10 Figures Who Completely Reshaped Comic Book History
6. Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster invented Superman. That fact alone should really suffice. Appearing in Action Comics issue 1 in 1938, Superman was an overnight success and has been going strong ever since, save that brief period when he was dead. Superman has gone beyond a fictional character and become a franchise powerhouse with 11 movies, 6 TV shows, video games, radio shows; he's referenced or appears in every episode of Seinfeld, has pop songs written about him (a few of which are good) and starred in his own musical.
Superman's influence on pop culture and effect on the zeitgeist can be easily tested. Find someone who doesn't like or read comics. See what they know about Superman, can you draw his symbol? Do you know what kryptonite is or who Clark Kent is? You'll be surprised how much they know without even trying.
Superman wasn't quite the first superhero or indeed the first DC superhero: that distinction belongs to Dr Occult, another Seigel and Shuster creation; but Superman does mark a distinct watershed moment in comic books, becoming the first financially successful super hero and creating a science fiction subgenre that would dominate the medium.