The Pre-Dawn of the Superman

Born this day in 1914, Jerry Siegel would have been 95 years old today.

The writer half of the team, along with Joe Shuster, that created Superman in 1938, Jerry and Joe had known each other for years before. In high school back in Cleveland, Jerry and Joe used their talents to create a science fiction fanzine. Writing and illustrating their own sci-fi stories and selling mimeographed copies to their friends and neighbors.

I guess this is what you had to do in the days before blogging. :)

I've already told a bit of their story in this post on Joe Shuster's birthday and therein posted the very first published Superman story from Action Comics issue one. Here for Jerry I post a few pages of the fanzine I mentioned.

An issue printed in 1933, 5 years before the Superman we know hit newsstands and electrified a nation, a story written by Siegel and illustrated by Shuster. "The Reign of the Superman". In this story you'll note, Superman is actually a bald mad scientist.

Luthor before Superman and with Superman's name.

I'm not posting every page here, just the pages with illustrations. If you'd like to see the rest, just let me know.

Cool shit!

Thanks Jerry, for sparking our imaginations with your own.