- Joined
- Jul 29, 2003
- Messages
- 66,114
- Reaction score
- 4,436
- Points
- 103
LINK
COMICS
Superman house gets a Funky' visitor
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Michael Sangiacomo
Plain Dealer Reporter
The old Jerry Siegel house on Kimberly Avenue in Cleveland hasn't gotten this much attention in decades.
One of my jobs as Cleveland's unofficial comic-book ambassador is to take visitors to the old house where Jerry Siegel created Superman in 1933. His pal, Joe Shuster, lived a short distance away on Amor Street.
Though the Glenville neighborhood is a bit tattered, there is a quiet dignity to the house, proudly painted Superman red, yellow and blue.
Last fall, Tom Batiuk (author of the comic strip "Funky Winkerbean") asked for a tour, and we were lucky to catch owner Hattie Gray at home. She was gracious enough to let us see the upstairs bedroom and third-floor workroom where a teenage Jerry Siegel created a character that would reverberate around the world.
Batiuk said he planned to somehow incorporate the house into his strip. Recently, he mailed me 18 daily and three Sunday strips he created.
The three-week series begins Monday, Aug. 11, and budges aside the current story line, which has been finished for months. Most cartoonists work months in advance of what you see published. Unlike many artists, Batiuk works almost a year in advance.
The story is about a comic writer who gets the assignment of a lifetime -- writing Superman. When he gets stuck, a buddy says he needs inspiration and drives him to visit the house where it all began. Batiuk drew the house based on photos he took that day and turned out a smart little story.
Siegel was also in the news last week because of a Los Angeles court decision that orders Time-Warner and DC Comics to share the Superman character with the widow and daughter of the creator.
The ruling is complex, and its impact will be debated for years, plus Time Warner is expected to appeal.
