When Does "The Joe Shuster Story" (2018) Take Place?
"The Artist Behind Superman: The Joe Shuster Story" is a historical fiction graphic novel written by Julian Voloj that released May 15th, 2018. So when is "The Joe Shuster Story" set?
It takes place in the years:
We know this because it depicts the life of the real-world artist Joe Shuster, who was born Julius Joseph Schuster on July 10th, 1914 AD and died on July 30th, 1992 AD. So, while its earliest point is before his birth, it must take place during or before 1992 AD.
1912 AD - 1974 AD
We know this because it depicts the life of the real-world artist Joe Shuster, who was born Julius Joseph Schuster on July 10th, 1914 AD and died on July 30th, 1992 AD. So, while its earliest point is before his birth, it must take place during or before 1992 AD.
The first two pages of the main action are about Shuster's parents meeting and emigrating to Canada. Since a later textbox reads, "Two years after their arrival in Canada, and ten months after my parents got married, I was born in Toronto." It is therefore (probably July of) 1912 AD at the start.
7.1,914 - 2 = 7.1,912.
The textbox that directly says, "I was born in Toronto." accompanies an image of the happy family, so it must now be around July of 1914 AD. Early on in the story, the Shuster's narration tells us, "When I was about ten years old,"... "we moved to Cleveland, Ohio." so it's definitely around 1924 AD at this point.
1,914 + 10 = 1,924.
When his friend Jerry Siegel convinces him to enter into the Glenville High School newspaper cartoon contest, the copy of the "Glenville Torch" Jerry presents to Joe is dated for "November 25, 1931". So it must currently be November of 1931 AD.
The last words of his narration say, ..."mother died right before Thanksgiving 1974." so the main action ends in November of 1974 AD.
Additionally, there's a frame narrative that begins with a time and place setting textbox that reads: "Queens. New York. 1975." So the frame narrative takes place in 1975 AD.
