Superman: The Unauthorized Biography

354 Pages·2013·1.68 MB·English

by  Glen Weldon

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S U P E R M A N
THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY
Glen Weldon
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Copyright © 2013 by Glen Weldon. All rights reserved
Cover Design: Paul McCarthy
Cover Illustrations: © Getty Images: Colin Anderson (cape); Pete Turner (sky)

Lyrics on p.140 from It’s a Bird . . . It’s a Plane . . . It’s Superman by David Newman and
Robert Benton; p. 142 from “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan; p. 172 from “Superman” by
Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch; p. 276 from “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” by John Ondrasik
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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ISBN 978-1-118-34184-1 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-48378-7 (ebk);
ISBN 978-1-118-48382-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-55699-3 (ebk)
Printed in the United States of America
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To Don Weldon
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And so begins the startling adventures of the most
sensational strip character of all time: Superman! A physical
marvel, a mental wonder, Superman is destined to reshape
the destiny of the world!
—Action Comics #1, June 1938
As I have pointed out to you many times, our company
has very little to gain in the monetary sense from the
syndication of this material.
–Letter to Jerry Siegel from DC Comics publisher
Jack Liebowitz, 1938
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1. “And So Begins . . . ” 5
2. Truth, Justice . . . (1938–1941) 26
3. . . . And the American Way (1942–1945) 53
4. “Strange . . . I . . . I Feel All the Strength Draining
Out of Me . . . ” (1946–1949) 70
5. Powers and Abilities Far beyond Those of
Mortal Men (1950–1959) 89
6. Not a Dream! Not a Hoax! Not an
Imaginary Story! (1960–1969) 115
7. Kryptonite Nevermore! Briefl y! (1970–1977) 145
8. The Year of Superman (1978) 171
9. Superman Agonistes (1979–1986) 193
10. The Never-Ending Battle . . . Ends. For a
While. (1986–1993) 223
11. Faster Than a Speeding Mullet (1994–2001) 255
12. Secret Origin, Re-Redux (2001–2005) 278
13. All-Star (2006–2012) 294
Epilogue: Man of Tomorrow (2013 and Beyond) 327
vii
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viii CONTENTS
Acknowledgments 331
Bibliography 333
Index 341
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