Hello, True Believers! Your friendly neighborhood Newsarama here!

So we’re live in New York City at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, liveblogging Marc Tyler Nobleman’s presentation on “Boys of Steel,” the lives of Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster.

7:54PM: Already starting off interesting, even though Nobleman isn’t here yet. Sightings of Eliot Spitzer and Paul Krugman — and I thought this was going to be a low-key event.

7:55PM: Abel, a guy who is working with Nobleman, sits next to me — and is a big Newsarama fan! He says big ups to his friend Terrence Irvine. Keep sharing the wealth!

8:00PM: I overhear that Krugman is speaking for another event at the Y. Might be awkward if Spitzer ditches him.

8:01PM: Internet pretty shaky. Feel almost like I’m writing Rorschach’s Journal. Keep clicking refresh to see more!

8:11PM: Took a photo so you guys would see what I’m seeing. Looks like Mr. Nobleman will be speaking soon…

8:19PM: The program begins! Mr. Nobleman comes up — he’s written more than 70 books, and his cartoons have come out in publications like the WSJ and Forbes!

8:19PM: Ooh, he calls Superman “the” icon. Good start. Says he was blown away by Superman: The Movie, and that started a love affair with comics. Discussing the slow build of superhero movies back then — “I’m glad I was of the generation that Christopher Reeve could be my Superman.”

8:21PM: Shows a logo for Siegel and Shuster — a shield with two S’s. Says that someone said it looked like the Nazi SS. Not sure how to respond to that.

8:23PM: Wants a sign in Cleveland saying “Welcome to the birthplace of Superman.” The back of his book says “Before Metropolis, Smallville, and Krypton, Superman came from Cleveland.”

8:24PM: Shows six covers — which one came first? Some people painfully guess what looks like a Carmine Infantino. Experts take over for the rest of the following decades, and get it right.

8:25PM: Nobleman shows a picture of himself circa 7th grade in a Superman outfit. The photo did not turn out due to lighting… sorry, guys.

8:26PM: Apparently Jerry Siegel was not thrilled at going to school. The Depression clearly made things worse. Apparently his father died of a heart attack at his store in Cleveland. But the pulps distracted him from his sadness awhile. While boys were playing games and flirting with girls (which he was not good at), Jerry turned to writing instead.

8:28PM: Jerry meets his soulmate: Joe Shuster. Two peas in a pod, but Joe used pictures instead of words. Joe used wrapping paper from the butcher or discarded wrapping paper when money wasn’t coming in. Rock on.

8:29PM: Jerry’s teachers said his writing was trash. I bet their faces are red, right? Joe, after getting rejected by a publisher, destroys some of their work. Jerry saves a cover. One night, he comes up with an idea — a character who had all the strongmen rolled into one, as well as an alien who protected humans (as opposed to eating them). The big difference: this was a stranger in a regular place, as opposed to the other way around. This is our world in the Depression. This hero would also have the confidence to speak to girls, but would revert to being just like them in his secret identity.

8:32PM: An icon is born. “S” for “super.” And “Siegel and Shuster.” After three years of rejection, they get an offer to rearrange their comic strips to a new form of media: the comic book. If there was ever a time for a fantasy hero, it was now.

8:34PM: The first half of the book is over — now time for Easter Eggs!

8:35PM: Shows original cover illustration — wanted the Action Comics font. Goes on to the next draft — wanted to have a trace of Superman, even though he didn’t get the rights. He compromised, with a bluish silhouette. Check the cover out on Amazon, you’ll see what I mean!

8:37PM: Interesting note: Nobleman doesn’t use the word “Superman” outside of the title of the book.

8:38PM: Nobleman discusses how difficult it was to learn what happened to Jerry’s father, Michael. Everyone thought that Jerry’s father was shot during an after-hours robbery. He was the first one to learn that it was a heart attack — even the Siegel children were told that he was shot.

8:40PM: We see the cover for Amazing Stories. Way back in the day, flying men were not quite as en vogue as they are now. But this cover actually had a flying man! This inspired Superman’s super-leaping ability. Nobleman also talks about looking out of Jerry’s actual window — apparently the image in the book is faithful to the truth. The Siegels apparently have huge hearts, and let Nobleman in unannounced.

8:42PM: Brad Meltzer’s renovation of the Siegel house is mentioned. Apparently Nobleman got an old tile from the original roof. The family painted the house blue and red — in honor of the Man from Krypton.

8:44PM: Has Shabbas candles for Joe’s house — wanted a Mezuzah, but since there was no door, that was more or less impossible. But the image that Joe is drawing on the book is an actual image of Lois Lane. Also, Joe was not allowed to draw on Thursdays, because his mother needed the bread board to make challah. (Ah, he’s a lefty, too!) For people who want to flame Nobleman and artist Ross MacDonald for giving Joe glasses — he did wear them, he only took them off for photos.

8:47PM: Ah, the original bald-headed villain Superman. Kal-El sure has come far, right? But the cover that Jerry saved? It was the first black-and-white Superman cover. And Nobleman knows about rejection, too — apparently the book was rejected 22 times before it was accepted by Knopf.

8:50PM: For all of you who are wondering: Joe’s house was nine and a half blocks from Jerry’s, not eleven or twelve blocks. The rumors are quelled, and academia now is silent.

8:52PM: “For those of you who have seen Superman Returns — I’m sorry, I saw it too.” Ooh, burn.

8:54PM: Nobleman says he’s seen a copy of Action Comics #1… in a bullet-proof, acid-proof, plastic case, underneath glass, heavily alarmed…

8:57PM: The kicker: Jerry and Joe sold the rights for $130. Within a year, Superman and Action Comics were selling more than a million copies a month. Compare that with today’s 70,000 sweeps.

8:59PM: Jerry and Joe sue DC Comics over Superboy — they lose their jobs and their credits on the comics. Apparently Joe insisted on drawing Lois and Clark’s faces before he left — but he was going legally blind… but Jerry’s wife saves the family by going to DC and saying “do you really want to see the headlines saying ‘Superman creator starves to death’?” He writes under a pseudonym until he tries to sue again when the copyright comes into play — he then works as a mail clerk for $7,000 a year.

9:02PM: When Jerry hears that Marlon Brando was getting a fortune for two weeks of work on Superman: The Movie, Jerry went to the press — the Washington Star waged a public crusade, and not only did they receive a settlement, and eventually their names were restored to any and all Superman media.

9:05PM: The dynamic duo, upon seeing their names in the Superman Movie, burst into tears. They deserved it.

9:07PM: Also, mad ups for Troy Brownfield putting a jump into this post. The man is a superhero — for your bandwidth.

9:09PM: Doubt is cast on whether or not Hitler banned Superman. Apparently Hitler banned every import, except for Mickey Mouse, apparently. Nobleman thinks the whole story is bunk.

9:10PM: Aaaaagh, Internet dies. Working to rescucitate.

9:14PM: Back. And basically, there’s an interesting story here with a quote from Joseph Gobbels, calling Jerry “physically and intellectually circumsized”… and it’s basically fake. Sorry, History Channel!

9:17PM: Jerry and Joe were pretty short. And we realize just how long ago this was, when they mention the death of Jerry’s son. They were profiled in the New York Post in 1941, and mingled with celebrities of the day. (Nobleman didn’t give any examples, though.)

9:19PM: A picture of Joe body-building. If you know any stereotypical (I said “stereotypical,” people, not you!) comic book fans, you know how well that turned out.

9:21PM: Nobleman said he ended his illustrated story with Superman’s high point in 1939, not with them selling the rights. “They deserve it.” Well said.

9:23PM: “He looked to the sky. He dared to dream. He gave us an icon. And he taught us to fly. Jerry Siegel, 1914-1996.” When Jerry passed away in 1996. I was pretty young back then — but seeing that image, chills just went up my spine.

9:28PM: Joe’s house is no longer in the family, but Nobleman says they are going to have something comemmorating the history of this building.

9:29PM: Proof that Michael Siegel was not shot. According to the police, three robbers stole some clothes at 8:15pm. But the coroner says that not only was there just one robber, there were no wounds in the body, and no gunshots fired. Finally–maybe most obviously–the Cleveland Press says he died of heart failure. I guess the press isn’t always wrong!

9:32PM: Nobleman has opened it up to questions. An audience member says that the Max Fleischer Popeye cartoons of the 1930s must have helped influence Superman lifting a car over his head. In other words, this is a straight, realistic take on Popeye. I too enjoyed Popeye back in the day, and can see a connection.

9:34PM: Fan #1 says it’s interesting that Batman’s origin deals with the murder of his parents — considering Jerry’s dad died in a crime — maybe they knew Bob Kane during the Bat-origin? Nobleman says its unlikely that they spoke to that degree at that point, however.

9:36PM: Another fan asks about the removal of their names, and another fan asks about the connection to Nietzche’s “Superman.” Apparently the descriptor “Superman” was used back in Doc Savage and the old pulps. And yes, if you’re wondering, Nobleman has read Kavalier and Clay.

9:38PM: Speculation as to the inspiration for Lois Lane. The Siegels maintain that it’s Joanne Siegel, but Nobleman says another person pops out of the woodwork every other day.

9:39PM: Did Jerry cross paths with Stan Lee? Uncertain, but he did write some pseudonymous work for Marvel, like with the Human Torch.

9:40PM: The crowd starts pulling out trivia about Captain Marvel and Wonder Man. I give them points for trying.

9:41PM: Jesus is finally brought up as a Biblical forebearer for Superman. Also Jewish assimilation is discussed by another audience member. Some of these audience members are pretty adamant in this belief. Nobleman is being a pretty good sport about this, even though Zorro had a secret identity 20 years before.

9:44PM: Was Superman’s nobility an abberation in American history and culture? Good question. Nobleman doesn’t have a definitive answer — what do you think?

9:45PM: Well, that’s all, folks! Nobleman is signing books now, and my battery is pretty low. So this is your friendly neighborhood Newsarama signing off!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 7:48 pm and is filed under News & Views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.