More extraordinary sketches taken from the production-used ‘Big Red Book’ hand-drawn by artist Martin Asbury –
In the context of the story, Superman has already rid the world of Nuclear Weapons, so quite what a whopping great Nuclear Missile is doing at a parade in Red Square remains unexplained. Nevertheless, the scene was shot precisely as drafted and made the International edit but was ultimately excised for the US cut.
Coming soon – EXCLUSIVE vintage behind-the-scenes pics of the shooting of this sequence..!
In continuation of the posts dedicated to recommended comics reading for fans of the classic Superman Movies comes this unique offering from – of all people – the creative team behind the 2006 movie Superman Returns.
Tasked with bringing the Man Of Steel back to the forefront of popular culture with their upcoming movie, screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (along with director Bryan Singer) would bridge the cinematic gap through DC Comics and the four-part miniseries Superman Returns: The Prequels.
For anybody under the Illusion Returns as released was intended as a standalone reboot/ remake/homage to Superman: The Movie, like it or not, it may come as a surprise to find that (in the context of these issues anyhow) that Singer’s picture is a bona-fide sequel set firmly in the continuity of the classic franchise (or at least the first two) and on that basis alone is being acknowledged here at SUPERMANIA.
For an exhaustive (and I do mean thorough) well-written overview of the collection go here – for those more intrigued by how The Prequels exploit and capitalise on aspects of the Donner pictures – stick with me.
Pandering directly to the nostalgic eye with Part 1 – Krypton To Earth – we actually open on a panel featuring the unique Action Comics cover from the first movie next to a splash page of the red Krypton sun (having never been referred to onscreen as Rao). Though the trial of the Phantom Zone Villains has been omitted, what follows is a wordier but otherwise unchanged adaptation of STM’s first act (concluding in Kal-El’s arrival on Earth). Some expansion on the notion that the Red Sun is in fact the main contributor to Krypton’s demise along with the abilities of the crystal technology are key to the writing here which is fairly seamlessly incorporated into Brando’s dialogue. And for once on the comic page, all the hallmarks of John Barry’s design, Geoffrey Unsworth’s lighting and Yvonne Blake’s costumes are unashamedly embraced here in the art (by Ariel Olivetti) which makes up for the tentative likenesses of the actors.
With the exposition neatly setting the tone of what was to follow, its a pity the subsequent chapters fail on most every level to maintain Part 1’s quality. Instead the following chapters are a series of dull vignettes of how supporting characters have spent their time during Superman’s five year absence. The first, Ma Kent (already in violation of the classic series continuity having passed sometime between Superman II and III) is a bittersweet, mostly internal monologue about her loneliness (with some flashbacks to scenes from STM) concluding with Kal-El’s (somehow undetected) crash landing as seen in the film. The trend continues with Part 3 as Lex Luthor waxes similarly lyrical during his incarceration and eventual release also with lingering STM flashbacks except this time the art (by Rick Leonardi) is so cartoonishly hideous you’d be pressed to recognise them.
Its left to Lois Lane in Part 4 to conclude proceedings with her descent into bitterness having taken Superman’s absence personally to the point where, quite out of character, she writes a Pulitzer Prize winning piece on ‘Why the world doesn’t need Superman’ after falling for another man and having a child. Though again interspersed with memorable scenes from STM (including the helicopter rescue and the flight around Metropolis) the flashbacks seem to serve only as a catalyst for misery.
While The Prequels on paper was a great idea and a worthy endeavor, In execution the run is hurt badly by inconsistency and as a collection fails to engage past the opening chapter. Though Singer, Harris and Dougherty take (large) cover credit, in fact none of the actual comic writing was done by them (Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray for Parts 1&3, Marc Andreyko for 2&4) and the art veers from sublime to ridiculous. Though its a thrill to see scenes from Superman: The Movie finally, legitimately in print, their treatment here as a springboard to the events in Superman Returns, like the movie itself, leaves much to be desired...
From the top – Cover and pages from The Prequels softcover collection released by DC Comics in 2006…
Produced to celebrate Superman’s 75th anniversary, DC Comics and Man Of Steel director Zack Snyder have collaborated with Bruce Timm (Superman: The Animated Series) and Warner Bros. Animation on a spectacular new short to chronicle the many incarnations of the Caped Wonder.
Originally intended as a special feature on the upcoming Man Of Steel DVD/Bluray release, (out Nov 12th) the 2:14 film highlights Superman’s evolution from the Siegel & Shuster days through comic, television video game and silver screen appearances to his current personification of Henry Cavill.
Shown above are screen captures from the Christopher Reeve segment (featuring the famous end title flyby) and bottom, a character study by artist Dusty Abell profiling all the character designs for how they would appear in the short.
For a project engendering considerable hype in advance of its premiere (EW.com ultimately getting the scoop), its a pity the final product ends up reminiscent of a commercial than genuine tribute. While its a delight to hear John Williams theme in any context, the transitions from era to era are rushed & clunky and the choice of incarnations to define them are highly questionable. While there is a reasonable explanation provided for this, (click on the EW link above) the omissions of Kirk Alyn, Brandon Routh and Dean Cain are nevertheless galling in light of their contribution to the mythos…
What better way to commemorate the ninth year of Christopher Reeve’s passing (Oct.10th) than a long-awaited new action figure announcement from Mattel?
Currently shown as prototypes at this years New York Comic-Con and available next year as part of their DC Comics Multiverse line, the 4″ articulated figures of Reeve’s Superman and Terrence Stamp’s General Zod form part of an expansive line based on classic superhero movies including Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns.
While any news regarding fresh merchandise based on the classic movie era is welcome here at SUPERMANIA, the impact of this particular surprise is lessened by the curious choice of scale and typically untidy prototypes (best of the bunch clearly DeVito’s Penguin) where simple but important details (like Superman’s chest shield) compromise the whole piece by looking like stuck-on confectionery. While the sculpts are admirable (especially for the size) in light of Mattel’s punchy, fun and not cancelled after all Batman ’66 line this already seems like a wasted opportunity to capitalise on the infinitely more popular 6″ scale…
(Pics above taken at NYCC by Toyark.com – full gallery (including the Superman live-action Costume lineup) here.
SUPERMANIA looks back at what is, amazingly and to date, the only dedicated reference book on the subject of the Superman Movies in theBFI Reuben library.
First published by Scholastic Book Services in 1981, The Great Superman Movie Book is unashamedly geared towards a younger audience and by that reckoning, is pretty spectacular for the time. Presented as a softcover ‘factfile’ packed with pics & info (featuring a full-colour photo gallery from Superman II) the reader was also gifted a large poster of Superman in flight (utilising the same image from the gate-fold soundtrack LP) which I suspect was a permanent fixture on the walls of many a child in the ’80’s. Due to that very fact its no surprise that most surviving copies available today are devoid of it, making complete volumes easily the most coveted today.
Happily though, there would be a revised and updated edition accompanying the release of Superman III in 1983 with a 15 page ‘Mini-magazine’ insert devoted to the new movie compiled by Chip Lovitt. This reprinting would feature virtually the same cover (save for the ‘Includes Superman III’ blurb in place of ‘Fantastic Facts!’ and is more commonly found with the poster included being a later issue.
As a member of the school book club at the time of this book’s publishing one wonders how something like this (which as an 8-year old would’ve been manna from heaven) managed to elude me completely until the age of the internet. This plus the fact no details/pricing can be found inside for European territories lead me to believe this may have been a US only release? Could anybody else from the UK testify to having this book back in the day I wonder..?
From the top – Cover of the 1983 reprint, Intro page (listing Scholastic territories, London included) A favourite page from the Q&A section about the Superman Costume and back cover featuring uncommon ‘in flight’ pic…
