Stealing Superman: Episode Six — Another Planet

About this episode

The episode explores the origins of Superman and the real crime that impacted its creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Long before Nicolas Cage's copy of Action #1 was stolen, high school pals Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had to conjure up the character. But Superman may have never seen the light of day if not for a real crime that changed the duo’s lives forever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics covered

• Superman
• comic book history
• crime
• friendship
• creativity

Keywords

• Superman
• Jerry Siegel
• Joe Shuster
• Nicolas Cage
• Action #1
• comic books
• theft
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Action #1

More episodes of Stealing Superman

• The White Death [from Very Special Episodes] · June 12, 2026 · 46 min
• Children of the Moon [from Very Special Episodes] · June 4, 2026 · 43 min
• A Very Special Mini-Mailbag · May 4, 2026 · 13 min
• Marilyn Monroe, John Wilkes Booth + Hamilton: The New York City History Hiding in Plain Sight · April 23, 2026 · 49 min
• Very Special Episodes: Live From New York, It's Your Grandmother · February 14, 2025 · 51 min
• Up, Up and Away: The Superman Heist · March 27, 2024 · 33 min