Sep 2, 2008 11:30 AM
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Tue Feb 9
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Launching today, new charity the Siegel & Shuster Society is trying to live up to the legacy of the world's greatest superhero, inspiring everyone to help out their friends and neighbors... and save the house where Jerry Siegel created Superman, way back in the 1930s, which they're at it. Find out what Brad Meltzer, Chip Kidd and a host of comic creators are doing to right a cultural wrong, and see an exclusive gallery of Superman art, below.
The charity was created by Brad Meltzer as a result of research into the life of Siegel for his new novel, The Book Of Lies, that uncovered just how badly that historic house had fallen into disrepair:
The house where Google was created is saved. The farm where Hewlett Packard was founded is preserved. And Richard Nixon’s house is a museum. But the house where Superman — one of the world’s most recognized heroes — was created? It’s a wreck. It's actually a great old house — painted bright red and blue (really) — and owned by one of the kindest elderly couples in the world. But as the neighborhood sank, so did the house. When you walk inside, you feel like your foot might go through the floor. The roof is flawed. The paint is a mess. When you look up at the ceiling, you see the exposed rafters overhead. It's a mess. Worst of all, the city of Cleveland let it happen. As the owner told me, “They won’t even give us a plaque. Not even a plaque to say, ‘This is where Superman was created.’”
Exactly.
Just heartbreaking.
To correct this, the Siegel & Shuster Society was created - Not only to save the house, but (via the Ordinary People Change The World website) to promote random acts of kindness... just like Superman would do. If that kind of thing isn't to your tastes, however, maybe you'd like to bid on some exclusive items created for a charity auction to raise money for the cause. Created by whom, you ask? Well, how do Stephen Colbert, Jim Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, Brad Meltzer, Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, Joe Quesada, Neil Gaiman, Alex Ross, Dave Gibbons, Jeph Loeb, Murphy Anderson, Ed Brubaker, John Cassaday, Gene Ha, Greg Rucka, George Perez, Michael Turner, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Judd Winick, Frank Cho, Eric Powell, Tim Sale, Walt Simonson, Joe Staton, Eric Wight, Dave Mandel, Mike Mignola, Rags Morales, Bill Morrison, Ivan Reis, John Romita Jr., Jason Palmer, Amanda Conner, Geoff Darrow, Ron Garney, Renato Guedes, the cast and crew of Heroes, Dave Johnson, Chris Bachalo, Mike Bair, Allen Bellman, Dan Brereton, Ernie Chan, Travis Charest, and Ian Churchill sound? Oh, there's more:
Joanne Siegel told Meltzer that before Jerry Siegel died, he signed six Superman t-shirts that no one ever knew existed — and then told her that if their family ever needed money, she should sell the shirts. Instead, she donated one of them to be auctioned off here. The signature is on a Superman: Quest For Peace(!) t-shirt. C'mon, baby, it's Jerry Siegel on a Quest for Peace shirt!
You can find out more about the auction here, with the main site explaining the goals of the society here.
Send an email to Graeme McMillan, the author of this post, at graeme@io9.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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