From the Sideshow Collectibles.com website;
“The Man of Steel explodes into action like never before, with the Christopher Reeve as Superman Premium Format™ Figure.
Having just celebrated his 75th anniversary last year, the all-American icon endures through the decades like, well, a Man of Steel. Superman’s famous red cape soars on, even while aspects and attributes of the world’s first comic book superhero change as a reflection of the times and culture…”
Unveiled for pre-order on this splendidly presented page, the highly anticipated reveal of this latest PF is not quite the embodiment of SUPERMANIA’s worst fears realised but still does little to advance them beyond the initial thoughts as offered here.
Besides the hideous wooden plinth to force the height of the piece over two feet the addition of the out-of-scale Green Crystal (as an exclusive) elicits yet more bafflement but little incentive. There are positives – the costume (less skinny belt and padless cape) is fabulously realised but the irony of such time and effort being spent on this and having the best view from behind is not lost here.
Even this excellent article documenting the talented Matthew Black’s artistic process and obsession with the Reeve lifecast can’t detract from how much better the Hot Toys figure manages to appear sat on his own desk. Sadly, the gaunt, unbalanced portrait simply fails to capture Reeve and the pose is every bit as out of character.
With less ambition and more faith in simplicity and the source material this may well have been the definitive licensed Reeve as Superman statue. To expand, a base comprising of a top-tier corner from a New York apartment terrace, a headsculpt by Trevor Grove resplendent with warm expression, a revised costume with correct details and a pose, well, see any publicity photo from ’78 and take your pick. Whichever way you slice it, the fusion of iconic vintage with 21st century aesthetic in this instance fails to soar…
From the Comic Reader to the Comics Journal, SUPERMANIA continues its retrospective on vintage reviews of Superman: The Movie through the eyes of comic-book purists.
And Dwight R. Decker’s essay (Part one of which presented above) is arguably a definitive review, or at least the most exhaustive. Found beneath a splendid cover by Joe Staton (showing Superman through various incarnations through the ages) Decker’s words are nicely arranged alongside stills from he movie and random art from the likes of Fred Hembeck.
Surmising early on that the movie is “An erratic collection of disparate scenes that individually range from the utterly splendid to despicably camp” its enjoyable to share the early anticipation/dread of the prospect of a rehash of the Batman TV legacy (or indeed the Broadway show ‘Its a bird, its a plane, Its Superman..!’).
Indeed, one finds themselves empathising with many of the points Decker raises about the Krypton scenes in regard to production design. For all its frigid glory as represented onscreen its easy to forget what made the demise of Krypton so tragic was its flourishing and youthful culture as depicted in comics by the art of Wayne Boring et,al.
To be concluded in Part 2 coming soon..!
Enjoy this scarce piece from vintage magazine The Hollywood Reporter Interviewing Superman Producer Ilya Salkind –
Candid but guarded (as if his career/future depended on it) The young producer represented here is laconic and thoughtful in marked contrast to the maniacally entertaining older man seen in the many interviews shot for DVD.
With four years already invested in the project and a budget spiralling out of control, Salkind still manages to remain confident his movie will be a colossal hit whilst acknowledging the talents and contribution of director Richard Donner…
The genesis of an artistic partnership that would thrive for decades to come, the collage above (top) represents the first published Superman piece by one Jerry Ordway.
Found on the impressive wrap-around cover of pulpy but highbrow magazine ‘The Comic Reader’ for its November 1979 issue, Ordway’s dynamic but realistic style was a perfect compliment to the characters as represented in Superman: The Movie.
Of arguably more interest, however, were the contents of the magazine and in particular, the views of comic-book purists on this fresh take of what was, at the time, a 40 year-old beloved flagship character.
Indeed, the excellent review of the movie (cropped and reformatted here for ease of continuity, click for larger) is referred to by Mike Tiefenbacher as ‘refreshing & wonderful’, highlighting the major differences between the movie and the comic book but interestingly not to its detriment. In fact, many of the observations here (modelwork on the dam/turning back the world) are still hotly debated today and some are even prophetic (describing it as a benchmark/suggesting a Superboy TV series/longer TV edits) all of which make for great reading.
Tiefenbacher’s follow-up piece is an insightful, personal critique of the character’s evolution which incorporates everything from ‘The Great Superman Book’ by Michael L. Fleisher to Elliot S! Maggin’s Superman: ‘Last Son Of Krypton’. The latter notable for its mistaken identity as the novelisation of the movie.
If this has whetted your appetite for vintage reviews by comic journalists you may want to check back soon for scans from from the ‘Comics Journal’ – a monster review spread over two posts..!
Join SUPERMANIA as we spin the world back 35 years to celebrate the worldwide release of the undisputed godfather of the modern Superhero Movie –
In an age where technology has elevated the Superhero epic to new and unprecedented heights, the sparkle from this vintage gem has yet to diminish thanks to its combination of charm and magic generated from its dedicated cast & crew.
For an insight into the longevity of this classic picture click here to watch friend & SuperFan Oliver Harper’s outstanding retrospective tribute and then enjoy the scans above taken from an ultra-rare Italian TV Listings magazine…
Happy 35th Anniversary to SUPERMAN – THE MOVIE..!
