Overview

Suicide Slum, which is officially referred to as "Southside" or "The Simon Project", is located in Metropolis. It was originally introduced as the home of the child gang the Newsboy Legion, and by extension their protector, the Guardian. In its early appearances it was located in New York City, however it was eventually moved to Metropolis.

Though it is noted for abject living conditions and the high level of gang activity, Suicide Slum has been home to a number of heroes. Along with the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian, it has been home or headquarters to Jose Delgado, also known as Gangbuster; Jefferson Pierce, also known as Black Lightning; and John Henry Irons, also known as Steel. The neighbourhood has also drawn the occasional interest of Superman, who makes an effort to patrol the streets and protect the people living there.

Perry White was born and raised in the neighbourhood. As well, Bibbo Bibbowski's bar, the Ace O' Clubs, is located in Suicide Slum. The human personification of the New God Black Racer lived in a Suicide Slum hospital while he was paralyzed, and was later murdered there.

The neighbourhood has also played host to a number of villains over the years. Before his death, the villain Sleez occasionally worked in Suicide Slum. It was briefly represented as the childhood home of Lex Luthor, but current continuity has begun to place his origins again in Smallville. Nonetheless he has been involved in criminal enterprises in the region on at least one occasion, and presumably many more. As well as these villains, the area is also rampant with regular gangs and other forms of mundane street crime, hence its violent and dangerous reputation.

In Other Media

In the television series Smallville, Suicide Slum is represented as the childhood home, not of Lex Luthor, but his father, Lionel Luthor. Clark Kent visited the neighbourhood on a number of occasions, in the episodes "Run," "Vengeance," and "Persona".