2008 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

Siegel House

September 2, 2008: Charity Auction to Save House Where Superman Was Created

Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Superman, Brad Meltzer, NY Times Bestselling Author, Teams Up with The Siegel & Shuster Society to Restore the Boyhood Home of Superman's Creator, Jerry Siegel

Brad Meltzer, New York Times #1 bestselling author, in partnership with The Siegel and Shuster Society, today announced the launch of a celebrity charity auction to fund the restoration of the home of Jerry Siegel, creator of Superman.

Through Meltzer's recently launched philanthropic website, OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, fans of Superman can bid online for one-of-a-kind art and memorabilia donated by some of the country's most notable writers and artists, with all proceeds going to the restoration of the Siegel house and helping to turn it into a historic landmark.

While conducting extensive research for his newly released novel, The Book of Lies, Meltzer visited the boyhood home of Jerry Siegel in Cleveland, Ohio, where Superman - one of the world's most recognized heroes - was created and saw the house was in extreme disrepair. Immediately, he knew he had to do something to honor the legend. Thanks to the hard work of many in the city of Cleveland, The Siegel & Shuster Society was created and is dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the creation of Superman in Cleveland by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

"We are thrilled to have Brad Meltzer champion this cause and are so thankful to the generosity of those who have contributed to saving the house. It's a great tribute to Siegel & Shuster and the creativity of Superman," notes Dick Pace, President of The Siegel & Shuster Society.

To help raise the necessary funds to repair and restore the house, Meltzer enlisted the help of his friends and fellow comic book writers and artists, including Neil Gaiman, Brian Michael Bendis, Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, Tim Sale, Jeph Loeb, Ed Brubaker and others who donated original artwork, naming rights in upcoming books, an appearance on TV's Heroes, and other Superman collectibles. Stephen Colbert donated a VIP visit to his show. The family of Jerry Siegel was so moved by the event, they revealed the existence of six Superman t-shirts that Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel signed before his death, and donated one of the six shirts to the auction.

George Perez "When I saw that the house where Superman was created was in disrepair, it just seemed wrong," Meltzer said. "The house where Google was created is saved. The farm where Hewlett Packard was founded is preserved. The Superman house deserves the same respect."

Beginning September 2, 2008 at midnight, and running through 11:59 pm on September 30, 2008, OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com will host this historic online auction, through eBay's MissionFish, to raise enough money to ensure the Siegel house will be around as a historic landmark for years to come.

"This is the house where a young man dreamed of a hero that could lift the spirits of a world in turmoil and give hope to the hopeless. He created a great American icon inside these walls. That young man was my father, writer Jerry Siegel, and I am thrilled that so many people are working together to honor him and preserve this very special place," said Laura Siegel Larson, daughter of Jerry Siegel and honorary co-chairperson.

"We've always relied on Superman to be there when we needed him," Meltzer added. "This is our chance to be there for him."

Michael Turner Visit www.OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com and help make history. Visitors can donate money, buy a Siegel & Shuster Society t-shirt designed by legendary graphic designer, Chip Kidd, or bid on priceless Superman collectibles, while helping to preserve an American landmark.

To see the house yourself, watch this video: www.OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com/video.

OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com would like to thank the following artists and authors who have donated items to help save the Siegel house:

Murphy Anderson
Chris Bachalo
Mike Bair
Allen Bellman
Brian Michael Bendis
Dan Brereton
Ed Brubaker
John Cassady
Ernie Chan
Travis Charest
Frank Cho
Ian Churchill
Stephen Colbert
Amanda Conner
Geoff Darrow
Richard Donner
Neil Gaiman
Ron Garney
Dave Gibbons
Renato Guedes
Gene Ha
Heroes (walk on)
Geoff Johns
Dave Johnson
Adam Kubert
Andy Kubert
Jim Lee
Jeph Loeb
Dave Mandel
Brad Meltzer
Mike Mignola
Rags Morales
Bill Morrison
Ivan Reis
John Romita Jr.
Jason Palmer Jason Palmer
George Perez
Eric Powell
Joe Quesada
Greg Rucka
Alex Ross
Tim Sale
Jerry Siegel
Walt Simonson
Joe Staton
Michael Turner
Eric Wight
Judd Winick

To view a complete list of the auction items, go to: http://www.ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/page/siegel-and-shuster-society-auction.aspx

About OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com:
OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com is a new site dedicated to strengthen and inspire ordinary people to take action and help make a difference in the world. The site will feature stories of people who are making a difference, and highlight different causes that are changing the world. Visitors can watch videos, participate in community forums and share stories about what inspires them or what good deeds they are doing to change the world. All proceeds from the site will be donated to charity.

About Brad Meltzer:
Brad Meltzer is the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate, as well as the bestsellers The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires and The Zero Game. He is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby - and is he #1 selling author and Eisner Award winner of the critically acclaimed comic book Identity Crisis and Justice League of America. His newest thriller, The Book of Lies, will be in stores on September 2, 2008.

About The Siegel and Shuster Society
The Siegel & Shuster Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the creation of Superman in Cleveland, Ohio, by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The Society will, in a manner consistent with the rights of DC Comics, create events and activities which celebrate Cleveland as the "Birthplace of Superman" and the importance of Superman to our community today and in the future. The Society will also work with other organizations that are celebrating Superman in a manner consistent with the goals of the Society.



2008 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News

Listed below are all the Merchandise & Miscellaneous News items archived for 2008.


Back to the News Archive Contents page.

Back to the Latest News page.