Metropolis (comics)
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| Metropolis | |
|---|---|
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| First appearance | Action Comics #16 (September 1939) |
| Created by | Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster |
| In-universe information | |
| Locations | Ace o' Clubs Daily Planet Daily Star Galaxy Communications LexCorp Project Cadmus S.T.A.R. Labs |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
Metropolis is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of Superman, his closest allies and some of his foes. First appearing by name in Action Comics #16 (September 1939), Metropolis is depicted as the largest and most prosperous city in the United States, somewhere in the Northeastern part of the country. In recent years, it has been stated to be located in Delaware.[1] The co-creator and original artist of Superman, Joe Shuster, modeled the Metropolis skyline after Toronto, where he was born and lived until he was ten.[2] Since then, however, the look and feel of Metropolis has been greatly influenced by New York City.[3][4][5]
Within the DC Universe, Metropolis is depicted as being one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world, having a population of 11 million citizens.[6][7][8]
In addition to Superman, the city is also home to other superheroes, such as Black Lightning, Booster Gold, Thorn, Gangbuster, Hawkgirl and others.
Creation
[edit]
Like many other fictional cities in DC Comics, the location of Metropolis has varied over the years but is usually portrayed as a major city in the Northeast, sharing various qualities with New York City.[5] Superman co-creator Joe Shuster moved to Cleveland at age ten, where he met co-creator and Ohio native Jerry Siegel.
Originally intending to sell the Superman strips to a Cleveland newspaper, they decided to set the stories there, but when the strips were re-used for the comic books, they changed the location to the fictional Metropolis. Shuster was quoted as having modeled his Metropolis cityscape on that of his hometown, Toronto,[9] and in the early versions of Superman, Clark Kent worked for a newspaper called the Daily Star, modeled after the real-life Toronto Star.[9][10] Action Comics #2, however, mistakenly portrays Clark Kent as a reporter for the Cleveland Evening News.
Geography
[edit]In Superman #2 (Fall 1939), Metropolis was placed in the U.S. state of New York, making it the earliest specific reference to the location of Metropolis.[5] In that issue, Clark Kent (Superman) sends a telegram to