It’s been more than 50 years since the original “”Adventures of Superman”” television show premiered. But even today, fans still celebrate the series and the characters that made it memorable. Noel Neill was the first actress to ever play Lois Lane in the black and white Superman serials of the late 1940s. She also joined the cast of the regular television series during its second season. And this week, after moving from California to Tucson, she visited fans at Heroes and Villains comic book store on Broadway Boulevard.
“”Noel Neill is a living legend and an American icon. We’re honored that the First Lady of Metropolis (chose) to pay a visit to our store,”” said Mike Camp, the storeowner. The beloved actress, who is now 91 years old, met her fans and gracefully offered autographs during an hour-long visit on July 2. She even brought her own photographs from her days on the show, which she personally signed for each of her fans in the crowd. Neill’s visit was just the beginning of an entire evening of female friendly superheroics at Heroes and Villians. The event also included an auction for a script of “”Supergirl,”” autographed by female DC Comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, and a visit by costumed superheroines from the Justice League Arizona.
Eric Esquivel, the media representative for Heroes and Villains, explained: “”It’s cool to have a female event in a very heavily male-dominated industry … we’re celebrating the women, not only the fictional women but the real women, of comics. That’s something we’re really proud to be a part of.””
Heroes and Villains has also been involved in numerous other events in the Tucson community, including fundraisers and charity work. In addition to selling comic books and hosting game nights, the store frequently raises money for homeless children and families and raises awareness for supporting literacy.
“”We believe in what comics say, we believe in not just the fiction of it, but how we can use that fiction to impact our actual reality,”” Esquivel said. “”That’s the main point of the store … to have a positive impact on the world, using these guys as our role models.””
Justice League Arizona
Two members of the Justice League Arizona were also present at the superheroine event. In the same spirit as the Heroes and Villains store, the Justice League Arizona focuses on charity work, especially for children. Esquivel explained that the Justice League Arizona is a local cosplay group that dresses as heroes from the DC Comics pantheon.
“”They volunteer in costume to draw attention to whatever cause they’re going for. They did Relay for Life recently — it was pretty cool to see Superman racing,”” Esquivel said.
Dental assistant Nicky Dubbs was dressed as Supergirl in honor of the Lois Lane festivities, and preschool teacher Tammie Miles, who normally dresses as Cyclone, came wearing Superman memorabilia to support the event.
Both Miles and Dubbs said that they were honored to be involved in the female-friendly superheroics.
“”As comic books have evolved with the times, so have all the characters — which is really important for the empowerment of women. Women can do anything a man can do,”” Dubbs said.
Dubbs and Miles also said that they were thrilled to meet Neill. “”She was one of the very first strong women, ever. I’m very happy to support this today,”” Dubbs said.
This was a big event for the recently-formed Justice League Arizona. The group is currently recruiting new members and plans to be in full swing by the end of the year. And in a short amount of time, they have already participated in hospital visits, fundraisers and food and blanket drives.
“”I think that children will always be drawn to a character that they know,”” Miles said. “”And we can use that to be a good influence on them.””
