Superman's Birthday.......?

It has been usual to give February 29th, Leap year day, as Superman's Birthday. I'm not sure what the original idea was but, since we've just had it this year, 2012, I thought we might mark it by another event in Superman comic history when DC published Superman #400 in October 1984 and invited a roster of the best Comic Book Artists of the time to contribute their vision of Superman for the historic issue. The Cover was provided by Howard Chaykin:

Here is the rest of the selection

   Bernie Wrightson

 Bill Sienkiewicv

Brian Bolland

 Frank Miller

 Jack Davis

 Jack Kirby

Jerry Robinson

 John Byrne 

Leonard Starr 

 Mike Grell

Moebius

Steve Ditko 

 Walt Simonson

Will Eisner 

In an ironic connection, in 1939, a year after Superman's debut in ACTION COMICS #1, Eisner was asked by Victor Fox, an accountant who had previously worked at DC Comics and was starting his own comic book publishing house to create a Superman-type character for the books.  Eisner, using the pen-name "Willis" wrote and drew the first issue of "Wonder Comics" which lasted only #1 issue as DC, then National Periodical Publications, sued Fox and forced the cancellation of "Wonder Man"

Eisner subsequently claimed that he had  protested the derivative nature of the character and story, and that when subpoenaed after National sued Fox, alleging Wonder Man was an illegal copy of Superman, he, Eisner testified that this was so, undermining Fox's case; Eisner even depicted himself doing so in his semi-autobiographical graphic novel "The Dreamer".However, a transcript of the proceeding, uncovered by comics historian Ken Quattro in 2010, indicates Eisner in fact supported Fox and claimed Wonder Man as an original Eisner creation.

Eisner's "Wonder Man" #1 cover: 

In a further irony, DC Comics produced a one-shot Batman/Spirit by Jeph Loeb in January 2007, followed by a 32 issue series by Darwyn Cooke starting in February that year and running until August, 2009. 

Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones took over the writing tasks with issue #14 (March 2008), with Mike Ploog and later, Paul Smith, handling the artwork.

 BATMAN/SPIRIT DC Comics, January 2007

Will Eisner's "The Spirit" DC Comics February 2007-August 2009 #1-#32

Planetronix, EARTH,

29 February, 2012.