Boys of Steel

By Marc Tyler Nobleman, Ross MacDonald (Illustrator)

Two teens create a superhero, but their dream turns into a battle over rights.

3.9/5 Goodreads · 683 ratings

40 pages

$7.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

In Depression-era Cleveland, high school misfits Jerry and Joe escape into fantasy, creating a superhero who embodies their dreams. But when their creation, Superman, takes off, they face a harsh reality: a costly mistake in selling his rights. As they navigate the comic book world, will they reclaim their legacy or remain overshadowed by their own creation? Discover the untold story behind the Man of Steel and the struggle for justice that followed.

From the publisher

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two high school misfits in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent–meek, mild, and myopic–than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote his own original stories and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, the summer they graduated from high school, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format–the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about the long struggle Jerry and Joe had with DC Comics when the boys realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130.

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