Biographic - Sunday June 24, 2018 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Eighty years ago, one of the greatest fictional characters was introduced to the world. The June 1938 issue of action comics marked the debut of Superman. The legendary defender of truth, justice, and the American Way was actually an alien Kal-El was evacuated to earth from the doomed planet of Krypton, acquiring superpowers under earth's yellow sun. Writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster had spent five years trying to sell their creation as a syndicated newspaper comic strip. In 1938, they sold the rights to a comic book publisher for $130 and a contract to supply material. Superman was an is an instant hit. In 1939 saw the launch of a newspaper comic strip, which soon had an estimated readership of 20 million in 1940. Superman was represented in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. A radio show debuted that same year, and Fleischer studios created the first animated adventures of Superman in 1941. The first actor to portray Superman on-screen was Kirk Alyn, who starred on low-budget movie serials in 1948 and 1950, former boxer George Reeves took the role for 1951s "Superman and The Mole Men" which spawned the long-running TV series "Adventures of Superman." Budgets were still low. In some episodes were the plot required Superman to fly in different directions, the film was simply flipped, resulting in the chest insignia appearing reversed! Christopher Reeve was a complete unknown when he was cast in the title role of the 1978 Blockbuster "Superman." The movie made him a star, and he reprised the role in three sequels. In the mid-1990s, Dean Cain brought the Superhero back to the small screen in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" more recently, Superman has been played by Tyler Hoechlin on the Supergirl TV series. The big-budget 2006 movie "Superman Returns" cast newcomer Brandon Routh in the lead. Since 2013, Henry Cavil has played the latest incarnation in three big-budget movies and counting. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster never really participated in the vast fortunes their creation generated, although they were awarded a $94,000 payout in the 1940s and received small stipends in later life. In 2012, the original $130 check they received sold for $16,000 two years later, a copy of action comics #1. With a 10-cent cover price, sold for $3.2 million at auction.

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