Justice for Jerry Siegel

If you've followed comics at all, or have ever looked into the issue of creator's rights, you probably know the notorious story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Siegel and Shuster aren't as well known as their creation, but in 1938 the writer and artist saw their character, Superman, hit the streets in the pages of Action Comics #1. And like a lot of artists of the time — whether they were authors, composers or almost any other creative-type at the time — they were screwed. Losing their rights to Superman left the men with $130 bucks and a job working on a character that was no longer theirs. For a long time, they didn't even get credit for coming up with the idea at all.

Finally, that changed a bit recently when a judged ruled that Jerry Siegel's estate should be given half of the copyright to the original 1938 story. It's a little complicated, and Dirk Deppey sums it up much better than I could, but here's what I understood of it:

• The copyright given back to the estate is pretty narrow, and character developments that have happened since will still have to be hashed out, but the basic defining characteristics of the Superman character have been acknowledged as being created by Siegel and Shuster.

• Since Siegel and Shuster created Superman before taking it to Detective Comics, it doesn't come under the work-for-hire rules. In other words, DC doesn't have a right to the original character, the creators do. Whoops!

• The Shuster estate will be able to file for the same reversion rights in 2013, which if I understand this correctly means Siegel and Shuster could have full ownership of the original Superman concept (along with all things "Superman," such as Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Lex and the Daily Planet) sometime after the next five years.

As Dirk mentioned in his column (other items might be NSFW), this won't really change how DC uses Superman in their comics and merchandising. But it does mean the men who created the character — a character so iconic that just his symbol is recognized around the world — will finally get the official credit they deserve, and their estates will get a piece of the financial pie DC has fattened itself on for 70 years.

Think about that — 70 years. That's a long time to wait for what should have been yours in the first place. At the risk of being corny, I just want to say congratulations to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, wherever they are — and thanks.


Panels from Action Comics #1
Jerry Siegel, writer; Joe Shuster, artist

Friday Night Fights: Either way, Superman will make you cry

If Superman ever decided to drop reporting as his day job, he'd make a hell of a motivational speaker.

Panel from Action Comics #565

Well, as long as you need the motivation to smack the crap out of someone in Kryptonian battle armor.

Wait a minute — what am I saying? Bahlactus already leads a weekly seminar on crackin' heads!

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WTF Wednesday: That's a pretty good excuse

Who else could that handsome devil be but the intrepid Jimmy Olsen, who is nothing if not a gentleman. Seriously, would you still have the cojones to show up for a date after:

• chugging down some old elastic-serum to save a little girl who's falling from a building,

• turning into a shapeless pink blob (with freckles),

• running from a mob that thinks you're trying to hurt the little girl because your vocal chords are apparently as blobby as the rest of you and all the explanation you can give is "rraaggh,"

• and finally being presumed dead because an eagle-eyed reporter saw the pile of clothes you left behind and quite rationally concluded, "The monster ate Jimmy!"? (Thanks a pantsload, Lois)

Hell, I've been an hour late for things just because I wanted to catch the end of Blossom, and I don't even stop off for flowers. Oh, and you might be wondering if there was anything that could've hipped Jimmy to the thought that drinking old, unstable elastic-serum wasn't a good idea.

Well, nothing Jimmy would notice.

Panels from Action Comics #563
Craig Boldman, writer; Howard Bender, penciller

Friday Night Fights: Punked by Parasite?

Ever have one of those days? Even if you're Superman — turning charcoal into diamonds, pushing the moon into a new orbit and whatnot — there are times when you wish you'd just stayed in bed.

How else could you feel if the power-draining Parasite showed up at your office and started kicking your ass?

Panels from Action Comics #555

Oh man! Parasite would not only hit a man with glasses, he'll knock 'em right off your face! And even after a change of clothes, Superman's bad day just gets worse as Parasite decides to play a little Kryptonian chin-music.


Eesh. It's not looking good for the Man of Steel. Maybe this is the day the bad guys win! Maybe this is the day Superman goes down! Maybe his powers are gone for good and ...


... maybe Parasite should call a dentist! What a comeback for the Kid from Kansas!

Suddenly, this day doesn't seem so bad after all.


It's always a good day to be Bahlactus!

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