Superman: The Unauthorized Biography

Weldon, who reviews comics for NPR, has penned an excellent portrait of the Man of Steel, managing to be fan-crazed and critical at the same time. Starting with a look at Superman’s goody-two-shoes reputation, Weldon dares to ask, “Why has a schmuck like that endured for seventy-five years?” His answer is Superman’s motivation—he “puts the needs of others over those of himself” and he “never gives up.” Weldon wonderfully details the many twists and turns in Superman’s career, beginning with a look at how the comic’s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster borrowed many traits from other comic figures in the 1930s, from Popeye to The Shadow. Weldon analyzes the shift from going after “petty crooks, crooked politicians, and those who exploited the working class” in the 1930s and 1940s to a trend towards “increasingly kid-oriented” stories after the Comic Code was instituted in the 1950s. Weldon is excellent at showing how, in the 1960s, “when Superman’s writers gave themselves license to dream up anything they could, they invariably dreamed the American dream of the fifties.” (May)