Author: Martin-El

Although SUPERMANIA’s long-standing relationship with Propstore has been going on for some years now, after last years bumper offering of incredible artefacts from all four Superman Movies It seemed there was no chance such a feat could be repeated.  Indeed, after 40+ years, how many loft finds and shed discoveries from various former crew and/or family could there possibly be?  No, the 2021 auction was surely the pinnacle of what remains of available Superman ephemera.  The exquisite miniatures.  The hairpieces, the crystals. Even Valerie Perrine’s iconic dress.  After the last visit, we all shook hands and drove home with a sense of finality – how lucky were we to see these wonderful pieces before they were scattered across the world to their new custodians?

Well. Turn’s out joke’s on me.

Not content with having just as enviable a selection as last year, Propstore have gone one better by presenting a catalogue of fresh items in this years Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction with a complete costume from the Salkind Superman trilogy as their premiere lot.  While Propstore has seen many a Super-garment pass through their hands, rarely does a complete costume (below, on a finished display, no less) become available.  And quite the example it is too, with the description revealing it to be a composition of screenworn items from all 3 films, presenting a unique opportunity to own a piece from each in the franchise.

Also for Reeve fans there is the 1:1 in flight model from Superman II, an autographed still and my personal favourite lot, the two Leather-bound scripts personally signed by Reeve and donated as a prize to UK TV show Multicoloured Swapshop, where the provenance on offer is about as comprehensive as can be.

Enjoy the preview video (top) courtesy of the Capedwonder Podcast where Jay Towers and I interview Propstore CEO Stephen Lane and look out for the upcoming video on the SUPERMANIA YouTube channel as we prepare to visit the Propstore office once again at the end of this month.  Until then, I will keep any predictions about next years auction firmly in check…

Leave it to legendary Hollywood poster artist Drew Struzan to suitably honor Christopher Reeve on what would’ve been his 70th Birthday.  Every year SUPERMANIA posts on this day and the star has yet to fade.  Long may that continue – rest in peace ‘Toph…

SUPERMANIA is overjoyed to present this ‘new’ discovery shared by Superfan and YouTube legend Oliver Harper –

This Japanese extended trailer for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (a.k.a ‘The Strongest Enemy’ translated from Japanese) not only contains all the scenes shown in both US and International trailers, but also extra footage from the deleted scenes featuring Lex and Lenny Luthor, the Pentagon and the Kremlin and the kiss shared between Clark Kent & Lacy Warfield.  All this with Japanese text and the unique title card at the end.

Astonishing that after 35 years, finds like this are still being made – here’s to many more in the future..!

Now that the site has been rebranded and revamped (thank you all so much for your support..!) its time to get back to what SUPERMANIA does best, showcasing rare and obscure collectables –

And they don’t come much better than this amazing curio from the Netherlands – a Superman – The Movie Promotional poster in four parts and over two metres long – making the figure of Christopher Reeve life-sized.  This package was only available as a mail-away for collectors of the Monty Gum Superman Trading Cards – where ten empty packets plus 50p in postage would also enlist you in the Monty Superman Club.

In absence of the Topps trading card sets in some European Territories, local confectionary companies like Monty Fabrieken (of Leiden, Holland) picked up the licence and produced packets containing 3 cards and the obligatory stick of bubble-gum.

Whereas the cards and wrappers (produced in two sizes) occasionally pop up on auction sites, this particular piece of ephemera (complete with card cover and four postcards) is notable for its rarity and few complete examples are known to exist –

The copy above came to be in the SUPERMANIA collection from a folder of Dutch/German clippings, its previous owner obviously passionate Superman devotee from childhood.  This set was pieced back together from the scrapbook with the posters in pristine condition tucked between the (mostly water damaged) pages.  Until recently I had no idea what its origin was until another collector proudly posted his copy on Instagram…

Jillan Freisen, DAILY PLANET 14:00 ET July 24th 2022 – 

History repeated itself in The city of Metropolis earlier today when The Man Of Tomorrow came face to face with a friend from yesterday.  For those who recall the bizarre chain of events leading to Superman’s campaign to rid the world of Nuclear Weapons exactly 35 years ago, they may also remember how it culminated in a global battle with a maniacal radioactive foe that almost triggered World War III less fondly.

Having hurled Earth’s Nuclear stockpile into the core of the sun and defeated criminal mastermind Lex Luthor’s monster, Superman later concluded world peace was ‘not his to give’ after all and has adopted a neutral stance ever since.  While the fallout and collateral damage across the globe may have been enormous (with Metropolis alone left with a regeneration bill in the Billions) Superman’s ‘Quest For Peace’ is nonetheless cited as one of the turning points in Mankind’s history, with the ending of the Cold War one of its lasting legacies –

As for the young student whose impassioned words ushered in the winds of change, he stands by his actions all those years ago and says he’s do it over again.  Jeremy Brooke, now 48 and a leading force for UNICEF, maintains that some of the best wisdom still comes from the mouths of babes –

“Its difficult for people to understand now, but in the mid to late 80’s a Nuclear Holocaust was a very real fear, with tensions rising on both sides it often felt to us that war was an inevitability rather than a possibility.  When I put pen to paper that day it just occurred to me that only one man could save us from ourselves ” 

And on the subject of his Kryptonian pal Brooke continued-

“Superman took a lot of criticism from all sides for what he did – people said he was mounting this big campaign but that was wrong – he was answering a call for help like he always does and that’s a very different thing.  I could tell he was conflicted about interfering in our destiny but he could also see how easily we could destroy ourselves.  Thank god – and I mean this – thank god he did as if the arms race had continued it could only have had one conclusion…”