Superman ownership disputes

In the 1930s, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster developed the fictional comic book character of Superman. In 1938, they sold the character to Detective Comics, Inc., the corporate precursor to DC Comics. When Superman became a great success, the pair attempted to recover the rights to the character. This began a long chain of legal battles over ownership, royalties, and credit that would continue after their deaths.

In 1935, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster began working for New York comic-book publisher National Allied Publications, producing detective and adventure comics. Since 1933, the pair had been developing a character called "Superman". They initially attempted to sell Superman to a newspaper syndicate for publication as a comic strip, as this would allow them to retain ownership and make more money than featuring the character in a comic book, but they were unsuccessful. The pair sold the character to National's successor company, Detective Comics, Inc., for $130 (the equivalent of $2,200 when adjusted for inflation). The contract for the sale, signed in March 1938, read:

Dated March 1

I, the undersigned, am an artist or author and have performed work for strip entitled SUPERMAN

In consideration of $130.00 agreed to be paid me by you, I hereby sell and transfer such work and strip, all good will attached thereto and exclusive right to the use of the characters and story, continuity and title of strip contained therein, to you and your assigns to have and hold forever and to be your exclusive property and I agree not to employ said characters by their names contained therein or under any other names at any time hereafter to any other person firm or corporation, or permit the use thereof by said other parties without obtaining your written consent therefor. The intent hereof is to give you exclusive right to use and acknowledge that you own said characters or story and the use thereof, exclusively. I have received the above sum of money.

Sgd. Joe Shuster
Sgd. Jerome Siegel
Returned by mail on March 3, 1938

Superman was first published on April 18, 1938, in Action Comics #1, and was an immediate success. Siegel traveled to New York to meet in person with Harry Donenfeld (co-owner of Detective Comics) to re-negotiate the deal. Donenfeld told Siegel that Detective fully owned Superman now, and that he could replace Siegel and Shuster with another writer and artist. Donenfeld instead offered the pair an extended contract with relatively generous pay.

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