The Creation of Superman
Artist Joseph Shuster was born on July 10, 1914, in Toronto,
Canada.
His parents, Julius and Ida Shuster, left Europe in 1912 to escape antisemitic
violence. Joe took an early interest to art and began drawing at the age of
four. At nine, Joe started his first job hawking newspapers for the
Toronto Daily Star while attending Ryerson Public School.
Joe was ambidextrous and he would switch hands when one tired from drawing.
He often used a breadboard as a drawing surface unless his mother needed it
to bake the challah for Shabbat. His eyesight began to deteriorate at an
early age. Impoverished and unable to afford drawing paper, he salvaged any
scraps that were available. While living in Toronto, Joe discovered some
discarded rolls of wallpaper that he would use over the next ten years.
Joe Shuster was inspired by the comic strips and science-fantasy pulps of
the era. His childhood favorites included
Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay and pulp-cover
illustrations by Frank R. Paul. As a teenager, Joe idolized
Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond, Tarzan artist Burne
Hogarth, and Prince Valiant creator Hal Foster. Shuster would often
incorporate contemporary Art Deco cityscape scenes and Streamline Moderne
styles similar to Raymond.
In August 1924, the Shuster family relocated to the Cleveland, Ohio, area.
Joe worked as a staff artist for The Hamilton Federalist, the
school newspaper of Alexander Hamilton Junior High. His first comic strip
printed was about a grasshopper named "Jerry the Journalist." The stories
were written by Jerry Fine, editor of the paper and a cousin of Jerome
Siegel.
Writer Jerome Siegel was born in Cleveland on October 17, 1914. The Siegel
family immigrated from Lithuania in 1900 to escape Jewish persecution.
Jerry's father owned Michael's Men's Furnishings, a second-hand clothing
store on Central Avenue. One day, his older brother Harry brought home an
issue of Amazing Stories that would forever change his life.
Jerry would crawl underneath his bed to write. In an unpublished draft of
his autobiography Creation of a Superhero, Jerry recalled his
earliest science fiction work being printed in the kids' section of the
Buffalo Times around 1927. Jerry claimed to have received a piece of
fan mail for a story titled "Monsters of the Moon" printed in serial form.
He ordered back issues of the Sunday and evening editions, but was unable to
locate any copies of the work.
Jerry Siegel's early writing style was heavily influenced by Edgar Rice
Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars. Siegel would later
meet his idol Burroughs while stationed in Hawaii during
World War II.
Like the Judaic prophet Moses, Tarzan was orphaned as a child in a strange
land. Created in 1911, John Carter travels to another planet and fights for
an oppressed alien race. Carter is endowed with superhuman strength and the
ability to leap great distances due to the lighter gravity of Mars. First
published in 1913,
The Warlord of Mars contains inner monologue from John Carter
stating, "I was a superman, and no man could have withstood me then."
The concept of an Übermensch as the savior of mankind first
appeared in the 1883 book
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich
Nietzsche. The term was further popularized in the 1903 play
Man and Superman by Bernard Shaw.
A letter from Jerry appeared in the August 1929 issue of
Amazing Stories and another was printed in the November issue of
Science Wonder Stories. Both magazines were published by Hugo
Gernsback, "The Father of Science Fiction." By the time he started
attending Glenville High School, Jerry was regularly corresponding with
the fledgling community of science fiction writers and fans.
In August 1929, Jerry created The Fantastic Fiction Publication Company
and released Cosmic Stories, one of the first known science fiction
fanzines. The booklet was typed and hectographed by Jerry under the alias
Charles McEvoy, one of many pseudonyms. Siegel enjoyed using pen names as
another way to emulate Burroughs, who had first published under the alias
Norman Bean. About ten copies of Cosmic Stories were produced. The
work was considered to be lost by 1935 and no examples are known to exist.
The pamphlet included original stories from science fiction pioneer Clare
Winger Harris and Walter L. Dennis, co-founder of the Science
Correspondence Club.
Walter Dennis worked as a newspaper reporter in Chicago and co-edited the
first two issues of The Comet, a fanzine released in May 1930.
Jerry exchanged letters and stories with Walter, whose physical appearance
and occupation were an early inspiration for Clark Kent.
The name is a combination of movie actors Clark Gable and Kent Taylor.
Jerry was fascinated by the contrast between a "mighty hero" and an
"ineffectual weakling." Pulp heroes like The Shadow and Doc Savage, as
well as The Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro helped to inspire the
dual-identity. Both Jerry and Joe wore glasses, which Jerry believed gave
an "impression of meekness and mildness" similar to actor Harold Lloyd. In
the silent films, Lloyd would start off being pushed around and bullied
before "turning into a fighting whirlwind." As a teenager, Jerry wrote an
unproduced one-act play titled The Fighting Journalist that he
credits as the origination of himself and Clark Kent.
In the August 1983 issue of NEMO: The Classic Comics Library, Jerry
explained, "You see, Clark Kent grew not only out of my private life, but
also out of Joe’s. As a high school student, I thought that some day I
might become a reporter, and I had crushes on several attractive girls who
either didn’t know I existed or didn’t care I existed. As a matter of
fact, some of them looked like they hoped I didn’t exist. It occurred to
me: What if I was real terrific? What if I had something special going for
me, like jumping over buildings or throwing cars around or something like
that? Then maybe they would notice me."
Joe Shuster arrived at Glenville High in 1930 and Jerry's cousin
arranged an introduction. Both boys shared the same enthusiasm for comic
strips, Douglas Fairbanks films, and science fiction pulps. Their first
comic collaboration in 1931 was The Interplanetary Police, inspired by Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. The second was Steve Walsh, a "scientific adventure extraordinary" and inventor of the
"penetrascope." The machine can see and hear through all substances, an
early example of x-ray vision and super-hearing. One of their early
cartoons appeared in the Glenville Torch
on May 7, 1931. "Goober the Mighty" was a racist caricature that
combined elements of Tarzan and Popeye the Sailor Man.
Gladiator by Philip Wilde was first published in 1930. Professor
Abednego Danner genetically alters his son Hugo to create an
invulnerable "super-child." Hugo Danner is raised in a rural Colorado
town and taught to conceal his powers. At an early age, Hugo says, "I
can jump higher’n a house. I can run faster’n a train." Hugo tells his
father, "I'm like a man made out of iron instead of meat." To isolate
himself, Hugo constructs a solitary fortress in the woods. Hugo
considers becoming a "super-detective" that punishes criminals, but
ultimately wanders the planet as a loner.
The Steranko History of Comics, Vol. 1 incorrectly claims that Jerry
Siegel reviewed Gladiator in an issue of
Science Fiction. Jerry later commented, "I had read and enjoyed Philip Wylie's book ,'The Gladiator'.
It influenced me, too."
The Time Traveller was a fanzine released on January 9, 1932,
co-edited by future Superman editors Mortimer Weisinger and
Julius Schwartz. Jerry was among the first subscribers to what was billed as "Science
Fiction's Only Fan Magazine." Jerry submitted short stories to
The Time Traveller, but all were rejected.
The March 1932 issue of
The Author and Journalist announced the debut of
Science Fiction from Morantz Publications. Sam Morantz lived on the
same street as Jerry and his father owned a printing company. The magazine
was touted as "a new market for the work of science fiction writers."
Editors Jerome Siegel and Bernard J. Kenton offered 1/4 to 3 cents per word
for "tales in which the interest does not lag."
The solicitation sought work similar to P. Schuyler Miller and Francis
Flagg. Both authors were prominently featured in the science pulp
magazines. Miller had previously collaborated with Walter Dennis for
two works published in Wonder Stories. Francis Flagg, a
pseudonym of George Henry Weiss, published a short story titled "The
Superman of Dr. Jukes" in the November 1931 issue of
Wonder Stories.
A government scientist named Dr. Jukes injects a mobster named Killer
Mike with an experimental serum. Killer Mike develops superhuman speed,
strength, and telepathic powers. Jerry wrote about Francis Flagg in
letters printed in the pulps. As a subscriber and active contributor to
Wonder Stories, Jerry would have read "The Superman of Dr.
Jukes."
On April 14 and April 21, 1932, the
Glenville Torch reported that a script was being published in
Amazing Stories by a Glenville graduate named Bernard J. Kenton.
At different times, the Bernard J. Kenton alias may have been Jerry or
his friend Bernard Kantor – or both. Kantor later contributed plots as a
ghostwriter on early Superman comic book features. The story "Miracles
on Antares" was never published and editor T. O'Conor Sloane later
returned the manuscript to Jerry.
On June 2, 1932, Michael Siegel collapsed and died due to "acute
dilation of heart" during a robbery at the clothing store. The three
perpetrators were never identified. Jerry continued to compile material
for the upcoming magazine. To promote the new "Scientific-fiction
novelty," an advertisement was printed in the September 1932 issue of
Amazing Stories. The contact address was now
the Siegel home on Kimberley Avenue.
In the fall of 1932, Jerry typed and mimeographed copies of
The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton for the Swanson Book Co. The
story originally appeared as the cover feature for Weird Tales in
December 1926. "Science Fiction Reprints No. 1" is presented as the
first in a series of booklets called "The Fantastic Fiction Library"
from The Comet Pub. Co. in Cleveland. The booklet is missing paragraphs
from the original manuscript.
A note from the editorial department promotes
The Time Crusaders as a limited edition novel by Jerome Siegel and
Bernard J. Kenton. Jerry later worked on The Time Crusaders as a
comic strip collaboration with pulp artist Clay Ferguson, Jr.
%20-%201932.png "Guests of the Earth by High Langley (Jerry Siegel) - 1932")
The second Fantastic Fiction release in October 1932 was an original
story by Jerry Siegel as Hugh Langley. Guests of the Earth is
about an alien invasion that is later revealed to be a hoax. The
afterword was provided by science fiction icon Forrest J Ackerman. Jerry
showed the booklet to an English teacher who expressed disapproval of
the genre. The print run for Guests of the Earth is unknown.
The first issues of
Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization were
mailed to subscribers in October 1932. The 8.5 x 11 inch booklets were
compiled, edited, and typed by Jerry Siegel. All five installments of
Science Fiction were mimeographed after school hours at Glenville
High. Joe Shuster provided stencil illustrations with contributions from
schoolmate Bernie Schmittke and pulp artist Clay Ferguson, Jr. The
fanzine was sold by mail order for 15 cents each or $1.50 a year. The
total circulation for all five issues was about 200 copies.
The first issue contains stories written by Jerry using various
pseudonyms. Later contributors included Clare Winger Harris, Dr. David
H. Keller, Forrest J Ackerman, Mort Weisinger, and Raymond A. Palmer.
A press release for the magazine was printed in the October 6, 1932,
issue of Glenville Torch. The author of the article is
uncredited.
The next month, Joe won first place in an annual football poster
design contest sponsored by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The
winning design was announced on November 15, 1932. "Kick that Goal for
Charity" awarded Joe a pair of box seats on the 50-yard line at the
annual Charity Game. The game was played on November 26, 1932, at the
Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The
Cleveland Plain Dealer distributed 5,000 lithographed copies of
the red, black, and gray poster throughout Cuyahoga County.
The third issue of Science Fiction contains a short story
titled "The Reign of the Superman," the first use of the name by Siegel. "The Superman" was created at
the height of the Great Depression, and Jerry began the tale in a
breadline. A vagrant named William Dunn is approached by Professor
Ernest Smalley. Dunn unknowingly ingests a chemical that grants vast
intelligence, telepathic powers, and the ability to "intercept
intergalactic messages." Dunn murders Smalley and plans to destroy
civilization, but the effects fade before the source element can be
reached.
The chemical was made of meteor fragments from a "Dark Planet," an early
precursor of
"K-Metal" and kryptonite. The bald villain and mad scientist motifs are evocative of the Golden
Age Lex Luthor. Forrest Ackerman appears as an investigating newspaper
reporter on assignment from "The Chief." The story is signed as Herbert
S. Fine, a combination of Jerry's cousin Herbert Schwartz and his
mother's maiden name.
The editorial section promotes "The Interplanetary Police," the first
comic strip from Jerry and Joe. Jerry reported that the strip had been
adapted into an unproduced radio play. The third issue printed letters
of praise from Harry Bates, editor of Astounding Stories, and
Julius Schwartz. In the "Editor's Televisor," Schwartz writes that he
is eager to see more artwork from Joe Shuster.
Julius Schwartz later credited
The Time Traveller as the inspiration for Siegel to produce
Science Fiction, thus leading to the creation of Superman.
However, Jerry had previously released the Cosmic Stories fanzine
in 1929. According to Jerry, the motivation to self-publish came from
constantly being rejected.
The fourth issue of Science Fiction features a preview of the
1933 World's Fair in Chicago
and a fictional review of the RKO feature King Kong, both
illustrated and stenciled by Joe. The fourth issue was mailed to
subscribers in February 1933, two months before the actual release of
King Kong.
The undated fifth issue of Science Fiction contains a full-page
editorial with biographies and cartoon portraits of Jerry and Joe.
Jerry mentions his earlier publications Cosmic Stories and
Guests of the Earth. The profile promoted an upcoming
collaboration with an unnamed "artist of great renown [sic]"
later revealed to be J. Allen St. John.
Rex Carson of the Ether Patrol never sold and the original
drawings were later lost.
Mort Weisinger contributed a satirical news column under the name Ian
Rectez. Weisinger later served as editor of the Superman titles from
1941–1970. Pulp artist Clay Ferguson Jr. provided an illustration for
"Technocracy" that was transposed to stencil by Joe.
A column by Julius Schwartz in the August 1933 issue of
Science Fiction Digest reported that Siegel was leaving the
Science Fiction staff to work on a "scientificartoon" strip for
Rex Carson. Bernard J. Kenton was named as editor and printer.
Kenton reportedly planned to expand Science Fiction into a
larger format for 20 cents an issue.
In a letter to Forrest J Ackerman dated September 7, 1933, author
Louis C. Smith expressed disappointment about "Forrie" not receiving
the fifth issue of Science Fiction. According to Smith, Aubrey
McDermott of The Comet had already disposed of his copy.
Pulp hero Clark Savage Jr., known as Doc Savage, was created by Henry
W. Ralston, John L. Nanovic, and writer Lester Dent. Clark Savage
debuted in Doc Savage Magazine (March 1933), released on
February 17, 1933. From a young age, Clark possessed superhuman
strength and superior intellect. The first adventure is titled "The
Man of Bronze." In the May 1933 story "Quest of the Spider," Savage is
referred to as "a superman."
Elements of Doc Savage are similar to Hugo Danner in Gladiator.
Doc Savage retreats to a "Fortress of Solitude" located in the arctic.
The Superman Fortress of Solitude was later introduced by Mort Weisinger
in 1958.
In 1978, Jerry revealed that he read
Doc Savage Magazine "with fascination," but noted that
"The Reign of the Superman"
was written in 1932 and released in January 1933.
In 1933, Jerry reimagined "The Superman" as a bulletproof brawler
similar to Doc Savage. No longer a villain, the strongman was now
billed as
"A Genius in Intellect, A Hercules in Strength, A Nemesis to Wrong
Doers - The Superman!"
The hero was not from another planet and there was no dual-identity.
Once again, the superpowers were bestowed upon "The Superman" by a
scientist. Jerry compared this version to the ancient Israelite
superhero Samson. That June, Consolidated Book Publishers expressed
interest in publishing "The Superman" in a tabloid format.
In July 1933, Jerry corresponded with artist Leo O'Mealia to
collaborate on the strip. "The Superman" was revamped as a scientist
from a future of evolved superhumans. Before the destruction of Earth,
the scientist travels back to the 1930s in a time machine. Superman
decides to use his abilities to fight crime during the Depression.
Bell Syndicate expressed interest and O'Mealia allegedly began drawing
in September. O'Mealia suggested that Jerry include a
female romance element. Jerry never received any completed artwork and his letters to
O'Mealia remained unanswered for almost a year.
In a letter to Jerry dated August 22, 1933, Consolidated Book
Publishers wrote that the company was shutting down. Feeling betrayed
and frustrated by rejection, Joe destroyed his own pages of "The
Superman" from the Consolidated samples. All that remains of the early
prototype is a penciled concept and a finished cover. Coincidentally,
Leo O'Mealia would later illustrate the cover of Superman #1
(Summer 1939) based on an image drawn by Joe.
As a senior at Glenville High, Joe served as president of the Art Club
and Chief Scenic Artist of Play Production. Joe was interested in
bodybuilding and joined the tumbling team. He collected books about
weightlifting that were also used as modelling references. Joe would
later meet his idol Charles Atlas during
"Superman Day" at the New York World's Fair.
Joe won a Thanksgiving art contest for his cartoon "Annual Turkey
Feast Arrives" and the panel appeared on the front page of
Glenville Torch on November 29, 1933. An article for the
cartoon contest was printed the following week. Jerry and Joe were
reported to be soliciting a cartoon for national syndication.
By graduation in 1934, Jerry and Joe had created a substantial amount
of comic book material for what they originally named "Popular
Comics." Some works were published in the Christmas edition of
Cleveland Shopping News. The tabloid contracted them for a
series of comics and shopping advertisements, but the project was
cancelled before fruition. Many of the strips were published 50 years
later in Siegel and Shuster: Dateline 1930's from Eclipse
Comics.
Despite the setbacks, Jerry and Joe had earned some recognition in the
underground science fiction scene. In the January 1934 issue of
The Fantasy Fan, Julius Schwartz listed
Guests of the Earth in part five of "How to Collect Fantasy
Fiction." The June 1934 issue of Wonder Stories mentioned a
cartoon that the pair were planning to contribute to the magazine,
later identified by Jerry as Miracles on Antares.
Jerry Siegel continued to develop his favorite creation while
searching for a more established artist. On June 12, 1934, updated
Superman scripts were mailed to Russell Keaton, illustrator of the
Buck Rogers Sunday newspaper comics. A month later, Keaton
responded to Siegel with nine finished strips.
In this version, the last man on Earth transports his son back in time
to 1935. The time machine is found by Sam and Molly Kent. Inside, the
three-year old boy is outfitted with a round emblem and notched boots.
The child awakens and begins to display usual superhuman abilities. Sam
and Molly adopt the boy and name him Clark Kent. As he grew older, Clark
could "leap over a ten story building" and "run as fast as an express
train." The newspaper syndicates were not interested and Keaton
eventually departed from the project.
On January 13, 1935, the Cleveland Plain Dealer classified
section printed an artist model ad from Jolan Kovacs, also known as
Joanne Carter. Joe Shuster hired Joanne for $1.50 an hour and she
would become the visual basis for reporter
Lois Lane.
According to Joe, Jerry named Lois after his high school crush Lois
Amster, but this was later disputed by Jerry and Joanne. Lois was
inspired by Torchy Blane, a detective reporter portrayed in films from
1937–1938 by actresses Glenda Farrell and Lola Lane. Joanne and Jerry
married each other in Cleveland on October 14, 1948. The full name of
Lois Joanne Lane was revealed in
Superman: The Wedding Album (December 1996).
-
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson began as an adventure pulp writer in
1924 and founded the Nicholson Publishing Company, Inc. as a newspaper
syndicate. In the autumn of 1934, the Major launched National Allied
Publications, Inc., also known as National Allied Newspaper Syndicate,
Inc. On January 11, 1935, National released New Fun #1, the
first regularly published comic book comprised of all-original
material.
Wheeler-Nicholson reviewed sample sketches from Joe that were
submitted on the old wallpaper from Toronto and some brown wrapping
paper. In a letter dated June 6, 1935, Wheeler-Nicholson offered
Siegel and Shuster a feature in New Fun as an audition for the
magazine. Joe borrowed money from his parents to purchase proper art
paper and the team was paid $20 for two pages. The black and white
stories were printed in New Fun #6, dated October 1935.
The first paid assignment was "Henri Duval of France, Famed Soldier of
Fortune." Conceived by Wheeler-Nicholson, Henri Duval is a Douglas
Fairbanks inspired swashbuckler in the vein of
The Three Musketeers. The three-part story "Rescuing the King"
continued over the next two issues renamed More Fun. Jerry and
Joe produced six Henri Duval features before the series ended. A
different character named Henri Duval later commits suicide in a
Doctor Occult story by Jerry and Joe in More Fun Comics #24
(September 1937).
"Doctor Occult, the Ghost Detective" was a new creation from
Jerry and Joe about a Sam Spade gumshoe that specializes in
supernatural cases. The debut was signed as Leger and Reuths, an
anagram alias for the pair. The feature notably depicts the first
appearance of a vampire in a comic book. "The Vampire Master" story
continued over the next two issues renamed More Fun. Today,
Doctor Occult is the earliest recurring DC Comics character that
remains in continuity
On a
"hot summer night" in 1935 , Jerry refined the Superman character into a version that is more
recognizable today. The story begins on an unnamed doomed planet. A
scientist places his infant son into a rocket ship and launches it
towards Earth. Like John Carter of Mars, this iteration of Superman
could leap great distances due to his homeworld being larger than
Earth.
The alter-ego of Clark Kent is presented as a mild-mannered detective
reporter. Clark is infatuated with a beautiful coworker named
Lois.
She adores Superman, but despises Clark for being a coward.
Joe penciled four weeks of newspaper strips for the new character. The
first week was inked, lettered, photostatted, and mailed to the
syndicates. Joe outfitted Superman in a colorful circus strongman
costume. Jerry suggested the swashbuckler cape and S-symbol,
originally shaped like a shield. According to Jerry, the cape provided
"more action and movement." Joe said that he was inspired by silent
films starring Douglas Fairbanks, especially Robin Hood, "He
always stands with his hands on his hips and feet apart, laughing, as
if he doesn’t take anything seriously."
By 1936, the Superman chest emblem had changed from the shield to a
triangle shape. In early sketches, Joe depicted Superman in a
sleeveless leotard worn by wrestlers and strongmen of the era. Jerry
and Joe correctly envisioned Superman becoming a marketing phenomena.
Jerry and Joe were given work on additional features at National.
"Federal Men" was based on the 1935 film G Men, and "Calling
All Cars featuring Sandy Kean and the Radio Squad" was a copy of the
popular radio show Calling All Cars. The title was later
shortened to "Radio Squad." In a letter dated October 4, 1935,
Wheeler-Nicholson made a vague offer to publish Superman in tabloid
format, but Jerry and Joe rejected the proposal. Comic books were a
new market and National was struggling to pay contributors on time.
Jerry and Joe wanted Superman in newspaper syndication.
Managers William H. Cook and John Mahone left National and began
publishing artists and stories originally contracted by
Wheeler-Nicholson. Doctor Occult was renamed "Dr. Mystic: The Occult
Detective" for one story printed in The Comics Magazine #1 (May
1936). "Federal Agent" in The Comics Magazine Funny Pages #2
(June 1936) introduces Bart Regan, a spy detective created by Jerry
and Joe later published in Detective Comics as "Spy".
Jerry and Joe would use the early stories to experiment with the
Superman prototype. The "Dr. Mystic" story published in
The Comics Magazine #1 continues in More Fun Comics #14
(October 1936). Doctor Occult and Zator fly through the spiritual
world wearing the uniform of "The Seven," a red cape with red boots,
blue trunks, and a triangular chest emblem. The sword and uniform
resemble the comic strip depictions of John Carter of Mars.
New Adventure Comics #12 (January 1937) was released on
December 19, 1936. The "Federal Men" story focuses on an agent named
Jor-L in the year 3000 A.D. Jor-L is an anagram of Jerome Siegel. The
names Jor-L and Lora would later appear as the biological parents of
Superman in the January 16, 1939, newspaper strip. The spellings were
changed to Jor-el and Lara in The Adventures of Superman novel
by
George Lowther, published on November 2, 1942.
Major Wheeler-Nicholson planned to launch two more magazines,
Detective Comics and Action Comics. In order to finance
the venture, the Major turned to publisher Harry Donenfeld and his
accountant Jack Liebowitz. Donenfeld owned a printing plant and the
newsstand distributor Independent News Co. Donenfeld and Liebowitz were
prominent socialists that worked together in the International Ladies'
Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU).
Harry Donenfeld had a negative reputation for publishing "smooshes,"
the "spicy pulps" that featured erotic stories and soft-core
pornographic photos. Writers often complained of not receiving
payment. Donenfeld was connected to Frank Costello, boss of the
Luciano crime family. During Prohibition, alcohol shipments from
Canada were smuggled into America with cheap magazine pulp paper. The
alcohol would move through the established printing networks into
cities nationwide.
In November 1933, Donenfeld was arrested in New York for distributing
obscene material. In June 1935, the FBI began investigating Donenfeld
publishing companies for Interstate Transportation of Obscene
Literature. Director J. Edgar Hoover took personal interest in the case
after viewing the April 1935 issue of Spicy Adventure Stories. As
Donenfeld began to distance himself from the porn industry, Jack
Liebowitz worked to establish credibility and ensure that writers and
artists were paid.
Detective Comics, Inc., later known as DC Comics, was organized on
December 30, 1936. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack Liebowitz were
listed as the principal owners. The first issue of
Detective Comics hit newsstands on February 10, 1937. The debut
features a 13-page Siegel and Shuster story for Slam Bradley, and
four pages of Bart Regan, Spy. The cover feature and Slam Bradley
story highlight prejudices toward Asians during the
Yellow Peril and rise of the Nazi party. The early comic books published by National and DC depict ethnic
stereotypes that are considered obscene by modern standards.
Wheeler-Nicholson first outlined the character concept for Slam
Bradley in a letter to Jerry dated May 13, 1936. According to Joe,
"Slam Bradley was a dry run for Superman." "We turned it out with no
restrictions, complete freedom to do what we wanted; the only problem
was that we had a deadline." In order to work faster, Jerry and Joe
pioneered the technique of using large action splash panels in comic
books.
The Daily Star first appeared as a fictional newspaper in a
"Spy" feature from Detective Comics #7 (September 1937). The
Daily Star is a nod to the
Toronto
newspaper where Joe worked as a child.
Harry Donenfeld and Independent News Co. took over distribution for
National with Detective Comics #2 (April 1937). On December 4,
1937, Jerry and Joe signed a two-year agreement acknowledging that all
work done for Detectives Comics would become "sole and exclusive
property" of DC. Wheeler-Nicholson produced an ashcan for
Action Comics, but was now in debt to Harry Donenfeld for
$63,380. On December 30, 1937, Donenfeld and Liebowitz initiated
bankruptcy proceedings against Nicholson Publishing in order to buy
Wheeler-Nicholson out of National and DC.
On January 10, 1938, Detective Comics editor Vin Sullivan wrote to Jerry
Siegel about featuring Superman in the new
Action Comics magazine. During a conference call with Jack
Liebowitz at DC and Max Gaines at the McClure Syndicate, Jerry agreed to
let DC use the Superman newspaper samples.
On February 1, 1938, Sullivan mailed the strips back to Jerry and
requested a 13-page story in tabloid format. Three weeks of older
penciled stories were inked and lettered by Joe. The scenes were cut
and pasted onto pages of 6–8 panels. Eight days of the original story
were omitted and additional panels were included for continuity
purposes.
.png "Superman, Action Comics #1, June 1938")
The first panels were redrawn to include an origin story and "a
scientific explanation of Clark Kent's amazing strength." The story
begins on a distant planet destroyed by old age. A scientist places
his infant son into a rocket ship and launches it towards Earth. The
baby is discovered by a passing motorist and taken to an orphanage. As
an adult, Clark Kent could "leap 1/8 of a mile," "raise tremendous
weights," and "run faster than an express train."
Krypton, Kal-L, Jor-L, and Lora are not yet named.
.png "Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Action Comics #, June 1938")
In the first adventure, Superman is still unknown to the public. He
bursts into the Governor's mansion and demands a pardon for an innocent
woman. Back at the
Daily Star, Clark Kent receives a tip to stop an armed domestic
dispute. He returns to ask
Lois out
on a date and she reluctantly accepts. Lois is only referred to by her
first name.
.png "Panel 67, Action Comics #1, June 1938")
That night, Clark is challenged by a gangster named Butch Mason. Clark
refuses to fight and Lois leaves in disgust. Mason and his men abduct
Lois and drive away, only to be intercepted by Superman. The hero lifts
Mason's coupe and smashes it into a boulder. Jerry Siegel suggested that
Vin Sullivan use the car scene for the cover artwork. The scene was
later redrawn for the 1939 newspaper strip.
Superman saves Lois, a theme that is now an essential part of the
mythology. Lois reports back to work, but the unnamed
Daily Star editor dismisses her experience as a drunken
hallucination. Clark tries to apologize, but Lois is "colder than
ever."
.png "Panel 98, Action Comics #1, June 1938")
Clark is given an assignment to investigate a warring South American
republic named San Monte. As Superman, he travels to Washington, D.C.,
and kidnaps a corrupt lobbyist. The story concludes in
Action Comics #2 (July 1938). A final splash panel was added that
depicts the first image of Superman breaking chains.
.png "George F. Jowett, Molding a Mighty Chest, p. 31, 1930")
.png "George F. Jowett, Molding a Mighty Chest, 1930")
Some of the Superman images have been compared to illustrations from the
1930 booklet Molding a Mighty Chest by strongman George F.
Jowett. Publications from the Jowett Institute of Physical Culture were
frequently advertised in the pulps, and later in issues of
Action Comics and Superman.
.png "Action Comics #1 Silver Print, February 1938")
The cover art for Action Comics #1 was illustrated by an unnamed
staff member at Detective Comics. On February 22, 1938, Vin Sullivan
mailed a silver print of the finished cover to Jerry Siegel, writing,
"You'll note that we already used one of those panel drawings of
Superman, as you suggested in your recent letter." The costume that
appears on the cover contains the shield chest emblem and boot design
from the McClure submissions.
On March 1, 1938, Jack Liebowitz signed a paycheck to Jerry and Joe for
$412. Included was a contract that gave Superman to Detective Comics,
Inc. "to have and hold forever." They were paid a total of $130 for the
first Superman feature. The remaining money was for previous work unpaid
by Wheeler-Nicholson. In 1979, Jerry lamented, "The legal release, which
Joe and I signed, caused us much grief later."
On April 5, 1938, Superman first appeared on newsstands in a
black-and-white advertisement for the new
Action Comics. The ad was printed on the inside covers of
More Fun Comics #31, Detective Comics #15, and
New Adventure Comics #26.
On April 8, 1938, Jerry received a letter from the McClure Syndicate
asking him to expand the origin of Superman. Jerry and Joe began work on
the first two weeks of newspaper strips, naming Kal-L, Jor-L, and Lora.
Based on their previous arrangement with Wheeler-Nicholson, Jerry and
Joe mistakenly believed that DC would return the rights to Superman for
newspaper syndication. The daily strips began publication on January 16,
1939, but only after a stern warning from Jack Liebowitz.
Action Comics #1 was copyrighted on April 18, 1938, and there
were 202,000 copies produced. The 64-page issue began to arrive on
newsstands by the first week of May. The cover date is June 1938 and the
price for the historic book was ten cents.
-
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