SUPERMANIA had reserved this post for the reveal of the long-awaited custom Hot Toys Superman figure featuring movie-accurate modifications. Alas, due to experimentation, time-wasters and inevitable delays the project is further delayed but will continue until the desired result is achieved (as first conceived here).
In the meantime, we celebrate the enduring legacy of the MMS152 with these amazing shots captured by figure photographer extraordinaire Ronnie Del Puerto (view his photostream here). Besides the dramatic shots highlighting the best aspects of the figure, Ronnie blurs fiction and reality in considerable style with the somewhat controversial portrait (second pic) of Reeve’s Superman apprehending Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden.
While reminiscent of the final scenes of Superman: The Movie where Superman drops Lex and Otis into the Prison grounds, this portrait may be done just for fun but does seem to hearken back to the days where the Superman character was used in comic books to motivate troops by taking on real-world oppressive regimes. If nothing else, it serves as a contemporary reminder of what is meant by ‘Truth, Justice and the American way’…
When the Propstore of London declare the assortment of Super lots above is from ‘The most exciting live auction of contemporary props and costumes ever offered in Europe’ you’d better believe it.
In an astonishing portfolio that makes such collections offered by Profiles In History look like a yard sale, Propstore has assembled some of the most iconic pieces from decades of cinematic history all going under the gavel from October 16th.
The Superman series is well-represented with some rare and highly-desirable lots (some never before exhibited to the public) from storyboards, (shown extensively in the many Superman ‘Making Of’ documentaries on DVD) to beautiful production artwork (of the Artemis II module from Superman II, bottom Pic) by Harry Lange.
Alongside the mock Daily News newspaper (top) and fabulous example of Christopher Reeve’s autograph (on a rare still), the highlight must be the production-used bust of Reeve created by Stuart Freeborn. Though variations of his lifecast are somewhat common now, this full-head plaster model is utterly unique in its purpose of crafting hairpieces for the late actor.
For those wishing to view the calibre of artefacts in person, selection of 200 lots will be on display at the Vue Cinema in White City from the 1st to the 16th of October. Bidding is multi-channel and open now so don’t miss the opportunity to secure your dream item…
More nostalgic snapshots from Seacon’79 courtesy of capedwonder.com from the closing ceremony of the Hugo Awards (held this night, August 25th 35 years ago) and the aftermath where Christopher Reeve signs copies of the UK Superman: The Movie colour programme amongst others.
Such was the coup of the UK hosting this event that BBC2 devoted an entire half-hour episode from their series Time Out Of Mind to film proceedings (see it here) with hilariously stilted results. The organiser’s commendable determination to secure the show and enthusiasm for literature is dampened by the po-faced portrayal of attendees debating the merits of fanzines Intercut with authors appearing weary with mild contempt for fandom.
In the midst of this, articulate as ever, is Chris Reeve (briefly appearing at 8:17), clearly bewildered by the whole experience but gracious enough to acknowledge the passion of fans by stating they could probably ‘draw him a map to Krypton’.
While the current whereabouts of the Hugo statuette is unknown, one suspects it went very nicely on the mantelpiece next to the BAFTA won for ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ the same year…
Clutching a curiously phallic trophy presented by none-other than Star Wars Producer Gary Kurtz, a fresh-faced Christopher Reeve graciously accepts the award for ‘Best Dramatic Presentation of 1978’ for Superman: The Movie at Seacon, UK.
You read it right – Christopher Reeve himself attended a Sci-Fi convention in sunny Brighton, England on this day (August 23rd) 35 years ago.
The 37th Worldcon was held at the Brighton Metropole Hotel where the coveted Hugo award was to be added to the growing list of accolades earned by Richard Donner’s ground-breaking film and its star was invited to attend.
The four day event pertained to be a serious affair for Science Fiction enthusiasts and was well attended as such, with notable guests from the literary world (among them 2001 scribe Arthur C. Clarke) with Q&A panels and even a masquerade contest (long before its evolution into Cosplay). Even advance preview clips from The Empire Strikes Back were shown to eager fans.
Sound familiar? It should – the modern day Comic-Con evolved from these modest events. It would be another 15 years, however, before Christopher Reeve would appear in a similar fashion Stateside for Dixie Trek, the second and final convention he attended in his lifetime.
Go here For more details and pictures of this fascinating little sidebar in Superman history – SUPERMANIA extends its thanks to capedwonder.com for both rediscovering it and providing the amazing rare photos shown above of the ceremony…
SUPERMANIA is again proud to host another outstanding fan contribution, this time from arguably the most prolific archivist of The Man Of Steel across all genres.
Famed for making his Superman obsession a lifestyle, Cleveland-based Jamie Reigle has dedicated his life (and a considerable fortune) to the upkeep of some 40,000 items of memorabilia (read more here) and makes the pilgrimage to Metropolis, Ill. every year to showcase and sell items at the Annual Superman Celebration.
Kindly loaning the original unpublished pics above to be scanned exclusively for SUPERMANIA, Jamie’s visit to Downtown Disney’s Planet Hollywood restaurant in Orlando is a further chronicle of the screen-used Christopher Reeve Superman costume (Presented by by Reeve himself according to the sign, third pic). first documented in this post as a free hanging display before being relocated to the lobby in an acrylic case .
As we know, the costume was used in the screentests for the SuperBoy TV Series and used again in a subsequent episode before being incorporated into PH’s considerable prop collection in the early ’90’s. These pics are the earliest examples of the display as the suit, fading onset aside, looks to be in pristine condition. As discussed in earlier posts, the current whereabouts of this costume is unknown so any record of its existence is a welcome addition to the site…
For a multitude of Super-treasures old and new please visit Jamie’s website supercollectibles.com..!
