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Faster than a speeding bullet!

There’s A Campaign To Get Hutchinson, Kansas Renamed Smallville In Honor Of Superman

by Jill Pantozzi | 11:06 am, September 4th, 2012


Those familiar with the Superman mythos know that the Man of Steel got his humble beginnings in a small Kansas town named Smallville. It’s a fictional town of course but one man is trying to change that by getting his hometown of Hutchingson to alter their name. 

“I’m a huge Superman fan,” said Christopher Wietrick in what’s probably the understatement of the year. The Kansas man spoke with a local CBS station in Kansas to discuss the lofty Facebook campaign he started with a few friends.

“I think it’s a really neat time to dive into the world of comics and turn my city into one,” said Wietrick. “What we’re trying to do is bring a little attention to the town with tourism through art. We’d like to see the town name changed to Smallville, Kansas.”  Smallville wasn’t a name connected to Superman from the get-go, the town first showed up in comics in Superboy #2 in 1949 but it’s been a staple of his tales since then.

Wietrick cites the fact that there’s a Metropolis in the U.S. so it only seems fair for there to be a Smallville as well, but he’s got more ammunition than that when it comes to his campaign. Here are a few facts he posted on the Facebook page.

  • Smallville has a higher population. Hutchinson’s population is around 42,000, while Smallville’s is 45,001 (based on the television show).
  • In the television series, Smallville was said to be about a three hour drive from Metropolis. Hutch’s nearest, BIG city is about three hours away (Kansas City).
  • Smallville is a town built around agriculture. There are many farmers in the surrounding area, that grow corn, wheat and other crops. Before the meteors, they were the “Creamed Corn Capital of the World”. Hutchinson was formed in much the same way. In the 1910s, Hutch already had several grain elevators and kept expanding. By 1938, Hutchinson was the second largest wheat market in the country.
  • Hutchinson has one of the world’s largest displays of “stuff from space”, including rocks from space.

“I’ve been drawing pretty much since I could pick up a pencil,” said the long-time comic fan. “I’ve always been attracted to comic books, that’s how I learned to draw.”

To that effect, Wietrick has created his own Hutchinson/Smallville comic strip to share his comparisons with the world. “ALL profits will go to the Boys and Girls Club of Hutchinson,” he wrote. “When finished, the comic will be 12″ x 12″ or 12″ x 16″, two-sided piece.”

So what are his chances of seeing this project through? “The fact that we already have the Superman costume in the museum I think will really help our case,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is for Warner Bros. and DC Comics to recognize Hutchinson as Smallville, Kansas.”

Want to help support the cause? Read more on their Facebook page.

(via KWCH 12 Eyewitness News)

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  • http://profiles.google.com/josephfinn Joseph Finn

    But it’s 11 hours to Metropolis, IL!

  • Kryss

    NOT just my page. Shout out to Ben Eisiminger and Casey McNeely! We started it together. :)

  • Kryss

    Thanks, TheMarySue.com!!

  • Anonymous

    I’ve been to Metropolis, IL and they have a fantastic Superman museum with tons of memorabilia from all incarnations of Superman. They also have a 15 foot Superman statue and an annual Superman celebration. There is also a pop culture museum (I forget the name) and a casino to keep you busy. Metropolis was founded in 1839 — so it’s name was not changed because of Superman. It’s a really fun city and I’d recommend superhero fans especially of Superman to take a trip there.

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