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YOUR TIME MACHINE TO THE PAST
BOOK REVIEW
SECRET IDENTITY
by Craig Yoe
Secret Identity by Craig Yoe, published by Abrams ComicArts, contains 160 pages, many of which feature the secret art of Superman's Co-Creator, Joe Shuster. More than that, it tells the story of the caped crusader's artist, who was in his early twenties in 1938 when he and his pal Jerry Siegel sold the rights to Superman to Harry Donenfeld for a mere $130. It was a deal that would haunt both men, Yoe tells us, and eventually lead to a law suit in the 1950s which they lost.
Forced out of Donenfeld's operation (which became D.C. Comics), both men fell on hard times. Shuster himself was ultimately forced to work for the seedy publisher of a booklet called Nights of Horror, sold on Times Square under the counter. It contained page after page of S&M drawings of characters who looked remarkably like Superman and Lois Lane engaging in acts neither character ever performed in the pages of DC comics.
This sad chapter in Shuster's history was all but forgotten until Craig Yoe discovered one of the booklets in the back of a Times Square store, This set him on a quest to find the rest of the series and to research Shuster's story. The result of that quest is in this book which features a great deal of Shuster's S&M art -- though quaint by today's standards, it's not for everyone -- and the full story of what happened to the guys who created America's most popular super hero.
FYI: Just before the release of the first Superman movie DC Comics, responding to pressure from fans and artists, finally agreed to pay Shuster and Siegel a small stipend plus health benefits. It was long over due. -- Bruce David/Swapsale
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