Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster—the Creators of Superman

A great, detailed biography of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster focusing on hometown, local information and examinations of hard to findfanzine and high school documents. It is always easy to find flaws and items left out when reviewing the span of 2 lives, but Brad unearths new, original information and clears up myths( like Jerry's father dying from shock, not a gunshot, during a robbery) through thoroughresearch. My favorite parts were the details of the creators high school lives and writings in fanzines they created and the Torch high school newspaper. He also goes into newspaper articles about super athlete Jessie Owens thatJerry probably read in the month when the idea of Superman was birthed. A little speculation butthe influences and conjectures ring true. All of the background of the early science fiction and pulp magazine heyday coupled with high school alienation made the creation of Superman more authentic and clear than I have ever read before. Joe Shuster is also treated with more detail and respect than any other author has given him. After seeing rare examples of his early artwork and prize winning posters, his talent is truly honored. The guy was a terrific artist. Poor vision may have limited his evolution but Jerry was lucky to have had such a talentedcollaborator. Some of the stories of his later life are sad, but show that he was a man with a bigheart. Nice to see the respect with which Brad treats him. In short this is a terrific read for anyone interested in comic book history or influences on Pop culture. It also is an insightful look at the American dream of success and fame and howa great idea and subsequent riches can often be snatched from the rightful creators. That unfortunately makes this a universal story.

GREAT BOOK on the details of the subjects.

A very detailed story of these men’s lives. But I wonder how much is made up. The author couldn’t possibly know exactly what was happening when one of them was alone, or just what they were thinking. Yet he describes these things in great detail. The author goes off on tangents about people and events that are not essential to the narrative. I found myself skipping through some of these parts. He also gets too involved describing various stories that Siegel wrote for failed comics.Shuster comes off here as far more likable than Siegel. The author seems to spend a lot more time writing about Siegel, however. And most of the book is not about the creation of Superman, but about their feuds with D.C.One thing I did get from the book: I think I understand now why D.C. and Warners have been so determined to eliminate Superboy from the canon; Jerry and Joe retained the rights to him.

I read Gerard Jones' "Men of Tomorrow" and Marc Tyler Nobleman's "Boys of Steel" which covered the same ground and were very good but this book, 10 years in the making, is amazing! So much detail you wonder if the author spun around the world at super speed and turned back time in order to follow the events as they occurred. Thanks to years of being a Superman fan and reading the aforementioned books I knew enough about Jerry and Joe but I knew nothing about their early years, Jerry's wartime service, Joe's post Superman work, Jerry's Marvel work, and their days after getting the pension from DC/Warner Bros. Unless Jerry and/or Joe kept some journals of some kind that have yet to be unearthed, I think it may be safe to say that this will be the final word on their lives. If you're a Superman fan or of comic book history, this is required reading.

It's always interesting to discover the back story to a known event - in this case that the creators of Superman were cheated, morally, if not legally, by big corporations.The book starts strong with an interesting portrayal of how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's families arrived from Europe in the early part of the last century and worked hard to assimilate. The high school years, portraying how Jerry and Joe came together are precious.However in the middle of the book, the author loses his mojo. It lacks continuity at times, and at others repeats. In the last few chapters he recovers his momentum and portrays the end game of the legal struggles in an interesting way.If you're a Superman or comic book fan, don't miss this. If you're just looking for a good read, this rates average.

Brad's book is a superb contribution to comics history and to an understanding of America's greatest comics icon. I've written two books about Superman,and Jerry and Joe, and have been researching the topic for many years but this book had information in it I had never heard of before. The level of research that Brad has done will be heard to equal by any subsequent biographer. Brad comes up with many surprises,like Siegel's letters to the FBI in retaliation for his and Joe's ill treatment by their bosses, the details about their first published work, nuanced portraits of their family life, the unknown origins of their creation of Superman, and a poignant appreciation of the hardships the two faced--and ended up overcoming, although partially due to legal battles after their demise.Brad was careful to introduce new information in his book, avoiding the trap of reiterating the litany of well-trod facts about Jerry and Joe's work on Superman that is well known from other books. What is new is the point of view of a native Cleveland son and how Siegel and Shuster's roots, and those of the Man of Steel, are firmly planted in their hometown. Yet, at the same time, the duo created a universal symbol of the best in mankind. Brad's biography helps us better appreciate this accomplishment, and gives us hope that we, the Clark Kents of the world, could also accomplish great things if we put out minds to it.