Siegel & Shuster: Mythmakers

Over at his blog, Brad Ricca, author of “Super Boys: The Amazing Story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — The Creators of Superman” (Have you read it yet? Because you really should.), has posted clips of vintage and ultra-rare home movies with Siegel and Shuster, as well as the story behind them, or at least as much of it as he’s been able to determine.

Among the clips are one of Shuster on the beach with several friends circa 1939. Another shows Siegel and his first wife, Bella, atop the Empire State Building in 1940.

The videos from … a happier time in the lives of the two men. Superman had made a huge splash and set the burgeoning comic industry ablaze, and the character was beginning to venture into other mediums, including newspapers and radio. Their other strips, too, were going strong … especially for the newly wedded Siegel, who’s most popular creation without Shuster, the Spectre, just had debuted in early 1940. Deep conflicts and head-to-head battles with DC were still some ways down the road — at least ones of great signicance.

As Ricca said:

We always tend to think of these guys as bitter old men, not young creators who were literally living out their dreams. So it’s good to see this — the happy moment, on top of the world — sealed on film. It was not all bad. That’s good to know — and see.

Indeed.