Join SUPERMANIA in celebration of what would have been Christopher Reeve’s 62nd birthday with a look-back at this pulpy vintage one-shot tribute magazine dedicated to the star.
Responsible for similarly cheaply-printed fare as Star Blaster and Movie Monsters (littered with reprinted articles from both their crude pages) SJ Publications rushed this 100% unofficial edition to newsstands in the wake of Superman: The Movie’s success and the upcoming premiere of Superman II.
Leafing through the badly reproduced photographs and lowbrow contents (the article on Superman II’s storyline almost hilariously inaccurate) one cannot help a wave of nostalgia especially coming across a splash page (bottom) where the message seems particularly poignant.
Happy birthday, ‘Toph…
…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…
Another vintage rarity from the SUPERMANIA archive – enjoy this obscure Japanese promotional centrefold from an unknown publication announcing the release of Superman II. Though the text is a mystery this tabloid-size pull-out is chock-full of typically superb imagery and various ads for merchandise…
This latest addition to the SUPERMANIA archive is a generous gift from longtime Superfan Chris King. Distributed in 1983 by Present Needs Ltd, this complete set of four promotional pinbacks were a mainstay of local comic shops for years (bagged separately on a blue backing board) and, according to Chris, available in the foyer of the cinema where the movie was screening.
Featuring sharp, colourful graphics, besides the obvious spelling faux-pas (third pic down) the most curious concoction is easily the last button (fourth pic) where a still from the computer showdown is paired with a still from the junkyard sequence for a supposed ‘reflection’ (with the help of a laughably rendered mirror).
Like many promotional items from Superman III these, although considered ‘shelf warmers’ at the time, are increasingly rare as a set today…
Enjoy this great little piece by Dan Shaw of The Black Country Bugle –
SOME children are lucky enough to meet their heroes but Phil Carr met a superhero when he was introduced to actor Christopher Reeve in 1978.
The story on the ABC Minors in our March 27 edition prompted Phil to bring along to our offices his souvenirs of a very special day.
Phil was a member of the ABC Minors at the cinema in Stourbridge in the late ’70s and early ’80s. He went on to work there when he was 16 but before that he helped out during the week, after school, polishing the backs of chairs and cleaning the carbon projectors and carbon rods that provided light for the projector.
“I rewound films onto spools after showing, and checked them by hand as I wound them back on,” recalled Phil.
“Because I’d worked so hard, the manager of the ABC, Tim Williamson, asked me if I wanted to go with him to Pinewood Studios in London. He was going there to see Derek Meddings, a model maker for a lot of films. He built a bridge for Superman, and an entire street that a lot of it was filmed on at Pinewood.”
Tim was a keen on stop animation, hence his interest in Derek’s models.
“While we were there,” said Phil, “a woman called Pat O’Brien, a PR for the Superman films, came down to see Derek Meddings. She told us they were filming Superman II, and asked if we wanted to go in and have a look.
“She took us through, popping into an office on the way to get some photographs of Christopher Reeve for him to sign.
“We went onto the set, and were told to be very quiet. They were just filming the flying scene, with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. We were sworn to secrecy, but they did it by lying him down in a cast of his chest, with a green screen behind him and cameras moving around him.
“When they finished shooting and got them down, Pat O’Brien brought him over. He seemed huge, and the first words he spoke to me were ‘Well, hello down there’, as he put his hand out for me to shake. He had the tights and the boots on, and a dressing gown over the top.
“I was so star struck I didn’t say much at all. He asked me if I liked the first film, but I barely managed an answer.
“He signed the pictures, and when he signed mine he dropped the picture and trod on it. It may well have been my fault, I was pretty nervous when I passed it to him. But that footprint on the picture is from Superman’s boot.”
Bottom pic – Clean version of the signed photo. Read the original article here.
