Burnley was the first artist, after co-creator Joe Shuster, to draw Superman in comic books.
[2] In 1938, Burnley began to freelance, producing "single-page sports fillers" for DC Comics, by whom he was subsequently hired in 1940.
The version of Superman he created was noted for its carefully drawn musculature, which set the style of superheroes for years to come.
[2][5] Burnley left DC and the comic book field in 1947, and returning to newspaper sports cartooning.
Burnley died on December 19, 2006, at the Heritage Hall senior facility in Charlottesville, following a fall that broke his hip.