Few exclusives for the annual SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con) are more feverishly anticipated than the strictly limited edition figures presented by Hot Toys. No-one could’ve forseen, however that 2013’s assortment would include a variant from the classic Superman Movie franchise (MMS 207, offered alongside figures from G.I. Joe and Captain America respectively).
While its gratifying in the extreme that Hot Toys are still producing figures based on the license (with hopefully more to come?) one is conflicted about the ‘Evil Version’ from Superman III, much like the character himself.
A cynic might say it would appear Hot Toys have re-used the molds from their hugely popular Superman: The Movie figure and casually applied a layer of black spray paint whilst simultaneously jamming it onto a rejected base for their thunder-thighed Man of Steel figure. Others may say its a cunning must-have variant (apparently limited to 600 units) from a beloved franchise.
Before you decide which camp you’re in you may want to consider – Is this really just the exact same figure as previously released albeit with new stubble paintjob/blackend suit? Yes it is. But then you may wonder – Given all the iconic expressions from the Junkyard sequence surely another ‘enraged’ headsculpt would be more appropriate? Indeed it would. Then you may wonder – And why is it so slight on accessories? There are so many cool things that could’ve been included such as the Whiskey Bottle, Dirty Kryptonite chunk, Steel Girder and shattered Clark Kent Glasses – Seems almost evident, no?
And finally you could be forgiven for asking – What’s with the base? What a wasted opportunity to have him emerging from split tyres just like in the movie!! Well, quite. Hopefully you’ll be too busy noticing they didn’t even take the initiative to fix the artwork for the chest shield to notice the base is better suited to the Chitauri from The Avengers.
Unlike previous posts where due to the uniqueness and quality of the original figure I was passionate about promoting it whilst campaigning to fix some of the details, there will be no such endorsement this time. While I’m overjoyed the line still rightly makes a contribution to the Christopher And Dana Reeve Foundation this effort (or lack of) does not earn itself a place in my collection, will it earn one in yours..?
Taking full advantage of Propstore’s kind permission to examine their original Superman costume in detail gave us the opportunity to inspect the most minute details.
For anybody yet to have seen/spent time with any original prop or costume you may be surprised just how primitive and thrown together they are in reality. For example above is a few macro shots of the Superman costume revealing the stitched in cape padding and poppers at the shoulders, the slits made to accommodate the flying harness, the spray-paint job on the belt buckle and the stitched in supports for the \/ notch in the boot. On film under studio lighting, none of these details would be visible and the suit would appear pristine, such is the magic of Hollywood…
Presenting the second in the series of posts from SUPERMANIA & Friends recent all-access tour of the Propstore Of London’s main office where their incredible inventory of Movie treasures past & present reside.
Although the incredibly rare full-costume display pictured above has received full coverage on this blog whenever it has been publicly exhibited, this was a unique opportunity to intricately examine and photograph the costume without the hindrance of a plexiglass case – making it almost as good as being stood next to Reeve’s Superman himself.
As noted in this archive post, the tunic of this costume has been identified as one worn for early publicity shots (most prominently in the Topps trading card sets) besides being screenworn for scenes including the confrontation in Luthor’s Lair among others. As this tunic replaced the one originally shown in the Movieum Of London (due to ‘better provenance’ according to Propstore staff) there is a distinct colour difference between the top and tights as the tunic has faded considerably.
Closer inspection also revealed the cape to be a flying version as we discovered corresponding slits made either side to accommodate the wire rig and we were pleased to discover the faint outline of the cape shield, indicating that one had been present which was later confirmed by owner Stephen Lane (who is in possession of the shield and intends to have it re-attached).
SUPERMANIA extends its sincere thanks to all the kind staff at Propstore for the opportunity to examine this amazing iconic piece of cinema history up close and personal…
Though its common knowledge Christopher Reeve was given story credit for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, it would be seasoned screenwriters Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal (Jewel Of The Nile/The Legend Of Billie Jean) who would actually collaborate on the doomed project behind the typewriter.
The newest addition to the SUPERMANIA archive is a copy of their third draft (dated June 23, 1986) and while the plot (and maybe 85% of the dialogue) is consistent with the ‘finished’ picture, this particular submission has some startling contributions that, like so many other aspects of the film, were tragically/mercifully destined to be omitted.
First among the numerous improvements on the final film is the opening credits sequence, (top page) which was conceptualised as Superman’s pursuit and elimination of meteorites headed for Earth (having just caused the Soviet Spaceship incident) with a special note to utilize IMAX footage shot from the Space Shuttle. One can only imagine how awesome this would’ve been in stark contrast to the final dull static shot of Earth resplendent with glittery titles.
Another sad deletion is this fantastic scene (second & third pic) taking place after the Subway train rescue where Clark is made even later for work having to deal with a bullying drug dealer and littering clearly written to showcase the charms of the leading man (the limo transformation, although similarly done in Superman III is still a great touch)
Not so inspired is the denouement of the global battle between Superman and Nuclearman (bottom page) where, having been wounded, Superman escapes Nuclearman’s clutches by squishing himself out of his own costume only to land naked at the Kent farm (where he borrows a scarecrow’s clothes before holing himself up in the farmhouse). Rewritten as the equally weak cape detachment from Nuclearman’s kick, as the plot device of the energy module was yet to surface, Superman regains his charge from the ship itself.
Among the other interesting differences is the surprisingly short encounter with Nuclearman I, (who in this version doesn’t even encounter Superman face to face and is disposed of by accident) the non-appearance of Lois Lane until the first Daily Planet scene and later, bizarrely, showing up at the Kent farm to find Clark suffering from radiation poisoning, the description of Nuclearman II clearly as hideous mutated creature rather than man able to ‘morph’ in appearance and Superman’s all-encompassing ‘Super-Vision’ in place of the traditional x-rays.
While there are some solid ideas present overall it quickly becomes apparent every version of Superman IV is a desperate muddle. Whatever honourable intention the story had to address a real-world global issue gets lost amid some truly wacky notions in stark contrast of the verisimilitude set out by the earlier entries…
SUPERMANIA owes another debt of thanks to James Sawyer (editor of 1989 Batman.com) for securing me a copy of this intriguing find…
Another fascinating exhibit featured in the recent ‘Superheroes’ display at Indianapolis Children’s Hospital is this cape pertaining to be screen-used wardrobe from Superman: The Movie. Keen eyes will perhaps notice something strange about this particular piece in regard to the proportions and conclude that the distance between the shield and the hem appears short.
While it would be easy, then, to dismiss this as mere replica two things lead me to believe it is not and that its history may be even more colourful.
Firstly, thanks to SuperFan James Sawyer’s clear photography it becomes apparent in higher resolution the weave in both shield applique and cape body fabric are a match to other screen-used wardrobe and secondly, according to James there were slits in either side of the cape at waist level, the purpose of which he was unsure of.
All of which leads me to speculate that this probably started life as a Christopher Reeve worn ‘flying’ cape that had survived the original ’78-’83 trilogy only to have a quarter of its length hacked off for use in Supergirl, and in all probablility, SuperBoy.
As we know, all production-made Superman capes were catagorized for use by their state of degradation. Therefore what would start as a ‘Hero’ or ‘Walking’ cape would wind up being used as ‘Effects’ or ‘Stunt’ capes depending on their condition throughout filming. We also know they were maintained on-set and in many instances ‘remade’ to enure their longevity. This process was used throughout the Superman series and clearly later on in Supergirl where surviving examples were adjusted as noted above…
Many thanks to James for use of his pics and bringing this great discovery to my attention..!
