• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Superman print signed by Shuster

Started by ivegotneatstuff,

63 posts in this topic

ivegotneatstuff

ivegotneatstuff

Posted
Posted

Does anyone recognize this print? When the image was drawn...when the print was printed? I imagine it was signed by Shuster at some comic show where they might have had a stack of them...

 

Wondering if anyone:

 

Remembers what year or decade these are from?

What show or shows they were signed at?

What comic book or what year the image was drawn?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

scan0361.jpg

scan0362.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MedicAR

MedicAR

Posted
Posted

I don't know anything for certain, but the shadowy men from shadowy places have told me this:

 

These were used by Siegel and Shuster in the 70's and possibly early 80's for convention appearances and such. They preferred to sign these rather than comics because of their disputes and legal wranglings with DC comics. The copyright shows 1976, so I would assume it was from then or later.

 

I have never seen one signed only by one of the team. I've only seen about three or four signed by the pair and have one of those!

:grin:

 

I do not know where the image itself came from, but it shows to be dated 1938, so a very early appearance perhaps?

 

94794.jpg.2758702beb6143ce0bdcbe5faca8955c.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MedicAR

MedicAR

Posted
Posted

If anyone should ever see one of the prints below come up for sale, please point it out! There is one on eBay, but it is not signed. There were a total of 50 signed and numbered copies with possibly as many as 100 total signed copies in existence. The image is from 1928!

 

94795.jpg.5ef709072a2918910d64f65a941d92f1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MedicAR

MedicAR

Posted
Posted

From Robert Beerbohm with my edits to change from sale format:

 

THE SUPERMAN #1 DRAWN BY JOE SHUSTER IN EARLY 1933 that was originally to be published by Humor Publishing Company. Great Joe Shuster art, prime period piece and great eye appeal!

 

In 1970 I drove to early mentor Russ Cochran's house then in Adel Iowa. He was just getting back from New York City, concluding deals with Bill Gaines for the first EC reprint projects as well as Frank Frazetta concerning the hand-coloring jobs the master was to soon perform on Weird Science Fantasy #29. I got one, treasured it for a long time. When our vintage comic book dealing was concluded, Russ motioned me to come over to a folio he had contained therein four ripped up pieces of art which went to one single scene, the edges singed by fire, which, when put together, formed the cover you see here saying, 'THE SUPERMAN; A SCIENCE FICTION STORY IN CARTOONS.' Further, the cover stipulatde this was 'THE MOST ASTOUNDING FICTION CHARACTER OF ALL TIME!' Russ proceeded to tell me a tale that this came out of the desk of early comic book promoter and publisher, Max (Charlie) Gaines, found by his son William in 1969 crumpled up in the back of a drawer in his father's desk which had sat untouched since the boating accident in August 1947.

 

Russ said that Bill said he wasn't that much into Superman, then Russ said to me he wasn't that much into Superman either, and did I want to trade him a hundred dollars worth of vintage comic books for it. He remains a consummate salesman, I came home with these four torn. fire singed pieces.

 

I did not know what i had then back summer iof 1970, but I knew I had something, thinking to myself how best to perserve for posterity what may be something very important to the annals of comics history.

 

I went down to a local printer, asking him queries, he suggesting i make up a printer's negative upon which he taught me how to use red opaque paint to clear off all the ripped paper marks, then we printed 300 copies of what you see here. I began offering them in the pages of Stan's Weekly Express as well as GB Love's Rocket's Blast ComiCollector.

 

Sold a few to equally curious like-minded souls such as Charlie Roberts who went on to make a smaller size version which Joe Shuster signed 50 of them as I got caught up with being a partner in Comics & Comix as we expanded from one store to four spread out a hundred miles.

 

Many years later most of the story behind the mystery of this cover has been uncovered, brought to light, a decent synopsis written by me in each annual edition of long-running Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide fronting their main price index section titled, Origin of the Modern Comic Book; They have asked me to relate some of the comics history I have uncovered over a lifetime of studying the art form known as the comic strip in all its myriad arcane styles and formats combining the powerful force of words with pictures, sequential art story telling some of us call it.

 

Synopsis here is when this first incarnation of The Superman was rejected by a Chicago publisher named Humor Publishing, Joe, so the legend goes, in a fit of depression, threw the entire book into the fireplace.

 

Jerry reached in to save the ripped into four pieces of cover, somehow it got to be crushed behind a drawer in Max Gaines desk until son Bill was cleaning out his father's study in late 1969, who then the next year gave it to Russ Cochran, who within a week of that happening, traded it to me.

 

I then had a small number printed up. There are only a few left.

 

Now look closely at the weird line in Superman's rump plus his forehead. I left that part unchanged by the red opaque paint when the printing negative was being prepped for printing to show at least a portion of what it originally looked like all over before being lovingly restored to see what impact it originally had as devised by the creators of arguably the most popular fiction character of our time to date.

 

When one compares this cover to the three known 1933 published Humor comic books, Detective Dan Secret OP 48, The Adventures of Detective Ace King, Bob Scully, Two Fisted Hick Detective, one quickly notices distinct attributes the boys lifted to make their creation's appearance conform to the same 'house' look, is what I and many others now think after decades exploring this conundrum.

 

Where it was signed copyright 1928 JOE SHUSTER and JEROME SIEGEL remains a mystery why 1928 was chosen to place there. No one thought to ask either of Superman's daddies. Incredible oversight sure to be lamented by future historians.

 

Charlie Roberts says he had 100 printed, Robert says 50, who knows now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fireboy

Fireboy

Posted
Posted
Ill join in on the fun :)

 

Great. Taken off my watch list. lol

 

I'll wait for the next one to come along. :grin:

 

Who says advertising here doesn't pay? ;)

 

High bid is The answer to life, the universe and eveything ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing