Jerry Siegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he would later meet his future partner, Joe Shuster, in 1931. Shuster had moved from his birthplace in Canada, and the two young men became fast friends. They shared a passion for science fiction and published a fanzine in the mid-1920s, featuring a strip with a super-powered villain that would later evolve into a hero.
Siegel and Shuster were heavily influenced by Philip Wylie's book "Gladiator," which told the story of a mysterious character with superpowers and invulnerability. They created a strip featuring a super-powered villain, but later transformed him into a hero. In 1936, they attempted to turn their creation into a daily comic strip, but it was met with rejection.
Undeterred, the two young men continued to work on various comic book titles, including Doctor Occult, Slam Bradley, and Radio Squad. Siegel also created the character of the Spectre. In 1939, DC editor Sheldon Meyer gave them a chance to publish their character, Superman, in a new comic title, "Action Comics." Superman was an instant hit, and his own eponymous title was launched within a year.
Despite their success, Siegel and Shuster grew increasingly resentful of the profits DC-National made off their character, as they had signed away all rights to the character. In 1946, they sued DC for a share of the rights to Superman, but the case dragged on until 1948, when they settled for royalties only on the Superboy character. They were also required to sign away any future claims to the Superman character.
Shuster left the comic field, while Siegel continued to work on Superman, eventually becoming a comics editor at Ziff-Davis Publications during the 1950s. However, without his long-time partner, Siegel found his creative spark missing, and he gradually lost work. It wasn't until his wife intervened, threatening to have the headline "Superman Creator Starves to Death" published, that DC offered Siegel uncredited work.
In the 1960s, Siegel wrote many Superman stories, including those about Superman's home planet Krypton. However, DC once again let him go in 1964. He moved to Los Angeles, where he became a virtual recluse. It wasn't until the 1975 Superman movie raised new interest in the character that Siegel and Shuster once again sued DC for recognition and royalties. DC re-instated Siegel and Shuster's name on the masthead as creators, and awarded them an annual stipend of $35,000.
Finally, in 1999, Siegel's heirs won their court case with DC and received 50% ownership and control of Superman, recognizing Siegel as one of the pioneers of the comic book industry.
