Six Flags Magic Mountain to add two roller coasters, bringing total to globe-topping 18

Six Flags Magic Mountain will add two roller coasters and alter an existing coaster in 2011, bringing the park’s total to 18. That gives the Valencia, California, theme park the most roller coasters of any theme park in the world, dethroning Ohio’s Cedar Point, which has 17.

The first addition is the Green Lantern, is a spinning coaster on a vertical track. It’s the first of its kind in the United States, though the builder, Intamin, has a similar model called the Comet Express at Lotte World in Seoul, South Korea.

The Green Lantern’s cars can spin on a vertical axis. The ride starts with a 107-foot lifthill, after which riders will zig-zag through more than 800 feet of track on the way back down. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see a rendering of the Green Lantern in action. Six Flags says the new roller coaster will debut in the spring.

The second 2011 coaster addition at Six Flags Magic Mountain is an as-yet-unnamed kid’s coaster that will be adjacent to the theme park’s Bugs Bunny World children’s area. It will be 679 feet long with a 28-foot lifthill and top speeds of 21 miles per hour.

Finally, the theme park’s Superman: The Escape roller coaster will get its name changed to Superman: Escape from Krypton, along with a pretty major makeover. New cars will allow riders to shoot up the 41-story tower at 100 miles per hour backwards.

The Superman coaster has two tracks. Six Flags says following the ride’s alterations, both tracks will operate with the backward-facing cars at first. After a few months, one of the cars will be turned around, allowing riders to choose whether they want to ride forwards or backwards.

Superman’s new ride cars will also have lower sides for a more exposed feeling, and new over-the-shoulder harness restraints. Six Flags says the Superman alterations will be completed early next year.

Metropolis Illinois – the offical home of Superman

To most people, Metropolis is the fictional city where Clark Kent writes for fictional newspaper “The Daily Planet”. To diehard fans, and residents of Metropolis, Illinois, their town is the real, and only home to Superman.

In fact, the Illinois state Legislature passed a resolution back in 1972 declaring Metropolis the “Hometown of Superman”, so the law is on their side.

Metropolis is more than just a funny name – the town is home to a large Superman statue, a Superman musuem and an annual Superman celebration. Their newspaper is called the Metropolis Planet and once a year, residents are allowed to swap their regular license plates for special Superman plates.

Of course, with just under 6500 people, Metropolis, IL is not as large as the fictional one, but that doesn’t make the residents less proud of their superhero.

Warhol comes to Cleveland

So, you know Andy Warhol is in Paris right now. Of course, even the best travel deals can still leave Europe’s cultural capital out of reach. Fortunately, you now have a backup plan: Cleveland.

The Cleaveland Institute of Art will be hosting a series of prints created by Warhol from 1974 to 1986 (from the Cochran Collection). Uncle Sam, Superman and Mickey Mouse will be in attendance – a rare opportunity that any pop art fanatic is sure to enjoy. The collection will be in town from June 5 to August 16. This is the first time the Cochran Collection can be seen in Ohio.

Reinberg Galleries director Bruce Checefsky say, “Andy Warhol is the perfect summer exhibition for University Circle because the show is filled with American popular culture.” He continues, “From soup can to Superman, supermarket to stardom, we revel in Warhol’s demystifying beauty.”

Photo of the Day (6/11//08)

I love this sign for a few reasons. One reason is how it would look great on a T-shirt–a snippet of faded Americana if you will. Also, I am drawn to the glimpse of Superman history in each face. Which version did you grow up watching? Metropolis, Illinois does have The Super Museum. It’s not as faded as the shot of this mural by Zengrrl, although, I’m not sure exactly what’s on display. The Web site is a tad vague–but for a summer stop, it might be fun.

If you’ve taken a photo of some interesting snippet of where you have been, send it our way via Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. That’s where we find our Photo of the Day feature.

Up Up and Away to the Super Hero Museum!

Nerds of the world unite!

There is now an entire museum dedicated to those fictional characters upon which you’ve projected your own feelings of inadequacy and impotency and vicariously lived out a fantasy life of vigilantism in which the evils of the world are all righted and life is grand indeed.

Yes folks, it’s the American Super Heroes Museum!

Located in downtown Indianapolis, the 3,300-square-foot museum honors Batman, Superman, and other American comic book heroes–and none of those wussy European ones, like Obelix, for example.

The collection features thousands of super hero “toys, games, posters, puzzles, figurines and collectibles,” as well as an impressive array of costumes featured in the numerous live action movies and TV series which have promulgated the super hero legend for more than half a century now.

The coolest thing, however, is the museum’s life size replica of the Batmobile. Even non-nerds like myself have a nerd-like obsession with this thing. I mean, haven’t we all wanted to cry out, “To the Batmobile!’ and then peel away burning some serious rubber? Yes, you know what I’m talking about!