50590

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster - "Reign of the Superman"

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster -  Reign of the Superman
<B>Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster - "Reign of the Superman" -- Science Fiction Fanzine V1#3 And Others (1933).</B></I> Appearing five years before <B>Action Comics</B></I> #1, this was the first "Superman" story ever written by Jerry Siegel and the first Superman image drawn by Joe Shuster. The fanzine, edited by Siegel, is 8 1/2" x 11" and was reportedly mimeographed on a machine at the duo's high school. The issue credits Siegel as editor and Shuster as artist -- the byline "Herbert S. Fine" is a combination of Siegel's mother's maiden name and the name of one of his cousins. Of course, this Superman was a different character than the costumed hero who later appeared in comic books; this one was bald and a villain! Siegel once commented, "A couple of months after I published this story, it occurred to me that a Superman as a hero rather than a villain might make a great comic strip character... Obviously, having him as a hero would be infinitely more commercial than having him a villain." It's been noted that this was in keeping with a pulp tradition in which supernatural characters were inevitably evil. This copy is somewhat fragile, though considering this item's age and the method of production, one would hardly be found in mint condition. The paper is age-darkened and a bit chipped at the edges. Though the contents page calls for 27 pages, there are actually only 22. John McLaughlin speculated "it's likely that the contents page was prepared prior to filling out the rest of the issue, and those 'phantom' pages never printed. Comparison with another known copy confirms this." The last page is detached, and this copy has no cover. Also included in this lot are V1#1 and V1#2 of <B>Science Fiction</B></I> (October and November 1932), also with Siegel and Shuster contributions. These are in similar condition to V1#3, though a bit more heavily chipped and with some pages detached at the sta <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 22.5% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid. This lot is being auctioned in conjunction with a live floor auction by Heritage Auction Galleries. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Auction Galleries, and all other information should be considered preliminary. Lot:50590 <BR><BR><B>Winning Notification and Billing:</B> After the FINAL session in this auction is complete, Heritage will send e-mail and snail mail invoices. This process normally takes several days. All final auction and invoice information will be supplied by Heritage Auction Galleries, and all other information should be considered preliminary. <BR><BR>This auction will be conducted on a live auction floor and over the Internet through eBay Live. If you choose to place an absentee bid, please take a moment to <font color='#0000ff'><u><a href='http://pages.ebay.com/liveauctions/help/before/laabsentee.html'>learn how eBay Live absentee bidding works</a></u></font><font color='#000000'>