It’s difficult to overstate Superman’s impact, both in fiction and real life. First created in 1934 by Toronto-born Joe Shuster and Cleveland native Jerry Siegel, the original superhero burst into the public consciousness 75 years ago on the cover of Action Comics No. 1. He continues to awe and inspire with this year’s movie blockbuster Man of Steel.

In his ebook Superman: Everyone Wants a Piece of His Legend, senior Star journalist Sandro Contenta chronicles the theft and recovery of actor Nicolas Cage’s copy of Action Comics No. 1, now worth more than $2 million. And he relates the epic, ongoing struggle for the rights to Superman between Shuster, Siegel and their descendants on one side and Warner Bros. on the other. Contenta’s ebook is a super read about a super phenomenon.

Superman is available Friday through the Star’s weekly ebook program, Star Dispatches. Simply go to stardispatches.com and subscribe for $1/week. Single copies of Superman are available for $2.99 at starstore.ca and itunes.com/stardispatches.