JOURNEY INTO COMICS: THE SECRET OF SIEGEL'S ATTIC

[MattBrady]

by Michael San Giacomo

No matter how many New York Times best-selling novels or monumental comic books he writes, Brad Meltzer is as much a comic geek as anyone.

Meltzer came to Cleveland last week to promote his novel The Book of Fate (great book, buy it.) Like many other comic fans, he wanted to see the place where it all started, the house where Jerry Siegel created Superman.

I’ve given this tour so often to visiting comic fans I feel like an adjunct member of the local tourism board - except that Cleveland does nothing to promote its Superman heritage. But that’s another rant.

I picked up Brad at his hotel one rainy afternoon to give him the grand comic tour of the city.

Like any good comic geek, I tried to con secrets out of him about Justice League of America, Infinite Crisis and 52. His DC editors will be happy to know he’s a clam. We talked about (what else?) comics old and new and decided that we live in wonderful times for comics.

Soon we were in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. This was once a prosperous Jewish enclave in Cleveland, but by the 1950s most of the Jewish residents used their GI Bill money to buy houses in the suburbs. They all moved away.

The shops closed, the neighborhoods deteriorated. Race riots in the 1960s drove out just about everyone except a tenacious bicycle repair shop, who remains the last Jewish business owner in Glenville.

I showed Brad the vacant lot where Joe Shuster’s house used to be. I forgot to show the office building that was once the Siegel and Shuster studio, or the apartment where Jerry and Joanne Siegel lived.

We stopped in front of the house painted in blue and red, with sun-faded Superman comics and posters in the front window. The same ones have been there since I first saw the house 17 years ago.

Brad pulled out his camera and started shooting pictures.

We walked up the door and rang the bell. I have spoken to the owners of the house many times over the years. They are surprisingly friendly and tolerant to strangers showing up on their doorstep.

Jefferson and Hattie Gray were as social as ever. Brad and I mumbled a bit until finally one of us asked the big question: Could we come inside and look around?

What nerve. I mean, imagine perfect strangers coming to your house and asking to come in and poke around?

But as I said, Jefferson and Hattie are used to strange comic book people. After a bit of fretting about the condition of the house, Hattie agreed to let us nosepoke.

Jefferson took us up rickety stairs to the second floor, rear, bedroom to Jerry’s bedroom.. Brad and I looked at it, both imagining that young kid looking out that window in Depression era Cleveland, dreaming of a man who could fly above it all.

Remember, Jerry’s father was murdered when he was a young boy by a robber at his haberdashery shot not far from the house. The killer was never found. Young Jerry had a lot of his plate.

Then Jefferson motioned us up another flight of stairs to a finished third floor room, loaded floor to ceiling with paperback books (no comics.)

This is where Jerry wrote. This is where the magic happened, where Siegel and his buddy, Joe Shuster, created Superman.

We soaked it all. It looked like a perfect place to shut out the world and create a new one where he good guy always won. Where people are nice. Where killers who shoot fathers and caught and put in jail.

The room is only used for storage now.

As we left the room, Brad looked up and noticed a hatch in the ceiling.

“Does that go to an attic?” he asked.

“Yes it does,” replied Jefferson. “But there’s nothing up there, nothing at all.”

Our minds were going a mile a minute.

“Have you ever looked up there?” I asked.

“Me? Nah, just spider webs up there,” Jefferson said.

Did you ever have one of those moments where it feels like time has stopped? Where you feel like something big could happen in the next moment?

“You’ve never been up there?” Brad asked.

“Nope, we’ve been here since ‘86 and never been up,” he said. “Well, my boy poked his head up there and said there wasn’t anything there. The guy we bought the house from was in his 90s and he lived here a long, long time. He bought the house from the Siegels. He said he never went up there either.”

Brad and I knew exactly what the other was thinking.

I said it first.

“Jefferson, I mean, Jerry’s workroom is right here,” I said. “He created Superman right here. He walked out of that room and there was the attic hatch. He could have put something up there: drawings, scripts, porno magazines, anything. He was a kid, kids hide things and forget about them.”

Jefferson, who may have been enjoying toying with us breathless geeks, just smiled.

“Nah, there ain’t nothing up there,” he said.

“But,” I persisted, think about it. “What if he wrapped some copies of Action Comics #1 and tossed them up there? They could be worth a fortune. You’d be rich.”

He just smiled.

Brad started looking around the rooms furiously for a chair, table or large dog or anything else he could stand on.

“Can I just take a look?” he said. “Let me just climb up there and poke my head around.”

But there was no chair, no flashlight and I suspect Jefferson was getting tired of these crazy comic geeks with their questions.

“No, it’s all dirty up there, and there’s no floor,” he said. “You’ll hurt yourself.“

We both wanted to scream “WE DON”T CARE! WE WANT TO LOOK!” But we were (outwardly) calm and polite.

Jefferson turned to go back down the steps.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll have my son take a look,” he said.

I told him to let me know immediately if they found anything. How cool would it be for this nice couple if they found an old Joe Shuster sketchbook? Or some unused Superman scripts? Even doodles by Siegel and/or Shuster would be worth installing in a museum, that is if Cleveland had a museum dedicated to Superman. Which it doesn’t. And it should.

But I digress.

We talked to Jefferson and Hattie for a while longer. They said the city had promised them a plaque for the front of their house denoting that it is an historical site and the birthplace of Superman.

Three mayors have promised them that plaque over the past 20 years. None delivered.

I said I would call the city and remind them. Again.

We left. Back in the car, Brad and I talked about comics and Superman and what it must have been like to create something that huge. Something that important.

And we fantasized about what could be in the attic.

Earlier tonight, I called Hattie and Jefferson and asked if they had gotten around to looking in the attic. It had been a week or so.

Hattie laughed.

“There’s nothing up there,” she said.

“I know, but…” I said.

“No, you don’t understand,” she said. “Just before we bought the house the old man who owned it had some people come in. They removed everything from the attic and blew in insulation. They went down to the bare wood.

“If there was anything in the attic, they took it out and got rid of it,” she said.

I felt like Geraldo Rivera standing in front of Al Capone’s empty vault.

“So, there’s really nothing up there anymore?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, just an attic full of insulation,” she said.

And dreams.

Dedicated with respect to Jerry, Joe, Joanne, Leo Nowak and of course, Jefferson and Hattie.

[nickmaynard]

man, great story!

[OM]

...Yeah, one hell of a story! Makes me wonder what the MSG detractors are going to complain about

[Arion]

The idea of a secret in Siegel's attic is such a wonderful homage.

[CitC]

I found 8 100 dollar bills under the carpet in my grandparnts room after tey passed away. A stack of action comics #1 would be better

[mikesang]

Originally Posted by OM

...Yeah, one hell of a story! Makes me wonder what the MSG detractors are going to complain about

Give 'em time. They'll figure out something.
M

[MurrayC]

I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, but my Dad was born and raised in Galt, Ontario, and came to Nova Scotia in the early 1960's to join the Navy.

Once every few years, we would go "home" to Galt and stay with my Grandfather. My parents stayed in the master bedroom, my Grandfather would stay in one of the smaller bedrooms since my Grandmother died years before, and I would stay in my Father's old bedroom that he shared with one of his brothers.

When I was around 12, and heavily into collecting comics, we were once again staying with my Grandfather, and I got the notion to go snooping in his attic. Afterall, he built the house in the late 1930's and it made sense that my Dad and his two brothers read comics as kids during the late 1940's and early 1950's, and maybe they got stashed away?

Wouldn't it be great if I found a copy of Justice League #1, Showcase #4, or Fantastic Four #1?

So, I went into the attic, which was easy because it was a Cape Cod style house, and the attic was actually along the sides of the house (behind finished walls) with a finished floor and fully insulated, so there was no chance of mold or dampness to damage potentially a great find.

So I opened the 3ft. high door and crawled in with only the light from the bedroom to guide my way. I was on my hands and knees, feeling around, looking for boxes that felt like they would be big enough to hold comics. There I was in the dark, searching... feeling... letting my hands be my guide. I felt like Matt Murdock when he learned how to deal with his blindness for the first time.

But then it happened.... SNAP! "Agggghhhh... Goddammit!"

When I let out a scream, my Grandfather came running to see what the comotion was. He poked his head through the attic door to find me in the dark writhing in pain with my hand caught in a mousetrap.

He said, "Jesus Christ, what are you doing in the dark?"

I said, "I was looking to see if Dad stashed any old comics here in the attic"

Even in the dark I could see my Grandfather roll his eyes. Then, sarcastically, he says, "Probably be easier if you turned the light on". He flicked on a light switch, and I was suddenly blinded by the glare of a 60 watt bulb. Who knew he would be the one person in the world to put lights in the attic?

After my Grandfather got me three bandaids for my bloody fingers, he assured me that there were no comics in the attic because he was afraid of fire hazards like comic books.

[rex fury]

Great story! Why not start a campaign to buy the plaque for the house? Who knows if the City of Cleveland will ever come through, but surely there's enough of us out there to raise the necessary funds (and them some). Remember the letter writing campaign to get credit for Jack Kirby on his Marvel work? I'll pitch in if someone organizes the fund raiser.
Marshall Rex Fury

[RichCsigs]

I think it's more important to get the city to give them the plaque. There are special perks that come with being designated a historical landmark. I think if we all wrote the city a letter asking them to get the family that plaque, things would get moving.

Having said that, I'd throw in some cash for a plaque if that's the route we went.

[sebzero11]

Originally Posted by rex fury

Great story! Why not start a campaign to buy the plaque for the house? Who knows if the City of Cleveland will ever come through, but surely there's enough of us out there to raise the necessary funds (and them some). Remember the letter writing campaign to get credit for Jack Kirby on his Marvel work? I'll pitch in if someone organizes the fund raiser.
Marshall Rex Fury

I'm in. God knows we corks can all get online and bitch about things, we should be able to use our voices for something nice for a change.
Besides, how often can people say they helped save Superman.
Or at least his legacy.

[stingray]

Originally Posted by rex fury

Great story! Why not start a campaign to buy the plaque for the house? Who knows if the City of Cleveland will ever come through, but surely there's enough of us out there to raise the necessary funds (and them some). Remember the letter writing campaign to get credit for Jack Kirby on his Marvel work? I'll pitch in if someone organizes the fund raiser.
Marshall Rex Fury

Wouldn't it be great if DC paid for it? They could have the "DC" logo on it next to the "Superman" logo as well.

But then, WB might be miffed that their kids are trying to get the rights back and pissed off that the men who actually helped Warner brothers stick around until today might actually get some recognition, especially after National/DC and Donelly ripped them off all those years.

[bishop-m]

What a great story. Too bad there was nothing in the attic....just imagine...

[samnoir]

What a fun story. Thanks for sharing it.

Perhaps it will find it's way into an upcoming issue of JLA?
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[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by nickmaynard

man, great story!

Agreed.

[mikesang]

Originally Posted by RichCsigs

I think it's more important to get the city to give them the plaque. There are special perks that come with being designated a historical landmark. .

MIKE HERE:
Yeah, the cost of a plaque is minimal. Getting the city to do it and start living up to its heritage is what's important.
I have two comics-in-the-attic stories.
In the 1970s, I was working as a laborer fixing up an abandoned house and I found a stack of about 50 mid-1950s DCs in surprisingly good condition hidden in the attic.
My older brother resorted to hiding his golden age comics in the attic to keep them away from me when I was a kid. I found 'em.
M

[RedRonin]

Man, what a fantastic story. I was almost thinking there was going to be something up there.

[weaselwelch]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

We left. Back in the car, Brad and I talked about comics and Superman and what it must have been like to create something that huge. Something that important.

I think what makes Superman and all of the comic characters something special is that When Jerry and Joe, Stan and Jack and all other writers/artists where creating these characters is that they weren't trying to make something huge and important. They were just trying to tell the types of stories that they wanted to read. It not like they were scientist or doctors trying to come up with something save lives ir improve how we live.

They were just trying to entertain and that in itself can improve lives.And in some cases save them. Where would we be in are everyday lives if we didn't have entertainment to takes us away from the hustle and bustle of life. We would live alot shorter for sure.

Stephen

[EmeraldGuy32]

Great story. Cleveland's got no tourist attractions that I can think of. Why wouldn't they take advantage of something as huge as the birth of Superman? Seems pretty stupid not too.

[elfin27]

Originally Posted by mikesang

MIKE HERE:
Yeah, the cost of a plaque is minimal. Getting the city to do it and start living up to its heritage is what's important.
M

Hi - does the city have an email address where we could all write in???

Thanks!

[campbell552]

try here:
http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/Feedback/feedback.asp

[mikesang]

Originally Posted by campbell552

try here:
http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/Feedback/feedback.asp

MIKE HERE,
Thanks, you beat me to it. I would urge everyone to write to Cleveland. I'll be talking to them soon for my annual "where's the museum?" article.
We do have the Rock Hall of Fame here, which is cooler than you might expect.
and the Lake. We do have the big-ass lake.
and I can recommend some great pizza shops.
M

[nickmarino]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Soon we were in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. This was once a prosperous Jewish enclave in Cleveland, but by the 1950s most of the Jewish residents used their GI Bill money to buy houses in the suburbs. They all moved away.

The shops closed, the neighborhoods deteriorated. Race riots in the 1960s drove out just about everyone except a tenacious bicycle repair shop, who remains the last Jewish business owner in Glenville.

before i say my opinion on this quote right here, i want to mention that i just clicked on the above link and sent the city of Cleveland a message requesting the plaque. it's quick and easy, and it contributes to the legacy of these characters we all love so much.

on the quote: to me, the context of this quote reads: "black people moved in, ruined the neighborhood, and now only one brave jewish man remains." i feel like there could have been a way to write this paragraph that instead would have implied: "the neighborhood has gone from prosperous to tough since siegel lived here." mike's paragraph does say that essentially, but it uses both "race" and the implied notion of "white flight" to do it. by doing this it places blame on cultural background and differences instead of just on declining economics. this is all my opinion, and i'm not saying mike had to write it my way (and i'm sure the usual critics will call foul on me quickly for even bringing this up). however, the paragraph stood out to me and i felt i had to say something.

[DeadpoolFX]

It's hard to believe that the city of Cleveland hasn't done anything to promote the fact that the most well known superhero in the world was created there. I've been to Cleveland a couple times and the only thing to really do is check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A Superman museum would make me want to go back again for sure. Living in Buffalo which is almost a mirror image of Cleveland I know the politicians around here would be foaming at the mouth to have something like this to help bring people here. Wake Up, Cleveland and do something about it.

[RWNeal]

Mike, do you know if anyone has ever tried getting the house onto the National Register of Historic Places? Doing that could be a spur to getting the city to move on something for the house. Here in Jacksonville we have a city Historic Preservation Commission which is part of our Planning and Development Office. They handle a lot of the work involved in getting places on the Register. I would imagine that Cleveland has a similar office.

[rex fury]

I appreciate the post for the City of Cleveland's website. I wrote them and offered some cash for the plaque. I hope other folks will join in!
Marshall Rex Fury