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Title details for Superman by Larry Tye - Available

Superman

The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero

by Larry Tye
Scott Brick
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
The first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today, from the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel and Bobby Kennedy
“A story as American as Superman himself.”—The Washington Post
 
Legions of fans from Boston to Buenos Aires can recite the story of the child born Kal-El, scion of the doomed planet Krypton, who was rocketed to Earth as an infant, raised by humble Kansas farmers, and rechristened Clark Kent. Known to law-abiders and evildoers alike as Superman, he was destined to become the invincible champion of all that is good and just—and a star in every medium from comic books and comic strips to radio, TV, and film.
 
But behind the high-flying legend lies a true-to-life saga every bit as compelling, one that begins not in the far reaches of outer space but in the middle of America’s heartland. During the depths of the Great Depression, Jerry Siegel was a shy, awkward teenager in Cleveland. Raised on adventure tales and robbed of his father at a young age, Jerry dreamed of a hero for a boy and a world that desperately needed one. Together with neighborhood chum and kindred spirit Joe Shuster, young Siegel conjured a human-sized god who was everything his creators yearned to be: handsome, stalwart, and brave, able to protect the innocent, punish the wicked, save the day, and win the girl. It was on Superman’s muscle-bound back that the comic book and the very idea of the superhero took flight.
 
Tye chronicles the adventures of the men and women who kept Siegel and Shuster’s “Man of Tomorrow” aloft and vitally alive through seven decades and counting. Here are the savvy publishers and visionary writers and artists of comics’ Golden Age who ushered the red-and-blue-clad titan through changing eras and evolving incarnations; and the actors—including George Reeves and Christopher Reeve—who brought the Man of Steel to life on screen, only to succumb themselves to all-too-human tragedy in the mortal world. Here too is the poignant and compelling history of Siegel and Shuster’s lifelong struggle for the recognition and rewards rightly due to the architects of a genuine cultural phenomenon.
 
From two-fisted crimebuster to über-patriot, social crusader to spiritual savior, Superman—perhaps like no other mythical character before or since—has evolved in a way that offers a Rorschach test of his times and our aspirations. In this deftly realized appreciation, Larry Tye reveals a portrait of America over seventy years through the lens of that otherworldly hero who continues to embody our best selves.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 12, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307990143
      • File size: 381290 KB
      • Duration: 13:14:21

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 16, 2012
      Tye offers this super-powered, well researched look into every aspect of the character in comics, radio, TV, films, and theater, muscling into such areas as insider editorial decisions, licensing, litigations, and mass comic book burnings. Following his bestselling Satchel Paige biography, Tye hits another home run with this overview. Tracing the Man of Steel through eight decades, he begins in Cleveland, where teenager Jerry Siegel created “The Super-Man” in 1932 and then teamed with artist Joe Shuster: “They agreed that Superman had to be everything they were not: strapping and dashing, fearless yet composed.” After six years of rejections, their character soared in 1938 to “quickly become the big brother every kid needed.” With a $130 contract, Siegel and Shuster had launched the multibillion-dollar industry of comic book superheroes. To document Siegel’s anger and angst along with Superman’s “loves and deaths, reinventions, resurrections and redemptions,” Tye interviewed more than 250 writers, artists, editors, actors, filmmakers, and collectors, and he hired student researchers in four cities to do library and courthouse searches. The lengthy legal battles seeking fair compensation for Superman’s creators fill pages. Anyone looking for truth, injustice, and the American way will find it in this comprehensive, definitive history. Agent: Jill Kneerim.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 30, 2012
      In his latest, journalist Tye presents a comprehensive look at all things Superman, charting the history of the famed hero and detailing everything from his creation during the Great Depression by Jewish high school students Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel to his evolution into cultural icon. Along the way Tye touches on Superman as seen in film and on television, the struggles of his creators to gain recognition for their work, and everything in between. Having previously performed several Superman novels, Scott Brick proves a perfect narrator for this audio edition. His reading is clear, compelling, and conversational, and he knows just when to modulate his tone or cadence for emphasis and clarity. Always entertaining, this audiobook is a must for fans of the Man of Steel and anyone interested in comic book history. A Random House hardcover.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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