Post by matt on Sept 3, 2008 16:03:15 GMT -5
I saw this segment on the Glenn Beck show. He was interviewing Brad Meltzer who wrote Justice League comics. They talk about little known fact on how Jerry Siegel came up with Superman. I never heard about that fact ever. Really interesting interview. Here is the transcript
transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0809/02/gb.01.html
BECK: In chapter four of the bible, Cain kills Abel. It`s the world`s most famous murder, but the Bible is silent about one key detail and that is the murder weapon. The weapon is still lost to history.
In 1932, Mitcheck Siegel killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamt of a man that was but-proof, that`s why he created Superman, the world`s superhero.
Just like Cain`s murder, the gun used in the unsolved murder was never found, until now. That`s what the back jacket of this great book says.
Brad Meltzer is "New York Times" number one best seller. His book is called "The Book of Lies." It goes on sale everywhere today.
And I have to tell you, I picked up the book, started reading it. I mean, from page one, just locked into this book.
BRAD MELTZER, AUTHOR "THE BOOK OF LIES": You`re making me blush now.
BECK: Why the Cain and Abel and Superman? At first, when I read that premise, I was like, how are you going to connect these two?
MELTZER: A woman came to me at a book signing two years ago and she says, "I know more about Superman that you`ll ever know." Well, I think to myself, "Lady, there`s no way you know more about Superman than I know."
BECK: So people know, you`re in the comic book world.
MELTZER: Yes, I just love it. And I`m a geek. I love that stuff.
BECK: Well, come one. Let`s not be modest. You`re the comic book god, you`re the justice league guy.
MELTZER: And I write these thrillers in my alter ego. She said to me, "No, I do know more because Jerry Siegel, who created Superman, is my uncle." And she`s the one invited me into the family, introduced me to the people in the family.
And she was the one who explained to me this murder that nobody knew about that was really unsolved by history because in 50 years of interviews when they say to Jerry Siegel, "Where did you get the idea for Superman?" He never once said, "My father died in a robbery."
You know, you create the world`s greatest crime fighter after your father dies in a crime no one puts it together. And that`s why the world got Superman, Glenn.
Not because America is the greatest country on earth although I think it is, but also because a little boy lost his father. And I just was fascinated. And I took that and then started doing research into Cain and Abel and watching the overlaps and suddenly the book became clear to me.
BECK: Give me some of the overlaps.
MELTZER: Yes, the overlaps, it`s interesting. It started with Cain and Abel. Someone said to me you know the apple and Eve in the story in the Garden of Eden? I say, sure of course.
He said the word apple is never in the Bible. So what are you talking about? He says look at the original translations, the word apple never appeared. It says fig or fruit, some say pomegranate. Apple`s not there.
Then he says how did they kill Abel? I said a rock. He says some say it was a rock. Shakespeare said it was the jawbone of an animal. Some said Cain bit Abel`s throat and that`s where your vampire is from.
And then there`s another theory that says Cain just may not be the bad guy in the story. So when you add this, I say, here, I have Superman who everyone thinks comes from a point of strength, and actually comes from a point of vulnerability. And then you have Cain, who everyone thinks is a bad guy but maybe the good guy. And I said you know what? Here come the overlaps.
And the reason the overlaps are very simple, these stories, not to compare comic characters and biblical characters, but they`re the great stories of our time.
BECK: So, what is "The Book of Lies?"
MELTZER: "The Book of Lies" there`s this great story I found that said when the Great Flood was coming, God said to Adam, I need you to protect all information and I want you to put it down. And he said put it in a book and not a book like you think.
BECK: You have kind of developed a "Da Vinci Code" kind of thing where you`re not really sure what`s fact or fiction.
MELTZER: And that`s the goal. I love when you read a book and it`s a thriller and you go, is this real? And I love the real. So I found the story, it`s a story that`s told in ancient Hebrew legend. It`s in Babylonia, it`s in Egypt.
And the story goes like this. Flood`s coming. God says put all of earthly knowledge in a book. Again this book, no one knows where the book is. In Babylonia it says that it should be on a pillar. He should write it on a pillar. Some say it should be on a tablet in Hebrew. It`s always a different thing but it`s a book.
And I love this idea. I love this idea that somewhere there`s a magical book that has all of earth`s knowledge in it. And I started playing with it, looking at these stories of Cain, looking at these stories of Superman.
And I`m realizing the slow overlaps because the reason the stories persist is because they say something about us. Superman says something about us. You can`t discuss America -- discuss Superman without discussing America. And Cain and Abel, same thing; we don`t love a story just because it`s interesting. It says something about us as people.
BECK: What is the fact that your stories always revolve around close parents? Your mother passed away while you were writing this book. How did it influence the book in any way?
MELTZER: My mom when I started writing the book, was diagnosed where breast cancer. There was no doubt that the coincidence that the main character in the book character is dealing with the loss of his mother.
You show me a novel and I`ll show you what the author is dealing with at that time. That`s just what I`m dealing with. It was very important to me that my mom read this book before she passed. She read the book. She read the dedication that was to her.
I know it`s so silly, but it matters. It matters to me. Mothers are sacred spaces and trying -- maybe this is my way of saving myself from therapy, but that`s how I do it. I just write these thrillers.
In 1932, Mitcheck Siegel killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamt of a man that was but-proof, that`s why he created Superman, the world`s superhero.
Just like Cain`s murder, the gun used in the unsolved murder was never found, until now. That`s what the back jacket of this great book says.
Brad Meltzer is "New York Times" number one best seller. His book is called "The Book of Lies." It goes on sale everywhere today.
And I have to tell you, I picked up the book, started reading it. I mean, from page one, just locked into this book.
BRAD MELTZER, AUTHOR "THE BOOK OF LIES": You`re making me blush now.
BECK: Why the Cain and Abel and Superman? At first, when I read that premise, I was like, how are you going to connect these two?
MELTZER: A woman came to me at a book signing two years ago and she says, "I know more about Superman that you`ll ever know." Well, I think to myself, "Lady, there`s no way you know more about Superman than I know."
BECK: So people know, you`re in the comic book world.
MELTZER: Yes, I just love it. And I`m a geek. I love that stuff.
BECK: Well, come one. Let`s not be modest. You`re the comic book god, you`re the justice league guy.
MELTZER: And I write these thrillers in my alter ego. She said to me, "No, I do know more because Jerry Siegel, who created Superman, is my uncle." And she`s the one invited me into the family, introduced me to the people in the family.
And she was the one who explained to me this murder that nobody knew about that was really unsolved by history because in 50 years of interviews when they say to Jerry Siegel, "Where did you get the idea for Superman?" He never once said, "My father died in a robbery."
You know, you create the world`s greatest crime fighter after your father dies in a crime no one puts it together. And that`s why the world got Superman, Glenn.
Not because America is the greatest country on earth although I think it is, but also because a little boy lost his father. And I just was fascinated. And I took that and then started doing research into Cain and Abel and watching the overlaps and suddenly the book became clear to me.
BECK: Give me some of the overlaps.
MELTZER: Yes, the overlaps, it`s interesting. It started with Cain and Abel. Someone said to me you know the apple and Eve in the story in the Garden of Eden? I say, sure of course.
He said the word apple is never in the Bible. So what are you talking about? He says look at the original translations, the word apple never appeared. It says fig or fruit, some say pomegranate. Apple`s not there.
Then he says how did they kill Abel? I said a rock. He says some say it was a rock. Shakespeare said it was the jawbone of an animal. Some said Cain bit Abel`s throat and that`s where your vampire is from.
And then there`s another theory that says Cain just may not be the bad guy in the story. So when you add this, I say, here, I have Superman who everyone thinks comes from a point of strength, and actually comes from a point of vulnerability. And then you have Cain, who everyone thinks is a bad guy but maybe the good guy. And I said you know what? Here come the overlaps.
And the reason the overlaps are very simple, these stories, not to compare comic characters and biblical characters, but they`re the great stories of our time.
BECK: So, what is "The Book of Lies?"
MELTZER: "The Book of Lies" there`s this great story I found that said when the Great Flood was coming, God said to Adam, I need you to protect all information and I want you to put it down. And he said put it in a book and not a book like you think.
BECK: You have kind of developed a "Da Vinci Code" kind of thing where you`re not really sure what`s fact or fiction.
MELTZER: And that`s the goal. I love when you read a book and it`s a thriller and you go, is this real? And I love the real. So I found the story, it`s a story that`s told in ancient Hebrew legend. It`s in Babylonia, it`s in Egypt.
And the story goes like this. Flood`s coming. God says put all of earthly knowledge in a book. Again this book, no one knows where the book is. In Babylonia it says that it should be on a pillar. He should write it on a pillar. Some say it should be on a tablet in Hebrew. It`s always a different thing but it`s a book.
And I love this idea. I love this idea that somewhere there`s a magical book that has all of earth`s knowledge in it. And I started playing with it, looking at these stories of Cain, looking at these stories of Superman.
And I`m realizing the slow overlaps because the reason the stories persist is because they say something about us. Superman says something about us. You can`t discuss America -- discuss Superman without discussing America. And Cain and Abel, same thing; we don`t love a story just because it`s interesting. It says something about us as people.
BECK: What is the fact that your stories always revolve around close parents? Your mother passed away while you were writing this book. How did it influence the book in any way?
MELTZER: My mom when I started writing the book, was diagnosed where breast cancer. There was no doubt that the coincidence that the main character in the book character is dealing with the loss of his mother.
You show me a novel and I`ll show you what the author is dealing with at that time. That`s just what I`m dealing with. It was very important to me that my mom read this book before she passed. She read the book. She read the dedication that was to her.
I know it`s so silly, but it matters. It matters to me. Mothers are sacred spaces and trying -- maybe this is my way of saving myself from therapy, but that`s how I do it. I just write these thrillers.
transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0809/02/gb.01.html
