SUPERMANIA is pleased to report that at very long last the art and text for the Superman IV Trading Card set is complete! Barring last-minute changes, the set is now in the capable hands of Alexei who is currently in the process of selecting the ideal machine and sourcing the most accurate card stock for the era before going to print…
More updates and printed samples to follow..!
In celebration of Superman’s 75th birthday, SUPERMANIA looks back at a special moment in the character’s history where the comic-book and movie worlds would briefly collide, culminating in one of the most publicised campaigns in its history.
With the unprecedented response to the Great Superman Movie Contest and resulting boost in sales for DC Comics, a follow-up competition was somewhat of an inevitability. But what could possibly top the prize of the first contest (where lucky young winners Tim Hussey and Ed Finneran were picked from thousands of entries to actually appear in Superman: The Movie) and what challenge would have to be met to better the submission of coupons obtained over months of various DC titles?
Fans may have had to answer a series of complex DC trivia questions to enter this time (25 in fact, all buried within the pages of different issues) but the prize was arguably even more coveted – Christopher Reeve’s screen-worn walking cape from Superman: The Movie.
Once again from the multitude of submissions (and many more lower tier prizes won) only 21 entrants managed to answer the questions 100% correctly. DC President Sol Harrison thought such dedication should be rewarded by the final draw being made by somebody prestigious from the new Movie – and who better than Superman himself?
DC employee Bob Rozakis recounts – “So, the morning he came in, he was escorted down the hall to Sol’s office and with all pomp and circumstance, Chris reached into the box and pulled out the winner. He was quite surprised that the box was not overflowing with cards, but when we explained about the 25 questions, he smiled and said, “I never would have gotten them all and I am Superman!”
Editor Jack Harris elaborates further – “Sol Harrison had charged me with the task of finding ‘someone from the movie’ to draw our winners because of my contacts with the Warner Publicity Department during my editing of “Superman: the Movie Magazine.” I called my contact upstairs and told him what we were looking for. Proving the theory that no one in New York City is more that two phone calls away from anyone else, I called the agent. I asked him if any of his clients would be willing to help us. He said, “Oh, there’s someone here in my office right now who can probably help you.” In another second I was talking to Christopher Reeve himself! Chris told me he was appearing on a morning news show the following day in a studio right across the street from the DC offices at Rockefeller Center and that he would be happy to stop by…”
More never before seen behind the scenes images from the SUPERMANIA collection on location with Superman IV: The Quest For Peace –
The decision to shoot the entirety of the fourth instalment in the Super series in the UK was especially convenient for star Christopher Reeve, who was living in fashionable Chelsea at the time. Having struck a two-picture deal with Cannon Films, Reeve was fulfilling his contractual obligation with Superman before he could work on a more personal project, Street Smart.
As Reeve’s family was also based in England the star had them along on the shoot (bottom pic with Matthew, Alexandra and Mother Gae) and as second unit director, managed to get both of his children in the Tornado rescue scene.
Also on-set was Special Effects supremo John Evans, (third pic down, right with blue sweater and moustache) who would go on to create ‘those wonderful toys’ seen in Warner Bros. Batman feature only three years later…
Enjoy these latest fantastic retro-style wallpapers celebrating the release of Superman III. As usual, Jayce76 has done an awesome reproducing posters and lobby cards in with a convincing vintage sheen . Visit his website for more..!
Concluding this month’s SUPERMANIA special feature on the vintage Laserdisc releases of the Superman series is the franchise denouement/killer Superman IV: The Quest For Peace –
Despite its quaint assessment by Desmond Ryan of The Philadelphia Enquirer as ‘good fun’ (See tagline on US release, third pic down) this final entry proved to be bittersweet but no less controversial than any of its predecessors. Dogged with problems from its conception onward and executed with a fraction of its intended budget, the above is notable for representing both the shortest and longest cuts of the movie before the advent of DVD.
The longest and therefore most coveted is the Japanese import release from King Video distributors (Top & Second pic) which was popular with US fans due to its 93 minute runtime. This, along with its sharp and unique sleeve art made it a serious collectable in its own right until ‘all’ of the lost footage was found and reinserted (as deleted scenes in workprint form) by WB years later for the Deluxe Edition on DVD.
Typically, the Western version was what would only be described as ‘Vanilla’ even back then, with a 90-minute runtime and uninspired presentation (replete with a still from a deleted scene carelessly included on the rear of the sleeve) though the reproduction of Daniel Goozee’s fantastic poster art on the cover is first class.
I hope you have enjoyed this overview of these great pieces of cinematic, now collectable history – please feel free to leave any comments or questions. Until then, a very Happy Easter to you all..!