R.I.P. Jerry Fine, Who Introduced Superman's Creators

Author and TV personality Brad Meltzer, a noted comic book fan and writer who has worked in the past to restore the childhood home of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, shared a story of Siegel's childhood on Facebook last night that seems worth repeating. It seems that Jerry Fine, the 97-year-old cousin of Siegel and an acquaintance of Meltzer's, passed away this week. Fine wasn't himself a comic book creator, but without him, it seems as though Superman may never have happened. Here's Meltzer's story, via Facebook: "Here's the perfect way to finish the year. This week, a 97 year old man named Jerry Fine passed away. Nearly a decade ago, Jerry invited me into his house. The reason I was there was because when Jerry was a kid, he introduced his cousin Jerry Siegel to a boy named Joe Shuster. Siegel was a writer; Shuster an artist. And yes, together, those 17 year-old kids from Cleveland created the character known as Superman. History is just the best, isn't it? Jerry Fine did many things with his life. And on one particular day, though nobody knows his name, he changed the planet. Without him, Siegel and Shuster potentially never forge their famous friendship and we never get Superman. So thank you, Jerry Fine. Thank you for that day in your house where you shared your memories, your family, and your friendship. And thank you for proving that there's no such thing as an ordinary person. Healthy and happy new year to you all!" "Joe and I went to elementary school together and he was always an amazing artist," Fine said in 2009. "I remember he created the most incredible colored maps and he showed me how he did it. We did a comic strip together for the newspaper called 'Jerry The Journalist,' where I was depicted as a grasshopper." Fine reportedly suggested that Shuster look up Siegel when he got to Glenville High School. "He did and they started working together at the Glenville Torch," Fine said. "The rest is history, isn't it?"