I came into William Bernhardt’s orbit when he invited me to his Writer Con, upcoming this September in Oklahoma City.
(Anyone here going? Let me know! We can meet up.)
We had an out-of-this-world talk about his new book, The Superman Wars.
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. From mobster tactics to 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New witnesses, unpublished manuscripts, personal letters, and more reveal the complex and dramatic history of Superman and his creator, Jerry Siegel. 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…
How did I not know about this? It’s fascinating to hear why William chose to tell this story. And we talk about way more than just this book.
We get into the true kryptonite that plagues writers, aka: take care of your IP.
The benefits of conferences
Indie versus Trad
Why I left my agent
Finding time to write
TV & Film optioning
And so much more
Here is his bio:
William Bernhardt is the author of over sixty books, including the Daniel Pike legal thriller series (#1 best-selling novel The Last Chance Lawyer). His previous works include the bestselling Ben Kincaid series, the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and The Florentine Poet, three books of poetry, and the Red Sneaker books on fiction writing.
In addition, Bernhardt founded WriterCon Programs to mentor aspiring writers. WriterCon hosts an annual writers conference, an annual cruise, small-group writing retreats, a magazine, plus free bi-weekly e-newsletters and podcasts.
Hey, if you prefer talking heads and visuals, there is a YouTube version of our talk!
If you want to learn more about William Bernhardt, more places to click:
https://www.facebook.com/WriterConHQ
Angelique: Your newest book is The Superman Wars. What inspired you to write it?
William: I thought this was an important story. Everyone knows Superman, but more importantly, this is the most pivotal creator-rights battle of modern times. Jerry Siegel’s struggle benefited countless creative people, not just those in comics. I wanted this story to reach a wide audience, so I decided it deserved a traditional publisher and a chance to be in bookstores.
Angelique: I had no idea this drama existed in the background!
William: You’re not alone. A lot of people remember the publicity campaign for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1975 and think they know the story. They don’t. There were another fifty years of legal battles after that. Even many people in the comic book industry don’t know what really happened, and some of the versions that have been told simply aren’t accurate. I wanted to tell the real story.
Angelique: I can’t believe this happened to the creator of the most iconic superhero of all time.
William: It’s a cautionary tale. Don’t let what happened to Jerry Siegel happen to you. The threats may look different today, but there are still people and companies that would love to take your intellectual property. Every year at WriterCon, I meet writers who have lost thousands of dollars to vanity presses or other scams. Today we also have AI scraping and copyright issues. The lesson is simple: protect yourself. Don’t assume someone else will do it for you.
Angelique: What’s the most shocking part of the story?
William: Jerry Siegel knew from childhood that he wanted to be a writer. Like me, he started submitting work when he was very young. During the Depression, he desperately wanted to break into newspaper comic strips because that was where the money was.
He and Joe Shuster spent years trying to sell Superman to newspaper syndicates, but no one understood the concept. Eventually they agreed to publish Superman through a comic book company. Unfortunately, just before Superman debuted, the company was taken over by Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz.
(Authorial note for us Canadians: Joe Shuster was born in Toronto.)
People often say Superman was sold for $130. That’s not exactly true. Jerry and Joe were paid $130 for the first thirteen-page story. Hidden in that agreement, though, was a clause transferring all rights to Superman to the company.
Jerry signed it.
I don’t think he fully understood what he was giving away. He was a young man without an agent, a lawyer, or anyone to advise him. Once Superman became an enormous success, he watched other people become millionaires while he received only a fraction of the profits.
Meanwhile, Harry Donenfeld was calling himself “Mr. Superman,” wearing Superman shirts, and appearing at Superman Day while Jerry, the creator, was left in the background.
Angelique: That is appalling. What did Jerry do and what happened next?
William: Jerry was drafted during World War II. While he was overseas serving his country, the company took another one of his creations—Superboy. Jerry had deliberately created Superboy as something new that he hoped to own himself. Instead, while he was away, they published it without him.
When Jerry returned home, he discovered they were making money from both Superman and Superboy, and he hadn’t been paid a single dollar for Superboy.
That became the breaking point.
In 1947, Jerry Siegel became the first American writer to sue his publisher.
The lawsuit didn’t go well. He recovered some money related to Superboy, but he didn’t regain Superman. Even worse, he and Joe Shuster were fired from their own creation.
Then something happened that I find morally reprehensible. DC removed Jerry and Joe’s names from Superman entirely. Even when older stories were reprinted, they’d paint over the creator credits. Legally, you can argue the contract, but erasing an artist’s name from their own work is simply wrong.
Angelique: Way wrong.
William: Exactly.
Jerry believed the creative community would rally behind him. Instead, many people turned against him. But he kept fighting.
After Jerry died, his family continued the legal battle. Together they established important legal precedents that have benefited creators ever since.
That’s really what The Superman Wars is about. It’s about writers. It’s about artists. It’s about anyone creating original work today. Whether you’re writing books, drawing comics, or creating content online, you have to protect your intellectual property.
Our interview went many more places, but I thought I would highlight the Superman story because it frankly blew me away.
For the entire enchilada, watch the YouTube interview here!
Or listen to the podcast, linked above.
Thanks for reading.
PS> You can still attend WriterCon.
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