Remembering Joe Shuster

Remembering the late Joe Shuster  (July 10, 1914-July 30, 1992) on his birthday.

Joe Shuster was the artistic half the team that brought us the man of steel, drawing his debut in Action Comics #1 (June, 1938), and continuing work well on in that series, as well as in Superman, starting with Superman #1 (Summer, 1939).

It took a little while for Superman to start taking the covers of Action Comics....

...but he was always the main feature of Superman comics...

...and Joe even got a couple of covers for Superboy in Adventure Comics!

While Joe Shuster didn't draw Superman as much as Jerry Siegel wrote him, he still helped create the hero who would stand for truth, justice and the American way!

Creating Superman

"If Superman Didn't Exist, Someone Would Have To Create Him!"


That's what it says on Gil Kane's cover for Action Comics #554 (April, 1984), and that's what we see....two kids named Jerry and Joe, creating Superman, in this story by Marv Wolfman (and drawn by Gil Kane) called "If Superman Didn't Exist..."!


Aliens had created pyramids existed in time, which erased the heroic myths from Earth's history, but two odd kids (Jerry and Joe) still believed in Superman, and created him (who was able to stop the aliens, and restore the timeline).

For all they did, comics owe a great debt to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, for their original creation of Superman in Action Comics #1 (June, 1938)...


...and all the action after!

Action Comics 1 The First Superman

On April 18th, 1938, (cover date June, 1938), Superman and the contents of Action Comics #1 were copyrighted (with the issue likely going on sale on May 3rd, 1938).  Superman, the champion of the oppressed, was released onto an unsuspecting world by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster with 13 pages to lead off the issue (as well as being featured on the cover)....and the world was never the same afterwards, as Superman spawned generations of other heroes and a worldwide revolution! 

This story was also the first appearance of Lois Lane (based on the lady Jerry Siegel was infatuated with, Joanne, and Joanne later married Jerry!).  


The issue also featured Chuck Dawson, magical hero Zatara, Sticky-Mitt Stimson, Marco Polo, Pep Morgan, Scoop Scanlon and Tex Thomson (who later fell into becoming a mystery man himself, Mr. America).


Remember, at this time, even Batman didn't exist yet (but he was coming with Detective Comics #27).

While Superman's first tale from the Golden Age has been reprinted in Archives, Chronicles and more, only the oversized Famous First Edition #C-26 (1974), a promotional version of Action Comics #1 in 1998, and the Millennium Edition: Action Comics #1 (February, 2000) feature the whole issue, allowing readers a chance to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and experience the world of 1938 where Superman was the only super-hero for a time!