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2012 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

March 28, 2012: Cleveland's Push for a Superhero Museum

Superhero Museum As we know, Cleveland, Ohio is the birthplace of Superman. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived in the area when they collaborated on the Man of Steel's creation. Cleveland Magazine's John Hitch explores the idea of having a Superhero Museum in the city to celebrate its connection with the birth of the modern superhero.

    Other than Siegel's home and a display in Beachwood's Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Cleveland has done little to convey its pride in being Superman's birthplace. Maybe it's Midwestern humility or that comics aren't as cool as rock music, but we've treated our role in comics history like Kryptonite.

    Just as Cleveland jumped onstage for our piece of rock 'n' roll glory, we should mark the 75th anniversary of Action Comics No. 1 in June 2013 by stamping a red and yellow shield on our puffed-out communal chest. We should build the first superhero history museum.

    "It's as important an idea as it was to get the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here," argues University Heights native Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Ultimate Spider-Man and The New Avengers. "It makes that much sense."

He goes on to write:

    Cleveland's museum could include every influential superhero, from Spider-Man and Wolverine to the Justice League and the X-Men. The foyer could be dedicated solely to Siegel and Shuster, an explanation of "Why Cleveland?" The museum could show comics' place in American culture, from costumed crusaders' years as World War II propaganda to their expansion into graphic novels and their ubiquitous presence in summer blockbusters today. It could also cover the counterculture's response to superheroes, including Clevelander Harvey Pekar's American Splendor comics, which teach that it's heroic just to get out of bed in the morning.

    Down the road, I envision a giant museum with a glimmering façade like the Fortress of Solitude. It'd be a dynamic nerdvana where fans could access the Bat Cave's computer to learn about science and history. They could climb a Velcro wall to imitate Spider-Man's sticky abilities. Bendis himself pledged original artwork if the place is ever built. So that's a start.

Read the complete article at the Cleveland Magazine website.


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