The Men Who MADE Superman | Siegel & Shuster Explored

[@sergioandrade8735]

At the time comic books were looked down as entertainment for children and simple minded adults only. Newspaper comics however were considered pretigious because everyone read newspapers. Siegel and Schuster worked mostly on the Superman newspaper strip during the 40's. At the time more people were probably exposed to Superman thru his newpaper strip and radio show.

[@crwhitwick]

Very true, if you consider maturity in the 1940's, I usually imagine the classic pa sitting at the table smoking a pipe with a newspaper in-hand. Funny how things get perceived that way!

[@powerbadpowerbad]

When comicbooks were first produced,they weren't looked down upon or for only children.Super-hero comics sold like hot-cakes !!! The Superman comics sold in the millions each month,comicbooks sold so well because it was cheap entertainment.Readers demanded more super-heroes,thus came Batman,Wonder-Woman,etc,etc,., after-SUPES.Comicbook companies sprang up over nite to cash in on the way comics were selling. When WW2 started comicbooks were shipped to soldiers over-seas and other branches of the military.

[@colonydropmodels]

I always love hearing about the people behind such legendary characters and you make it so easy to get into learning about these guys.

[@crwhitwick]

I'm glad to hear it, I really want to try and make sure people don't get lost in the weeds when it comes to the history of DC

[@MadameTamma]

I don't know if you already know about him but if you're interested in Comic book creators and how they came to make their characters, you should look up William Marston who first created Wonder Woman back in 1941 because good God, did he live a fascinating life.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Yep the Toronto Daily Star was the namesake for Clark Kent's first newspaper job, The Daily Star/Metropolis Daily Star. Sharp research.

[@Cri_Jackal]

The moment I heard that his mother ALSO died from a heart attack, I made the connection instantly.

[@crwhitwick]

People saying it's so hard to make friends these days. Just find someone who's tragic backstory is compatible with your own, it's easy!

[@danielg.w5733]

The fact that Siegel wrote for italian disney comics never fails to be a wild fact

[@NeilRossHistoryComedyPoetry]

Thanks from Canada! Here, the Joe Shuster Awards are the Canadian equivalent of America's Eisners and Joe Shuster was, fittingly enough, the first inductee into the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame. Toronto street Joe Shuster Way is another tribute and Superman featured on Canadian government stamps in 1995 and 2013. It is one of my personal regrets that Shuster did not return home to work in the Golden Age of Canadian Comic Books during the war. A question for you, CR, one of my long held beliefs is that the Fortress of Solitude is located somewhere in Canada -- can you tell us if the Fortress appeared before Siegel/Shuster had left the title?

[@crwhitwick]

Hi Neil! I wound-up spending some time looking into your question, and it was a little trickier than I first expected. The fortress first appeared back in 1942, but was just described as Superman's 'secret base,' and we never saw it from the outside, or really outside of very specific rooms. Siegel and Shuster left in 1947, and we didn't see the outside of the base until quite a while later in 1958. So while the two are technically behind the idea, the Fortress of Solitude as we know it moreso comes from Jerry Coleman and Wayne Boring.

[@NeilRossHistoryComedyPoetry]

​@@crwhitwick Thanks, CR. I really appreciate the time and effort!

[@drewgeraci8434]

One important thing you left out was that superstar artist Neal Adams publicly shamed DC Comics to give not only a pension to Siegle and Shuster but a "Created by" tag line in every appearance of Superman thereafter

[@crwhitwick]

I honestly didn't know that! Thanks for sharing :D

[@harbour08]

DC should be paying their families to this day

[@crwhitwick]

I definitely agree with you on that, at least a royalty amount. Even a 0.1% of earnings based on Superman would do a great deal for the Siegel & Shuster estates.