Jerry and Joe Episode 5: Siegel and Shuster v National Comics et al.

In the 1940s, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster found themselves battling increasing editorial pushback from Superman’s owners—who criticized Joe’s artwork and bristled at Jerry’s story ideas. Tensions peaked when editorial spiked a story in which Superman reveals his secret identity to Lois Lane… though they later repurposed its key plot element, a meteorite that robs Superman of his powers, to introduce Kryptonite years later on the Superman radio show.

As Superman begins to his film career in a series of revered animated films, an interview in the Saturday Evening Post soon thrust Siegel and Shuster’s financial disputes with the publishers into the public eye. While Jerry was serving in World War II, Superman’s owners went ahead and used his pitch for a “Superboy” series without his permission… or compensation. After the war, Jerry returned determined to fight back, suing Superman’s owners over Superboy and over their original Superman contract. But when the legal battle failed, Siegel and Shuster found themselves cut off from the hero they had created.

Featuring interviews with Brad Ricca, Brian Cronin, Bonnie Siegler and Helene Stapinksi.

Historical readings were by Jason Miller (Jerry Siegel), Andy Hicks (Jack Liebowitz), Warren Frey (Joe Shuster), Tom Dickinson (Whit Ellsworth), Drew Meyer (John Kobler) and Francis Bradley (Judge Addison Young).