2015 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

December 9, 2015: Siegel and Shuster Society Approves of Planned Superman Statue

Model of Proposed Superman Statue for Cleveland As most Superman fans know, the character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two friends living in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1930s. The Siegel and Shuster Society, which includes relatives of both men, were this week shown pictures and a scale model of the planned Superman statue to be errected near Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as part of the elevated walkway that will connect downtown Cleveland to the lakefront.

    David Deming showed pictures of a scale model of the stainless steel statue to the Siegel and Shuster Society Tuesday evening. It was a tough crowd, since the members of the society include relatives of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He had no reason to fear, they loved the statue.

    Deming said the new pictures reflect the actual look of the statue far more accurately than previously published photos of his preliminary work.

    "Some of the pictures show an early version of Superman that was never intended to be shown," he said. "It had the least amount of detail. I have heard criticism about the project because of that picture and, of course, that is the one the media outlets from around the country always use."

The statue, which is estimated will weight around 4,000 pounds, will see a 10-foot-long flying Superman statue atop a column, which will be 36 feet tall from the base of the column to the highest point of Superman's body.

    The plaza around the statue will be filled with a jumble of craggy, abstract forms meant to resemble the crystalline structure of Superman's home planet of Krypton. The forms, which will be made of glass and concrete, look like the Krypton seen in the 1970s Superman movies.

    Members of the Siegel and Shuster Society peppered Deming with questions about the statue. Siegel's cousin, Irving Fine, asked about the smaller statues of Siegel, Shuster and Siegel's wife, Joanne.

    "Will they be hidden by the shapes on the ground, since they are smaller?" Fine asked.

    Deming said the statues of the Siegel and Shuster will be life-sized and next to the crystal-like sculptures, but will stand out on their own.

The monument, which could cost upwards of $3 million, is expected to be privately funded, and is scheduled to be completed by 2018, which will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of Superman in "Action Comics #1" back in 1938.

Read the full report at Cleveland.com



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