Metropolis is a little town about twenty minutes from the Kentucky border, and with its population of 6500 people and lack of a movie theater, it reminds one more of Smallville, the little Kansas town where Clark Kent grew up, rather than the city where he reports for the Daily Planet. It’s a neat little town and despite being kinda in the middle of nowhere, it’s been a tourist hot-spot for a long time– it’s been the official Home of Superman since 1972.

I’ve known about the town for years and finally had the opportunity to visit last weekend. It was definitely worth the trip. The Superman statue is neat, surrounded by a fence shaped like the crest around the “S” symbol and a sidewalk underneath in the “S” shape. The local newspaper is called the Metropolis Planet, and they’ve actually got a street called Lois Lane. But the really interesting stuff is in the museum.

Metropolis boasts the largest Superman collection in the world, and it’s all owned by one collector, Jim Hambrick, who’s been collecting since 1959. The gift shop is almost as impressive as the museum, and the pricing of souveniers and memorabilia is surprisingly reasonable. Besides painted Kryptonite rocks and Kryptonite rock candy, there’s an impressive array of hard-to-find stuff available for purchase, including figures, busts, and replicas of Smallville props.

Jim Hambrick doesn’t seem to really descriminate about what he buys– if it has Superman’s likeness or logo on it, he’s got it. His collection ranges from the least to most obscure. He has one-of-a-kind movie and television props as well as action figures I bought at Wal-Mart when they first came out. I was also told that he owns THREE copies of Action Comics #1, one of the rarest and most expensive comics there is. His insurance won’t let him keep those books in the musuem, so I didn’t get to see them– he keeps them in a vault and only brings them out during major events, especially the annual Superman Celecbration in June. 

Apparently only a third of his Superman stuff is actually in the museum–and there’s a whole lot there, sections from the comics (including a shrine to the Death of Superman, which is my personal favorite arc) every TV series, including the George Reeves show, Superboy, Lois and Clark, and Smallville, and the films. My favorite things in the museum (because I just can’t help but love Zod) were the costumes worn by the three evil Kryptonians from Superman II. The collection is worth several million dollars. 

The collection is so huge he’s actually got TWO museums– the other is the Hollywood museum, with exhibits devoted to classic sci-fi (including the silent film Metropolis and Lost in Space) Elvis, the Three Stooges, horror movis, Marilyn Monroe, Tomb Raider, and of course, a whole room of nothing but Justice League.

Regular prices to see the Superman museum and the Hollywood museum are $3 and $5 respetively. Tickets were on sale the day we went, and it was only $5 for both. Other than a Harrah’s casino, the museums are really the only especially unique thing to do in Metropolis, but they’re well worth the trip.

As a collector, I found Metropolis to be an inspirational experience, showing just what can be done with a good collection and a little ambition. I was impressed that it was a great place not only to see an amazing collection, but also to work on my own. Among some of the stuff I picked up there was a hand-painted Superman clock and a replica of the cave wall with Kryptonian symbols from Smallville. I know, I know, I hate that stupid cave… but it really is a neat replica.

I’ll be going back this summer in June for the Superman Celebration. This year’s guests include Justin Hartley (Green Arrow) and Phil Morris (Martian Manhunter) of Smallville. There’s also a very promising chance that I’ll be able to get Jim Hambrick on Geek Speak the Podcast.

Whether you’re a Superman enthusiast or not, there really is something in Metropolis for everybody who has any interest in pop culture. I highly recommend it.

LLAP

-Cap’n Logan

Tags: comics, Jim Hambric, Justin Hartley, Metropolis, Phil Morris, Smallville, superheroes, Superman

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 28th, 2009 at 9:47 am and is filed under Capt Logan, Movies, comics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.