Editing Superman (section)

==Development==
{{multiple image
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[[File:Reign of the Superman.jpg|thumb|left|"[[The Reign of the Superman]]" is a short story by Jerry Siegel, published January 1933.]]
[[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]] met in 1932 while attending [[Glenville High School]] in [[Cleveland]] and bonded over their admiration of fiction. Siegel aspired to become a writer and Shuster aspired to become an illustrator. Siegel wrote amateur [[science fiction]] stories, which he self-published as a magazine called ''Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization''. His friend Shuster often provided illustrations for his work.<ref name=Ricca2014/> In January 1933, Siegel published a short story in his magazine titled "[[The Reign of the Superman]]". The titular character is a homeless man named Bill Dunn who is tricked by an evil scientist into consuming an experimental drug. The drug gives Dunn the powers of mind-reading, mind-control, and clairvoyance. He uses these powers maliciously for profit and amusement, but then the drug wears off, leaving him a powerless vagrant again. Shuster provided illustrations, depicting Dunn as a bald man.<ref>Jerry Siegel (under the pseudonym Herbert S. Fine). "The Reign of the Superman". ''Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization'' #3. January 1933 <br />Summarized in {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|pp=70–72}} ''Super Boys''</ref>

Siegel and Shuster shifted to making [[comic strip]]s, with a focus on adventure and comedy. They wanted to become syndicated newspaper strip authors, so they showed their ideas to various newspaper editors. However, the newspaper editors were not impressed, and told them that if they wanted to make a successful comic strip, it had to be something more sensational than anything else on the market. This prompted Siegel to revisit Superman as a comic strip character.<ref>Jerry Siegel, quoted in {{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 15: "When we presented different strips to the syndicate editors, they would say, 'Well, this isn't sensational enough.' So I thought, I'm going to come up with something so wild they won't be able to say that."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"...one of the things which spurred me into creating a "Superman" strip was something a syndicate editor said to me after I had been submitting various proposed comic strips to him. He said, "The trouble with your stuff is that it isn't spectacular enough. You've got to come up with something sensational! Something more terrific than the other adventure strips on the market!""</ref> Siegel modified Superman's powers to make him even more sensational. Like Bill Dunn, the second prototype of Superman is given powers against his will by an unscrupulous scientist, but instead of psychic abilities, he acquires [[superhuman strength]] and [[Invulnerability|bullet-proof skin]].<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 17]]: "The version he was drafting would again begin with a wild scientist empowering a normal human against his will, but this time the powers would be even more fantastic, and rather than becoming a criminal, the super-being would fight crime 'with the fury of an outraged avenger'."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, c. 1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />p. 30: "The hero of 'THE SUPERMAN' comic book strip was also given super-powers against his will by a scientist. He gained fantastic strength, bullets bounced off him, etc. He fought crime with the fury of an outraged avenger." <br />50: "What, I thought, could be more sensational than a Superman who could fly through the air, who was impervious to flames, bullets, and a mob of enraged amok adversaries?"</ref> Additionally, this new Superman was a crime-fighting hero instead of a villain, because Siegel noted that comic strips with heroic protagonists tended to be more successful.<ref>Siegel in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, p. 10: "Obviously, having him a hero would be infinitely more commercial than having him a villain.  I understand that the comic strip Dr. Fu Manchu ran into all sorts of difficulties because the main character was a villain.  And with the example before us of Tarzan and other action heroes of fiction who were very successful, mainly because people admired them and looked up to them, it seemed the sensible thing to do to make The Superman a hero.  The first piece was a short story, and that's one thing, but creating a successful comic strip with a character you'll hope will continue for many years, it would definitely be going in the wrong direction to make him a villain."</ref> In later years, Siegel once recalled that this Superman wore a "bat-like" cape in some panels, but typically he and Shuster agreed there was no costume yet, and there is none apparent in the surviving artwork.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 17: "... usually [Shuster] and Siegel agreed that no special costume was in evidence, and the surviving artwork bears them out."</ref><ref>Siegel and Shuster in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, p.9-10: "Shuster: [...] It wasn't really Superman: that was before he evolved into a costumed figure. He was simply wearing a T-shirt and pants; he was more like Slam Bradley than anything else — just a man of action. [...] <br />Siegel: In later years – maybe 10 or 15 years ago – I asked Joe what he remembered of this story, and he remembered a scene of a character crouched on the edge of a building, with a cape almost a la Batman.  We don't specifically recall if the character had a costume or not. [...] Joe and I – especially Joe – seem to recall that there were some scenes in there in which that character had a bat-like cape."</ref>

Siegel and Shuster showed this second concept of Superman to Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago.<ref>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 17</ref>{{efn|Consolidated Book Publishers was also known as Humor Publishing. Jerry Siegel always referred to this publisher as "Consolidated" in all interviews and memoirs. Humor Publishing was possibly a subsidiary of Consolidated.}} In May 1933, Consolidated had published a comic book titled [[Dan Dunn|''Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48'']].<ref name=comicbookdate>The copyright date of ''Detective Dan Secret Operative 48'' was registered as May 12, 1933. <br />See {{cite book|url= https://archive.org/stream/catalogofcopyri301libr#page/351|title= Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series, Volume 30, For the Year 1933, Part 1: Books, Group 2. |publisher= United States [[Library of Congress]] |year= 1933 |page=351}}</ref> It contained all-original stories as opposed to reprints of newspaper strips, which was a novelty at the time.<ref>{{harvp|Scivally|2007}}. ''Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway'', p. 6: "''Detective Dan—Secret Operative 48'' was published by the Humor Publishing Company of Chicago. Detective Dan was little more than a Dick Tracy clone, but here, for the first time, in a series of black-and-white illustrations, was a comic magazine with an original character appearing in all-new stories. This was a dramatic departure from other comic magazines, which simply reprinted panels from the Sunday newspaper comic strips."</ref> Siegel and Shuster put together a comic book in a similar format called ''The Superman''. A delegation from Consolidated visited Cleveland that summer on a business trip and Siegel and Shuster took the opportunity to present their work in person.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}): <br />"I do recall, though, that when Mr. Livingston visited Cleveland, Joe and I showed ''THE SUPERMAN'' comic book pages to Mr. Livingston in his hotel room, and he was favorably impressed."</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Beerbohm |first=Robert |date=1996 |title=Siegel & Shuster Presents... The Superman |magazine=Comic Book Marketplace |issue=36 |pages=47–50|publisher=Gemstone Publishing Inc.}}: <br />"So this early ''Superman'' cover was done, replete with a "10¢" plug... and was placed on an entire comic book, written, drawn, inked, and shown to the Humor people by Jerry and Joe when they happened to come through Cleveland (trying to shop ''Detective Dan'' to the NEA newspaper syndicate)."</ref> Although Consolidated expressed interest, they later pulled out of the comics business without ever offering a book deal because the sales of ''Detective Dan'' were disappointing.<ref name=riccap97-98>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|pp=97–98}} ''Super Boys''</ref><ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 17]]: "Although the first response was encouraging, the second made it clear that the comic book was so unprofitable that its publishers put on hold any future stories."</ref>

[[File:Siegel Shuster Superman 1933 concept.png|thumb|left|Cover of an unpublished comic book, 1933]]
Siegel believed publishers kept rejecting them because he and Shuster were young and unknown, so he looked for an established artist to replace Shuster.<ref name=riccap99>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=99}} ''Super Boys'': "Jerry was convinced, just as he was in those early pulp days, that you had to align yourself with someone famous to be famous yourself. [...] Over the next year, Jerry contacted several major artists, including Mel Graff, J. Allen St. John, and even Bernie Schmittke [...]"</ref> When Siegel told Shuster what he was doing, Shuster reacted by burning their rejected Superman comic, sparing only the cover. They continued collaborating on other projects, but for the time being Shuster was through with Superman.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]: "When I told Joe of this, he unhappily destroyed the drawn-up pages of 'THE SUPERMAN' burning them in the furnace of his apartment building. At my request, he gave me as a gift the torn cover. We continued collaborating on other projects." <br />In an interview with {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}, Shuster said he destroyed their 1933 Superman comic as a reaction to Humor Publishing's rejection letter, which contradicts Siegel's account in Siegel's unpublished memoir. [[#refTye2012|Tye (2012)]] argues that the account from the memoir is the truth and that Shuster lied in the interview to avoid tension. <br />See also ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir by Jerry Siegel, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).</ref>

Siegel wrote to numerous artists.<ref name=riccap99/> The first response came in July 1933 from Leo O'Mealia, who drew the ''[[Fu Manchu]]'' strip for the [[Bell Syndicate]].<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]:"Next on the list was Leo O'Mealia, who drew the ''Fu Manchu'' comic and soon found in his mailbox Jerry's more fully developed script for Superman."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"Leo O'Mealia's first letter to me was dated July 17, 1933"</ref> In the script that Siegel sent to O'Mealia, Superman's [[origin story]] changes: He is a "scientist-adventurer" from the far future when humanity has naturally evolved "superpowers". Just before the Earth explodes, he escapes in a time-machine to the modern era, whereupon he immediately begins using his superpowers to fight crime.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 18]]</ref> O'Mealia produced a few strips and showed them to his newspaper syndicate, but they were rejected. O'Mealia did not send to Siegel any copies of his strips, and they have been lost.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I no longer have a copy of the script of that particular version of "Superman". [...] I never saw [O'Mealia's] Superman drawings. He did not send me a copy of it."</ref>

In June 1934, Siegel found another partner, an artist in Chicago named Russell Keaton.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). Extract filed under Exhibit A (Docket 184) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243'': <br />"In a letter dated June 9, 1934, he wrote back expressing interesting in the possibility of our teaming-up together on a newspaper syndication comic strip. [...] Russell Keaton's letter to me of June 14, 1934, was very enthusiastic.  He stated that in his opinion "Superman" was already a tremendous hit and that he would be glad to collaborate with me on "Superman"."</ref><ref name=jonesp112-113>{{harvp|Jones|2004}}. ''Men of Tomorrow'', p. 112-113</ref> Keaton drew the ''[[Buck Rogers (comic strip)|Buck Rogers]]'' and ''[[Skyroads (comics)|Skyroads]]'' comic strips. In the script that Siegel sent Keaton in June, Superman's origin story further evolved: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of exploding due to "giant cataclysms", the last surviving man sends his three-year-old son back in time to the year 1935. The time-machine appears on a road where it is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent. They leave the boy in an orphanage, but the staff struggle to control him because he has superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The Kents adopt the boy and name him Clark, and teach him that he must use his fantastic natural gifts for the benefit of humanity. In November, Siegel sent Keaton an extension of his script: an adventure where Superman foils a conspiracy to kidnap a star [[American football|football]] player. The extended script mentions that Clark puts on a special "uniform" when assuming the identity of Superman, but it is not described.<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=101-102}} ''Super Boys'' <br />Excerpts of Siegel and Keaton's collaboration can be found in Exhibit A (Docket 373–3), Exhibit C (Docket 347–2), Exhibit D (Docket 347–2), and Exhibit E (Docket 347–2) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243''. <br />(Compilation available at [https://www.dropbox.com/s/shz6qthx09t482f/Siegel-Keaton%20collaboration.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox]).</ref> Keaton produced two weeks' worth of strips based on Siegel's script. In November, Keaton showed his strips to a newspaper syndicate, but they too were rejected, and he abandoned the project.<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=102}} ''Super Boys'': "Jerry tried to sell this version to the syndicates, but no one was interested, so Keaton gave up."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). Extract filed under Exhibit A (Docket 184) in ''Laura Siegel Larson v Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., DC Comics, Case no. 13-56243'': <br />"Keaton's next letter to me, sent November 3, 1934, stated "Superman" was in a locker in a bus station, and that he was going to show the feature to [[Publishers Syndicate]], after that weekend. [...] I got a brief note from Russell Keaton. He wrote that he was completely withdrawing from any participation at all in the "Superman" comic strip and that as far as he was concerned: "the book is closed". Unhappily, I destroyed the letter."</ref>

Siegel and Shuster reconciled and resumed developing Superman together. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton. Shuster designed the now-familiar costume: tights with an "S" on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape.<ref>Interview with Joe Shuster by Bertil Falk in 1975, quoted in ''Alter Ego'' #56 (Feb 2006): <br />"SHUSTER: [...] I conceived the character in my mind's eye to have a very, very colorful costume of a cape and, you know, very, very colorful tights and boots and the letter "S" on his chest. <br />FALK: You did that, not Siegel? <br />SHUSTER: Yes, yes. I did that because that was my concept from what he described, but he did inspire me [...]"</ref><ref name=TCS18>{{harvp|Daniels|1998}}. ''Superman: The Complete History'', p. 18</ref><ref>Over the years, Siegel and Shuster made contradictory statements regarding when they developed Superman's familiar costume. They occasionally claimed to have developed it immediately in 1933. {{harvp|Daniels|1998}} writes: "... usually [Shuster] and Siegel agreed that no special costume was in evidence [in 1933], and the surviving artwork bears them out." The cover art for their 1933 proposal to Humor Publishing shows a shirtless, cape-less Superman. Siegel's collaboration with Russell Keaton in 1934 contains no description nor illustration of Superman in costume. [[#refTye2012|Tye (2012)]] writes that Siegel and Shuster developed the costume shortly after they resumed working together in late 1934.</ref> They made Clark Kent a journalist who pretends to be timid, and conceived his colleague [[Lois Lane]], who is attracted to the bold and mighty Superman but does not realize that he and Kent are the same person.<ref>Siegel's unpublished memoir, [https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman ''The Story Behind Superman''] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913103321/https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman |date=September 13, 2016 }}), as well as an interview with Thomas Andrae in ''Nemo'' #2 (1983), corroborate each other that Clark Kent's timid-journalist persona and Lois Lane were developed in 1934.</ref>

[[File:Superman concept art 1934.gif|thumb|This concept art {{circa|1934-1935}} has laced sandals, based on those of strongmen and classical heroes.<ref name=Andrae1983_boots>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "I also had classical heroes and strongmen in mind, and this shows in the footwear. In the third version, Superman wore sandals laced halfway up the calf. You can still see this on the cover of Action #1, though they were covered over in red to look like boots when the comic was printed."</ref>]]
In June 1935 Siegel and Shuster finally found work with National Allied Publications, a comic magazine publishing company in New York owned by [[Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson]].<ref>Wheeler-Nicholson offered Siegel and Shuster work in a letter dated June 6, 1935. See {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=104}} ''Super Boys''</ref> Wheeler-Nicholson published two of their strips in ''New Fun Comics'' #6 (1935): "Henri Duval" and "[[Doctor Occult]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=104}} ''Super Boys''</ref> Siegel and Shuster also showed him Superman and asked him to market Superman to the newspapers on their behalf.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). <br />p. 55: "In addition, I submitted ''Superman'' for newspaper syndication consideration by Wheeler-Nicholson."</ref> In October, Wheeler-Nicholson offered to publish Superman in one of his own magazines.<ref name=riccap146>Letter from Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson to Siegel and Shuster, dated October 4, 1935, quoted in {{harvnb|Ricca|2014|p=146}}''Super Boys'': "...you would be much better off doing Superman in full page in four colors for one of our publications."</ref> Siegel and Shuster refused his offer because Wheeler-Nicholson had demonstrated himself to be an irresponsible businessman. He had been slow to respond to their letters and had not paid them for their work in ''New Fun Comics'' #6. They chose to keep marketing Superman to newspaper syndicates themselves.<ref>Jerome Siegel, in a [https://www.dropbox.com/s/qfsiazzu8dosjow/Jerry%20Siegel%20affidavit%20%281973%29.pdf?dl=0 sworn affidavit signed 1 March 1973], filed in ''Jerome Siegel & Joseph Shuster vs National Periodical Publications et al, 69 Civ 1429'': <br />"In 1935 Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a publisher of comic books, expressed interest in Superman and tried to persuade us that the property would be more successful if published in comic book form where it would be seen in color than it would be in a black and white daily strip. Our experience with him had been such that we did not consider him the publisher to entrust with the property and his proposal was rejected."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}). <br />p. 57 "Joe and I were not sold on Wheeler-Nicholson and hoped to place "Superman" with what we hoped would be a more responsible organization. I asked Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson to return the "Superman" strips to me. [...] I continued my marketing attempts to place "Superman" with a newspaper syndicate".</ref> Despite the erratic pay, Siegel and Shuster kept working for Wheeler-Nicholson because he was the only publisher who was buying their work, and over the years they produced other adventure strips for his magazines.<ref>[[#refTye2012|Tye (2012), ''Superman'', p. 24]]: "So while they continued to write and draw for him, and to live off what payments they got, they determined not to trust him with their prize possession."</ref>

Wheeler-Nicholson's financial difficulties continued to mount. In 1936, he formed a joint corporation with [[Harry Donenfeld]] and [[Jack Liebowitz]] called Detective Comics, Inc. in order to release his third magazine, which was titled ''[[Detective Comics]]''. Siegel and Shuster produced stories for ''Detective Comics'' too, such as "[[Slam Bradley]]". Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in early January 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's company into bankruptcy and seized it.<ref name=Ricca2014/><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"On January 5, 1938, Liebowitz wrote to me [...] that the Nicholson Publishing Company had been petitioned into bankruptcy by its creditors. [...] On January 10, Vin Sullivan wrote to me that Nicholson Publishing Company was in the hands of receivers [...] and that "Detective Comics" was being published by the firm for which Liebowitz was the manager."</ref>

In early December 1937, Siegel visited Liebowitz in New York, and Liebowitz asked Siegel to produce some comics for an upcoming comic anthology magazine called ''[[Action Comics]]''.<ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br />"On December 4, 1937, defendant LIEBOWITZ, representing DETECTIVE COMICS, INC., met plaintiff SIEGEL in New York City."</ref><ref name=siegelmemoir>Siegel, Jerry. Unpublished memoir [https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman "The Story Behind Superman #1"], registered for U.S. copyright in 1978 under later version ''Creation of a Superhero'' as noted by {{harvp|Tye|2012}}. ''Superman'', p. 309. P. 5. Memoir additionally cited by {{harvp|Ricca|2014}} in ''Super Boys'', and available online at sites including {{cite web |title=The Story Behind Superman #1 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/322254278/The-Story-Behind-Superman|via=Scribd.com|access-date= December 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222082230/http://www.superman-through-the-ages.com/t/story_behind_superman_1/ |url-status=live |archive-date= December 22, 2015}} Note: Archive of p. 1 only.</ref> Siegel proposed some new stories, but not Superman. Siegel and Shuster were, at the time, negotiating a deal with the [[McClure Newspaper Syndicate]] for Superman. In early January 1938, Siegel had a three-way telephone conversation with Liebowitz and an employee of McClure named [[Max Gaines]]. Gaines informed Siegel that McClure had rejected Superman, and asked if he could forward their Superman strips to Liebowitz so that Liebowitz could consider them for ''Action Comics''. Siegel agreed.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I received a telephone call early in January of 1938 from Gaines of the McClure Syndicate. This was a three-way call between Gaines, Liebowitz and myself.  Gaines informed me that the syndicate was unable to use the various strips which I had sent for inclusion in the proposed syndicate newspaper tabloid. He asked my permission to turn these features, including "Superman", over to Detective Comics' publishers for consideration for their proposed new magazine, "Action Comics". I consented."</ref> Liebowitz and his colleagues were impressed by the strips, and they asked Siegel and Shuster to develop the strips into 13 pages for ''Action Comics''.<ref>Via editor Vin Sullivan, in a letter to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, dated January 10, 1948. Quoted in {{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys''</ref> Having grown tired of rejections, Siegel and Shuster accepted the offer. At least now they would see Superman published.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''The Life and Times of Jerry Siegel'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1946; Scans available at [https://www.dropbox.com/s/ljcvk08p49rqbmw/The%20Life%20and%20Times%20of%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382854862/The-Life-and-Times-of-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}): <br />"Joe and I talked it over, decided we were tired of seeing the strip rejected everywhere, and would at least like to see it in print. And so we pasted our samples of a SUPERMAN daily strip into comic magazine page form, as request, and sent it on."</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kobler |first=John |date=June 21, 1941 |title=Up, Up, and Awa-a-ay!: The Rise of Superman, Inc. |url=http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |work=[[The Saturday Evening Post]] |archive-date= September 13, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160913192904/http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/rise-of-superman.pdf |url-status=live }}: <br />"[Siegel and Shuster], who by this time had abandoned hope that Superman would ever amount to much, mulled this over gloomily. Then Siegel shrugged, 'Well, at least this way we'll see [Superman] in print.' They signed the form." <br />NOTE: The form mentioned refers to a contract of sale signed on March 1, 1938.</ref> Siegel and Shuster submitted their work in late February and were paid {{USD|130|1938|round=-2}} for their work ($10 per page).<ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br />"Defendant THE MC CLURE NEWSPAPER SYNDICATE, then submitted to DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. the SUPERMAN comic strip created by plaintiffs, which strip consisted of a few panels suitable for newspaper syndication [...] DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. examined the old material and returned it to plaintiffs for revision and expansion into a full length thirteen-page comic strip release suitable for magazine publication. [...] Plaintiffs revised and expanded the said SUPERMAN material in compliance with the said request of DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. and on or about February 22, 1938, resubmitted such revised and expanded material to DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. [...] On March 1, 1938 [...] DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. wrote to plaintiff SIEGEL [...] enclosing a check in the sum of $412. which included $130. in payment of the first thirteen-page SUPERMAN release at the agreed rate of $10. per page [...]"</ref> In early March they signed a contract at Liebowitz's request in which they gave away the copyright for Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. This was normal practice in the business, and Siegel and Shuster had given away the [[#Copyright_issues|copyrights]] to their previous works as well.<ref name=Jones2004p125>{{harvp|Jones|2004}}. ''Men of Tomorrow'', p. 125: "They signed a release surrendering all rights to the publisher. They knew that was how the business worked – that's how they'd sold every creation from ''Henri Duval'' to ''Slam Bradley''."</ref>

[[File:Action Comics 1.jpg|thumb|Superman's debut]]
The duo's revised version of Superman appeared in the [[Action Comics 1|first issue of ''Action Comics'']], which was published on April 18, 1938. The issue was a huge success thanks to Superman's feature.<ref name=actioncomics1copyright/><ref name=Tye2012/><ref>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd]): <br/>"The first thirteen pages of SUPERMAN material were published on April 18, 1938, in the June 1938 issue of "Action Comics"magazine".</ref>

===Influences===
Siegel and Shuster read [[Pulp magazine|pulp science-fiction and adventure magazines]], and many stories featured characters with fantastical abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and superhuman strength. One character in particular was [[John Carter of Mars]] from the novels by [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]. John Carter is a human who is transported to Mars, where the lower gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to leap great distances.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "...when I did the version in 1934, (which years later, in 1938, was published, in revised form, in Action Comics #1) the John Carter stories did influence me. Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller that [sic] the planet Earth; and he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth; so whoever came to Earth from that planet would be able to leap great distances and lift great weights."</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-history-behind-supermans-ever-changing-superpowers-1684736603|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326231729/http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-history-behind-supermans-ever-changing-superpowers-1684736603|url-status=dead|title=The History Behind Superman's Ever-Changing Superpowers|archivedate=March 26, 2017|website=Gizmodo}}</ref> Another influence was [[Philip Wylie]]'s 1930 novel ''[[Gladiator (novel)|Gladiator]]'', featuring a protagonist named [[Hugo Danner]] who had similar powers.<ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978;Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"I had read and enjoyed Philip Wylie's book "The Gladiator". It influenced me, too."</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last =Feeley |first =Gregory |date=March 2005 |title =When World-views Collide: Philip Wylie in the Twenty-first Century |journal =Science Fiction Studies |volume =32 |issue =95 |issn=0091-7729 |url =http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/review_essays/feeley95.htm |access-date =December 6, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130403153230/http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/review_essays/feeley95.htm |archive-date=April 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Superman's stance and devil-may-care attitude were influenced by the characters of [[Douglas Fairbanks]], who starred in adventure films such as ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' and ''[[Robin Hood (1922 film)|Robin Hood]]''.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "... I was inspired by the movies.  In the silent films, my hero was Douglas Fairbanks Senior, who was very agile and athletic.  So I think he might have been an inspiration to us, even in his attitude.  He had a stance which I often used in drawing Superman. You'll see in many of his roles—including Robin Hood—that he always stood with his hands on his hips and his feet spread apart, laughing—taking nothing seriously."</ref> The name of Superman's home city, Metropolis, was taken from the [[Metropolis (1927 film)|1927 film of the same name]].<ref name=Andrae1983>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}</ref> [[Popeye]] cartoons were also an influence.<ref name="Andrae1983"/>

{{multiple image
 |align = right
 |total_width = 250
 |footer = [[Douglas Fairbanks]] and [[Harold Lloyd]] influenced the look of Superman and Clark Kent, respectively.
 |image1 = Douglas Fairbanks Three Musketeers character promo.jpg
 |image2 = Harold Lloyd - A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen.jpg
 }}
Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity were inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' and Sir Percy Blakeney in ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel]]''. Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor.<ref>Jerry Siegel, quoted in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "I loved ''The Mark of Zorro'', and I'm sure that had some influence on me.  I did also see ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' but didn't care much for it."</ref><ref>Jerry Siegel. ''Creation of a Superhero'' (unpublished memoir, written c.1978; Scans available from [https://www.dropbox.com/s/k3rb8by5oupsjhz/Creation%20of%20a%20Superhero%20by%20Jerry%20Siegel.pdf?dl=0 Dropbox] and [https://www.scribd.com/document/382800890/Creation-of-a-Superhero-by-Jerry-Siegel Scribd]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}).: <br />"In movies, I had seen "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "The Mark of Zorro" and Rudolph Valentino in "The Eagle", and I thought that a mighty hero, who in another identity pretended to be an ineffectual weakling, made for great dramatic contrast. In addition, it would, in a comic strip, permit some humorous characterization."</ref> Another inspiration was slapstick comedian [[Harold Lloyd]]. The archetypal Lloyd character was a mild-mannered man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in the story snaps and fights back furiously.<ref>Siegel: "We especially loved some of those movies in which Harold Lloyd would start off as a sort of momma's boy being pushed around, kicked around, thrown around, and then suddenly would turn into a fighting whirlwind." <br />Shuster: "I was kind of mild-mannered and wore glasses so I really identified with it" <br />{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUrFYU2e_I |title=Superman – The Comic Strip Hero |publisher=BBC |people=Anthony Wall |medium=Television production |date=1981 |time=00:04:50 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151228030413/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUrFYU2e_I |archive-date=December 28, 2015 }}</ref>

Kent is a journalist because Siegel often imagined himself becoming one after leaving school. The love triangle between [[Lois Lane]], Clark, and Superman was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with girls.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: Siegel: "As a high school student, I thought that someday 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. [...] 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."</ref>

The pair collected comic strips in their youth, with a favorite being [[Winsor McCay]]'s fantastical ''[[Little Nemo]]''.<ref name=Andrae1983/> Shuster remarked on the artists who played an important part in the development of his own style: "[[Alex Raymond]] and [[Burne Hogarth]] were my idols&nbsp;– also [[Milt Caniff]], [[Hal Foster]], and [[Roy Crane]]."<ref name=Andrae1983/> Shuster taught himself to draw by tracing over the art in the strips and magazines they collected.<ref name=Ricca2014/>

As a boy, Shuster was interested in fitness culture<ref>Shuster in {{harvp|Andrae|1983}} "I tried to build up my body. I was so skinny; I went in for weight-lifting and athletics. I used to get all the body-building magazines from the second-hand stores — and read them...."</ref> and a fan of [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongmen]] such as [[Siegmund Breitbart]] and [[Joseph Greenstein]]. He collected fitness magazines and manuals and used their photographs as visual references for his art.<ref name=Ricca2014/>

The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences. The tight-fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongmen]]. In early concept art, Shuster gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes, but these were eventually changed to red boots.<ref name=Andrae1983_boots/> The costumes of Douglas Fairbanks were also an influence.<ref>{{harvp|Andrae|1983}}: "It was inspired by the costume pictures that Fairbanks did: they greatly influenced us."</ref> The emblem on his chest was inspired by [[Crest (heraldry)|heraldic crests]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Of Supermen and kids with dreams |url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/0s3lbpbsetmqe5v/Siegel%20and%20Shuster%20interview%20with%20Andrae%20%28in%20Nemo%20%232%2C%201983%29.pdf?dl=0}}</ref> Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes. Superman's face was based on [[Johnny Weissmuller]] with touches derived from the comic-strip character [[Dick Tracy]] and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane.<ref name=Ricca2014p124>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 124: "The overall physical look of Superman himself is from Johnny Weissmuller, whose face Joe swiped from movie magazines and news articles. ... Joe just squinted the eyes like his idol Roy Crane [did with his characters] and added a Dick Tracy smile." Ricca cites {{cite news|author-link=Robert Beerbohm|last=Beerbohm|first= Robert L.|title=The Big Bang Theory of Comic Book History|work=Comic Book Marketplace|volume= 2|issue= 50|location= Coronado, California|publisher=[[Gemstone Publishing]]|date=August 1997}}</ref>

The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians.<ref>{{harvp|Ricca|2014}}. ''Super Boys'', p. 129: "What the boys did read were the magazines and papers where "superman" was a common word. Its usage was almost always preceded by "a". Most times the word was used to refer to an athlete or a politician."</ref> It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Flagg |first=Francis |date=November 11, 1931 |title=The Superman of Dr. Jukes |magazine=Wonder Stories |publisher=Gernsback}}</ref> It is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s concept of the ''[[Übermensch]]''; they never acknowledged as much.<ref>{{cite news |first=Howard |last=Jacobson |page=5 |title=Up, Up and Oy Vey! |date=March 5, 2005 |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/article2396955.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516071809/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/article2396955.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 16, 2015 |location=UK }}: "If Siegel and Shuster knew of Nietzsche's Ubermensch, they didn't say..."</ref>
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