The last few times I saw Jerry Siegel, he was at peace…which was not the case in our first encounters. I met him in 1968, at a time when he not only didn't receive a cent from his co-creation but didn't exist insofar as the history of Superman was concerned. He was wonderful to me but when we got near certain topics, he was justifiably bitter, angry and hurt. Fortunately, that was rectified in increments, commencing in the mid-seventies….and on our last visit, about a month before he died, he seemed like a pretty happy man. One reason, obviously, was that the management of DC had done…well, maybe not all they should have done, but a lot more than earlier regimes. Thanks to some large-hearted, wise and fair folks, the credit for Jerry and his partner, Joe Shuster, had been restored to their work, and they'd received pensions and other financial considerations.
Jerry was also receiving honors that meant a lot to him — at the time, a lovely letter from President Clinton and the issuance of a Superman postage stamp in Canada. (Shuster was of Canadian origin.) Jerry had the note and a prototype of the stamp framed side-by-side on a small table next to his favorite chair in the living room…and that's how I remember Jerry. He was sitting in an easy chair, without a trace of anger about him, looking at the framed items and smiling. Tonight, searching the Internet for info on something else, I came across a picture of the stamp and I thought of that evening.
If you're interested in reading up on the history of Superman, there are some wonderful articles and artifacts posted at www.superman.nu.