Author: Graeme Burk
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Episode 7 preview
In 1975, after his lawsuit failed and a financial settlement failed to materialize, Jerry Siegel wrote the greatest press release of all time... putting a curse on the Superman film
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Jerry and Joe Episode 6 – I Will Smash Superman
After losing their battle for the rights to Superman, Jerry Siegel's and Joe Shuster's lives began to unravel... and both found themselves separately at the brink of disaster. Joe was reduced to menial jobs and illustrating the fetish zine Nights of Horror, while Jerry lost a plum editorial job, and very nearly got into serious trouble harassing his former bosses. By the end of the 1950s, Jerry eventually found himself writing Superman uncredited.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 6
As close to an exhaustive sampling of what went into this episode as we can find... including the telegram from Jerry Siegel to Jack Liebowitz that didn't make it in.
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Episode 6 preview
Siegel and Shuster's next act after Superman was supposed to be Funnyman, which was released in late 1947 with a great deal of hype and a newspaper syndication deal in place... Only, Spoiler Alert: Funnyman wasn't very good.
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Jerry and Joe Episode 5: Siegel and Shuster v National Comics et al.
As the 1940s progress, Jerry and Joe face increased editorial pushback from Detective Comics. And then while Jerry was serving during World War II, Superman's owners take an idea of Jerry's called Superboy and publish it without his permission or compensation. The whole matter of ownership of Superboy, and Superman, goes to court... and the boys lose everything.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 5
A reasonably complete reading list of what went into this episode, including the full name of the 1947 court case!
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Episode 5 preview
When Jerry Siegel was drafted into World War II, he didn't bargain on Superman's owners taking his pitch for a character called Superboy and making it without him... and getting Joe to draw it.
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Jerry and Joe episode 4: “Superman Inc.”
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.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 4
The main sources for the episode included: Jerry Siegel’s home movie of the 1940 Superman Day at the New York World’s Fair can be found on YouTube. The correspondence quoted […]
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Episode 4 preview
By 1939, Superman becomes hugely popular-- taking over comics, radio and even making his live-action debut at the New York's World's Fair. But Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster get repeatedly shouted down when they ask for more.
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Jerry and Joe Episode 3: Detective Comics
As Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster struggled to get Superman published, their first major work appeared in New Fun Comics. This set them on a path that led to publisher Harry Donenfeld and his business manager Jack Liebowitz. Through them Superman would be published... but at a hidden cost for Siegel and Shuster.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 3
Most (if not all) of the major and minor sources for the latest episode, including a speculation of who drew the cover to Action Comics #1 (hint: it wasn't Joe Shuster!)
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Episode 3 preview
In early 1938, Superman gets greenlighted for publication and it’s a mad rush for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to cut and paste their newspaper strip pitch of Superman into […]
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Jerry and Joe Episode 2: The Lost Supermen
For decades, writer Jerry Siegel told the story of Superman’s birth as a flash of inspiration during one restless summer night. But the real story is far more complex—and far more fascinating. In this episode, we create a timeline outlining the untold history of Superman’s creation, tracing the hero’s evolution between 1933 and 1935 through four distinct versions.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 2
A somewhat-complete reading list for our second episode including Jerry Siegel and Russell Keaton's Superman tryout!
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Episode 2 preview
When was Superman created? To hear Jerry Siegel tell it, sometimes it was in 1932. Sometimes it was in 1933. Sometimes it was in 1934. However it was always a […]
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Jerry and Joe Episode 1: Secret Origins
This season, we’re kicking off our deep dive into the hidden history of comics with an epic seven-part story about Superman’s forgotten origins... and the two young creators who changed pop culture forever.
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Notes on Jerry and Joe – Episode 1
A somewhat-complete reading list for the the first episode, including a recent bibliography project of Jerry Siegel
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Episode 1 preview
We have sound and vision! And an exclusive preview of episode one of The Comics Code! In 1933, 18-year-old Jerry Siegel wrote the story “The Reign of the Super-Man” for […]
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The Comics Code trailer (video version!)
Watch our new trailer with sound and vision, courtesy of our co-producer Andy Hicks.
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Coming Soon: The Comics Code
From author and podcaster Graeme Burk comes a podcast that dives deep into the stories behind the stories of the first hundred years of comics — the creators, the controversies, and the cultural impact of a medium that shaped modern mythology.