Enjoyable book: Superman: The High-Flying History by Larry Tye /PLUS: Why I Read it

I've been a Superman fan since the 1960s, and recently I read a book that was published around 2013 that covered the history of Superman in Comics, newspapers, radio shows, television and films. The book "Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero" by Larry Tye did a good job of covering the character's history, and the struggle of the co-creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

You'll learn that Siegel and Shuster from Cleveland, Ohio regrettably sold the rights to the character for several hundreds of dollars (in 1939) to 2 slick businessmen named Jack Liebowitz and Harry Donenfeld who knew they had a success and they raked in millions. Siegel and Shuster and their families fought for decades to recover ownership rights from National Comics (now DC Comics) and they finally were able to claim creator credit again, and receive funds (Although Joe Shuster, the artist and co-creator of Superman, lost most of his slight and died nearly broke in 1992). I also learned that different religions tried to claim Superman belonged to their beliefs- which is just ridiculous. You'll learn a lot from this book and why I read it.

WHY I READ IT - I really loved Superman comics from the mid-1970s to 1986 when DC Comics decided to reboot Superman's comic book and the Superman character (which irritated the hell out of me). I also loved George Reeves TV Superman from the 1952-1958 show (which I saw in re-runs) and Christopher Reeves 1978-1987 films. - SIde note about the Comics - WhenDC Comics rebooted Superman in 1986, they did away with stories of Superman as Superboy, erased Krypto the Superdog and many other things I loved about the character. At least now in 2024 they brought back "a Superboy" - although not Superman when he was young, it's his clone. Superman and Lois also married and had a son, named Jon, who is also called a "Superman" although that's confusing. And I was very happy DC brought back Krypto, too. - But all that aside. following is the summary of the book, and why any Superman fan may want to read it.

(Photo: This is Joe Shuster's boyhood home in Cleveland, Ohio. I took this pic when I visited the city. The house is privately owned, but they put up Shuster's artwork outside for fans.  For the story of my visit CLICK HERE.   Credit: R.G.)  

 

TITLE: Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero  

by Larry Tye

ABOUT THE BOOK: The first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today, from the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy 

(Photo: Jerry Siegel's (Superman co-creator) boyhood home in Cleveland, OH. Also privately owned, but has a plaque outside commemorating Jerry. CLICK HERE for the story of my visit. Credit: R.G.) 

Legions of fans from Boston to Buenos Aires can recite the story of the child born Kal-El, scion of the doomed planet Krypton, who was rocketed to Earth as an infant, raised by humble Kansas farmers, and rechristened Clark Kent. Known to law-abiders and evildoers alike as Superman, he was destined to become the invincible champion of all that is good and just—and a star in every medium from comic books and comic strips to radio, TV, and film.

But behind the high-flying legend lies a true-to-life saga every bit as compelling, one that begins not in the far reaches of outer space but in the middle of America’s heartland. During the depths of the Great Depression, Jerry Siegel was a shy, awkward teenager in Cleveland. Raised on adventure tales and robbed of his father at a young age, Jerry dreamed of a hero for a boy and a world that desperately needed one. Together with neighborhood chum and kindred spirit Joe Shuster, young Siegel conjured a human-sized god who was everything his creators yearned to be: handsome, stalwart, and brave, able to protect the innocent, punish the wicked, save the day, and win the girl. It was on Superman’s muscle-bound back that the comic book and the very idea of the superhero took flight.

(Photo: All of the actors who played Superman on television or in films since 1948 (left) to 2023 (far right). CLICK HERE FOR LIST.)

Tye chronicles the adventures of the men and women who kept Siegel and Shuster’s “Man of Tomorrow” aloft and vitally alive through seven decades and counting. Here are the savvy publishers and visionary writers and artists of comics’ Golden Age who ushered the red-and-blue-clad titan through changing eras and evolving incarnations; and the actors—including George Reeves and Christopher Reeve—who brought the Man of Steel to life on screen, only to succumb themselves to all-too-human tragedy in the mortal world. Here too is the poignant and compelling history of Siegel and Shuster’s lifelong struggle for the recognition and rewards rightly due to the architects of a genuine cultural phenomenon.

From two-fisted crimebuster to über-patriot, social crusader to spiritual savior, Superman—perhaps like no other mythical character before or since—has evolved in a way that offers a Rorschach test of his times and our aspirations. In this deftly realized appreciation, Larry Tye reveals a portrait of America over seventy years through the lens of that otherworldly hero who continues to embody our best selves.