Almost everyone knows about the man from Krypton who, disguised as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent working with the fearless Lois Lane, fights for the vulnerable and the oppressed. But few know the truth about this indelible character’s creation. Despite mobster tactics and decades-long courtroom drama, a beloved American myth was born, betrayed, and eventually reclaimed-almost eighty years after the character first appeared.

New witnesses, unpublished manuscripts, personal letters, and more reveal the complex and dramatic history of Superman and his writer-creator, Jerry Siegel-a story that involves gangsters, pornographers, bullying, blackballing, broken contracts, crooked lawyers, and corporate skullduggery. This is a David and Goliath clash with twists, turns, and devastating upheavals, an underdog tale of a creator who fought for his rights and finally found redemption in his battle for truth, justice, and the American way. A story that has never been fully told…

Until now.