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Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent—meek, mild, and myopic—than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote stories, and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format—the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about Jerry and Joe’s long struggle with DC Comics when they realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130!
Marc Tyler Nobleman’s text captures the excitement of Jerry and Joe’s triumph, and the energetic illustrations by Ross MacDonald, the author-artist of Another Perfect Day, are a perfect complement to the time, the place, and the two young visionaries.
Marc Tyler Nobleman’s text captures the excitement of Jerry and Joe’s triumph, and the energetic illustrations by Ross MacDonald, the author-artist of Another Perfect Day, are a perfect complement to the time, the place, and the two young visionaries.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2008
11 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Marc Tyler Nobleman
97 books74 followersAward-winning author of books for all ages, including one that changed history and inspired the first documentary based on a nonfiction picture book.
I've had the privilege of speaking at schools and conferences in 30+ states and almost 20 countries.
I've had the privilege of speaking at schools and conferences in 30+ states and almost 20 countries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
April 24, 2014
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were teenagers when they created the world’s first – and greatest – superhero, and then sold the rights to Superman to the company that would become DC Comics for a measly $130!
Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ross MacDonald’s short picture book – at 26 oversize pages with a large paragraph or two per page, it definitely feels aimed at educating younger readers – succinctly recounts Siegel and Shuster’s lives up to seeing their creation take off in popular culture in the 1940s, while sadly realising they’d given away a fortune to get him there.
Superman was an ingenious and revolutionary character for many reasons. While stories of Flash Gordon, The Shadow, and Buck Rogers were popular, it was Jerry Siegel who imagined a man with incredible strength and the ability to jump so high it looked like he was flying and, in so doing, had created the world’s first superhero! The timing was fortuitous as comic books were just then taking off and Superman’s inclusion in Action Comics #1 helped cement the popularity of the character while clearing the way for many more superheroes to follow.
That Siegel and Shuster made Superman an alien and not a human was the other masterstroke – his disguise isn’t the superhero identity and costume, it’s the mundane human clothing and ordinary identity as Clark Kent that is the disguise. This totally original setup and the Superman origin story would become staples of the character’s canon, being retold and explored numerous times over the years while still retaining its potency to enthral audiences.
And while DC would refuse to credit Siegel and Shuster as Superman’s creators for several years, the two indelibly left their mark on the character. The “S” symbol on his chest stood for “super” as well as Siegel and Shuster (the chest symbol’s meaning would be retconned years later to stand for the Kryptonian symbol for peace) while Superman’s Kryptonian name, Kal-El, means “all that is God” in Hebrew (both creators were Jewish).
Though brief, Boys of Steel is informative for anyone who wants to know the basics behind Superman’s creators without wanting to spend too much time on the subject but, while Nobleman includes an afterword that covers the numerous legal battles between the Siegel/Shuster estates and DC Comics, if you’re looking for an in-depth look at those stories, this isn’t that book.
The infamous legal battles over the creators’ estates looking for more compensation from DC for the millions – billions at this point, surely – that the character has made them, are why I don’t count myself as a DC Comics fan. I’m a Superman fan; I’m a Batman fan; I don’t care for DC Comics, the company, at all. The way they treat their creators, but Siegel and Shuster especially, has been appalling (you could argue that culture persists at DC today with the many, many creators who’ve worked and left DC in the last few years alone, of which more than a few have bitter words to say about the company).
It took decades of legal battles, and years after the creators’ deaths, for the Siegel and Shuster families to receive a meagre $20k per year from DC, while the character continues to reap enormous profits for the company. There was even a time in the late 50s/early 60s when Siegel had to go hat in hand to DC to ask if they would employ him to write for them, which they agreed to but refused to credit him, even refusing to put his and Shuster’s names down as creators of Superman. That’s an utter travesty.
Ross MacDonald draws the book in Joe Shuster’s style and looks absolutely fantastic, while Marc Tyler Nobleman’s writing gives the reader everything they need to understand Superman’s creators. It’s a fine tribute to the imagination and creative brilliance of these two artists and their remarkable legacy.
In the comics, Superman’s two dads are Jor-El and Jonathan Kent, but his real two fathers were called Jerry and Joe – and their story is well worth reading.
Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ross MacDonald’s short picture book – at 26 oversize pages with a large paragraph or two per page, it definitely feels aimed at educating younger readers – succinctly recounts Siegel and Shuster’s lives up to seeing their creation take off in popular culture in the 1940s, while sadly realising they’d given away a fortune to get him there.
Superman was an ingenious and revolutionary character for many reasons. While stories of Flash Gordon, The Shadow, and Buck Rogers were popular, it was Jerry Siegel who imagined a man with incredible strength and the ability to jump so high it looked like he was flying and, in so doing, had created the world’s first superhero! The timing was fortuitous as comic books were just then taking off and Superman’s inclusion in Action Comics #1 helped cement the popularity of the character while clearing the way for many more superheroes to follow.
That Siegel and Shuster made Superman an alien and not a human was the other masterstroke – his disguise isn’t the superhero identity and costume, it’s the mundane human clothing and ordinary identity as Clark Kent that is the disguise. This totally original setup and the Superman origin story would become staples of the character’s canon, being retold and explored numerous times over the years while still retaining its potency to enthral audiences.
And while DC would refuse to credit Siegel and Shuster as Superman’s creators for several years, the two indelibly left their mark on the character. The “S” symbol on his chest stood for “super” as well as Siegel and Shuster (the chest symbol’s meaning would be retconned years later to stand for the Kryptonian symbol for peace) while Superman’s Kryptonian name, Kal-El, means “all that is God” in Hebrew (both creators were Jewish).
Though brief, Boys of Steel is informative for anyone who wants to know the basics behind Superman’s creators without wanting to spend too much time on the subject but, while Nobleman includes an afterword that covers the numerous legal battles between the Siegel/Shuster estates and DC Comics, if you’re looking for an in-depth look at those stories, this isn’t that book.
The infamous legal battles over the creators’ estates looking for more compensation from DC for the millions – billions at this point, surely – that the character has made them, are why I don’t count myself as a DC Comics fan. I’m a Superman fan; I’m a Batman fan; I don’t care for DC Comics, the company, at all. The way they treat their creators, but Siegel and Shuster especially, has been appalling (you could argue that culture persists at DC today with the many, many creators who’ve worked and left DC in the last few years alone, of which more than a few have bitter words to say about the company).
It took decades of legal battles, and years after the creators’ deaths, for the Siegel and Shuster families to receive a meagre $20k per year from DC, while the character continues to reap enormous profits for the company. There was even a time in the late 50s/early 60s when Siegel had to go hat in hand to DC to ask if they would employ him to write for them, which they agreed to but refused to credit him, even refusing to put his and Shuster’s names down as creators of Superman. That’s an utter travesty.
Ross MacDonald draws the book in Joe Shuster’s style and looks absolutely fantastic, while Marc Tyler Nobleman’s writing gives the reader everything they need to understand Superman’s creators. It’s a fine tribute to the imagination and creative brilliance of these two artists and their remarkable legacy.
In the comics, Superman’s two dads are Jor-El and Jonathan Kent, but his real two fathers were called Jerry and Joe – and their story is well worth reading.
March 24, 2025
Great introduction to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (S/S). What I like about this book is that it shows how S/S had to 'sell' Superman (S) in the beginning. Had it not been for their belief in S there is a very good possibility that S never would have been published! I am still shocked at how S/S never received even a fraction of the money S made - 'truth, justice and the American Way' seemingly suspended.
January 16, 2023
Super
yeah, the graphic novel is fantastic. It’s about him how Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster created the character, and then the comic strip of Superman.
The background says that sadly they didn’t get any money from Action comics, finally they received a tiny salary to work on the team at action comics.
Super
yeah, the graphic novel is fantastic. It’s about him how Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster created the character, and then the comic strip of Superman.
The background says that sadly they didn’t get any money from Action comics, finally they received a tiny salary to work on the team at action comics.
Super
April 20, 2022
Here's the thing: I read books mostly for fun. I don't give a crap about moral lessons or being inspired. But this short, beautiful book taught and inspired me a lot. These 40 pages of Boys of Steel meant more to me than those other 500+-page books I've read.
This book is about the creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; how they lived through The Great Depression, and how they created the most popular superhero of all time. What makes this book close to my heart is that, I see myself in these two boys; I'm socially awkward sometimes, most of my best friends are found in pages and on screen, and most of all, I write and draw to escape this world. I may not be able to create a masterpiece like Superman, but this book showed me I could create something that would make me and the world happy. Y'know, just persist and draw and write and repeat the process.
I also love the art in this book. I love how it resembles the art in Action Comics #1.
It's just sad that Siegel and Shuster didn't fully enjoy the benefits of being the creators of Superman. Such moral injustice.
So yeah, if people asked me what book inspired me the most, I would not point to some crappy self-help books; I would hold up this little children's book.
This book is about the creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; how they lived through The Great Depression, and how they created the most popular superhero of all time. What makes this book close to my heart is that, I see myself in these two boys; I'm socially awkward sometimes, most of my best friends are found in pages and on screen, and most of all, I write and draw to escape this world. I may not be able to create a masterpiece like Superman, but this book showed me I could create something that would make me and the world happy. Y'know, just persist and draw and write and repeat the process.
I also love the art in this book. I love how it resembles the art in Action Comics #1.
It's just sad that Siegel and Shuster didn't fully enjoy the benefits of being the creators of Superman. Such moral injustice.
So yeah, if people asked me what book inspired me the most, I would not point to some crappy self-help books; I would hold up this little children's book.
May 29, 2008
Time was when a comic book wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in Hades of getting into a library’s collection. And while some library systems have grown more open to the notion of comic book heroes leaping about their hallowed halls, there’s still a great deal of resistance to the idea. Now Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ross MacDonald have found another way to get a fella like Superman into a library, and it’s definitely a slick idea. Until now the story of Superman’s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster has never been told in a format accessible to children. Now in Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, Nobleman and MacDonald pay homage to the fellas that brought to life “the greatest superhero of all time,” in such a way that no library in the world could object to the book’s style and panache. And though I've a quibble with it here and there, the next time you have a seven-year-old moaning about needing to read a biography make sure that this book is the ace up your sleeve.
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio - The 1930s. Jerry Siegel had many interests but what he really liked to do was escape from the world around him. By reading the tales of Tarzan, Buck Rogers, and other fantastical heroes, Jerry could find high adventure and this was an interest he shared with Joe Shuster. Shy like Jerry, Joe loved to draw, and together the two came up with all kinds of interesting ideas. But it wasn't until a hot night in 1934 that Jerry found his inspiration. What if this hero looked like a normal dweeby guy (a guy like Joe and Jerry) but was really a superhero in disguise? That night Superman was born and in his own Action Comics he found his audience. An Afterword to the book discusses how Jerry and Joe sold their Superman rights for a pittance and fought over the years to get them back.
There were little details in Boys of Steel that did the old heart good to see. For example, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for Nobleman to say that Superman was meant to fly. Yet anyone who has ever read the earliest Superman comics will note that he didn’t begin his existence flying. Rather he had, “a habit of leaping so high that it would look as though he were flying.” Remember that line, “Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”? That’s where that came from. The author walks the fine line between the original Superman and the one we all recognize today, and does so while still remaining factually accurate. No small task.
Anyone who has ever read Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay knows at least a little about the background of Siegel and Shuster. So it was that I started noticing what Nobleman wouldn’t mention, as opposed to what he would. In the majority of the text, no mention is made of the fact that the two men were Jewish (though Nobleman takes pains to mention how similar they were) or that they were the children of immigrants. Superman’s an immigrant too, but that doesn’t come up in the story. Admittedly, that element is a side issue that would probably constitute a long biography in and of itself. And the ethnicity of our heroes is certainly brought up in the Afterword. But how many kids are going to read through that? Even so much as a sentence mentioning that they were Jewish would work to place them within the context of their times.
As it currently stands, Nobleman’s focus is less on Superman’s genesis as it related to his progenitors’ birthright and more on how this creation was the right comic book hero for the right time. “The other heroes Jerry and Joe read about were regular humans in strange places. This hero would be a stranger in a regular place.” An alien in a regular environment. And in a scant 40-page picture book Nobleman even manages to draw ties to Superman’s rise alongside WWII. Here was America in a strange war and “People wanted a hero they knew would always come home. Jerry and Joe gave them that – the world’s first superhero.”
The amount of research necessary for a book of this scope would have to be hefty and I was pleased to see a small list of Selected Sources available on the publication page. Much of this research ends up in the Afterword, a three-page encapsulation of Shuster and Siegel’s life after they sold away their creation’s rights. It is fortuitous that this book will be released just as the March 26, 2008 posthumous lawsuit entitles Siegel’s estate to share in Superman’s United States copyright. I am reviewing Boys of Steel from an advanced readers copy, so I cannot speak to whether or not the final copy will contain this additional information. Yet even if it does not, Nobleman has covered his tracks fairly well with the note that “Negotiations are ongoing” (particularly since the suit is far from over and will undoubtedly be challenged).
As for the illustrations, I’ve been a Ross MacDonald fan for years. You simply cannot read his simpler picture book work (including as Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet and Bad Baby) without falling just a little bit in love with the man’s comic-influenced style. Clearly MacDonald was a natural choice to illustrate Nobleman’s biography. His love of the subject matter coupled with his ability to replicate Joe Shuster’s original style is to his advantage. But MacDonald’s choice to render Siegel and Shuster virtually identical is perhaps a counterintuitive move. I can understand why he would have gone in this direction. Siegel and Shuster were similar fellows, sure. And by making them virtually indistinguishable (Jerry’s a little more plump than Joe and has lighter eyebrows) he pits them as two guys together against the world. And while it wouldn’t have been my choice to deny Jerry and Joe their individuality, I can see why MacDonald chose to go the route that he had.
Certainly the design of the book itself is pretty keen. Comic book tropes pop up unexpectedly at the most interesting moments. Some descriptions appear in white bubbles around the pages. At another point Joe is seen tearing up his pages, action lines emanating off his body. The format doesn’t actually break down into panels until Jerry has his 1934 Superman brainstorm. Then we get a quick fire rapid montage of thoughts, images, concepts, and ideas. It breaks down the elements of who Superman is and what he stands for and works brilliantly to tie in the elements of his existence to the boys' own lives. For the most part, MacDonald sticks to a palate of brown, blue, green, and yellow. Red appears only when it can heighten the scene and make a point; Once when Jerry has his brainstorm and once at the end when we see Superman at last in all his red-caped glory.
Comic book characters rendered in the style of their original creators are quite the rage in picture book publishing right now. With Ralph Cosentino’s Batman: The Story of the Dark Night doing Bob Kane proud on the one hand and MacDonald polishing his Shuster skills on the other, this is a good time to get kids into superheroes in all their myriad forms. And with a great real-life story to boot, this is one biography that’s going to lure the kids like nothing else. I haven’t read a bio this kid-friendly since Siena Siegel’s To Dance. Though I would have tweaked a detail here and there, Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ross MacDonald do Superman’s creators proud. More fun than any children’s biography has any right to be.
Ages 7-12.
Dateline: Cleveland, Ohio - The 1930s. Jerry Siegel had many interests but what he really liked to do was escape from the world around him. By reading the tales of Tarzan, Buck Rogers, and other fantastical heroes, Jerry could find high adventure and this was an interest he shared with Joe Shuster. Shy like Jerry, Joe loved to draw, and together the two came up with all kinds of interesting ideas. But it wasn't until a hot night in 1934 that Jerry found his inspiration. What if this hero looked like a normal dweeby guy (a guy like Joe and Jerry) but was really a superhero in disguise? That night Superman was born and in his own Action Comics he found his audience. An Afterword to the book discusses how Jerry and Joe sold their Superman rights for a pittance and fought over the years to get them back.
There were little details in Boys of Steel that did the old heart good to see. For example, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for Nobleman to say that Superman was meant to fly. Yet anyone who has ever read the earliest Superman comics will note that he didn’t begin his existence flying. Rather he had, “a habit of leaping so high that it would look as though he were flying.” Remember that line, “Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”? That’s where that came from. The author walks the fine line between the original Superman and the one we all recognize today, and does so while still remaining factually accurate. No small task.
Anyone who has ever read Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay knows at least a little about the background of Siegel and Shuster. So it was that I started noticing what Nobleman wouldn’t mention, as opposed to what he would. In the majority of the text, no mention is made of the fact that the two men were Jewish (though Nobleman takes pains to mention how similar they were) or that they were the children of immigrants. Superman’s an immigrant too, but that doesn’t come up in the story. Admittedly, that element is a side issue that would probably constitute a long biography in and of itself. And the ethnicity of our heroes is certainly brought up in the Afterword. But how many kids are going to read through that? Even so much as a sentence mentioning that they were Jewish would work to place them within the context of their times.
As it currently stands, Nobleman’s focus is less on Superman’s genesis as it related to his progenitors’ birthright and more on how this creation was the right comic book hero for the right time. “The other heroes Jerry and Joe read about were regular humans in strange places. This hero would be a stranger in a regular place.” An alien in a regular environment. And in a scant 40-page picture book Nobleman even manages to draw ties to Superman’s rise alongside WWII. Here was America in a strange war and “People wanted a hero they knew would always come home. Jerry and Joe gave them that – the world’s first superhero.”
The amount of research necessary for a book of this scope would have to be hefty and I was pleased to see a small list of Selected Sources available on the publication page. Much of this research ends up in the Afterword, a three-page encapsulation of Shuster and Siegel’s life after they sold away their creation’s rights. It is fortuitous that this book will be released just as the March 26, 2008 posthumous lawsuit entitles Siegel’s estate to share in Superman’s United States copyright. I am reviewing Boys of Steel from an advanced readers copy, so I cannot speak to whether or not the final copy will contain this additional information. Yet even if it does not, Nobleman has covered his tracks fairly well with the note that “Negotiations are ongoing” (particularly since the suit is far from over and will undoubtedly be challenged).
As for the illustrations, I’ve been a Ross MacDonald fan for years. You simply cannot read his simpler picture book work (including as Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet and Bad Baby) without falling just a little bit in love with the man’s comic-influenced style. Clearly MacDonald was a natural choice to illustrate Nobleman’s biography. His love of the subject matter coupled with his ability to replicate Joe Shuster’s original style is to his advantage. But MacDonald’s choice to render Siegel and Shuster virtually identical is perhaps a counterintuitive move. I can understand why he would have gone in this direction. Siegel and Shuster were similar fellows, sure. And by making them virtually indistinguishable (Jerry’s a little more plump than Joe and has lighter eyebrows) he pits them as two guys together against the world. And while it wouldn’t have been my choice to deny Jerry and Joe their individuality, I can see why MacDonald chose to go the route that he had.
Certainly the design of the book itself is pretty keen. Comic book tropes pop up unexpectedly at the most interesting moments. Some descriptions appear in white bubbles around the pages. At another point Joe is seen tearing up his pages, action lines emanating off his body. The format doesn’t actually break down into panels until Jerry has his 1934 Superman brainstorm. Then we get a quick fire rapid montage of thoughts, images, concepts, and ideas. It breaks down the elements of who Superman is and what he stands for and works brilliantly to tie in the elements of his existence to the boys' own lives. For the most part, MacDonald sticks to a palate of brown, blue, green, and yellow. Red appears only when it can heighten the scene and make a point; Once when Jerry has his brainstorm and once at the end when we see Superman at last in all his red-caped glory.
Comic book characters rendered in the style of their original creators are quite the rage in picture book publishing right now. With Ralph Cosentino’s Batman: The Story of the Dark Night doing Bob Kane proud on the one hand and MacDonald polishing his Shuster skills on the other, this is a good time to get kids into superheroes in all their myriad forms. And with a great real-life story to boot, this is one biography that’s going to lure the kids like nothing else. I haven’t read a bio this kid-friendly since Siena Siegel’s To Dance. Though I would have tweaked a detail here and there, Marc Tyler Nobleman and Ross MacDonald do Superman’s creators proud. More fun than any children’s biography has any right to be.
Ages 7-12.
February 8, 2016
Boys of Steel is a biography written about the creators of Superman: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. As teenagers growing up in Cleveland during the Great Depression, they did not fit in with all the other kids who were into sports and girls. Instead, they spent most of their time writing and drawing science fiction stories. After one attempt, the boys got frustrated and thought they would never make it in the cartoon world. Then, laying in his bed one summer night, Joe thought up one of the most recognizable super heroes of all: Superman. It took a few years, but they finally got a magazine company who was getting ready to introduce comic books to buy it for $130. After a long legal battle, Jerry and Joe finally got credit and royalties for creating the iconic figure. The pictures in the book help illustrate what the boys went through during the creation of Superman. As an avid comic book reader, I am always interested in the creation of super heroes. I someday would like to share that passion with my future students. The best use for this book would be to read it to a group of older elementary school students and teach them that their writings or drawings could one day get published. I would also have my future students write creative stories based on their personal interests to encourage writing inside/outside the classroom. I wouldn't go into detail about how Jerry and Joe had a hard time obtaining the rights and royalties for selling Superman, but focus on the idea that anything a person creates has the potential to be something special. If you have a passion, stick to it, and you never know what could happen.
November 7, 2018
I tend to be confused by picture books that lots of text. I guess they are meant for older readers, but they are a weird mix to me.
This particular story is about the creators of Superman, and while I found this true story interesting, I was most intrigued by the two-page afterward. And there you have it--too many details for a picture book, but not enough details for more mature readers. I tried these type of books on reluctant 6th and 7th-grade readers, and they didn't seem too impressed with them either.
I do, however, find it fascinating that $130 was all that was originally paid for one of the most famous cartoon characters of all time. Crazy!
This particular story is about the creators of Superman, and while I found this true story interesting, I was most intrigued by the two-page afterward. And there you have it--too many details for a picture book, but not enough details for more mature readers. I tried these type of books on reluctant 6th and 7th-grade readers, and they didn't seem too impressed with them either.
I do, however, find it fascinating that $130 was all that was originally paid for one of the most famous cartoon characters of all time. Crazy!
November 10, 2015
A fascinating look at the creators of a legendary character. Two boys who were more Clark Kent than Superman follow their passion of creating action packed stories. While some weren't runaway hits, they persevered until they hit the big time with their caped crusader. And, even then, they suffered lots of struggles- the biggest of which was ensuring they were credited- and paid- for their creation!
July 18, 2017
Two guys keep working on what they believe in despite rejection and being picked on. Interesting story I didn't know.
January 6, 2023
shares the stories of two friends from cleveland who have seen various heroes in print and come up with their own take on heroes, they create superman. it is accepted and due to fears of a potential cancel they take the little offered.
eventually get fired and have little to show. in the end corporate makes good for them, as they created a gold mine. rip.
eventually get fired and have little to show. in the end corporate makes good for them, as they created a gold mine. rip.
January 13, 2024
Focused more on Siegel than Shuster.
September 11, 2018
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is part biography and part comic of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster – the co-creators of Superman, and written by Marc Tyler Nobleman and illustrated by Ross MacDonald.
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel was an American writer of superhero comics and is best known to be the co-creator of Superman. Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating The Man of Steel.
As an aside: I am thrilled to find out that Superman was created in part a Canadian. As a Canadian, I am thrilled to be a part of the Superman legacy and find it rather ironic that Superman is Americana as apple pie.
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is a wonderful biography of not just the creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but also the birth of Superman. It tells a story about two misfit teenagers during the depression that created a superhero diametrically opposite to themselves and the alter ego, which were rather similar to themselves. Unfortunately, the sold the rights to Superman for a measly $130 – a travesty that still reverberate today.
Superman was an ingenious and revolutionary character – as he was probably the first true superhero with actual superpowers and was created just as comic book was getting popular and was the pro-genesis to many superheroes to come. It was also ingenious that they made Superman an alien, making his true alter ego not Superman, but Clark Kent – a mild, manner, reporter.
Nobleman then describes, in his afterward, about the long struggle of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster with DC Comics when they realized they have made a terrible mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130. It is sobering how DC Comics profiting millions, if not billions, from their creation, while treating their creators so terribly. They were teenagers, still wet behind their ears, in the midst of the Depression and while $130 was tempting – it was far less than what they deserve and Nobleman brought this injustice to light.
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman was written rather well, albeit a tad brief. It is rather informative for anyone who wants to know the basics behind Superman's creators. While Nobleman includes in an afterward the numerous legal battles between the creators' estates and DC Comics, it is not touch upon too much, but introduces the conflict between the publisher and comic creators. Ross MacDonald draws the book in a Shuster-like manner and looks wonderful. It is a great tribute to the imagination and creative brilliance of these two artists and their remarkable legacy.
All in all, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is a well-written biography about the world's well-known superhero, which not only has two fathers, Jor-El and Jonathan Kent, but his creators in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel was an American writer of superhero comics and is best known to be the co-creator of Superman. Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating The Man of Steel.
As an aside: I am thrilled to find out that Superman was created in part a Canadian. As a Canadian, I am thrilled to be a part of the Superman legacy and find it rather ironic that Superman is Americana as apple pie.
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is a wonderful biography of not just the creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but also the birth of Superman. It tells a story about two misfit teenagers during the depression that created a superhero diametrically opposite to themselves and the alter ego, which were rather similar to themselves. Unfortunately, the sold the rights to Superman for a measly $130 – a travesty that still reverberate today.
Superman was an ingenious and revolutionary character – as he was probably the first true superhero with actual superpowers and was created just as comic book was getting popular and was the pro-genesis to many superheroes to come. It was also ingenious that they made Superman an alien, making his true alter ego not Superman, but Clark Kent – a mild, manner, reporter.
Nobleman then describes, in his afterward, about the long struggle of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster with DC Comics when they realized they have made a terrible mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130. It is sobering how DC Comics profiting millions, if not billions, from their creation, while treating their creators so terribly. They were teenagers, still wet behind their ears, in the midst of the Depression and while $130 was tempting – it was far less than what they deserve and Nobleman brought this injustice to light.
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman was written rather well, albeit a tad brief. It is rather informative for anyone who wants to know the basics behind Superman's creators. While Nobleman includes in an afterward the numerous legal battles between the creators' estates and DC Comics, it is not touch upon too much, but introduces the conflict between the publisher and comic creators. Ross MacDonald draws the book in a Shuster-like manner and looks wonderful. It is a great tribute to the imagination and creative brilliance of these two artists and their remarkable legacy.
All in all, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman is a well-written biography about the world's well-known superhero, which not only has two fathers, Jor-El and Jonathan Kent, but his creators in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
October 22, 2019
This story is about the creators of superman. The failures that they went through just to get a publisher or editor. As many of them rejected them one finally said yes after 3 years. The first superhero was born, by two high school boys with a filled imagination. Even some teachers thought that it was bad as they worked in their classes. Joe and Jerry were very determined to get this in the books.
I think it would be good for younger kids because it would be more inspiring towards them. My opinion on it was surprising because I never thought that's how superman was made. I thought it was inspiring about how they had to go through many editors but most of them didn't want it but at least they found one. So my rating would be a 4 out of 5 because it is a little book and I wish they would make it into a chapter book but the inspiration was what got me. It would probably be good for people who like to know who famous things were created.
I think it would be good for younger kids because it would be more inspiring towards them. My opinion on it was surprising because I never thought that's how superman was made. I thought it was inspiring about how they had to go through many editors but most of them didn't want it but at least they found one. So my rating would be a 4 out of 5 because it is a little book and I wish they would make it into a chapter book but the inspiration was what got me. It would probably be good for people who like to know who famous things were created.
October 10, 2022
I had the great fortune of hearing this author speak about this book (and much more in-depth about another). What added to the richness of this book -- which in itself is an incredible story of happiness and heartbreak of chasing derams -- was knowing how much research Nobleman did for this book. Minute details that seem as insignificant are significant. Nobleman did the research so images, text, facts would all be accurate. This book will be a great one to share at the start of a research unit to model and demonstrate the importance of digging into the nooks and crannies of your topic to get a full picture.
October 22, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It is a non-fiction picture book about the creators of Superman and how they came up with the concept. I love that the story doesn't shy away from the struggles they had! I think kids can relate to that. It also shows that you can find inspiration anywhere, and if you keep at your dream, it can come true!
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February 25, 2019This is the story of the creators of Superman. It tells how they met and became friends and ultimately created one of the most well known superheroes. This would be good for a biographical unit or to discuss different forms of art. This was in the graphic novel section but I believe it to be more comic book style.
April 20, 2018
Great book about the two high school friends who went on to create Superman. The epilogue at the end is sad to read. It tells how DC Comics morally (though not legally) screwed the creators by not fairly compensating them many years.
October 12, 2019
This book is a really nice simplified telling of the two men who created the greatest superhero of all time: Superman.
It’s also a really good book to teach kids the difference between an author and an illustrator.
It’s also a really good book to teach kids the difference between an author and an illustrator.
December 9, 2020
Really cool story behind the story of how Superman was created. There are so many lessons in this story:
- Never give up
- Dare to dream
- Do what inspires you
- You don't have to be an extrovert to win
- Never give up
- Dare to dream
- Do what inspires you
- You don't have to be an extrovert to win
July 30, 2016
This is also very sad. And frustrating. I may be giving up on the jB section of the library.
August 28, 2017
The main text of this book was interesting, but I found the author's note at the end especially intriguing.
November 6, 2017
Great story- and the students at my school were completely enthralled with Marc Nobleman when he came to speak. Nice to know the truth behind the superhero!
November 10, 2023
Great informative quick read....but you didnt touch on the Canadian connection at all.
April 1, 2018
This was rather sad in how it turned out but still a well written and well illustrated story for children about the two young men who put their talents together and are still affecting the world.
May 7, 2018
What an amazing, true story of the creators of Superman! I heard the author speak at a librarians’ conference, and he does an amazing amount of research for his books. (Library)
December 13, 2018
Well written biography of Jerry and Joe who created Superman. The illustrations are very appropriate for the story and well done. I would love to use it in a superhero unit.
December 24, 2018
I liked this book. Inspiring for young men who are different and don't fit in with their piers.
April 21, 2019
Love the illustrations
May 10, 2020
A kids book detailing the origin story of the creators of Superman.
June 16, 2020
Great story about the guys who created Superman.
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