the public always gives all the credit to S & S

[@koolaid28]

I hope the families of Seigal and Shuster got royalties for Superman.

[@HCShannon]

Also it should be noted Warner Brothers and DC own Supes, but in the credits of shows and movies like Justice League and Justice League Unlimited it always states "Superman created by JS and JS" as well as "Batman created by Bob Kane"

[@NTEDOG561]

Bill finger should be included with Batman’s creation

[@snakes3425]

Not just that: the story goes while Siegal and Shuster were in the army fighting World War II DC published their Superboy concept without permission or giving them credit and when they complained and demanded a raise for their work on Superman DC fired them, stripped them of their created by lines and forbade them from even mentioning they created superman. DC only reversed its decisions when Superman the Movie came out to avoid a public backlash

[@snakes3425]

Makes you wonder where Seigal and Shuster's orginal working notes, drafts and concept art for Superman is today if it even still exists

[@hefley4]

The original comic book was thrown into the fire by an angry Joe Schuster when a publisher who had finally agreed to run it changed his mind at the last minute. A horrified Jerry Siegel dashed over to the fireplace and snatched the cover from the flames, or so the story goes. I have often wondered if this was the black and white cover showing Superman -- clad in jeans and a white t-shirt, without a cape, leaping head first out into the frame from above, about to attack a masked gunman holding an innocent person at gunpoint against an outdoor cityscape...

[@snakes3425]

I was actually talking about the scripts, and notes Seigal wrote the night he came up with the Superman concept we all know, and the concept art Shuster made from them the next day

[@pscomics]

Seeing Siegel and Shuster really reminds me just how new the character really is. It must have been odd to see Superman become an almost religious figure.

[@raidenstark315]

Like homelander

[@Artisticz]

that pencil sketch must be worth an absolute fortunate

[@snakes3425]

it has more to do with the timing then animosity, Jerry and Joe both went into DCs offices, pitched the idea for Superman and got the contract together. Bob Kane pitched the idea for Batman to DC and negotiated the contract before he hired Bill Finger as a ghost writer

[@ahappyshow]

The dispute over Superboy has been settled. Notice that DC no longer has a character called "Superboy" anymore, and that on the "Legion of Super-Heroes" catoon, the character is referred to as "Young Superman." -- Matt

[@bulletproofKevlar]

@Artisticz the original action comics is worth soo much now last time it was sold it was sold for a million dollars in a auction the most any comic has been worth

[@edduay]

they got it from when superman donated a strand of hair for science, he can cut it using his heat vision just the way he got shave and trim his hair.

[@Artisticz]

@ghostfreak71 - no superman at a young age? i think the only piece of clothing i ever when i was like 2/3 years old was my superman custome lol and the films are what i only watched.

[@mrjasonsamuel23]

if that is true plz update us

[@awesomeinspector5270]

2:28

[@ParDiss-e4i]

How did they choose the superpowers?

[@bfnfamily]

@RantNRavinFection So people have this happened to them. It's sad. Your best is to cut deal that is going to benefit you and them in the long run or start your own company! The latter may sound impossble, but every company starts small. The founder of DC use to be a writer.

[@HCShannon]

Jerry Siegal looks like Henry Kissenger!

[@zoso73]

10:00 -- ouch! don't handle comics like that!

[@Artisticz]

@Poke7621 yeah i know the action 1 comic was bought for million dollars........crazy lol

[@ahappyshow]

No, in the comics Superman doesn't have a son (unless you count what they called "imaginary stories," which were kind of "what if" stories). The first version of Superboy was Superman as a boy. A later version was a clone of him. -- Matt

[@akashrav5657]

Jonathan Kent????

[@ahappyshow]

@@akashrav5657 My comment was made 12 years ago, before Superman really did have a son in continuity. It says how long ago my comment was made right next to my user name.

[@pinkystinkinc3475]

Superman is half canadian Eh

[@davidparent793]

Superman le premier et le plus incroyable de tous les super héros.... il sera toujours avec nous jusqu’à la fin des temps. Superman mérite d être respecté car il a perdu sa première place chez DC ce qui n est absolument pas normal. Batman lui a pris sa place cela depuis la Batmania en 1989. Kal El sera toujours mon super héros préféré. Longue vie à Supes et à DC

[@kryptonchild]

Mr. Mxyptlk because he knows what he's doing and does it on purpose, Bizarro is just opposite and its his nature, he can't really help what he does.

[@bfnfamily]

@bfnfamily Typo: So many people.

[@PROTOYPE019]

130 dollars! Oh my god that's basically stealing! god if only they knew..

[@Artisticz]

who cares about batman bro? its a superman vid lol.

[@alexhardy5305]

Were Siegel and Shuster anarchists? Some of the early Superman stories seem to be influenced by anarchist thought.

[@FireStormBaller]

+Alex Hardy No.

[@snakes3425]

No they grew up during the Depression and the New Deal and were products of that era, Superman was originally suppose to be a champion of the New Deal, but it began to change as World War II erupted and Superman became the big blue conservative boy scout we know today after the war when the comics industry was hit with strict censorship laws that forbade showing stuff like government corruption

[@festo8756]

snakes3425 They were copying zorro. It had nothing to do with the new deal. Zorro was champion of the oppressed and had a secret identity. He pretended to be weak until he put on his costume. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster watched Zorro and based his actions on that.

[@snakes3425]

Actually that was Batman, or at least how Bob Kane told the story of Batman's creation, Jerry and Joe were inspired by Pulps, Science Fiction Movies, etc. I was pointing out that they grew up in an era of both great change and uncertainty because of the Depression and the fears that people had as war became more and more inevitable, and their own feelings of alienation and being discriminated against because they were Jewish.

[@festo8756]

snakes3425. In 1983 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster did an interview in Nemo. A comic magazine. You can find it online. They never said publicly about being alienated for being jewish. Were did you get that from?Your making their backstory more cinamatic than it was. They based superman on Zorro Tarzan and John Carter. John Carter- super strength , ability to leap tall buildings Zorro- champion of the oppressed , secret identity Black Pirate a film where they took the pose of hands on hips. Leaping in air with bad guys They created the character because what was popular in comics were crime fighters. So they decided to make a crime fighter that was stronger than the rest. Tarzan and John Carter were both called Superman. Most likely that is where they got the name. Their goal in creating superman was to get a syndicated newspaper strip.

[@RantNRavinFection]

zorro > superman fairbanks is the true legend. ahh im just screwing with you....but seriously this story is really tough shit. they sold the rights (LEGALLY) so it's not like dc completely jerked them. personally dc did what any heartless corporation does: buy out the little guy and destroy all competition. microsoft, nintendo, electronic arts, the wwe, it's really sad.

[@sayaretmatkal80]

so the superman the mesiach - like superhero is a jewish hero

[@Seoyeaji921]

Superman is a iconic superhero

[@thescorpionking2020]

batman sold for more

[@GODtalks79]

Superman was based on Jesus Christ 🙏 wow .

[@Seoyeaji921]

Superman was not based on any religious figure. he is a character of his own. So please shut up.

[@BoboyMagdalera]

Moses

[@edduay]

they got it from when superman donated a strand of hair for science, he can cut it using his heat vision just the way he got shave and trim his hair.