Can we save Superman's house?

We can do it, believes Brad Meltzer, bestselling author and writer for DC Comics.

Meltzer's not wearing a cape, but maybe he should be. With a little help from his friends, the author of The Book of Fate and The Book of Lies announces the kickoff of an auction on his website ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com that's dedicated to preserving the Cleveland home of Superman creator Jerry Siegel.

Meltzer, a South Floridian, visited the house as part of research for the just-released thriller The Book of Lies. "I expected to find something out of Norman Rockwell painting, maybe even an apple pie waiting on the porch for me," he says. "But it's basically a mess. It's wrecked. There are holes in the walls and ceilings. I thought, 'We have to be able to do better than this.' "

So he rounded up friends in the comics community, who have come through in a big way with prizes that you can win: tickets to a taping of The Colbert Report; original art from comic book creators; and - get this! - a walk-on role on NBC's hit series Heroes. (No word on whether you can get close enough to Mohinder to slap him, but try, please, if you win.) The site is also selling T-shirts designed by the famous Chip Kidd, all in the name of raising $50,000 for improvements that the home's owners, Jefferson and Hattie Gray, can't afford.

Meltzer, who recently won the Eisner Award at ComicCon, gets passionate about the hero in the red and blue tights.

"You can't talk about Superman and not talk about America," he says. "These stories say something about us as people...they're real American mythology. It sounds kind of crazy, but Superman's always been there for us. This is our chance to be there for him."

You can meet Meltzer in person at 7 p.m. Saturday at Books & Books in the Gables.

Comments

[jo]

I HAVE BEEN TO SUPERMAN'S HOUSE AND I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT SOMEONE IS GOING TO FIX IT UP.