Joe Shuster was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known as the co-creator of Superman, one of the most influential and enduring characters in popular culture. Born on July 10, 1914, in Toronto, Ontario, Shuster was the son of immigrants, with a father from the Netherlands and a mother from Ukraine. When he was nine or ten years old, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he later attended Glenville High School. It was there that he met Jerry Siegel, a writer with whom he shared a deep passion for science fiction, leading to a creative partnership that would define his career.

Shuster and Siegel began their professional collaboration in the mid-1930s, contributing to comic books published by the precursor to DC Comics. Their early work together included stories featuring characters such as Doctor Occult and Slam Bradley. The duo's most significant creation, Superman, evolved from a 1933 short story concept into the version that made its historic debut in Action Comics 1, published in 1938. Shuster's visual design for Superman was inspired by the physique of actor Douglas Fairbanks, while the character's mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent, was modeled partly on actor Harold Lloyd and on Shuster himself. The name Clark Kent was derived from actors Clark Gable and Kent Taylor. For Superman's city of Metropolis, Shuster drew inspiration from the skyline of his hometown of Toronto, and the Daily Star newspaper where Clark Kent worked was named after the Toronto Daily Star, for which Shuster had worked as a paperboy as a child.

Following the immense success of Superman, Shuster continued to draw the character for comic books and newspaper strips alongside Siegel. However, the pair became involved in a series of legal disputes with DC Comics over the rights to the character, which they had sold to the publisher for $130 and a publishing contract. The legal battles resulted in the removal of their bylines from Superman comics for many years. After leaving Superman in the late 1940s, Shuster continued working in comics, including co-creating the short-lived comical crime-fighter Funnyman. During the 1950s, facing financial hardship and declining eyesight, he produced illustrations for Nights of Horror, a series of underground publications. By the mid-1970s, his worsening vision led him to retire from the field of comics.

In 1975, following a public campaign, DC Comics restored the bylines of Shuster and Siegel and granted them lifetime pensions and health benefits in recognition of their creation. Shuster passed away on July 30, 1992, in Los Angeles, California. His legacy is celebrated through numerous accolades, including posthumous inductions into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2005, the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association established the Joe Shuster Awards, named in his honor to recognize achievements in Canadian comics. Shuster's work, particularly on the Fleischer Studios Superman animated cartoons of the 1940s for which he prepared model sheets, has also contributed to the world of animation. His original creation has continued to be adapted across various media, with his name frequently appearing in the credits of animated projects. For example, he is credited as an original creator for the 2017 anime film DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon, which features the Justice League and the Japanese parody hero group Eagle Talon.