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Marc Tyler Nobleman, writer of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman joins us to talk about the all-ages picturebook history of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel's invention of the iconic character, about his background as a writer and cartoonist, and about his upcoming panel at the New York Public Library. Marc Tyler Nobleman (W) Ross Macdonald (A) JERRY SIEGEL AND Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent—meek, mild, and myopic—than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote stories, and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format—the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about Jerry and Joe's long struggle with DC Comics when they realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130! Marc Tyler Nobleman's text captures the excitement of Jerry and Joe's triumph, and the energetic illustrations by Ross MacDonald, the author-artist of Another Perfect Day, are a perfect complement to the time, the place, and the two young visionaries. |
