…That is the question. One could be forgiven for thinking that this latest addition to the SUPERMANIA archive would be an evident/obligatory part of the collection but due to its deceptively bootleg appearance and difficulty to obtain complete, had been somewhat overlooked until now.
However, despite the highly questionable artwork on the portfolio cover above (top pic) housing the (indeed official) press kit for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, it would seem such snobbery was misplaced – as far from being a poor attempt to copy Daniel Goozee’s superior final poster art – SUPERMANIA is now of the belief this may have been an early draft by the same artist.
While the finished painting references a portrait of Christopher Reeve taken at the time of Superman: The Movie (amended to exclude the kiss-curl) the rough, at second glance, is actually a good likeness and although its not signed, appears to be Goozee’s work. As for why this was used for promotion at all, who knows? Was the final painting yet to be finished? It may be raw but even in draft form, nothing could ever be as woeful as the final art used for the German release.
Refreshingly, the kit itself is a fabulous package, more often than not today found split and sold as individual stills, (commanding respectable sums on auction websites due to their exclusive nature) however this was the first example I’d ever seen that came with its own WB envelope, (second pic), indicating that with the portfolio notes and set of 14 photographs (third pic) that this handout may be 100% complete and therefore rare…
This post is dedicated to the late Menachem Golan, head of Cannon Films and Producer of Superman IV who died today aged 85. For better or worse, forever part of the Superman universe…