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Joe Shuster

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Joe Shuster
Shuster in 1939
BornJoseph Shuster
(1914-07-10)July 10, 1914
Toronto,Ontario,Canada
DiedJuly 30, 1992(1992-07-30)(aged 78)
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
NationalityCanadian
American
Area(s)Penciller,Artist
Pseudonym(s)Reuths[1]
Notable works
Superman,Action Comics#1
AwardsInkpot Award(1975)[2]
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame,1992
Jack Kirby Hall of Fame,1993
Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame,2005
Signature
Signature of Joe Shuster

Joseph Shuster(/ˈʃuːstər/SHOO-stər;July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992),[3][4][5]was a Canadian-Americancomic book artistbest known for co-creating theDC ComicscharacterSuperman,withJerry Siegel,inAction Comics#1(cover-datedJune 1938).

Shuster was involved in a number of legal battles over ownership of the Superman character. His comic book career after Superman was relatively unsuccessful, and by the mid-1970s, Shuster had left the field completely due to partial blindness.

He and Siegel were inducted into both the comic book industry'sWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Famein 1992 and theJack Kirby Hall of Famein 1993. In 2005, theCanadian Comic Book Creator Awards Associationinstituted theJoe Shuster Awards,named to honor the Canada-born artist.

Early life and career[edit]

Joseph Shuster was born inTorontoto aJewishfamily.[6][7][8]His father, Julius Shuster (originallyShusterowich), an immigrant fromRotterdam,had a tailor shop in Toronto's garment district. His mother, Ida (Katharske), had come fromKyiv,Russian Empire(now Ukraine).[9][10]His family, including his sister, Jean, lived on Bathurst, Oxford, and Borden Streets. In 1922 Julius Shuster was listed as living at 48 Major Street,[11]and in 1923 and 1924 at 101 Oxford Street.[12][13]Joe attended Ryerson and Lansdowne Public Schools (nowRyerson Community School and Lord Lansdowne Junior Public Schoolwith theToronto District School Board).[9]One of his cousins was comedianFrank Shusterof the Canadian comedy teamWayne and Shuster.[14][15]He also had a brother named Frank.[16]

As a youngster, Shuster worked as anewspaper boyfor theToronto Daily Star.[9]The family barely made ends meet, and the budding young artist would scrounge for paper, which the family could not afford. He recalled in 1992,

I would go from store to store in Toronto and pick up whatever they threw out. One day, I was lucky enough to find a bunch of wallpaper rolls that were unused and left over from some job. The backs were blank, naturally. So it was a goldmine for me, and I went home with every roll I could carry. I kept using that wallpaper for a long time.[9]

Sometime in 1924,[9]when Shuster was 9[15]or 10,[17]his family moved toCleveland, Ohio.[15]There Shuster attendedGlenville High Schooland befriended his later collaborator, writerJerry Siegel,with whom he began publishing ascience fiction fanzinecalledScience Fiction.Siegel described his friendship with the similarly shy and bespectacled Shuster: "When Joe and I first met, it was like the right chemicals coming together."[5]

The duo broke into comics at MajorMalcolm Wheeler-Nicholson'sNational Allied Publications,the futureDC Comics,working on the landmarkNew Fun—the first comic-book series to consist solely of original material rather than using any reprinted newspapercomic strips—debuting with themusketeerswashbuckler "Henri Duval" and thesupernaturalcrime-fighter stripDoctor Occult,both inNew Fun#6 (Oct. 1935).[18]In a 1992 interview, in which he used the fledgling publisher's future name, he said the two sample strips were not the ones eventually published:

One was drawn on brown wrapping paper and the other was drawn on the back of wallpaper from Toronto. And DC approved them, just like that! It's incredible! But DC did say, 'We like your ideas, we like your scripts and we like your drawings. But please, copy over the stories in pen and ink on good paper.' So I got my mother and father to lend me the money to go out and buy some decent paper, the first drawing paper I ever had, in order to submit these stories properly to DC Comics.[9]

Creation of Superman[edit]

Siegel and Shuster created a baldtelepathicvillain,bent on dominating the world, as the title character in the short story "The Reign of the Superman",published in Siegel's 1933fanzineScience Fiction#3.[19]The story was not successful, and the character was not used again.

The following year, Siegel re-used the nameThe Supermanto develop a new character that became one of the most famous superheroes of all time. Shuster modelled the hero onDouglas Fairbanks Sr.,and modelled his bespectacled alter ego,Clark Kent,on a combination ofHarold Lloyd[5][20]and Shuster himself, with the name "Clark Kent" derived from movie starsClark GableandKent Taylor.[9]Lois Lanewas modeled onJoanne Carter,a model hired by Shuster. (She later married co-creator Jerry Siegel in 1948.)[9]Siegel and Shuster's origins as children of Jewish immigrants is also thought to have influenced their work. Timothy Aaron Pevey argued that they crafted "an immigrant figure whose desire was to fit into American culture as an American", something which Pevey feels taps into an important aspect of American identity.[21]

Siegel and Shuster then began a four-year quest to find a publisher. Titling the characterThe Superman,Siegel and Shuster offered it to Consolidated Book Publishing, who had published a 48-pageblack-and-whitecomic book entitledDetective Dan: Secret Operative#48. Siegel and Shuster each compared this character toSlam Bradley,an adventurer the pair had created forDetective Comics#1 (March 1937).[22]Although the duo received an encouraging letter, Consolidated never again published comic books. Shuster was distraught over the rejection, and, by varying accounts, either burned every page of the story, with the cover surviving only because Siegel saved it from the fire,[23]or he tore the story to shreds, with only two cover sketches remaining.[24]

In 1938, the proposal was languishing among others atMore Fun Comics,published byNational Allied Publications,the primary precursor ofDC Comics.EditorVin Sullivanchose it as the cover feature for National'sAction Comics#1 (June 1938). The following year, Siegel & Shuster initiated thesyndicatedSupermancomic strip.[5]

Shuster (seated) withJerry Siegelin 1942

WhenSupermanfirst appeared, Superman's alter egoClark Kentworked for theDaily Starnewspaper, named by Shuster after theToronto Daily Star,his old employer in Toronto. When thecomic stripreceived international distribution, the company permanently changed the name to theDaily Planet.[25]Shuster said he modeled the cityscape of Superman's home city, Metropolis, on that of his old hometown.[15]

As part of the deal which saw Superman published inAction Comics,Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the character in return for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material.[26][27][28]

Due to financial difficulties, Wheeler-Nicholson had formed a corporation withHarry DonenfeldandJack Liebowitzcalled Detective Comics, Inc. It was under the DC label thatAction Comics#1(cover-datedJune 1938) was published. A series of mergers and name changes resulted in the publisher becoming National Periodical Publications, and then, in 1977, DC Comics (which had been its nickname since 1940).[29]

Legal issues[edit]

In 1946, near the end of their ten-year contract to produce Superman stories, Siegel and Shuster suedDetective Comics, Inc.to have their contract annulled and regain their rights to Superman. The following year, theNew York State Supreme Courtruled the publisher had validly purchased the rights to Superman when it bought the first Superman story, saying the duo had "transferred to Detective Comics, Inc., all of their rights in and to the comic strip Superman, including the title, names, characters and conception...."

A subsequentinterlocutoryjudgment found that rights toSuperboy,however, belonged to Siegel. Detective Comics Inc. subsequently paid Siegel and Shuster $94,000 for the rights to Superboy and the duo's written agreement acknowledging the rights to Superman belonged to the publisher.

Afterward, the company removed Shuster and Siegel's byline from Superman stories.[30][31]

Later career[edit]

In 1947, the team rejoined editor Sullivan, by then the founder and publisher of the comic-book companyMagazine Enterpriseswhere they created the short-lived comical crime-fighterFunnyman.Shuster continued to draw comics after the failure ofFunnyman,although exactly what he drew is uncertain. Comic historian Ted White wrote that Shuster continued to draw horror stories into the 1950s.[32]

Shuster was also the anonymous illustrator forNights of Horror,an undergroundsadomasochisticfetishpaperback book series. In 1954,Nights of Horrorgarnered controversy because of its involvement in the trial of theBrooklyn Thrill Killers,where it was alleged by psychiatric expert and anti-comics crusaderFredric Werthamthat the gang's leader had read the books and that they were responsible for his crimes. TheNights of Horrorseries was seized and banned in theState of New York,and the case eventuallywent to the Supreme Court.However, the books' artist was never identified at the time.[33]In 2004,Gerard Jonesrevealed that Shuster had drawn the books.[34]The claim was backed in 2009 by comics historian Craig Yoe. This was based on character similarities, and comparison of the artistic style between the illustrations and those of the cast of the Superman comics.[35][36][37]

Shuster in a DC Comics press photo, 1975

In 1964, when Shuster was living onLong Islandwith his elderly mother, he was reported to be earning his living as a freelance cartoonist; he was also "trying to paint pop art—serious comic strips—and hope[d] eventually to promote a one-man show in some chic Manhattan gallery".[38]At one point, his worsening eyesight prevented him from drawing, and he worked as adeliverymanin order to earn a living.[39][40]Jerry Robinsonclaimed Shuster had delivered a package to the DC building, embarrassing the employees. He was summoned to the CEO, given one hundred dollars, and told to buy a new coat and find another job.[41]

In 1967, when the Superman copyright came up for renewal, Siegel launched a second lawsuit, which also proved unsuccessful.[42]

In 1975, Siegel launched a publicity campaign, in which Shuster participated, protestingDC Comics' treatment of him and Shuster. TheAssociation of American Editorial Cartoonists' president,Jerry Robinson,was involved in the campaign along, with comic-book artistNeal Adams.By 1976, Shuster was almost blind and living in a California nursing home.[43]Due to a great deal of negative publicity over their handling of the affair, and the upcomingSupermanmovie,DC's parent companyWarner Communicationsreinstated the byline dropped more than thirty years earlier and granted the pair a lifetime pension of $20,000 a year, later increased to $30,000, plus health benefits.[17][44][45]The first issue with the restored credit wasSuperman#302 (Aug. 1976).[46]

Although Shuster was now supported by a lifetime stipend from DC Comics, he fell into debt—close to $20,000 by the time of his death. After he died, DC Comics agreed to pay off his unpaid debts in exchange for an agreement from his heirs to not challenge ownership over Superman.[47]

Death[edit]

Shuster died on July 30, 1992, at his West Los Angeles home ofcongestive heart failureandhypertension.He was 78.[3][48]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • In 1985, DC Comics named Shuster as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publicationFifty Who Made DC Great.[49]
  • In 1992, Shuster was inducted into theWill Eisner Award Hall of Fame.
  • In 2005, Shuster was inducted into the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame for his contributions to comic books.[50]
  • TheJoe Shuster Awards,started in 2005, were named in honor of the Canadian-born Shuster, and honor achievements in the field of comic book publishing by Canadian creators, publishers and retailers.[51]
  • In Toronto, where Shuster was born, the street Joe Shuster Way is named in his honor.[52]
  • On September 10, 2013,Gary Dummand Laura Dumm's "A Love Letter to Cleveland" murals were unveiled on the Orange Blossom Press building near the ClevelandWest Side Market,which includes an homage to Siegel and Shuster.[53]
  • Amor Avenue in Cleveland'sGlenvilleneighborhood was renamed "Joe Shuster Lane".[54][55][56]

Bibliography[edit]

Charlton Comics[edit]

DC Comics[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Wolk, Douglas (July 5, 2010)."75 Years of the First Comic Book Superhero (It's Not Who You Think)".Time.RetrievedApril 23,2016.
  2. ^"Inkpot Awards".Comic-Con International.RetrievedDecember 6,2023.
  3. ^abFolkart, Burt A. (August 3, 1992)."Joe Shuster, Co-Creator of Superman, Dead at 78".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on October 22, 2013.RetrievedJune 1,2016.
  4. ^"NewsWatch: Joseph Shuster Dies at 78".The Comics Journal(152): 9. August 1992.
  5. ^abcdStern, Roger(2006).Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939 – 1943.DC Comics/Kitchen Sink Press/Sterling Publishing.p. xii.
  6. ^Blair Kramer."Superman".Jewish Virtual Library.Archivedfrom the original on July 14, 2014.RetrievedAugust 30,2013.
  7. ^Rafael Medoff (June 10, 2013)."Superman: Saving his Jewish creators".Archived fromthe originalon September 7, 2013.RetrievedAugust 30,2013.
  8. ^Norwood, Stephen Harlan; Eunice G. Pollack (2008).Encyclopedia of American Jewish history, Volume 1.ABC-CLIO.p. 471.ISBN978-1-85109-638-1.
  9. ^abcdefghMietkiewicz, Henry (April 26, 1992)."Great Krypton! Superman was the Star's Ace Reporter (Joe Shuster's final interview)".Toronto Starvia JoeShusterAwards.Archivedfrom the original on August 5, 2010.RetrievedJune 26,2012.
  10. ^Ricca, Brad.Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster—the Creators of Superman.Macmillan.
  11. ^Might Directories Ltd. (1922).The Toronto City Directory 1922.Toronto Public Library: Toronto Reference Library. Toronto: Might Directories Ltd.
  12. ^Might Directories Ltd. (1923).Might's Greater Toronto city directory, 1923.Toronto Public Library. Toronto, Might Directories [etc.]
  13. ^Might Directories Ltd. (1924).Might's Greater Toronto city directory, 1924.Toronto Public Library. Toronto, Might Directories [etc.]
  14. ^Mietkiewicz, Henry (April 26, 1992). "Superman at 'The Star'".The Toronto Star.
  15. ^abcdHustak, Alan."The Canadian Encyclopedia:Shuster, Joe ".The Historica Dominion Institute.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2011.RetrievedJune 17,2010...
  16. ^Vidal, David (December 24, 1975)."Superman's Creators Get Lifetime Pay".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  17. ^abAssociated Press (June 28, 2006)."Superman co-creator has humble Canadian roots".CTV. Archived fromthe originalon June 4, 2011.RetrievedAugust 12,2008.
  18. ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2010).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle.DK Publishing. p. 13.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.
  19. ^Daniels, Les(1998).Superman: The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Man of Steel.Chronicle Books.p.14.ISBN978-0-8118-2162-9.
  20. ^Gross, John (December 15, 1987)."Books of the Times".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 6, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 29,2007.
  21. ^Pevey, Timothy Aaron ""From Superman to Superbland: The Man of Steel's Popular Decline Among Postmodern Youth"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 15, 2009.(3.14 Mb). April 10, 2007, URN: etd-04172007-133407
  22. ^Daniels (1998),p. 18ArchivedApril 24, 2016, at theWayback Machine.
  23. ^Daniels (1998),p. 17ArchivedJuly 29, 2016, at theWayback Machine
  24. ^Hughes, Bob."Who Drew the Superman? Joe Shuster!".DCComicsArtists (fan site).Archivedfrom the original on September 29, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 19,2012.
  25. ^Stamp, Jimmy (June 12, 2013)."The Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily Planet".Smithsonian.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  26. ^Goldberg, Barbara (April 16, 2012)."Check that bought Superman rights for $130 sells for $160,000".Reuters.Archived fromthe originalon March 10, 2016.RetrievedJune 29,2012.
  27. ^Tye, Larry (2012).Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero.Random House Digital. p.29.ISBN9781400068661.RetrievedJune 29,2012.$130.
  28. ^MacDonald, Heidi (April 11, 2006)."Inside the Superboy Copyright Decision".Publishers Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon February 5, 2009.RetrievedDecember 8,2006.
  29. ^Arrant, Chris (July 5, 2013)."The merger that rocked the comic industry (seven decades ago)".Comic Book Resources.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  30. ^Dean, Michael (November 2004)."An Extraordinarily Marketable Man: The Ongoing Struggle for Ownership of Superman and Superboy".No. 263. (excerpt)The Comics Journal.Archived fromthe originalon September 19, 2008.
  31. ^Ciepley, Michael (March 29, 2008)."Ruling Gives Heirs a Share of Superman Copyright".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2009.RetrievedMarch 29,2008.
  32. ^White, Ted. "The Spawn of M.C. Gaines" in Lupoff, Dick & Don Thompson, eds.,All in Color For a Dime(Ace Books, 1970)
  33. ^The Incredible True Story of Joe Shuster's NIGHTS OF HORROR,Comic book legal defense,October 3, 2012
  34. ^Jones, Gerard (2004).Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book.Basic Books. pp.269–270.ISBN0465036570.RetrievedFebruary 9,2017.
  35. ^"Book Unveils Superman Co-creator's Dark Side".Metro Halifax.March 26, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon September 19, 2012.
  36. ^Yoe, Craig (2009).Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster.Harry N. Abrams.ISBN978-0-8109-9634-2.
  37. ^"lambiek.net" Siegel & Shuster "on Lambiek Comiclopedia".Archivedfrom the original on July 13, 2018.RetrievedJuly 13,2018.
  38. ^Richler, Mordecai. "The Great Comic Book Heroes",Encounter,1965; reprinted in Richler collectionsHunting Tigers Under Glass: Essays & Notes(McClelland & Stewart, 1968),Notes on an Endangered Species(Alfred A. Knopf, 1974), andThe Great Comic Book Heroes and Other Essays(McClelland and Stewart, 1978)ISBN978-0-7710-9268-8
  39. ^Heer, Jeet (April 5, 2008)."The Injustice of Superman".The Guardian.UK.Archivedfrom the original on February 13, 2011.
  40. ^Graham, Victoria (November 25, 1975). "Originators ofSupermanDestitute: Sold Rights in 1938 for $130 ".State Journal.Lansing, Michigan.p. D-3.
  41. ^Simon, Joe (2011).Joe Simon: My Life in Comics.London, UK:Titan Books.p. 188.ISBN978-1-84576-930-7.
  42. ^Lambert, Chris (May 11, 2013)."Superman at 75: Were Cleveland's Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster really that innocent?".The News-Herald.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  43. ^Horn, Maurice.The World Encyclopedia of Comics:Shuster, Joe. (Scribner, 1976)ISBN978-0-87754-030-4
  44. ^Lambert, Bruce (August 3, 1992)."Joseph Shuster, Cartoonist, Dies; Co-Creator of 'Superman' Was 78".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 4, 2009.RetrievedAugust 12,2008.
  45. ^"Man and Superman".Time.January 5, 1976. Archived fromthe originalon October 23, 2007.RetrievedAugust 12,2008.
  46. ^"1970s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle.Dorling Kindersley.2010. p. 170.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.For the first time since 1947, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's names were back inSupermancomics, and listed as the Man of Steel's co-creators.
  47. ^From a 2010 lawsuit filed by DC Comics against Shuster's heirs (DC Comics v. Pacific Pictures Corp. et al.).
  48. ^McGasko, Joe (June 18, 2013)."The Superman Curse"ArchivedMarch 15, 2014, at theWayback Machine.The Biography Channel.
  49. ^Marx, Barry,Cavalieri, Joeyand Hill, Thomas (w), Petruccio, Steven (a), Marx, Barry (ed). "Joe Shuster A Legend Takes Shape"Fifty Who Made DC Great,p. 9 (1985). DC Comics.
  50. ^"Canadian comic-book awards: one down, one to go".CBC. May 2, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on December 20, 2007.RetrievedAugust 12,2008.
  51. ^Stump, Greg (April 2005). "Shuster Awards to be given for Canadian comic-book excellence".The Comics Journal(267).Fantagraphics Books:47.ISSN0194-7869.
  52. ^"Transportation Services Toronto and East York District: Staff Report, March 13, 2006"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on June 7, 2011.RetrievedJune 17,2010.
  53. ^Sangiacomo, Michael (June 4, 2018)."The Dumms' 'Love Letter to Cleveland' murals on W. 25th need some TLC".The Plain Dealer.RetrievedJune 4,2018.
  54. ^Bona, Marc (September 4, 2009)."Superman's birthplace, in Jerry Siegel's Cleveland home, gets recognition".The Plain Dealer.Cleveland, Ohio.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2016.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  55. ^Gibbs, Hollie (December 2012)."The Man of Rust Belt Steel".CoolCleveland.Archivedfrom the original on December 12, 2016.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  56. ^"Amor Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio: Street View – Sep 2011".Google Maps.RetrievedApril 12,2016.

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