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| Superman #233, featuring Ira Schnapp's logo. (Art by Neal Adams) |
SUPERMAN's logo is as iconic as that of COCA COLA and is recognized the world over, but it took a little while before it was standardized by NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS' ace designer and calligrapher IRA SCHNAPP (on the cover of issue #6), based on JOE SHUSTER's original design. Did you ever wonder, however, why it had that peculiar shaped angular "U" which didn't match any of the other letters?
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| Superman Ashcan edition. (Art by Joe Shuster) |
I thought I had solved the mystery when I first saw the cover of the Ashcan Edition of Superman (SUPERMAN COMICS), and noticed that the "C" of "Comics" cuts into the lower part of the "U" of "Superman". Closer examination shows that the "U" had almost the same squarish curve (if that's not a contradiction in terms) as the "P" and the "R". Was it simply a case of this rough logo being relettered for issue #1 with the word "Comics" omitted, and someone taking the easy way out by angling-off the letter to complete the bottom line of the "U"?
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| Superman #6. 1st appearance of Ira's logo. (Art by Joe Shuster) |
It would be easy to assume so, going by the cover (and centre pages) of the actual first issue (which, legend has it, was originally intended as a one-off - hence the un-numbered cover). It therefore didn't seem unreasonable to suppose that, when Ira Schnapp came to letter the definitive version, he was provided with a printed copy of the then-relatively recent SUPERMAN #1 for reference. It certainly couldn't have been issues 2-5, as each cover logo featured a curved "U". (For the cover of issue #1, see previous post.) So - mystery solved?
Well, no. Despite my fine speculations, after a bit more digging I found that JOE SHUSTER had occasionally rendered the "U" in that way from as early as ACTION COMICS #2 - which predates the Ashcan and the first issue by quite a margin. (As that story was actually reprinted in SUPERMAN #1, I could have saved myself needless hypothesizing by simply reading the comic.) It seems entirely possible, therefore, that Ira Schnapp was provided with a copy of the angular lettered logo for reference instead of the curved one merely on a whim of fate. (Though I have to concede that, with it's distinctive "U", maybe the editor - or Ira himself - just preferred that version.) But just think - comics history could so easily have been different.
Ira's logo lasted for over 40 years, until 1983, when it was relettered by MARSHALL ARISMAN to more closely resemble the earliest regular incarnations of the title. I actually think it's excellent, though I have reservations about the top curve of the "S" overlapping the top of the "U". Maybe one day I'll have a go at doing it.
(Note: An "Ashcan Edition" is an in-house, non-distributed publication used for the purpose of securing copyright on a title.)
Now, be honest - did you ever wonder.....?
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| Superman #386, 1st appearance of Marshall Arisman's logo. (Art by Gil Kane) |
Fascinating calligraphical (?) stuff. On the design front, it's interesting to see from the ashcan that it was going to follow the house style of Detective Comics, World's Finest et al, with the strong horizontal rules around the title and the company's standard
ReplyDeleteCOMICS logo below.
Great stuff! Some of us care about these details...
I think so too, Dez. The very first version of the logo (from ACTION COMICS #1) had a curved "U", but subsequent issues were never consistent. The logo was relettered for each individual story - most of the time the "U" was curved, occasionally it was edged, and sometimes it resembled typeset - with the curve blending into the righthand vertical stroke of the letter. (In fact, some of the curved versions look as if they've been altered from the latter version, but - given Shuster's "roughness" - one can't be dogmatic on the subject.)
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, even after Ira Schnapp's version appeared on the cover of issue #6, it wasn't used in the interiors with any consistency until issue #11 - and subsequent issues still contained an occasional hand-lettered one.