Varese Vs. Rhino…

Posted on by Martin-El

In conclusion to the posts detailing the Superman Soundtrack library I present this fascinating pair of double disc releases from 1998 and 2000, respectively. These infinitely contrasting CD’s are notable for being the first full rehashes of John Williams original score since the 1978 soundtrack album, supplemented by previously unreleased material.

Curiously, Varese Sarabande were there first, with a 20-track adaptation ably performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Emmy Award winning composer (SeaQuest DSV) John Debney. Simply but gracefully presented, the set makes up for any lack of WB involvement by utilising hitherto unseen paintings for Superman: The Movie by Bob Peak for the cover and liner notes (2nd and 4th pics). This, plus the never-before-published music from The Helicopter Rescue (Disc 2, Track 1) quickly made the album a must-have and somewhat of a rarity today.

Not be outdone, two years later Warner Brothers Archive label Rhino would offer a humdinger of a package as a sparkling update/re-issue of the original John Williams material that re-addressed the balance by offering 35 tracks of remastered music mostly peppered with previously unreleased material.  Exquisitely packaged, with an holographic slipcase and colour liner-notes, this Michael Matessino-produced spectacular was considered definitive until the discovery of even better source material during research conducted for the upcoming Superman: The Movie Special Edition on DVD. It would be the best part of a decade before the reels discovered in Pinewood Studios vaults would yield the ultimate box-set…

 

Back In The Summer Of…’87…

Posted on by Martin-El

Presenting recent and scarce additions to my collection from the vast archive of SuperFan William S. Wilson –

The above double-page vintage promos from 1985 culled from the pages of weekly Variety are a Cannon Films showcase published during what could be arguably described as their prime. The announcement of Superman IV was quite the coup for new producers Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus who look rather pleased (along with the board, bottom pic) with their acquisition of the Superman Motion Picture Property from the Salkinds, shortly before slashing its intended budget and ultimately delivering the picture that would kill the franchise…

My thanks to Chris King for re-assembling the artwork & Mr. Wilson for his continued generosity…

 

You’ll Believe A Figure Can Fly…

Posted on by Martin-El

…Onto the shelves of a million patiently waiting SuperFans!

Announced last August by Hot Toys as a ‘Winter 2010’ release, photographs of the prototype 1/6 figure were finally released online this week creating what could only be described as fanboy hysteria. Indeed, online collector forums such as Sideshow Freaks had two threads comprising of hundreds of pages of speculation before a single picture had been shown.

Was it worth the wait? Hot Toys detail often speaks for itself, though one should bear in mind this is a prototype and unlike most other Toy companies HT listen to fans and often ‘tweak’ details before November’s release. Though the headsculpt (by renowned Korean Sculptor Arnie Kim) is a work of art in itself, pictured bottom is SuperFan Sebastian Columbo’s manip side-by-side with the original, proving in Kim’s hands its easily the closest likeness in any scale to date…