Superman’s origins began with a telepathic hobo in “The Reign of the Superman” by Jerry Siegel in 1932. Siegel and Joe Shuster later reworked the character into a superhero, but received no royalties for their creation.
It turns out Superman wasn’t always the hunk of superhero we now know and love. A character called “Superman” first appeared in a short story called “The Reign of the Superman,” written by 18-year-old Jerry Siegel in 18. Siegel’s story featured a mad scientist who lures a hobo out of a bread line and gives him telepathic powers. But the scientist’s potion-fueled creation uses its newfound power for evil and sets out to take over the world. After eliminating the scientist, Superman later discovers that his power is only temporary. At the end of the story, readers find the deflated tramp in the bread line, a poor nobody once more.
The birth of a superhero:
Siegel and his friend, illustrator Joe Shuster, later reworked the Superman character into a good guy with an otherworldly history, a secret identity, and a rock cape.
After years of pitching their stories, Siegel and Shuster finally struck gold when their 13-page Man of Steel story was published in Action Comics #1938 of 1.
Action Comics #1 has become the most valuable comic of all time. An original copy sold for $2.16 million at an auction in 2011. But Siegel and Shuster weren’t so lucky: They received no royalties, having traded the rights to their character for $130.
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