THE SUPERMAN MUSEUM OF METROPOLIS, (ILLINOIS?)

Market Potential for Elephants-  About a third of the year has frost making it impractical for elephants

Date of My Visit August 8, 2015

Superman is a fictional character tales of whom I have loved since college and steel (oops still!) read regularly.  His fictional origin is well known, especially following seven feature films.  Superman was

Art by Shuster

conceived on the planet Krypton and when his father, Krypton’s greatest scientist, realized the planet would shortly be destroyed by internal pressures sent his son to earth.  Raised by a farm family in the center of the United States, he developed powers that were mostly an amplification of his human abilities, super strength, speed, skin that resists almost anything, etc.

He started out fighting abusive husbands and playing practical on cruel mine owners, advanced to fighting gangsters, mad or at least anti-social scientists, and assorted monsters.  He also helped save lives from dams collapsing, volcanos and tidal waves.  Like any good Kansas boy he seems to have a special grudge against tornados.

What it that has made this character so widely loved? 

Well we all love heroes and most of us want to be a hero.   However as 

Every one dreams of flying

cartoonist Jules Feiffer once commented “I couldn’t have been Batman even if I wanted to.  If I were ever to be trapped in a steel vault with the walls closing in on all sides, I was obviously going to have to break out with my fists, because it was clear from my earliest science grades that I was never going to have the know-how to invent an explosive in my underground laboratory.”

Some see Superman’s being an alien as an important part of his appeal.   In America, the land of immigrants, he is the ultimate immigrant, and he proves all heroism is not traceable to an Anglo-Saxon background.

His original creators, writer Jerome Siegel and artist Joseph Shuster were the sons of Jewish  

Jerry Siegel

immigrants.  Many see their largest innovation was giving their character a civilian identity very different from his heroic one.  Clark Kent represents the side that’s assimilated into America; Superman represents who he really is. 

Me- I love Superman because he may be the most powerful being on his earth, but instead of ripping open bank deposit boxes, he spends his time helping people.   He gives me hope for humanity.  He keeps his Clark Kent identity because he spent his whole life among humans.  The only way he can keep such a life is to not be a celebrity, especially when lots of people want you dead.  Being Superman is like being rich, you never know what people really feel about you.

The actual origin of the character is that the two young creators were in the late 1930’s trying to

Joe Shuster

break into the relatively new field of comic books.  Comic books were originally reprint books of newspaper comic strips. The first to publish original stories was New Fun No. 1, published by National Allied Publications.  Shuster and Siegel’s first successes were Henri Duval, a swashbuckler, and supernatural crime-fighter Dr. Occult, both of which appeared in New Fun No. 6 (Oct,1935).  Many experts consider Dr. Occult the first super powered comic book hero.

Superman was presented to several publishers but was finally accepted by National Allied and became the lead in Action Comics No. 1 (June, 1938).   Siegel and Shuster sold all rights to Superman to National Allied in return for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material.

Superman was such a hit that in January 1939 a Superman daily comic strip appeared.  For most of its original run the newspaper strip were drawn by Wayne Boring and later Win Mortimer.

In June 1939 he got his own magazine Superman while still appearing in Action.  Schuster continued to draw most stories in both until 1946 when he and Siegel’s contract with their publisher, now known as Detective Comics Inc. ended.  They sued to recover the rights to Superman but the contract was upheld. However Siegel had created a new character, Superboy that was judged to be his.  DC Comics Inc. eventually paid the two of them $94,000 for the rights to Superboy, and an agreement that DC held all rights to Superman. 

Siegel and Schuster left and Wayne Boring took over as principle Superman artist.  Where Schuster

had a very minimalist style in his backgrounds and based Superman on the bodybuilders of the 1930s, Wayne Boring made him larger and more detailed.  The stories became less violent and Superman instead of a prankster, who the authorities sometimes treated as an enemy, became a strict law and order man. He devoting much of his time to protecting the wealthy’s property.

Curt Swan

In 1955 Curt Swan became the main artist on the feature. It is his Superman with him doing the pencils and Murphy Anderson then going over them with Inks that is the basis for most images since then. The 1950’s were the worst period of sales in comic book history but Superman continued to be published because he had achieved an icon place in American pop culture, and advertising.  He also had a live action television show from 1951 to 1957. 

Over the following decades numerous artist have drawn Superman but only those who did so called ‘imaginary’ stories were Superman landed in Africa and fought poachers or was raised in Stalinist Russia made any basic changes to his costume.   Alex Ross's painted images so how much can be done with the classic red, white,

Art by Ross.

and blue scheme.  The newest films Man of Steel and Superman vs Batman have changed to a new chainmail look. 

Superman is currently appearing in several comics, following several different story lines, and wearing several different costumes.   DC comics are now the property of Warner Brothers but comic sales are only the smallest part of the Superman franchise. The feature films have world wide appeal and the DVD collections are selling well.  The alternate story lines allow the sale of many different posters, toys, statues, and action figures.

What about Siegel and Shuster? In 1975 they launched a publicity campaign; timed to the opening of Warner Brothers’ first film, complaining about their treatment. To avoid bad publicity they were granted a lifetime stipend each, with health benefits. Since then each Superman comic has borne the phrase “created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster”.  Shuster died in 1992 and Siegel 1996. 

Metropolis, Illinois was founded in the 19^th century. Its ambitious name came from hopes that it would become an industrial and shipping center on the Ohio River.  It is the county seat but its primary industry remained agriculture until the Uranium Hexafluoride Processing Facility was built.   

In 1950’s as the popular television show made the elements of the Superman myth widely know the name Metropolis started jokes including renaming the weekly newspaper the Daily Planet. 

Then in 1972 the long time hopes of Warner Brothers to start a Superman theme park connected 

A look at the proposed Superman Land by Superman artist Neal Adams

with need of new industry in Metropolis.  A team from DC , including an actor in costume, met with the city council and announced Metropolis, Illinois was the official home of Superman.  Preliminary plans were laid out for the World of Superman, including a 200 foot statue, a Fortress of Solitude, and a recreation of the comic book Smallville’s main street.  There was also supposed to be a supermarket and playground.

There are varying reports of what happened then. The most popular is when Metropolis was ready to approach banks and write bonds for funding the Arab oil embargo scared most major financial institutions away from speculative long term projects.  It was assumed gasoline prices would continue upward and vacations would become less common. 

In 1976 it was discovered that the Uranium processing plant had been killing workers with cancer since 1959.  At a glance the town had more in common with Homer Simpson’s Springfield then Superman’s City of Tomorrow.

However for fun and profit the citizens of Metropolis carried own.  Every year since 1978 they have had an annual Superman Celebration in June with a parade, games and film showing.  In 2016 Michael Landes (Jimmy Olsen on Lois and Clark) and Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen in all four Christopher Reeves films and Supergirl) were the special guests.

In 1993 they unveiled a 15 foot bronze statue of Superman in front of the county court house built with individual contributions. 

   Across the small square is the Super Museum founded the same year by collector Jim Hambrick.

 

 Inside is the free to enter Super store ok on Metropolis artifacts, t-shirt etc., but with hardly any comics. 

The museum is a fascinating combination formal presentation and basement nerd den.  Hambrick says he started his Museum at the age of 10 charging a nickel for tours of his bedroom but now he has three Superman No. 1, possibly the last existing costume worn by George Reeves in television series The Adventures of Superman, and the phone booth that Kirk Alyn used to change into his costume in the 15 chapter serial. Several pre-teens were rushing in to this phone booth to try on their new capes. Naturally I had to whistle the John Williams theme. 

 At first it seems to be a random stack of stuff, but each room has a theme


Kirk Alyn Room

 

Another room in the museum.

Nearby is the 2010 statue of Noel Neil dressed as the character Lois Lane she played in the serial with Alyn and on television with George Reeves.   She also appeared as Lois Lane’s aunt in the feature film Superman with Christopher Reeve, and Gertrude Vanderworth, a strange, elderly woman, who marries arch villain Lex Luthor and leaves him a fortune to execute his criminal plan in Superman Returns. Its interesting that while they chose a generic Superman but are now honoring a specific actress.  The monument was again paid for by private donations.

I would strongly recommend a two hour stop over especially with youngsters in the back seat. Leaving route I-24 at exit 37 then take 45 into town.  It’s only about 20 minutes in and out.  When I visited there was a good ice cream shop across the road, one of the last store fronts open downtown.  If staying overnight I suggest Harrah Metropolis you can do a little gambling in the evening.  

 Geek Resources -


First Episode of the serial SUPERMAN  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7soDPQUxpOk


First Episode of The Adventures of Superman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzvlRVLkCR0


Nine Fleisher Studio Superman Cartoons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTdmbOYp3xw


Filmation Superman cartoon from 1966  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DJpgFLjT2Y


John Williams conducts the Superman Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjIlBoGrVJM


Final Scene of SMALLVILLE  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGm0V8G7h38


Superman radio program https://archive.org/details/superman_otr

 Further resources-


Feiffer, Jules   The  Great Comic Book Heroes  Bonanza Books 1965

Grossman, Gary Superman Serial to Cereal , Popular Library, Sept 1977, ISBN 0445040548


The Supermuseum   www.supermuseum.com


Superman Day      www.supermancelebration.net

Thompson, Don  All In Color for a Dime Ace Books  1970   ISBN 44101625150