Cleveland, OH

From Isabela Merced to Jerry Siegel’s home, Superman’s local ties bind him to Ohio

Published

8 months ago

July 11, 2025

Press Room

From Isabela Merced to Jerry Siegel’s home, Superman’s local ties bind him to Ohio

A Superman Plaza featuring statues of Siegel, Shuster, and Lois Lane’s inspiration, Joanne Siegel, will be unveiled at the Huntington Bank Convention Center.
Siegel’s childhood home, where Superman was created, still stands in Cleveland.
Cleveland native Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl in the new Superman movie.

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.

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Cleveland, OH

Bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bodies of 2 young girls found in suitcases in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd on Tuesday confirmed the bodies of two young girls were found in suitcases on the city’s East Side Monday evening.

Cleveland police were called just after 6 p.m. to a field in the area of East 163rd and Midland Avenue for a suspected dead body.

According to police sources, a man was walking his dog in the area, for the first time in awhile due to the snow, and the dog hit on the scent.

The man immediately called 911.

“The officers responded out and located a deceased individual that was in a shallow grave inside of a suitcase,” said Chief Todd.

When officers and homicide detectives got to the scene, Todd said they found the second body nearby.

According to the chief, both suitcases were partially buried in shallow graves. She said the victims had been there quite some time.

“It is traumatic for everyone. It is traumatic for those who live in the area to know that this was right there at their door step,” said Todd.

Authorities said one victim is believed to be 8-and-a-half to 13 years old and the other is believed to be 10-and-a-half to 14 years old.

There is no indication at this time on their identities, according to police.

“locally we have no reports of missing children to match these identifications. We are checking statewide as well. We have assistance from our state federal and local partners,” said Todd.

Detectives are checking with state and federal partners as well.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has taken custody of the bodies and will conduct further examination to determine the cause of death.

This crime scene is located near Ginn Academy in the city’s South Collinwood neighborhood.

Police said the investigation remains in its very early stages and there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at 216-623-5464.

Tips can remain anonymous.

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Cleveland, OH

More than 30K FirstEnergy customers without power in Cuyahoga County

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

More than 30K FirstEnergy customers without power in Cuyahoga County

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Thousands of FirstEnergy customers are without power in Cuyahoga County this Tuesday.

The total number reached 31,785 reported outages in Cuyahoga County at noon.

That number decreased to 16,486 as of 1:10 p.m.

There were just 2,751 still without power less than an hour later at 2 p.m.

FirstEnergy estimates power to be restored to most impacted customers between 2-4 p.m. Tuesday.

FirstEnergy spokesperson Brooke Conlan said this is due to small fires on poles.

According to Conlan, the misty rain combined with salt on the road can cause contamination on utility poles, which causes electricity to travel across the the pole and cause the fire.

Conlan added their crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power.

Due to the outages, the Parma Justice Center is closed, and all court proceedings are suspended for the remainder of Tuesday.

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Cleveland, OH

David Henry Obituary – Vermilion, OH

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

David Henry

OBITUARY

David G. Henry, 70, of Vermilion, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, at his home following a lengthy illness.He was born December 14, 1955, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and had made Vermilion his home for the past 42 years, moving from Irwin, Pennsylvania.Dave began his career with Westinghouse in Pennsylvania before relocating to Ohio in 1983. He was employed at Elyria Foundry for 20 years and later worked as a machinist for 14 years at Betcher Industries, where he retired. He was known throughout his career for his strong work ethic and skilled craftsmanship.In his free time, Dave enjoyed woodworking, taking pride in the projects he created with his hands. Above all, he cherished the time he spent with his family, especially his children and grandchildren.He is survived by his daughter, Alicia Parsons of Vermilion; his sons, David (Fiona) Henry of Bloomington, Indiana and Jonathan (Joanna) Henry of Vermilion and Anthony (Ashley) Cico of Amherst; and 13 beloved grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, Darlene (nee Eckenrode) Henry in 2017; his parents, Charles and Gloria (nee Krider) Henry; his brother, Howard Henry; and his son-in-law, Cliff Parsons.The family will receive friends on Friday, March 20, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 5:00 p.m. at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South Street, Vermilion, Ohio.Memorial contributions may be made to Friendship Animal Protective League of Lorain County, Inc. 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH 44035 or Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 95000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com

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