SUPERMAN CREATOR JERRY SIEGEL WIFE POVERTY LETTER Memorabilia
FN: 6.0
(Stock Image)
SOLD ON: Monday, 12/04/2023 11:13 PM
$1,040.75
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19
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COMMENTS: A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
Handwritten Letter from Wife of Superman Co-Creator Jerry Siegel Pleading Poverty and Asking Forgiveness for Husband's Poison-Pen Campaign
Jerry Siegel Letters
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Handwritten Letter from Wife of Superman Co-Creator Jerry Siegel Pleading Poverty and Asking Forgiveness for Husband's Poison-Pen Campaign
Jerry Siegel Letters
DESCRIPTION
A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
Handwritten Letter from Wife of Superman Co-Creator Jerry Siegel Pleading Poverty and Asking Forgiveness for Husband's Poison-Pen Campaign
Jerry Siegel LettersThis pleading handwritten letter from the wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel is a rare artifact from one of the most vicious feuds in comics history—as Joanne Siegel includes proof of poverty while pleading for sympathy as her husband sends hate mail to National (later DC) Comics!
At the end of 1951, Jerry Siegel was in the midst of a mail campaign to shame National Comics executives who'd paid him and artist Joe Shuster $130 for the rights to Superman in 1938. Joanne first sent a letter on Dec. 12 of that year to suggest that National Comics President Harry Donenfeld could become a Christmastime hero by "coming to the aid of [Superman's] poverty stricken creator."
In this follow-up letter to Donenfeld (dated Dec. 19), Joanne apologizes for her husband's vicious missives—and blames National's notoriously tough attorney Alan Alterbaum, saying she asked the lawyer "not to keep aggravating Jerry the way he did."
The new mother then details how the family is struggling financially, and includes a receipt from the Hi-Art Camera Shop to back her claims that they had to find unused film around the house and sell it to the store to buy food. As seen in this auction, Jerry Siegel wrote his own apologetic letter to National executives that same day—although he'd soon return to writing his vicious rants.
If you are a new customer planning to make a first-time purchase over $25,000, please contact us 24 hours in advance of the item closing at 212.895.3999 or support@comicconnect.com so that we may approve your account for bidding. (This policy was instituted to protect consignors and bidders against bids from fraudulent accounts, and to ensure the integrity of the bidding process.) Once approved, please log out of your account and then log in, for the approval to take effect.
Handwritten Letter from Wife of Superman Co-Creator Jerry Siegel Pleading Poverty and Asking Forgiveness for Husband's Poison-Pen Campaign
Jerry Siegel LettersThis pleading handwritten letter from the wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel is a rare artifact from one of the most vicious feuds in comics history—as Joanne Siegel includes proof of poverty while pleading for sympathy as her husband sends hate mail to National (later DC) Comics!
At the end of 1951, Jerry Siegel was in the midst of a mail campaign to shame National Comics executives who'd paid him and artist Joe Shuster $130 for the rights to Superman in 1938. Joanne first sent a letter on Dec. 12 of that year to suggest that National Comics President Harry Donenfeld could become a Christmastime hero by "coming to the aid of [Superman's] poverty stricken creator."
In this follow-up letter to Donenfeld (dated Dec. 19), Joanne apologizes for her husband's vicious missives—and blames National's notoriously tough attorney Alan Alterbaum, saying she asked the lawyer "not to keep aggravating Jerry the way he did."
The new mother then details how the family is struggling financially, and includes a receipt from the Hi-Art Camera Shop to back her claims that they had to find unused film around the house and sell it to the store to buy food. As seen in this auction, Jerry Siegel wrote his own apologetic letter to National executives that same day—although he'd soon return to writing his vicious rants.
If you are a new customer planning to make a first-time purchase over $25,000, please contact us 24 hours in advance of the item closing at 212.895.3999 or support@comicconnect.com so that we may approve your account for bidding. (This policy was instituted to protect consignors and bidders against bids from fraudulent accounts, and to ensure the integrity of the bidding process.) Once approved, please log out of your account and then log in, for the approval to take effect.