Jerry and Joe episode 4: “Superman Inc.”
Superman may be an icon today, but his publishers weren’t completely convinced he’d catch on. After Action Comics #1, they didn’t even put him on the cover again for several issues. But the Man of Tomorrow became an instant sensation. During 1939 and 1940, Superman made it onto the radio and was doing booming business being licensed as toys. Superman was a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, and a live-action Superman drew crowds at a Superman Day the New York World’s Fair… while creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster could only watch from the sidelines, having signed away their rights.
When Siegel and Shuster asked for a raise, Detective Comics’ publishers Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz shut the boys down. The duo received only 40% of a newspaper-syndication deal that almost certainly involved behind-the-scenes collusion. Back in Cleveland, Jerry and Joe searched for love, while in Germany, Jerry found himself the subject of a review in a Nazi propaganda paper.
Featuring interviews with Mark Millar, Diana McCallum and Brad Ricca
Historical readings were by Jason Miller (Jerry Siegel), Andy Hicks (Jack Liebowitz), Warren Frey (Joe Shuster) and Alex Kennard (Das Schwarze Korps)
Special thanks to our supporters: David Matthewman, Francis Bradley, Julie Hopkins, Jim Sangster, William Hopkins, Warren Frey and Andrea Burk