Beerbohm, Robert :: Comic Book art

The Superman #1 by Joe Shuster first cover from 1933

Artist: Joe Shuster (All)

6 Comments - 6,523 Views - 1 Like

The Superman #1 by Joe Shuster first cover from 1933 Comic Art

Additional Images:

Temporary Title

Previous Item:
AL FELDSTEIN 1947 Rangers Comics #40

Next Item:
Lili Marlaine by Frank Miller & Kim Deitch

Artwork Details

Title:	The Superman #1 by Joe Shuster first cover from 1933
Artist:	Joe Shuster (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	100.00
Views:	6,523
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Favorited on CAF:	1
Comments:	6
Added to Site:	2/9/2012
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I was the very first person to ever publish what has turned out to be the very first proposed cover to the very first Superman comic book attempt by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster way back in 1933 done for Humor Publishing Company

In 1970 I drove to early mentor Russ Cochran's house then in Adel Iowa. Living in Fremont Nebraska as a then high school student, it was about a two hour trek. He was just getting back from New York City, concluding deals with Bill Gaines for the first EC reprint projects as well as Frank Frazetta concerning the hand-coloring jobs the master was to soon perform on Weird Science Fantasy #29. I got one, treasured it for a long time.

When our vintage comic book dealing was concluded, Russ motioned me to come over to a folio he had sitting on his pool table in the basement which contained therein four ripped up pieces of art which went to one single scene, the edges slightly singed by fire, which, when put together, formed the cover you see here saying,

THE SUPERMAN; A SCIENCE FICTION STORY IN CARTOONS

Further, the cover stipulates this was

THE MOST ASTOUNDING FICTION CHARACTER OF ALL TIME

Russ proceeded to tell me a tale that this came out of the desk of early comic book promoter and publisher, Max (Charlie) Gaines, found by his son William in 1969 crumpled up in the back of a drawer in his father's desk which had sat untouched since the boating accident in August 1947. Russ said that Bill said he wasn't that much into Superman, then Russ said to me he wasn't that much into Superman either, and did I want to trade him a hundred dollars worth of vintage comic books for it. He remains a consummate salesman, I came home with these four torn. fire singed pieces. I did not know what i had then back summer of 1970, but I knew I had something, thinking to myself how best to preserve for posterity what may be something very important to the annals of comics history.

Back in Fremont a short time later II went down to a local printer asking him queries. He suggested we make up a printer's negative upon which he taught me how to use red opaque paint to clear off all the ripped paper marks. Then we printed 300 copies of what you see here. I began offering them in the pages of Stan's Weekly Express as well as GB Love's Rocket's Blast ComiCollector.

Sold a few to equally curious like-minded souls such as Gary Coddington and Charlie Roberts who went on to make a smaller size version which Joe Shuster signed 50 of them as I got caught up with being a partner in Comics & Comix as we expanded from one store to four spread out a hundred miles.

Many years later most of the story behind the mystery of this cover has been uncovered, brought to light, a decent synopsis written by me in each annual edition of long-running Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide fronting their main price index section titled, Origin of the Modern Comic Book; They have asked me to relate some of the comics history I have uncovered over a lifetime of studying the art form known as the comic strip in all its myriad arcane styles and formats combining the powerful force of words with pictures, sequential art story telling some of us call it.

So the story goes this first incarnation of The Superman was rejected by a Chicago publisher named Humor Publishing, Joe, so the legend goes, in a fit of depression, threw the entire book into the fireplace. Jerry reached in to save the ripped into four pieces of cover, somehow it got to be crushed behind a drawer in Max Gaines desk until son Bill was cleaning out his father's study in late 1969, who then the next year gave it to Russ Cochran, who within a week of that happening, traded it to me. I then had a small number printed up. There are only a few left.

Now look closely at the weird rip line in Superman's rump plus his forehead. I left that part unchanged by the red opaque paint when the printing negative was being prepped for printing to show at least a portion of what it originally looked like all over before being lovingly restored to see what impact it originally had as devised by the creators of arguably the most popular fiction character of our time to date.

Here is your rare chance to enjoy a true piece of American Popular Culture History. I have just a very few left

SHARP CORNERS MEASURES A WHOPPIN' 14 X 22.5 INCHES double up from the size of the original art

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Robert Beerbohm
Joined:	February 2010
Last Login:	July 2023
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Robert's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

Contact the Owner

Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
but, you must be logged in to use this feature.

Comments on this Artwork

You must be logged in to make comments.

Ray Cuthbert
Member Since 2003

Posted on 2/9/2012

I'd like to get one of those prints, Robert.

Robert Beerbohm
Member Since 2010

Posted on 2/10/2012

Ray Cuthbert wrote:

I'd like to get one of those prints, Robert.

Hi Ray, For a short spell am offering these up for $80 post paid. Eighty bucks PayPal to orders@BLBcomics.com gets it sent post paid in a very sturdy crush proof tube. Just going to to let five this way, as I run em $100 in my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/BLBcomics if one feels they need to. Am almost out of them. A chunk of them I had brought out to Calif got destroyed in Best of Two World's warehouse flood of Feb 1986. Evidently I had left a small stash in my parent's house when i moved out to northern California to help found Comics & Comix Aug 1972.

Robert Beerbohm
Member Since 2010

Posted on 4/16/2012

Ray Cuthbert wrote:

I'd like to get one of those prints, Robert.

Hi Ray, your print should be with you now, I trust. Thanks for your order as well as yer patience -:) Am almost out of these first prints I published back in 1971. I was the very first publisher back when I was a teenager on a mission to save it for posterity having no idea then what it truly turned out to be: The First Superman Cover 1933

Robert Beerbohm
Member Since 2010

Posted on 2/10/2012

When one compares this cover to the three known 1933 published Humor comic books, Detective Dan Secret OP 48, The Adventures of Detective Ace King, Bob Scully, Two Fisted Hick Detective, one quickly notices distinct attributes the boys lifted to make their creation's appearance conform to the same "house" look, is what I and many others now think after decades exploring this conundrum Where it was signed copyright 1928 JOE SHUSTER and JEROME SIEGEL remains a mystery why 1928 was chosen to place there. No one thought to ask either of Superman's daddies. Incredible oversight sure to be lamented by future historians.

Robert Beerbohm
Member Since 2010

Posted on 2/10/2012

Both Don Thompson in CBG and Gary Carter in CBM published a different two thirds of my original longish article (well, they each condensed down a diff third -:) which really lays it all out as far as what my (so-called) comics archeology told me. All conclusions I ever reach on most any aspect of my comics business research I vet against zillions of my peers over the decades. Nothing comes out of a vacuum. Every place this has ever appeared in print has been a copy of what I paid to print back in 1971. I was just a teen ager back then, and all I knew was I felt an overwhelming need to preserve this for posterity. Uncovering the mystery of what this cover represented was a great intense challenge which part of what runs my wagon in the wonderful world of comics

kelly b
Member Since 2004

Posted on 7/15/2020

the true cross.

All
	David H 9/6/2025 8:51:00 PM
	James Posey 9/6/2025 8:51:00 PM
	Troy Rubizovsky 9/6/2025 8:38:00 PM
	Michael Hosey 9/6/2025 7:55:00 PM
	Timothy L. 9/6/2025 7:42:00 PM
View All


	Benedict Judas Hel 9/6/2025 7:22:00 PM
	Mike Humphrey 9/6/2025 7:22:00 PM
	Chris Johnson 9/6/2025 7:02:00 PM
	Craig Zablo 9/6/2025 6:57:00 PM
	PATRON OF COMIC ART 9/6/2025 6:32:00 PM