'Superman' rights cheque up for auction

DC Comics' original cheque for the rights to Superman is to be sold at auction.

The $412 (£257) payment was written out by publisher Jack Liebowitz for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, and has been at the centre of several legal disputes over the years, reports Robot 6.

Comic Connect will sell the item alongside other rare comics memorabilia, including a suit and tie worn by Siegel, clumps of his hair, his typewriter and a Superman script.

Siegel and Shuster were handed $130 (£81) for the rights to the Man of Steel. The other $282 (£176) was payment for stories they submitted to Detective Comics, Adventure Comics and More Fun Comics.

"Much has been made of the original 1938 $130 payment to Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster," Comic Connect said in a statement.

"Did DC Comics take advantage of two eager young men looking for their big break in the comic business or was this unequivocally fair business practice between comic book writers and publishers in a 1938 America? Whatever you believe, the $130 check is the quintessential symbol of this debate for the ages."

Comic Connect will hold the auction between November 14 and November 30.

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