Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel was an influential American comic book writer and co-creator of the iconic superhero Superman. Born on October 17, 1914, in Cleveland, Ohio, Siegel began his journey in the world of comics during his teenage years while developing a passion for science fiction. He collaborated with his classmate Joe Schuster, leading to the creation of Superman, which made its debut in Action Comics in 1938. This character became a cultural phenomenon, spawning a vast array of media, including films and television series.
Throughout his career, Siegel contributed to various comic series and worked for multiple publishers, including DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Despite experiencing significant success, he faced challenges regarding the rights to Superman, leading to legal disputes with DC Comics. In his later years, Siegel campaigned for recognition and fair compensation for his contributions to the comic book industry, ultimately securing financial support and credit for himself and Schuster.
Siegel's legacy continues to be celebrated, as he was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame and received the Bill Finger Award posthumously. He passed away in 1996, leaving behind a lasting impact on the comic book world and popular culture.
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Jerry Siegel
Cartoonist
- Born: October 17, 1914
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
- Died: January 28, 1996
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Biography
Jerome (Jerry) Siegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 17, 1914. His father, Mitchell Siegel, a haberdasher, was killed in his store by a thief when Siegel was in junior high school. A fan of science fiction, young Siegel began corresponding with other fans and in 1929 started the fanzine Cosmic Stories. While attending Glenville High School, he worked for the student newspaper and gained some fame among his fellow students for a Tarzan parody, “Goober the Mighty.” Most importantly, he met Joe Schuster at Glenville, who would become his collaborator. After starting another fanzine, Science Fiction, in 1932, the pair contributed two strips to More Fun Comics in 1935.
Earlier, inspired by such sources as Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Tarzan series, Lester Dent’s Doc Savage pulp tales, and the characters of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, Siegel and Schuster created Superman. The superhero appeared in unpublished short stories and a 1933 comic strip proposal. In 1938, Siegel and Schuster sold the rights to the character for $130 and Superman appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. A newspaper strip began the following year.
With artists Stan Aschmeier and Bill Smith, Siegel started the Red, White, and Blue series in 1939 for Action Comics. In 1940, with artist Bernard Bailey, he created the Spectre series for More Fun Comics. The Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy comics, created with artist Hal Sherman, debuted in Action Comics in 1941. Robotman, begun with artist Leo Nowak, appeared in Star-Spangled Comics in 1941.
Siegel served in the army between 1943 and 1946 and was a reporter for Stars and Stripes. Siegel and Schuster’s relationship with Superman was interrupted in 1946 in a dispute with National Allied Publications, soon to be DC Comics, over the rights to their characters. Superman was well on his way to becoming the most lucrative of all comic-book characters, spinning off films, television series, and toys. Siegel married Joanne Carter in 1948, the same year he and Schuster began the Funnyman comic books.
Siegel became director of comic books for publisher Ziff-Davis in the early 1950’s, contributing to Amazing Adventures, G. I. Joe, Kid Cowboy, and Lars of Mars. He returned to DC Comics to write uncredited Superman stories in 1959. In 1967, he sued DC again, ending his relationship with his legendary creation. Siegel had earlier begun working for rival Marvel Comics under the name Joe Carter, creating the Human Torch. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, he contributed stories to such comics as Archie, Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, Woody Woodpecker, and X-Men, as well as satirical stories to Cracked and Lunatickle.
In 1975, Siegel began a public relations campaign about DC’s mistreatment of him and Schuster. As a result, parent company Warner Communications awarded each Superman creator $35,000 annually for the rest of their lives and guaranteed that all Superman products would credit the superhero’s creators. Siegel rejected a 1986 DC proposal to write another Superman tale. He died of heart failure in 1996; Schuster had died in 1992. Siegel’s wife and daughter won half the rights to Superman in 1999. Siegel was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993 and posthumously was awarded the Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing in 2005.