Superman Celebration is proud to announce that John Glover, Cassidy Freeman, and Gerard Christopher will appear at this year's festival.  

Superman fans are no strangers to the acting talent of John Glover thanks to his portrayal of Lionel Luthor/Darkseid on Smallville and his voicing of The Riddler/Edward Nygma on the animated series Superman and The New Batman Adventures.  And if you've turned on a television, been to a movie, or been to a Broadway play in the past 30 years, you're likely to have seen Glover in one of his many various roles.  (Read the full article featuring John Glover on our Film and Television Guests section.)   

Cassidy Freeman burst onto the scene in 2006 as the lead in the Comic-Con International Film Festival Award-winning short Razor Sharp, and was later embraced by Smallville audiences as Lex Luthor's efficient successor Tess Mercer from 2008 until the series ended in 2011.  She has gone on to appear on television in CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, The Vampire Diaries, The Playboy Club, and will be in the upcoming A&E series Longmire.

Gerard Christopher, star of The Adventures of Superboy, also served as both a writer and producer on the series.  He later went on to guest star in the daytime soaps Days of Our Lives and Sunset Beach and the primetime dramas Melrose Place and Silk Stalkings.

John Glover and Cassidy Freeman will appear on Saturday, June 9th at Banterra Bank for the Celebrity Autograph Sessions, (tickets required), and at the Celebrity Q&A Session at the Metro Tent at 11:30 am, (admission is free- seating is limited).  For more info on acquiring tickets for the Celebrity Autograph Sessions, click here.  

Superman Celebration is proud to announce that George Pérez will be a featured guest in our Artists Alley and Writers Way at this year's festival. 

In his nearly 38-year comics career, George Pérez has been involved with many of the industry's landmark publications. With writer Marv Wolfman, Pérez created The New Teen Titans, which helped bring DC Comics back into competitive prominence during the 1980s. The team redefined the DC Universe in the hugely successful Crisis on Infinite Earths and History of the DC Universe. Pérez's other work includes two runs on The Avengers and the 1980s relaunch of Wonder Woman. He is also a founding member and chairman of the Disbursement Committee for The Hero Initiative, a charity benefiting comics professionals in need.

Veteran comics artist and writer Terry Beatty will be joining the lineup appearing in the Artists Alley and Writers Way this June at Superman Celebration!

Terry Beatty is a 30-year veteran of the comic book business.  He is the artist and co-creator (with writer Max Allan Collins) of the long-running (and soon to be revived) private eye series, “Ms. Tree.” His other collaborations with Collins include “Wild Dog,” “Johnny Dynamite,” “Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger” and the Vertigo Crime graphic novel “Return to Perdition.”

For more than a decade, he was part of the art team for DC Comics' Eisner Award-winning cartoon-based “Batman Adventures” comic books.  His cover illustrations have appeared on “Scary Monsters” magazine for 18 years, and have earned him a Rondo Award.

He is a published author, with numerous short stories to his credit, and is also an accomplished sculptor.  He has worked in the model kit and toy industry, including providing concept sketches and box art for Moebius Models' retro-styled “Green Lantern” model kit.  For several years he held the “Visiting Artist” post and taught in the comics program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

He and his family recently relocated to the Kansas City area, where he began drawing the Sunday comic strip adventures of King Features' “The Phantom.”  He is thrilled to be drawing the adventures of one of the original costumed comic heroes -- the “Ghost Who Walks”  having been created by Lee Falk in 1936, predating Superman's first print appearance by two years.

This will be a special year for Metropolis. On January 21, 1972, Metropolis received permission from DC Comics to be known as Hometown of Superman.

On June 9, 1972, that title was officially declared with Illinois State Legislature House Resolution Number 572 and Superman was also named a Distinguished Son of Metropolis. In honor of the 40^th year, the Superman Celebration Committee is asking that fans from all over the world send in a photo of your best “Super Memory”. The memory can be from a past Superman Celebration, a visit to Metropolis, you in your superman costume or pajamas, or any memory that is "super". 

Send the photo to The Metropolis Chamber of Commerce, Box 58, Metropolis, IL 62960. The photo will not be returned, and will be on display at this year’s Superman Celebration. The “Super Memory” photos will later be used in a permanent display. Clearly write your name on back of photo and include an additional paper with name, address, phone and description of the “Super Memory”.        

As you all know, celebrity autograph sessions are a tradition at Superman Celebration, giving attendees the chance to meet their favorite Superman and superhero-related actors and actresses.  While Celebration has grown in attendance over the years, unfortunately the brief time period our celebrities have for these autograph sessions has not.  While we try our best to see that as many fans as possible get through the autograph lines, the demand- and the crowds- have grown to the point where it is impossible for everyone in line to be accommodated.

To help alleviate this problem, we have implemented a multi-session ticketing system, as well as a limitation on what items celebrities will sign for free.  Tickets for the autograph sessions will be distributed as follows:

• Tickets will be required to gain entry into the autograph sessions. You must have the appropriate ticket for the session time in order to be admitted.
• One-Half (1/2) of the tickets for the four sessions will be made available at the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce (607 Market Street) on Friday morning, June 8th, 2012 at 7:00 AM.
• The second half of the tickets for the four sessions will be made available at the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce (607 Market Street) on Saturday morning, June 9th, 2012 at 7:00 AM.
• These tickets are free, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Attendees may be required to wait in line for tickets, and no guarantees can be made that everyone in line will get tickets.
• There is a limit of ONE (1) ticket per person, and a limit of one session per person.
• Session choice is at the sole discretion of the Chamber of Commerce.
• Tickets cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.
• The Celebrities will sign either the Metropolis Planet Special Edition, Superman Celebration Program Book, or Celebration Poster at no charge with a limit of 2 autographs per fan.Fans may bring in collectible items or clothing of their own to be signed by the celebrities for a fee per item/per celebrity. 8x10 photos will also be available for purchase at the autograph sessions. (Amount of fee to be announced at a later time.)