Staff photo / Bob Coupland Mark and Debra Miller of Champion are huge fans of Superman and have turned their garage into a Superman Museum. Mark shows off a collection of comic books featuring the D.C. Comics superhero. The couple estimates they have 1,000 items in their collection.

CHAMPION — A Champion couple has transformed their garage into a museum that celebrates everything connected to Superman, including a large phone booth and autographed pictures of many of the actors who portrayed Superman in film and on television.

Mark and Debra Miller are both Superman fans. Mark said he has been collecting Superman memorabilia since his childhood and is nearly 40 years into collecting.

“When I was a kid I had a lot of Superman stuff, and Deb is a Superman fan like me,” he said. “We have been married for 30 years and have been collecting items ever since.”

Debra said when Mark was away for a week on business in Iowa, she surprised him by having a contractor come in and turn the garage into a museum.

The contractors gutted the garage floor and put in a new floor, had the inside of the garage painted, and brought all the Superman items that were inside the house into the garage for display.

“When he got home from his trip and opened the garage door, he was really surprised,” Debra said.

She said she scheduled the appointment with the work crew ahead of time when she knew Mark would be away, and they finished the floor in one day and let it dry for 72 hours.

In addition to a Superman-themed pinball machine — one of only 5,000 produced — the display features a Superman record player, an old Superman rotary phone, a 1978 Superman arcade game and phone booth, and display cases filled with Superman photos, autographed pictures of celebrities, comic books, movie posters, puzzles and other superhero memorabilia.

They said the collection has nearly 1,000 items.

Mark and Debra celebrated their new display with a costume party Easter weekend with people dressed as Superman characters — both heroes and villains.

“Everyone’s eyes lit up when they came in here. Everyone was in awe when we turned the lights on,” Debra said.

Mark said visitors are fascinated by a full-sized city phone booth like what Clark Kent went into to change into Superman.

“When it was in our house, we could make calls on the phone inside,” Debra said.

Mark said he remembers the 1970s “Superman” movies with actor Christopher Reeve.

He said every Halloween, he dressed up as Superman.

Mark has many of the autographs from the actors and actresses from the 1970s movie and other movies. Other items include memorabilia dating back to when Kirk Allen played Superman before George Reeves.

Superman movie-themed music plays in the garage.

Mark said he has always favored Superman over other superheroes.

”My favorite quote is ‘Truth, Justice and the American Way,'” he said. “Superman is wholesome and what every person should aspire to be. He is the ultimate good guy. I also like the villains like Lex Luthor, who was played by Gene Hackman (in the Christopher Reeve movies).”

Mark said Superman originated in 1938, and he has comic strips and comic books from the 1940s. The creators — writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster — met as students at Glenville High School in Cleveland.

City officials have designated today — April 18 — as Superman Day in Cleveland because it was on this date in 1938 that the first Superman comic went on sale.

Debra said the collection includes a piece of the original wool Superman cape worn by George Reeves.

“There were 500 swatches and pieces of the original cape, and I have piece No. 9,” Mark said.

Debra said it was nice to have visitors come to see the display and really look at everything. She said they have information about many of the items.

“Mark comes out here, which is like his Fortress of Solitude to unwind. He sits here listening to music, plays the pinball machine and just relaxes,” Debra said.

Mark said he appreciates Debra surprising him with the special room.

“For her to care about me that much to do something like this is amazing. She is a super wife,” Mark said.

The two said when they travel, they make an adventure of finding Superman items.

“We like to treasure hunt at different places when we are performing,” he said. “We travel across the country and have performed at county fairs, libraries, schools, nursing homes, Playhouse Square in Cleveland and at Greene Eagle Winery. We have friends who give us gifts.”

The couple runs “Perfect Occasion Costumes and Magic” in Middlefield and “Whips Magic Shop” at Geneva-on-the-Lake. They also have Dino Roar, which offers educational and entertainment programs on dinosaurs that they have had since 2025.

The Millers often attend ComiCon events and over the years have met Margot Kidder and Noelle Newell, who each played Lois Lane, and Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olson.