From Isabela Merced to Jerry Siegel's home, Superman's local ties bind him to Ohio
Courtesy of the James Gunn movie, the iconic pop culture character Superman is having a super-sized moment right now. By extension, so is Ohio and, in particular, the city of Cleveland.
What took so long? Given the long run of the character across television, animation and film, it feels odd that Superman is just now giving the area the spotlight given his connections to the state and city, which are numerous.
Does it ultimately matter? Given that Gunn chose to film in Ohio – Cleveland and Cincinnati, specifically – probably not to rest of America. But to Ohio movie fans? More than likely. After, all the Man of Steel has come home.
It helps that the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit is in place, but the efforts of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission were instrumental in luring the production to the area. Call it a homecoming that’s deserved for a number of reasons:
‘Superman’ was born in Cleveland, Ohio – it’s that simple
Metropolis, Ill. makes its faux claim to be home of Superman, but the reality is that two Cleveland teens — Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel — created the character in Siegel’s home in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood. It feels rather strange that fact is just now, seemingly in this moment, being embraced nationally and — to some extent — locally.
It’s a drumbeat that started slowly when then-Plain Dealer reporter Michael Sangiacomo, who wrote a weekly comic book column, started asking the simple question: why weren’t Superman’s creators honored by their hometown. Given the character’s impact since its creation, it was a legitimate one and led to the formation the Siegel & Shuster Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the creators and their character’s legacy.
Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and David Corenswet as Superman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Superman,” opening July 11.
After agreeing to a deal with National Allied Publishing which was eventually acquired by Detective Comics, Siegel and Shuster signed a 10-year contract to write and illustrate the character for Detective Comics, signing away their copyright in the process just to get the characters, which they developed over the course of six years. Their first published version of Superman appeared in the book Action Comics #1. At a 2024 auction, a highly rated version of the book sold for $6 million.
Superman became an immediate phenomenon.
“He was the first superhero,” Gary Kaplan, president of the Siegel & Shuster Society, and a cousin to Jerry Siegel, said.
Less than two years after publication, the character was appearing in assorted media, with Roy Middleton becoming the first actor to portray the character at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and the legendary Fleischer shorts coming in 1941. Over the course of eight decades, he’s appeared in film, television and animated projects.
An artist's rendering of the plaza outside the Huntington Convention Center where the Superman related statues will be installed.
Cleveland will be home to Superman Plaza at the Huntington Bank Convention Center
The Siegel & Shuster Society has been working diligently to create a permanent memorial to Superman in the city’s downtown, and on Aug. 2 their vision becomes reality with the unveiling of Superman Plaza of the corner of St. Clair and Ontario in front of the center.
The tribute plaza will feature Superman soaring through the sky on an 18-foot pylon. It will include life-sized statues of Shuster, Siegel and Joanne Siegel, who was the inspiration for reporter Lois Lane, along with a phone booth, which served as an impromptu changing point for Clark Kent to slip into his alter ego. The exhibit is being created by Cleveland artist David Deming.
The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Laura Siegel Larson, Jerry Siegel’s daughter, in attendance.
Gary Kaplan, board president of the Siegel and Shuster Society and a cousin of Jerry Siegel talks about the creators of Superman Clevelanders Siegel and Joe Shuster during a kick-off for a $2.5 million fundraiser at the Cleveland History Center for the stainless steel statue of Superman in flight and a plaza honoring the creators of the Man of Steel on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
The group has worked to raise more than $2 million for the project. They are still short funds, but have received permission for the installation to go on and will continue to fundraise.
It’s the type of attraction that can add to the roster of reasons to tour downtown Cleveland. To a degree, Kaplan is surprised about the lag in fundraising and lackluster support from the business community.
“People can come in from Pittsburgh or Columbus or wherever and see the Plaza, and while they're there, they may stay at a hotel if it's just a day trip,” Kaplan said. “I mean, they can have lunch. They can spend their money here and that's good for the economy.”
The only local politician to enthusiastically embrace the effort has been Cuyahoga County Councilman Pernel Jones Jr.
Kaplan recognizes there are more pressing priorities in Cleveland – especially given it often ranks in the Top 10 for poverty in the U.S.
“It's a totally different category, but you can't say we're just going to focus on these certain things and nothing else,” Kaplan said.
The home of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood.
Jerry Siegel’s home where Superman was created remains standing
Jerry Siegel’s boyhood home remains standing, if not a bit anonymous, when compared with another Cleveland movie home from “A Christmas Story.” The reason: the film that featured Ralphie and his friends was purchased and restored. Siegel’s home is occupied by owners who didn’t know its legacy when they purchased it, Sangiacomo said.
People would drive up, snap photos and the couple could not understand why until a group of Japanese tourists explained the home’s legacy.
“She finally went down and said, ‘OK, what's going on? Why are you taking pictures of my house?’ And then they told her that this is where Jerry Siegel created Superman. And she went, ‘Oh my God, I had no idea.’”
People still drive by and take pictures, but the potential to make it a museum in the future is there for whomever wants to take on the task and bolster the Man of Steel’s legacy in Ohio.
Until that moment comes, the society has helped keep the property updated, including an online auction that raised featuring noted author and comic book writer Brad Meltzer that raised more than $100,000 in 2009.
Sangiacomo said the couple who lives there embraces the legacy.
“They’ve been really, really, really good about taking care of the place,” Sangiacomo said.
The importance of the home was recognized by actor David Corenswet recently, he added.
“He took his family and just as the filming ended, his family came to Cleveland to visit and they asked if they could go over,” Sangiacomo said. “They went over and they got the tour, the place where Superman was created, and he signed the guest book.”
Nathan Fillion plays Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi plays Mr. Terrific in Superman.
Hawkgirl, Isabela Merced, was born in Cleveland
As Hawkgirl, Isabela Merced doesn’t get an abundance of screen time, but she makes the most of it. Not only does she get to kick some heiney, but she manages to fire off a few well-timed and, based on audience reaction at a recent screening, well-received one-liners as she plays off Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern/Guy Gardner.
For a 24-year-old actress, Merced has a long list of credits going back as far as 2013 and including films such as “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Alien: Romulus.”
The Hall of Justice as it appeared in DC Comics. The superhero headquarters first appeared in the cartoon "Super Friends." It was inspired by Cincinnati's Union Terminal. Courtesy DC Comics/ Rockin' Rooster Comics & Games
Cincinnati’s Union Terminal appears in ‘Superman’ as the Hall of Justice
You won’t see Superman visiting the hangout of the corporate superhero crew that includes Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). Lois Lane receives the honor of visiting the infamous Hall of Justice made famous in the ABC “Superfriends” cartoon from Hanna Barbera in the 1970s. In the movies, she seeks out the help of the trio in assisting to find Superman who has been taken by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his merry band of Gen Z xenophobes who have a problem with Superman’s alien origins.
Its facade is featured prominently.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: From Isabela Merced to Jerry Siegel's home, Superman's local ties bind him to Ohio
