Up, Up and Away: Writing Lessons from Superman's Creators

 

Do you have writing dreams? Maybe you’re working on your debut novel, but the plot and characters aren’t working. Perhaps you’ve tried to find an agent or publisher, but you've received a dreaded rejection letter. Maybe you’re self-publishing, but the learning curve has you bamboozled. Perhaps you sent your book baby off to an editor and it came back with hundreds of corrections and comments.

If you can tick any of those boxes, you have more in common with the creators of Superman than you think. Appearing in the first issue of Action Comics in 1938, Superman has become the iconic superhero that practically invented the genre and spawned a whole industry—radio and TV shows, movies, animated features, merchandise, fan clubs, cosplay, action figures, the list goes on. Superman movies and TV shows are still being made, and Action Comics is still being published by DC Comics. Indeed, Superman is one of the greatest publishing success stories of all time.

Wherever we are in our publication journeys, there are some lessons we can learn from Superman’s creators.

Meet Jerry and Joe

 

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met in high school when they were about 16. (In the photo, Jerry's the one standing.) They gravitated towards each other through their shared Jewish backgrounds and their love of science fiction, newspaper comic strips and swashbuckling silent screen stars. A few years later, they submitted a comic book story called The Superman to a publisher, but it would be another five years before Superman made his public debut. So how did Jerry and Joe realise their dream?

 

Lessons for Writing

 

They Weren’t Afraid to Start Small

 

Siegel and Shuster started out by working on their high school newspaper, with Jerry writing prose and Joe drawing funny cartoons. They even collaborated on an illustrated series of stories called Goober the Almighty which was a parody of Tarzan.

Lesson – Don’t think that your first publication has to be a book. Short pieces such as blog posts, devotions, short stories, poems, and articles for your church newsletter are worthwhile and can touch readers who may never see your full-length manuscript. There is also a Biblical precedent for this in Zechariah 4:10 (NLT): ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin …’

 

They Considered Different Routes to Publication

 

Siegel and Shuster were both fans of the pulp science-fiction magazines of the day, but Jerry submitted a number of stories without getting a sale. Undaunted, they started their own mimeographed publication called Science Fiction, which lasted for a few issues. One of the stories they published was The Reign of the Superman, though that story was vastly different from the Superman we know.

When they came up with another idea for a superhero named Superman, they initially envisaged it as a syndicated strip in newspapers, as that was more lucrative at the time. However, they were also open to it being used in a comic book. Newspaper syndication came after Superman’s appearance in comic books and not before.

Lesson – You may have a vision for your book, but don’t close off other avenues too soon. You may dream of having your book traditionally published, but indie publishing is also well-regarded these days if it is done in a professional manner. You may have an idea for a graphic novel, but it may work better as a novella, or vice versa. This doesn’t necessarily mean compromising on your original vision. If you’re prepared to think flexibly about your project, and keep it in prayer, an opportunity might come your way that you hadn’t even thought of.

 

They Didn’t Just Have One Idea

 

Although they dreamed of having their own syndicated comic strip with Superman, they kept working on other ideas. Some of their other stories—including Henri Duval of France, Slam Bradley, Federal Men, and Spy—featured in comic books before Superman.

Lesson – You may have a pet project, but don’t let that stop you from developing other ideas. You never know which one will fly first, and you’re developing skills along the way. Besides, God is the Creator of the entire universe and He’s the one who gave you your creative gifts and talents. With His help, you’ll never be short of ideas.

  

They Tapped into Universal Needs

 

Siegel and Shuster came from humble beginnings, and were teenagers during the Depression, so they knew what it was like to be in need. It’s not surprising, then, that they imbued their superhero with an unwavering desire for truth and justice. Siegel puts it like this:

[Superman] was very serious about helping people in trouble and distress, because Joe and I felt that very intensely … We were young kids and if we wanted to see a movie we had to sell milk bottles, so we sort of had the feeling that we were right there at the bottom and we could empathize with people. Superman grew out of our feelings about life. And that’s why, when we saw so many similar strips coming out, we felt that they were perhaps imitating the format of Superman, but something wasn’t there, which was this tremendous feeling of compassion that Joe and I had for the downtrodden. (Daniels, 1999, pp. 35-36).

 

Lesson – Doesn’t everyone want someone who cares about them and will fight for them against injustice? As Christian writers, we have someone even better than Superman. Our God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Corin. 1:3-4). He is the champion of the fatherless, the widowed, the prisoner, the lonely (Ps. 68:5-6). Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross (Col. 2:13-15)  and is our advocate before the Father (1 John 2:1-2). The Holy Spirit is interceding for us now (Rom. 8:26-27). What a wonderful privilege it is to share God’s love and truth with a hurting world.

  

They Learned That Waiting Has Its Advantages

 

Siegel and Shuster had their share of disappointments on their way to achieving their dream, but that dream ended up being realised in ways they could never have imagined. During those waiting years, they kept working on their writing and art, they submitted ideas and comics, they had some publication success, and they had time to refine their pet project. The Superman that was finally published in 1938 was very different from the one that they conceived in 1933. They had time to work on his backstory, his personality and appearance, the supporting cast like Lois Lane, and the overall shape of the story. It also appeared at the ‘right’ time in history, as Hitler’s power was growing, along with his anti-Semitic philosophy that would plunge the world into war a year later. What better time was there for two young Jewish men to create comics about a superhero who would always fight for truth and justice, and stand against the forces of evil?

Lesson – You may feel like your dreams are out of reach, but if they’re godly dreams, they’re on His timeline. As Mark Batterson (2012) notes, ‘God is never early. God is never late. God is always right on time.’ 

Do you have a dream for your writing? Why not submit it to God before submitting it to a publisher. Then see what amazing things God can do through you. Before you know it, your manuscript will be 'up, up, and away!'

 

Sources

Batterson, M. (2012). Draw the circle: The 40 day prayer challenge. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Daniels, L. (1999). Superman: The Golden Age. New York: DC Comics.

Further Reading

See the entry about Siegel and Shuster in Comiclopedia: https://www.lambiek.net/artists/s/shuster_j.htm

 

Photo Sources

Featured photo is from the author’s own comic book collection.

Photo of Siegel and Shuster is in the public domain; available from Wikimedia:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerry_Siegel_and_Joe_Shuster.jpg

Author photo by Wayne Logan from WRLPhoto

 

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) has recently come out of the closet as a middle-aged retro comics fan and pop culture aficionado. (Yes, she still reads Archie comics.) She has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel Scattered was published in 2020, and she has also co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light with Jeanette O’Hagan. She has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim also run a freelance writing and editing business, The Write Flourish, from the home they share with their two adorable cavoodles in southeast Queensland, Australia. 

She’d love to connect with you through her website: www.nolalorraine.com.au