Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, two misfit teens in Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent than Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine tales. In 1934, they created the superhero, but it was four years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format--the comic book.

A comprehensive literary biography of the creators of the Superman character draws on a decade of research and new discoveries to provide coverage of such lesser-known topics as the real inspiration for Lois Lane, Siegel's secret work during World War II and the story behind Siegel's father's suspicious death.