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Suicide Slum has been, at various times, the stomping ground of several superheroes, including the Guardian (who protected the Newsboy Legion) and Black Lightning. The human personification of the New God, [

Quote1 Only two miles from the Daily Planet and it might as well be another planet! Quote2
Supermansrc

Southside, known better by its occupants as Suicide Slum, is a neighborhood in Metropolis that has been known to have a much higher rate of crime than the rest of the city. It is a down market area where many who cannot afford the apartments and penthouses of the main city live, the property prices of the Slums being lower due to the corruption.

History

Suicide Slum has been, at various times, the stomping ground of several superheroes, including the Guardian (who protected the Newsboy Legion) and Black Lightning. The human personification of the New God, Black Racer, lied paralyzed in a hospital located in the Slums, which is also where he was eventually murdered. Darkseid's lackey, Sleez, operated here for a time, until he was slain. It is also the home of Jose Delgado, a schoolteacher who is also a masked vigilante Gangbuster.

Suicide Slum was reputed as a lost cause that many Metropolis residents believe not even Superman can do anything about. When she was a child, Lateesha Johnson witnessed a local gang murder a group of kids playing basketball for no apparent reason. Because of this, she became a target of the gang, fearing she would tell the police of what she saw. After Clark Kent learns from a police officer that Suicide Slum residents believe that Superman selfishly ignores the neighborhood's increasing crime rate, he visits the area for the first time as Superman. In a vigilante fashion, the Man of Steel targets every known criminal in the neighborhood by destroying their illegal weapons stocks in a single night. However, an unnamed arms dealer, who works for an enigmatic "Mr. L.," supplies more unregistered guns to the neighborhood's criminals, including the gang who is targeting Johnson. Lateesha was critically shot, but fortunately Clark Kent was there during the shootout, and without bothering to switch to his alter-ego or attempt to catch her attackers, he rushes Lateesha to a hospital, where she is saved just in time.

Later, Kent published a column about the incident, catching the attention of it's readers, who share the columnist's feelings. A local philanthropist goes out of his way to help Lateesha's family relocate after she recovers, and offers her mother employment at his company. More officers from Metropolis P.D. have been assigned to patrol the neighborhood.[1] Even Superman has been reported doing patrols of the Slums since then.

Later, the superhero Steel, John Henry Irons, establishes his base of operations at an old warehouse in the area.

Following the rise of B13 Technology, Suicide Slum did not have much of its luck changed with the upgrade. Suicide Slum's abandoned buildings gave way to the engines that power the New Metropolis. Derelicts lost their alleys to the massive pipework that serves as the city's sewage system, a system already giving way to mutations. New cyber-thieves see the Slum as the perfect point from which to hack into and wrest control from Luthor.[2]

Points of Interest

Residents

Trivia

  • Suicide Slum was based on the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City in which Jack Kirby grew up.[citation needed]

See Also

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