In 1932 Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster created Superman and shopped the character around. Finally, nearly six years later DC took a chance and bought all rights to the character and left Siegel and Shuster with a hefty lump sum but no residuals. The parameters of this deal you can either attribute to DC's relative lack of scruples or Siegel and Shuster not holding out for more, but that's neither her nor there. In any case, the character has become one of (if not the) most recognizable characters in comics, and a quick jaunt to Cleveland, Ohio, will allow you to see Siegel's home where he was created. But that trip may be one that won't be possible in a few years, as the current owners cannot afford to make repairs necessary to maintain the house. Fortunately, comic book folk tend to stick together.
While writing his book The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzer made a trip to the Siegel house as inspiration and realized that the the house could be torn down. Shuster's house a few blocks down had already met that fate, and it would take nothing short of lots of donations to save Siegel's house. To that end, Meltzer founded the Siegel and Shuster Society to help preserve the historic landmark. It doesn't stop there as he's enlisted some forty comics individuals including Joe Quesada, Stephen Colbert, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker and Jeph Loeb among others.
"I think sometimes people take things like this for granted, but this is a house where modern mythology was created," Bendis notes. "[That] mythology will never die away or disappear. There is no difference, to me, between this house and Mark Twain's house. We have to honor and exalt such a creation."
So how can you help? There are two ways. The first is via an auction with all the proceeds going towards repairing the house for the individuals currently living there. As a result of paying for repairs, the Siegel and Shuster Society is entitled to purchasing the house when it goes up for sale next. The auctions run until September 30 and includes VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, a walk-on part on Heroes, your likeness appearing on the cover of Powers or New Avengers and original art from Quesada, John Romita Jr., Chris Bachalo and tons of others. Another way you can help is by buying a shirt through OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com.
So check out either site, and below is a video with Meltzer showing the state of the house as it is. This is a comics landmark and should be preserved, so spread the word and do what you can to help.
Brad Meltzer saving Superman's house
In 1932 Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster created Superman and shopped the character around. Finally, nearly six years later DC took a chance and bought all rights to the character and left Siegel and Shuster with a hefty lump sum but no residuals. The parameters of this deal you can either attribute to DC's relative lack of scruples or Siegel and Shuster not holding out for more, but that's neither her nor there. In any case, the character has become one of (if not the) most recognizable characters in comics, and a quick jaunt to Cleveland, Ohio, will allow you to see Siegel's home where he was created. But that trip may be one that won't be possible in a few years, as the current owners cannot afford to make repairs necessary to maintain the house. Fortunately, comic book folk tend to stick together.
While writing his book The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzer made a trip to the Siegel house as inspiration and realized that the the house could be torn down. Shuster's house a few blocks down had already met that fate, and it would take nothing short of lots of donations to save Siegel's house. To that end, Meltzer founded the Siegel and Shuster Society to help preserve the historic landmark. It doesn't stop there as he's enlisted some forty comics individuals including Joe Quesada, Stephen Colbert, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker and Jeph Loeb among others.
"I think sometimes people take things like this for granted, but this is a house where modern mythology was created," Bendis notes. "[That] mythology will never die away or disappear. There is no difference, to me, between this house and Mark Twain's house. We have to honor and exalt such a creation."
So how can you help? There are two ways. The first is via an auction with all the proceeds going towards repairing the house for the individuals currently living there. As a result of paying for repairs, the Siegel and Shuster Society is entitled to purchasing the house when it goes up for sale next. The auctions run until September 30 and includes VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, a walk-on part on Heroes, your likeness appearing on the cover of Powers or New Avengers and original art from Quesada, John Romita Jr., Chris Bachalo and tons of others. Another way you can help is by buying a shirt through OrdinaryPeopleChangetheWorld.com.
So check out either site, and below is a video with Meltzer showing the state of the house as it is. This is a comics landmark and should be preserved, so spread the word and do what you can to help.
Brad Meltzer saving Superman's house
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