Cleveland, OH
From Isabela Merced to Jerry Siegel’s home, Superman’s local ties bind him to Ohio
VIDEO: ‘Superman’ flies high in James Gunn re-imagining | Review
James Gunn’s “Superman” proves to be a movie ripped straight from a comic book in tone, humor and action. It’s definitely worth a look.
Courtesy of the James Gunn movie, the iconic pop culture character Superman is having a super-sized moment right now. By extension, so is Ohio and, in particular, the city of Cleveland.
What took so long? Given the long run of the character across television, animation and film, it feels odd that Superman is just now giving the area the spotlight given his connections to the state and city, which are numerous.
Does it ultimately matter? Given that Gunn chose to film in Ohio – Cleveland and Cincinnati, specifically – probably not to rest of America. But to Ohio movie fans? More than likely. After, all the Man of Steel has come home.
It helps that the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit is in place, but the efforts of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission were instrumental in luring the production to the area. Call it a homecoming that’s deserved for a number of reasons:
‘Superman’ was born in Cleveland, Ohio – it’s that simple
Metropolis, Ill. makes its faux claim to be home of Superman, but the reality is that two Cleveland teens — Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel — created the character in Siegel’s home in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood. It feels rather strange that fact is just now, seemingly in this moment, being embraced nationally and — to some extent — locally.
It’s a drumbeat that started slowly when then-Plain Dealer reporter Michael Sangiacomo, who wrote a weekly comic book column, started asking the simple question: why weren’t Superman’s creators honored by their hometown. Given the character’s impact since its creation, it was a legitimate one and led to the formation the Siegel & Shuster Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the creators and their character’s legacy.
After agreeing to a deal with National Allied Publishing which was eventually acquired by Detective Comics, Siegel and Shuster signed a 10-year contract to write and illustrate the character for Detective Comics, signing away their copyright in the process just to get the characters, which they developed over the course of six years. Their first published version of Superman appeared in the book Action Comics #1. At a 2024 auction, a highly rated version of the book sold for $6 million.
Superman became an immediate phenomenon.
“He was the first superhero,” Gary Kaplan, president of the Siegel & Shuster Society, and a cousin to Jerry Siegel, said.
Less than two years after publication, the character was appearing in assorted media, with Roy Middleton becoming the first actor to portray the character at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and the legendary Fleischer shorts coming in 1941. Over the course of eight decades, he’s appeared in film, television and animated projects.
Cleveland will be home to Superman Plaza at the Huntington Bank Convention Center
The Siegel & Shuster Society has been working diligently to create a permanent memorial to Superman in the city’s downtown, and on Aug. 2 their vision becomes reality with the unveiling of Superman Plaza of the corner of St. Clair and Ontario in front of the center.
The tribute plaza will feature Superman soaring through the sky on an 18-foot pylon. It will include life-sized statues of Shuster, Siegel and Joanne Siegel, who was the inspiration for reporter Lois Lane, along with a phone booth, which served as an impromptu changing point for Clark Kent to slip into his alter ego. The exhibit is being created by Cleveland artist David Deming.
The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Laura Siegel Larson, Jerry Siegel’s daughter, in attendance.
The group has worked to raise more than $2 million for the project. They are still short funds, but have received permission for the installation to go on and will continue to fundraise.
It’s the type of attraction that can add to the roster of reasons to tour downtown Cleveland. To a degree, Kaplan is surprised about the lag in fundraising and lackluster support from the business community.
“People can come in from Pittsburgh or Columbus or wherever and see the Plaza, and while they’re there, they may stay at a hotel if it’s just a day trip,” Kaplan said. “I mean, they can have lunch. They can spend their money here and that’s good for the economy.”
The only local politician to enthusiastically embrace the effort has been Cuyahoga County Councilman Pernel Jones Jr.
Kaplan recognizes there are more pressing priorities in Cleveland – especially given it often ranks in the Top 10 for poverty in the U.S.
“It’s a totally different category, but you can’t say we’re just going to focus on these certain things and nothing else,” Kaplan said.
Jerry Siegel’s home where Superman was created remains standing
Jerry Siegel’s boyhood home remains standing, if not a bit anonymous, when compared with another Cleveland movie home from “A Christmas Story.” The reason: the film that featured Ralphie and his friends was purchased and restored. Siegel’s home is occupied by owners who didn’t know its legacy when they purchased it, Sangiacomo said.
People would drive up, snap photos and the couple could not understand why until a group of Japanese tourists explained the home’s legacy.
“She finally went down and said, ‘OK, what’s going on? Why are you taking pictures of my house?’ And then they told her that this is where Jerry Siegel created Superman. And she went, ‘Oh my God, I had no idea.’”
People still drive by and take pictures, but the potential to make it a museum in the future is there for whomever wants to take on the task and bolster the Man of Steel’s legacy in Ohio.
Until that moment comes, the society has helped keep the property updated, including an online auction that raised featuring noted author and comic book writer Brad Meltzer that raised more than $100,000 in 2009.
Sangiacomo said the couple who lives there embraces the legacy.
“They’ve been really, really, really good about taking care of the place,” Sangiacomo said.
The importance of the home was recognized by actor David Corenswet recently, he added.
“He took his family and just as the filming ended, his family came to Cleveland to visit and they asked if they could go over,” Sangiacomo said. “They went over and they got the tour, the place where Superman was created, and he signed the guest book.”
Hawkgirl, Isabela Merced, was born in Cleveland
As Hawkgirl, Isabela Merced doesn’t get an abundance of screen time, but she makes the most of it. Not only does she get to kick some heiney, but she manages to fire off a few well-timed and, based on audience reaction at a recent screening, well-received one-liners as she plays off Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern/Guy Gardner.
For a 24-year-old actress, Merced has a long list of credits going back as far as 2013 and including films such as “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Alien: Romulus.”
Cincinnati’s Union Terminal appears in ‘Superman’ as the Hall of Justice
You won’t see Superman visiting the hangout of the corporate superhero crew that includes Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). Lois Lane receives the honor of visiting the infamous Hall of Justice made famous in the ABC “Superfriends” cartoon from Hanna Barbera in the 1970s. In the movies, she seeks out the help of the trio in assisting to find Superman who has been taken by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his merry band of Gen Z xenophobes who have a problem with Superman’s alien origins.
Its facade is featured prominently.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Water Department truck falls into sinkhole and breaks gas line on Cleveland’s West Side
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A Cleveland Water Department truck working on a water main break in Ohio City was partially swallowed up into a sinkhole, breaking a gas line underneath the street.
The incident occurred near West 28th Street and Chatham Avenue late Thursday afternoon.
There was no fire or injuries, according to Lt. Michael Norman of the Cleveland Fire Department.
The gas company is on scene working to fix the leak.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Music legend Bob Dylan is bringing his “Rough And Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour” to Ohio in 2026, making major stops at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre on April 10, along with the Palace Theatre in Columbus on April 9 and Winsupply Theatre in Dayton on April 12.
This Ohio leg of the tour continues Dylan’s ongoing 2026 concert run in support of his 2020 release, “Rough And Rowdy Ways,” an album widely celebrated as among his finest entries in decades.
How to get tickets to see Bob Dylan in Ohio
Tickets for the upcoming Ohio concerts are selling fast, with some vendors reporting fewer than 100 tickets remaining. However, you can still get pass discounts on trusted third-party ticket platforms including Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub, Viagogo and Ticket City.
New customers can save more with these discount codes:
- Vivid Seats customers get $20 off ticket orders of $200 or more by using the code CLEVELAND20 at checkout.
- SeatGeek customers get $5 off orders of $300 or more with code TAKE5.
Here are the cheapest ticket prices currently available to the upcoming Bob Dylan concerts in Ohio, as of Dec. 11:
April 9, 2026: Columbus, OH — Palace Theatre
- Vivid Seats: $196
- SeatGeek: $194
- StubHub: $198
- Viagogo: $192
- Ticket City: $204
April 10, 2026: Cleveland, OH — KeyBank State Theatre
- Vivid Seats: $217
- SeatGeek: $282
- StubHub: $332
- Viagogo: $322
- Ticket City: $218
April 12, 2026: Dayton, OH — Winsupply Theatre
- Vivid Seats: $261
- SeatGeek: $288
- StubHub: $252
- Viagogo: $245
- Ticket City: $262
What Ohio fans can expect from Dylan’s shows
Ohio fans will experience more than just great seats. For his first date in Columbus, Dylan takes the stage at the historic Palace Theatre, a venue known for its warm acoustics and lavish 1920s-style charm.
Then comes Cleveland, where Playhouse Square’s KeyBank State Theatre will host an intimate, phone-free performance. Fans will have electronics secured in Yondr pouches to ensure a fully immersive concert experience. The embedded nostalgia of the theater pairs perfectly with Dylan’s timeless classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”
Finally, Dayton fans can join the celebration of Dylan’s vast musical legacy at Winsupply Theatre. By choosing acoustically superior venues throughout Ohio, Dylan seems to be deliberately crafting a more personal connection with audiences, transforming each stop into a storytelling event rather than just another headlining show.
Cleveland, OH
US Marshals arrest 2 men accused of killing Maple Heights man in robbery outside Angie’s Soul Café
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The U.S. Marshals confirmed the two suspects wanted by the Cleveland Division of Police for the murder of a Maple Heights man robbed outside Angie’s Soul Café in June have been arrested.
Members of the U.S. Marshals’ Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested 20-year-old Dominick Newby and 19-year-old Jayshawn Collins early Wednesday morning without incident, USMS stated.
They were found in the 1100 block of East 58th Street in Cleveland, USMS said.
Cleveland police said officers rushed to the 700 block of Carnegie Avenue at 2:30 p.m. on June 17 for a reported robbery outside Angie’s Soul Café.
Officers then learned the victim was shot in the parking lot during a robbery, according to police.
He was taken to University Hospitals where he died.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified him as 34-year-old Patrick Carner of Maple Heights.
Restaurant staff told 19 News the victim was a customer who had come to purchase food and was shot while getting in a car.
A representative from the restaurant released the below statement on June 17:
19 News confirmed through officials that Carner was the man sentenced in connection to the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Vonnashia Akins died after falling out of a moving car on I-90 in downtown Cleveland during rush hour back in October 2019.
Carner was behind the wheel, and police said he left the scene.
He was sentenced to a total of four years for obstruction of official business and tampering with evidence.
Newby and Collins were identified as suspects in this murder late this summer, USMS said, and the NOVFTF recently started searching for both of them.
“This shooting left one person dead and could have been significantly worse as the shooting took place outside of a busy restaurant in the middle of the day,” U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated. “The community is a safer place with these two violent individuals off the streets and behind bars.”
Anyone with information on a wanted fugitive can call the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you send a tip online.
Reward money is available for tips leading to the arrest and conviction of a wanted fugitive, and tipsters can stay anonymous.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2025 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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