Superman's first appearance, in Action Comics No.

'The Depression is all about, you know, if nobody is going to give you a job, you make your own, you find your own niche and we find that's what they are doing,' Ricca said. Ricca said Siegel and Shuster reflected Cleveland's ethnic mix: both were sons of Jewish immigrants, struggled during the Depression and hustled to make something of themselves. In his upcoming book 'Super Boys,' Ricca says the story of Superman's creation is mostly about their friendship: two boys dreaming of 'fame, riches and girls' in a time when such dreams are all the easier to imagine because of the crushing economic misery. 'They really just saw it as a way out,' he said. The Man of Steel became a Depression-era bootstrap strategy for the Siegel/Shuster team, according to Brad Ricca, a professor at nearby Case Western Reserve University who uses Superman in his classes. In the city's Glenville neighborhood, still in the throttling grip of the Great Depression, Siegel and Shuster labored on their creation for years before finally selling Superman to a publisher. CLEVELAND | The tough, blue-collar roots of Superman's creators are getting a fresh look on the superhero's 75th anniversary.Ĭreators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived just a few blocks apart in the Cleveland neighborhood that shaped their teenage lives, their dreams and the imagery of the Man of Steel.

1938 joe shuster and jerry siegel