This time out I sit down with writer William Bernhardt, author of The Daniel Pike Series, The Splitsville Legal Thriller Series, and the Ben Kincaid novels, to talk about his newest book The Superman Wars: A Battle for Truth, Justice, and an American Icon. The official description of the book is...

Up in the sky! Look! It's Superman!

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New witnesses, unpublished manuscripts, personal letters, and more reveal the complex and dramatic history of Superman and his creator, Jerry Siegel.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…

Until now.

There have been a number of books written about the history of Superman and what happened to Jerry Siegel, but this book shines a new light on the lives of Jerry, his wife Joanne and his daughter Laura. William humanizes Jerry and his family in a way that I have rarely seen and he also delves into the lives of Major Malcom Wheeler-Nicholson, Joe Shuster, Harry Donenfeld, Jerry's first wife Bella, his son Michael, and Jack Liebowitz.

During the course of this interview, William goes into who Jerry was as a person, who Joanne was, the argument of art versus commerce, commerce versus conscience, and how this might be a David versus Goliath story but it is not always a clear cut good versus evil tale. William talks about searching through the various court cases as well as talking with people who, for various reasons, haven't gone on the record until very recently. It was not only an informative conversation, but a fun one as well.

I want to thank William for sitting down with me for this interview. If you want to find out more information on William, his writing, and WriterCon you can check out his website. And if you want to order a copy of The Superman Wars, you can follow this link.

Feedback for the show can be sent to itallcomesbacktosuperman@gmail.com. You can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Audible. This show is part of The Fortress of Baileytude Podcasting Network, which is on Patreon. This is a tip jar as I have no time for extra content at the moment, but if you like content I produce please consider contributing a dollar a month if you can.

The opening and closing theme is titled Journey and was composed by Pontus Rufelt. It is licensed from Shockwave-Sound.

Next time: Swear to God, the final chapter of Moving Kryptonian Images is coming. This interview came together kind of fast, but I will get to the massive feedback episode sooner rather than later.

This time out Andrew Leyland joins me once again to talk about a team-up between Superman and Spider-Man. Marvel Treasury Edition #28 came out in April of 1981 and not only heralded the return of the Marvel/DC team-ups but once again had Superman and Spider-Man teaming up as well. This time they join forces against Doctor Doom in a plot that could be described as the title of an album from the English rock band Slade.

(In case you're curious, that album was called Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply. To be fair, the original title was The Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome, but that doesn't work for the bit.)

This action packed crossover has it all. Peter Parker finds he's in the doghouse with J Jonah Jameson and heads to Metropolis! Superman slams the hammer down on the Incredible Hulk! Doctor Doom hopes that The Parasite is ready to explode! Wonder Woman is left high and dry! My oh my, this story, by Jim Shooter, John Buscema, Joe Sinnott, and a host other inkers, is so much fun. Andy and I had a ball discussing the finer points of the story, the art, and even the house ads at the end of the book.

During the first segment I referenced several entries from the late Jim Shooter's blog, which is thankfully still live on the net. You can find those three entries here, here, and here.

Feedback for the show can be sent to itallcomesbacktosuperman@gmail.com. You can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Audible. This show is part of The Fortress of Baileytude Podcasting Network, which is on Patreon. This is a tip jar as I have no time for extra content at the moment, but if you like content I produce please consider contributing a dollar a month if you can.

The opening and closing theme is titled Journey and was composed by Pontus Rufelt. It is licensed from Shockwave-Sound.

Next time: Swear to God, the final chapter of Moving Kryptonian Images! Not only do I go over all of the feedback I've gotten during this series, but I also rank the various Superman films!

Another year, another Superman Day, another Superman Day Special!

This year I decided to finally pull the trigger on an idea I've had for some time now and even planned to do last year but since I tend to be a work sky fop I never got around to it.

It happens. A lot. I'm working on it.

Anyway, Superman has had a number of series over the years. Because of that he has had a lot of number one issues. I thought it would be fun to look through the ones for his various ongoing series and talk about them a bit and here we are. I start all the way back with Action Comics #1 from 1938 and continue to Superman #1 from 1939, Superman #1 from 1986, Superman: The Man of Steel #1 from 1991, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #1 from 1995, Superman: Confidential #1 from 2006, Action Comics #1 from 2011, Superman #1 from 2011, Superman #1 from 2016, Superman #1 from 2018, Superman #1 from 2023, and Superman Unlimited #1 from 2025.

I have never typed "Superman #1" so many times in a row in my entire life.

Over the course of an hour and forty-eight minutes I talk about why editor Vin Sullivan chose Superman for the first issue of Action Comics, why the first Superman #1 was historic, how my feelings on the 1986 issue one have changed over the years, why Superman: The Man of Steel #1 is so special to me, why I was so excited for Superman: Confidential when it came out, some thoughts on Superman in the new 52, why Superman Unlimited #1 was the perfect book for a new Superman fan, and more!

I hope everyone has a great Superman Day. See you in June for the other Superman Day.

Well, I'll see you before that but still.

Feedback for the show can be sent to itallcomesbacktosuperman@gmail.com. You can subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Audible. This show is part of The Fortress of Baileytude Podcasting Network, which is on Patreon. This is a tip jar as I have no time for extra content at the moment, but if you like content I produce please consider contributing a dollar a month if you can.

The opening and closing theme is titled Journey and was composed by Pontus Rufelt. It is licensed from Shockwave-Sound.

Next time: The final chapter of Moving Kryptonian Images! Not only do I go over all of the feedback I've gotten during this series, but I also rank the various Superman films!