Joseph “Joe” Schuster and Jerry Siegal created one of the the world’s most popular superheroes, but for many years they struggled to receive the credit they deserved. The comic book authors published their first comic stip featuring Superman back in 1938, although it took a few years for the character to become popular.

The first Superman character created by Schuster and Siegal didn’t bear much resemblance to the superhero we all know and love today. In fact, their first version of the Superman character was bald, telepathic and determined to take over the world. Needless to say, this version of the character didn’t become popular at all.

Schuster and Siegal went back to the drawing board and started over, deciding to entirely overhaul the character they had created. They turned Superman into a hero and modeled him on Douglas Fairbanks Sr, an actor who had played the lead roles in several popular movies, including “Robin Hood” and “The Mark of Zorro”.

Clark Kent, Superman’s bespectacled alter ego, was also based on a real person named Harold Lloyd, who was one of the break out stars from the silent film era. Harold Lloyd was best known for his ‘Glasses Character’, where he played a smart, successful businessman from the 1920′s. Undoubtedly, it was this silent film character that inspired the role of Clark Kent.

Even with their new and improved comic strip, it took Schuster and Siegal over six years to find a publisher. Unfortunately, success was not an easy ride for the comic book creators. They spent many hours fighting legal battles with their publishers over the rights to the Superman brand. Eventually, Schuster and Siegal even lost their byline. It wasn’t until 1992, that they were posthumously vindicated by finally being inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.