Truth, Justice and the Asian American Way
November 25, 2005
When the “Man of Steel” is mentioned to young and old alike, many comic book enthusiasts, movie, TV and classic radio fans will quickly shout out, “That’s Superman!”
This superhero has a history that dates back to the 1930s, and surprisingly, Asians and Asian Americans have long been connected with this visitor from the planet Krypton. In more recent times, Asian American actor Dean Cain has portrayed reporter Clark Kent aka Superman in the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television series.
Even the new boxed DVD set of the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Superman [5 discs — includes the first 26 episodes and the feature film Superman and the Mole Men] also includes an episode called “Riddle of the Chinese Jade” and stars George Reeves as Superman, and features Asian American character actor Victor Sen Young in the cast. The DVD set is now for sale.
A new Superman feature film is now in production in Australia, and is scheduled for release next year.
When the superhero was first introduced in comic books, Superman’s creator/writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster sold the rights to their creation for a measly $130. While Superman made millions of dollars for his new owners, Siegel and Shuster became destitute. Their byline was taken away. The pair went to court and tried unsuccessfully for more than a decade to reclaim their creation and to share in the profits.
Their fortunes changed when other comic book artists and journalists (including Sam Chu Lin) began championing their cause. Finally Superman’s new owners — Warner Communications/DC Comics invited Sam Chu Lin and a CBS News television crew to visit their New York offices.
CBS News had expressed an interest in doing a story about the plight of Superman’s creators, and Superman’s new owners initially did not want to cooperate. But possibly fearing negative publicity and its impact on their stock, they had a quick change of heart and invited the media to film the signing of an agreement that provided Shuster and Siegel with pension and health benefits, and the restoration of their byline.
Unlike years ago, Shuster and Siegel’s names are now clearly posted on the new DVD boxed set featuring the first season of Superman on television, proving once again this superhero does stand for “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” and Asian Americans have been helping him along the way.
Comments
Got something to say?