Unlike past big-budget films based on superhero properties, local comic book retailers report this summer’s release of DC Studios’ “Superman” has driven traffic into their shops.
New activity at local stores is just one aspect of what is being promoted as the “Summer of Superman,” including by state officials highlighting Cleveland as the birthplace of the character and scenes of the film shot in Ohio, supported by an $11 million Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit awarded in February 2024.
Created by two Cleveland teenagers in the 1930s, Superman debuted in June 1938’s inaugural issue of “Action Comics.” Just a few weeks ago, a long-awaited statue of Superman was unveiled near the Huntington Convention Center in downtown Cleveland.
The statue is part of a plaza commemorating the DC Comics superhero and its two creators, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, along Siegel’s wife, Joanne, who as a teenager served as the model Shuster used when visualizing reporter Lois Lane, Superman’s romantic interest and colleague/rival of his secret identity, fellow reporter Clark Kent.
Greg Bartholomew, owner of All American Cards and Comics in Warren and Boardman, said both locations are seeing new customers spurred by the movie. Over the past 30 years, the biggest bumps that comic shops have seen tied to movies or television shows were connected to properties that people hadn’t heard of before, such as “The Walking Dead” or “Hellboy.”
“We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in newer people at both stores coming in, looking for the source material or as close to what they believe is source material for the movie,” Bartholomew said. “It’s not even people getting back into the hobby, if they have left it. It seems to be completely new readers.”
Paul Worley, owner of Bennie’s Comics & Cards in Sharon, Pa., said he saw a “short uptick” following Superman’s release, lasting a couple weeks.
“Most of the people who came in were young adults. Some of them were bringing their younger children in, wanting to expose them to the Superman mythos,” he said.
Eric Walker, owner of Watchtower Heroes Comics in Columbiana, isn’t seeing many new customers coming into his shop, but his existing customers are showing increased interest in books featuring Superman as the movie has “somewhat overperformed the hype,” he said.
“Prior to the ‘Superman’ movie, the Superman titles were a little dormant,” he said. “I guess you could say there is a new energy around Superman.” He noted that DC is making a concerted effort this summer to release a lot of new Superman titles as part of its “Summer of Superman” initiative, “so they’re really making a focus on building their Superman comics up.”
Walker also said he didn’t think people expected the movie to impact them as much as it did because of the “superhero fatigue.”
“This movie seems to have just come out at the perfect time in history,” he said. People need hope and optimism, “which we don’t get a whole lot of in general in the world. The impact of this movie was definitely greater than the hype before it.”
Several customers are looking for the trade paperback of “All-Star Superman,” a series frequently cited by director and writer James Gunn as one of his inspirations for the film. “We’re trying to keep those trade paperbacks in stock as much as we can,” Bartholomew said.
Additionally, customers also are interested in new reprints of various historical issues, including the first issues of “Action” and “Superman”, as well as “Adventure Comics” No. 210, a 1955 comic book featuring the first appearance of Krypto the Superdog, a character featured prominently in the new movie.
“People are coming in looking for Krypto,” Bartholomew reported. The reprint of “Adventure” No. 210 is “selling like crazy,” and copies of the original book are scarce.
“As far as back issues, there is definitely an increased interest in Krypto because of the movie, so any ‘Superman’ or ‘Superboy’ issue with Krypto on the cover has been popular,” Walker affirmed. A few people have asked about Krypto’s first appearance.
A sale rack featuring older “Superman” comics didn’t draw much interest at Bennie’s, Worley reported.
“They wanted the new stuff,” he said. There was some interest in books featuring Supergirl – the character was featured in a cameo in Superman – but he anticipated there would be more interest when the film focusing on that character is released next year.
Two new monthly titles are popular among customers, according to shop owners: “Superman Unlimited,” written by Dan Slott, best known for his work on Spider-Man titles, and “Absolute Superman,” part of a line of titles that features key DC characters who lack several of the attributes and advantages of their main continuity counterparts.
“Absolute Superman” has been the most popular Superman title, offering a “different take on Superman that’s a little darker,” Walker said.
“‘Superman Unlimited,’ has been very popular, with a totally different feel,” he added.
“Both stores have had to restock all the [‘Absolute’] titles multiple times. We will have to do it this week, because we got hit hard last week at Boardman,” Bartholomew said.
“A lot of [customers] were looking at ‘Absolute’ since that’s a new storyline. It was easy to find the back issues,” Worley said. “They don’t want to have to take the time to go home reading 100 issues to find out what’s happening.” He also reported interest in “Superman Unlimited.”
Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which was released two weeks after “Superman,” also provided a boost for comics ties to that property but not to the extent that “Superman” did, Bartholomew said.
“It was a little bit of a disservice to have it come out right after ‘Superman,’ because I do think that the perception of ‘Superman’ was so high that it was a lot to live up to,” Walker said. “‘Fantastic Four’ was great, and it was a great movie. It just didn’t seem to have the same lasting impact as ‘Superman’ did.”
Superman Night
The Superman brand partnered with another piece of local Americana – baseball – when the Mahoning Valley Scrappers held Superman Night at the team’s Aug. 9 game against the West Virginia Black Bears. Several fans were dressed in Superman gear and Metropolis Meteors shirts were given away at the July 23 Cleveland Guardians game for the team’s Superman Night.
In addition to a free hat giveaway and an actor from Castle on a Cloud Entertainment dressed as the character interacting with fans and throwing a ceremonial first pitch, Scrappers players wore Superman-themed jerseys that were auctioned following the game to benefit the Abilities Unite Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, formerly the Fairhaven Foundation.
“It was a great success, and we had a tremendous amount of support from our fans and the community,” said Heather Sahli, Scrappers general manager. As of last Friday, the day before the auction closed, it had raised more than $4,800 for the foundation, and Sahli predicted it would end up being the top auction of the season with the most money raised from jerseys.
A Superman theme was chosen for the foundation’s Ability Walk & Roll, which was held Aug. 9 at Eastwood Field, for the symbolism the character represents, according to Stephanie Champlin, executive director of Abilities Unite and director of community relations for the Trumbull County Board of Developmental disabilities.
“Like Superman, we continue to work every day towards creating a better tomorrow for the individuals and families we serve,” she said. “With over 1,600 guests uniting during this event in celebration of abilities, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce our new name.”
While the Dairy Queen chain is doing a Superman promotion at its stores nationwide, Warren’s Cockeye Creamery reintroduced its Superman ice cream this summer, though not in conjunction with the movie. The confection – a trio of different flavors typically corresponding to the red, yellow and blue of Superman’s costume – is popular in the midwestern states, often placing as the top flavor in surveys.
Cockeye’s version – made up of red raspberry, lemon and a mix of Blue Moon and blueberry ice creams – has been a summer staple since 2020, said Max Hoover, chief financial officer of Cockeye BBQ & Creamery. Cockeye begins carrying it in mid-May.
“It does great every year,” Hoover said. “We try to catch right when the school busses stop running and the kids are out of school. We run it all summer long until the fall.”