Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Superman Visits Philadelphia....will he stop by Miggy G's...?

 
One of America's most enduring superheroes has begun a cross-country trek in Philadelphia.

In the pages of DC Comics' latest issue of Superman, which hits stands Wednesday, the Man of Steel embarks on a yearlong journey of more than 1,000 miles with a single step. But for all his strength, insight and intelligence, he still has a thing or two to learn about geography.

The 500 block of South 48th Street (less than 2 miles from the Miggy G's residence) is described as the city's "South Side," though no such neighborhood exists in Philadelphia. The area is actually a section of west Philadelphia known as University City, and the flub has generated a little bit of good-natured ribbing from locals.

Check out the Local News Video Link Below:



"We really love to hear that because it means people are reading it and there's a sense of area pride," DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio said. "If we stand corrected, that's OK."



Superman issue No. 701 marks the first installment of the 12-issue "Grounded" series that aims to re-establish the 72-year-old superhero's role as defender of the powerless, a theme that resonated with Depression-era readers.



During his trek through the city of Brotherly Love, Superman foils a crew of heckling drug dealers  , saves an elderly man having a heart attack and talks a despondent woman off a ledge _ literally.  Our Krypton-born, Kansas-bred protagonist lacks schooling in the finer points of ordering a cheesesteak _ he inelegantly dubs it a "Philly cheese steak sandwich" _ but the waitress taking his order lets the faux pas slide. She also cheerfully allows the cash-strapped superhero, who was a vegetarian in another DC series several years back, to work off his bill by cleaning a storage room.  This is really supposed to be Philadelphia?
"They didn't do very well, but they tried," Robert Lefevre, manager of Brave New Worlds comic book store downtown, said with a laugh. "Maybe they confused us with Chicago, which has a South Side. And 'Philly cheese steak sandwich,' nobody says that."  Still, he said customers are responding positively to the issue and sales have been brisk.

 Superman's next stop is Detroit, where issues like unemployment and poverty will be woven into a superhero story line, DiDio said. Subsequent locations will be determined based on a recently completed essay contest that asked fans to write about their town and how Superman inspires them.

4 comments:

Miguel Garces said...

Ha, that's great. I used to live in the "South Side" which isn't a place, and I love paying for Cheese Steak Sandwiches by cleaning the storage room. Philly is so friendly!

Also, the link to the video brought me to the July 14th Weather Forecast, which I watched for three minutes before realizing this had nothing to do with superman.

Errrr Ahhhh Maaaaahhhhk said...

And I thought that Miggy G. was the REAL Superman!!!! Awww Man!!Perhaps the writers thought that this area would appropriately be dubbed the "South Side" because it is on the southern exposure of the UPenn campus, where superheroes are cultivated every day!?

pc said...

Yo - love the new look..and my favorite philly cheesteak joint is Tony Luke's

mr ed,fl said...

Have not had a great cheesesteak since leaving Jersey in '76.However,there was a small,corner diner in Kutztown,Pa just down the street from the college that served a great cheesesteak sandwich.Time frame would of been from '70-74.Sure miss those old,golden days.
Hit chains in the Jersey Fling.