Back Issue #109 by TwoMorrows Publishing

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Exploring the Superman Movies’ Effects on Comic Books, Media, and Collectibles Plus interviews with ILYA SALKIND • AARON “Baby Clark” SMOLINSKI • JEFF “Young Clark” EAST DIANE SHERRY “Lana Lang” CASE • and Superman Movie Contest winner ED FINNERAN’s recollections

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#4: Interviews with the Shazam! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) GRAY, the Green Hornet in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the way-out Santa Monica Pacific Ocean Amusement Park, a Star Trek Set Tour, SAM J. JONES on the Spirit movie pilot, British scifi TV classic Thunderbirds, Casper & Richie Rich museum, the King Tut fad, and more! SHIPS MARCH 2019!

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RETROFAN #3 celebrates the 40th ANNIVERSARY of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE with an exclusive interview with Superman director RICHARD DONNER! Editor MICHAEL EURY voyages to the bottom of IRWIN ALLEN’s sci-fi universe and Retro Travels to Metropolis, IL, home of the Superman Celebration! ANDY MANGELS dives in to Saturday morning’s undersea adventures of AQUAMAN! ERNEST FARINO flips through monster fanzines of the Sixties and Seventies! The Oddball World of SCOTT SHAW! unravels Marvel’s wackiest product ever: Spider-Man and Hulk toilet paper! SCOTT SAAVEDRA adopts a family of SEA-MONKEYS®! Plus FUNNY FACE beverages and collectibles, a fortress of SUPERMAN AND BATMAN MEMORABILIA, and more fun, fab features! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 • (Digital Edition) $4.95 • SHIPS DECEMBER 2018!

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Edited by Back Issue’s MICHAEL EURY!

Volume 1, Number 109 December 2018 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Eury PUBLISHER John Morrow

Comics’ Bronze Age and Beyond!

DESIGNER Rich Fowlks COVER ARTIST Gary Frank (Detail from the cover of Superman: Secret Origin #4. Original art scan courtesy of Matthew Popp.) COVER COLORIST (Superman figure) Glenn Whitmore COVER DESIGNER Michael Kronenberg PROOFREADER Rob Smentek

IN MEMORIAM: Margot Kidder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

SPECIAL THANKS Cary Bates Chris Ma John Byrne Elliot S! Maggin Diane Sherry Case Deborah Moore Michael Chaudhuri/ Charlie Niemeyer Fayetteville Luigi Novi ComicCon Jack O’Halloran Mike Ciemcioch Karla Ogle/Superman Shaun Clancy Celebration Neil A. Cole/Superman Jerry Ordway Super Site Martin Pasko DC Comics Mike Peacock Kevin Dooley David M. Petrou Sean Dulaney Jon Pinto Jeff East Rose Rummel-Eury Mark Engblom Ilya Salkind Edward Finneran Philip Schweier Chris Franklin Rob Smentek Grand Comics Aaron Smolinski Database Joe Stuber Trevor Hawkins Bill Svitavsky Karl Heitmueller, Jr. Mark Tensmeyer Heritage Comics John Trumbull Auctions Mark Waid Andrew Hess Delmo Walters, Jr Ken Hommel Warner Bros. Dan Johnson John Wells Shawn C. Kelley Marv Wolfman Adam Kubert Xum Yukinori Andrew Leyland

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BACK SEAT DRIVER: Editorial by Michael Eury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 TIMELINE: The Super ’70s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A countdown of Super-milestones leading up to the release of Superman: The Movie INTERVIEW: Ilya Salkind: The Art of the Super Deal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 How Superman became a movie, in the words of the film’s executive producer PRINCE STREET NEWS: Getting Superman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A new cartoon by Karl Heitmueller, Jr. BACKSTAGE PASS: We’ll Always Remember Smallville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Recollections from Superman co-stars Aaron Smolinski, Jeff East, and Diane Sherry Case OFF MY CHEST: Winning the Great Superman Movie Contest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Edward Finneran’s firsthand account of his 1977 Super-experience FLASHBACK: Elliot S! Maggin: Paperback Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The comic scribe-turned-novelist’s Super-books INTERVIEW: Non Speaks!: Jack O’Halloran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 A candid chat with the actor who escaped the streets—and the Phantom Zone ART GALLERY: Superman Around the World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Illustrated movie posters featuring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel TOY BOX: Superman: The Movie Collectibles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 How much of this Super-stuff is on your shelf? GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD: The Superman Movie You Didn’t See. . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Guest columnist Cary Bates reveals his plot for what might have been Superman V FLASHBACK: Superman: The Movie and Comic Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 The original film’s legacy in DC Comics lore BACKSTAGE PASS: Superman: The Movie and Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 The beloved movie’s legacy in Hollywood BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Reader reactions BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $76 Economy US, $125 International, $32 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Gary Frank. Superman and related images TM & © DC Comics. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2018 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows, except: Prince Street News © Karl Heitmueller, Jr.; “Winning the Great Superman Movie Contest” © Edward Finneran; and “The Superman Movie You Didn’t See” © Cary Bates. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros.

IN MEMORIAM

Margot Kidder (1948–2018)

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by M

Validation. That’s the feeling I most associate with Superman: The Movie. Some of you first saw this blockbuster through a child’s eyes. It was your gateway to a world of adventure, as Adam West’s Batman was mine nearly 13 years earlier. By the time Superman premiered on Friday, December 15, 1978, I was no child—according to my college I.D., at least. I had recently turned 21 and, along with two fraternity brothers, hustled to the movie on opening night. My buddies enjoyed it—but I adored it. It brought to life one of my favorite superheroes and convinced me, thanks to then-cutting edge special effects and the earnest portrayal by Christopher Reeve, that a man really could fly. Superman: The Movie briskly soared to the top of the box office, becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest moneymakers of its day. From a contemporary perspective, that’s an unsurprising announcement. As I write this in late April 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is clawing its way up the list of the most profitable motion pictures of all time and Avengers: Infinity War has just enjoyed the biggest box office opening— ever. “Superheroes” is now a bona fide and lucrative film genre. That was not the world of 1978, however. The public at large paid little, if any, heed to caped crusaders. Superman, then celebrating his 40th birthday, was an exception, having leaped enough media platforms in a single bound to have become an American icon. Yet many thought of the Man of Steel as a golden oldie, recalling the barrel-chested George Reeves, whose reruns of the archaically dated ’50s TV classic, Adventures of Superman, still whooshed their way into syndication in this modern world of disco, microwave ovens, and supersonic jets. To others, Superman was a children’s character to be placed alongside such cuddly figures as Winnie the Pooh and Kermit the Frog, a super friend seen in Saturday morning cartoons and on boys’ underwear. Conventional wisdom cautioned Hollywood that such kiddie fare should not be the basis of a star-studded, live-action movie with a whopping budget of $55 million. But luckily (for us), executive producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, producer Pierre Spengler, and director Richard Donner persevered with their mythic, yet human, vision of Superman. And audiences loved it, lining up to see Superman: The Movie— and returning to see it again and again! At last! the 21-year-old me thought… The rest of America gets it! I no longer have to hide my love of comic books and superheroes.

ichael Eury

You see, in those pre-Big Bang Theory days, when only the nerdiest of nerds knew what a comic-con was, most people were Penny, and those of us beyond the age of ten who read comic books were Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj. Comic books and superheroes were kids’ stuff, like Bazooka Joe bubblegum, G.I. Joes, and Easy Bake Ovens, to be tossed aside when puberty caused voices to crack and hormones to rage. Those of us who never “outgrew” comic books were the trolls of society, metaphorically banished underneath the bridge of adulthood and forced to conceal (like an alter ego) our inner fanboy (or girl) by nervously checking our surroundings when surveying a spin rack and secreting our latest issue of Action or X-Men behind a textbook or “legit” magazine like Time. Except for the kinship we quietly found among our colleagues of comicdom, we were closeted. Until Superman: The Movie. On December 15, 1978, we were validated. Beginning on that date, millions of moviegoers realized that superheroes weren’t solely the domain of children, that they were the shrugging Atlases, the lumbering Paul Bunyans, of contemporary folklore. Credit for much of that rests on the broad shoulders of Christopher Reeve. Following director Donner’s mandate of verisimilitude (the appearance of truth), Reeve did not “play” Superman, nor did he offer a sly wink to the audience that this was a put-on. He was Superman. As an actor, TM & © DC Comics/Warner Bros. he accepted the character as real, and as such elevated the entire production from farce to fantasy. Certainly, stellar talent such as Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Glenn Ford also made Superman an A-list endeavor, but had a lesstalented actor slipped into the red-and-blue costume, I might not be writing this editorial 40 years later (and Black Panther and the Avengers would be known only to Marvel diehards). Superman paved the way for the modern superhero movie. And it made me proud to be a comic-book fan. In this issue, we hear from some talented people who brought us this epochal film and examine how the movie affected the world of comic books and the broader popular culture. Our contributors may seem just like mild-mannered reporters, but listen, not only do they know how to treat their editor-in-chief with the proper respect, not only do they have a snappy, punchy prose style, but they are, in my 30 years in this business, the fastest typists I’ve ever seen. And they’ve wound up with the single most important collection of interviews and articles since… God talked to Moses.

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by M

ichael Eury

The December 1978 release of Superman: The Movie was the zenith of a decade of super-events for DC Comics’ Man of Steel and his Super-family. This timeline revisits the highpoints of this Super decade. (Note: The years listed below reflect the comics’ on-sale appearances, not their cover dates.)

1970 s

Silver Age Superman editor Mort Weisinger retires (Superman #232 is his last issue) s Supergirl adopts mod fashions in Adventure Comics #397 s Rose and the Thorn premiere in Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #105 s Jack Kirby’s Fourth World begins with Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 s World’s Finest Comics becomes a Superman team-up title with #198 s Superman’s Girl Friend becomes black for a day in Lois Lane #106 s Julius Schwartz begins editorship with Superman #233 (“Kryptonite Nevermore”) s Clark Kent becomes a television news anchorman in Superman #233

1971 s

Legion of Super-Heroes returns as a backup series in Superboy #172 s Superman from the Thirties to the Seventies hardcover published s Mod Clark Kent comic strip appears in Nov. 1971 issue of GQ s Classic “Must There Be a Superman?” published in Superman #247 s First Galactic Golem appearance in Superman #248

1972 s

First Terra-Man appearance in Superman #249 Superman guest-stars on 10–7–72 episode of animated The Brady Kids show s Supergirl spins out of Adventure Comics into her own short-lived title s The continuityconfusing Super Sons premiere in World’s Finest Comics #215 s Superman introduces original Captain Marvel on cover of Shazam! #1 s Superman’s origin reprinted in Secret Origins #1 s

1973 s

Amazing World of Superman– Metropolis Edition tabloid published s First Steve Lombard appearance in Superman #264 s Superboy branded Superboy starring the Legion of Super-Heroes with issue #197 s Long-running Super Friends Saturday morning cartoon show premieres 9–8–73 s First Toyman II appearance in Action Comics #432

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1974

1978

Famous First Edition #C-26 reprints Action Comics #1 s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen retitled Superman Family with #164 s Superman battles Captain Thunder in Superman #276 s Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane cancelled with issue #137 s Supergirl cancelled with issue #10 s First Vartox appearance in Superman #282

Superman #97 and 113 reprinted as Pizza Hut giveaways s First Atomic Skull appearance in Superman #323 s Superman vs. Muhammad Ali in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-56 s Superman-centric World’s Greatest Superheroes newspaper strip premieres 4–3–78 s Superman vs. Shazam! in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-58 s Marriage of Earth-Two Superman and Lois in Action Comics #484 s DC Comics Presents, new Superman team-up title, is launched s Superman: Last Son of Krypton novel by Elliot S! Maggin s The Official Superman Quiz Book by Bruce Nash s Superman and World’s Finest reprint paperbacks from Tempo Books s The Great Superman Book (encyclopedia) by Michael L. Fleisher s The World’s Greatest Super-Heroes paperback reprints Superman comic strip s Superman #1 reprinted in Famous First Edition #C-61 s Superman: The Movie special edition in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-62 s Superman: The Movie premieres 12–15–78

1975 s

It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman musical performed on television s Warner Bros. announces new Superman motion picture s PR campaign nets stipend, benefits, and creator credits for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster s Siegel and Shuster tribute story in Action Comics #447 s Amazing World of DC Comics #7 is all-Superman issue s First appearance of Power Girl in All-Star Comics #58

1976 s

Superman celebrated at Super DC Con ’76 in New York City s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man DC/Marvel crossover published s Superman #300 published, featuring “Superman, 2001” s DC launches Super Friends tie-in comic-book series which includes Superman

1977 s

First Metallo II appearance in Superman #310 s DC Special Series #5 is all-new Superman Spectacular s Superman vs. Wonder Woman in All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-54 s First Supermobile appearance in Action Comics #481

1979 s

Superman is surprise Batman teammate in The Brave and the Bold #150 s World of Krypton #1–3 is comic-book industry’s first miniseries s Bottle City of Kandor enlarged in Superman #338 s Action Comics #500 published, featuring “Superman’s Life Story”

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All images TM & © DC Comics, except for The Brady Kids TM & © Paramount Pictures, Spider-Man TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc., and Muhammad Ali TM & © Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC.

Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor was obsessed with real estate in Superman: The Movie, and at the 2018 Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, I also discovered the value of real estate. As a guest of the event, I lucked into a table right next to Ilya Salkind, the executive producer (with his father, Alexander Salkind) of Superman—as well as Superman II (1980) and III (1983), Supergirl (1984), The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), and TV’s Superboy series (1999–1992). During a break from signing autographs, Mr. Salkind graciously consented to this interview and allowed me to chat with him about how the Marvel of Metropolis became the Hero of Hollywood. – Michael Eury MICHAEL EURY: What’s your earliest Superman memory? ILYA SALKIND: Very simple; I started reading the comic books when I was seven, and I loved them and continued [to read them]. EURY: How did you and your father bring Superman to Hollywood? SALKIND: My father was my partner, and we had two big successes in America and worldwide: The Three [Musketeers] and [The] Four Musketeers. EURY: I saw them both and enjoyed them. SALKIND: Very good movies. After that we were very excited and happy and all that. [We thought,] What will we do next? We were having dinner and I said, “Why don’t we do Superman?” My father was European and said, “What is Superman?” I said, “Well, he flies and he’s got these powers, he’s as known as Jesus Christ.” He said, “Let me talk to my backers.” The next day he said, “They like the idea.” EURY: So the backers knew who Superman was? SALKIND: Yes, the backers knew who he was. When the backers said they liked it, [my father] reacted. Then we had a long negotiation with Warner Bros., who owned DC Comics. It was then called National Periodical Publications and they changed the title of NPP to DC Comics, because that was the way not to pay Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who had invented the character. They absolutely bamboozled them and took their credit off the comics, everything, but in the contract, it still said “based on the comic books created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.” EURY: It was for $130 that Siegel and Shuster famously sold the rights of Superman back in 1938. SALKIND: Exactly. The poor guys were destitute; one of them was going blind… it was a terrible time. So, the backers liked it and we started a very long negotiation with NPP. It was after they changed from NPP to DC Comics. EURY: The name changed after your negotiation? SALKIND: It changed after we started shooting. We went to them, and then Warners said, “Sell it; it’s not worth anything. Who cares about a comic book?” The three months of very difficult negotiation was with NPP because they, not Warners, were very protective about the character. There was a whole clause about the identity of the character we had to agree on: He couldn’t be obscene, we couldn’t go out of the range of activities; he couldn’t be a burglar—he had to be Superman. The negotiation took a long time. Warners still didn’t care about the film. My father was a genius about finding money and backers, and bought the rights to the film until 1999. EURY: Until 1999? What limitations were there to your terms? SALKIND: It went until 1999—any amount of films we wanted to do until then; no limitations. Then, even in 1999, there was some kind of statute of limitations where we could have extended it, but then [there was] another story that happened; unpleasant, but all in the past. Warners didn’t care about the film yet, but the European buyers went crazy; Italians, French, German, Japanese… all wanted the film. So, we presold the movie and then Warners started to say, “Wait a minute…” The deal we made with them was a negative deal; they still had the rights to pick up the film for an amount for American

conducted by

Michael Eury

transcribed by Rose Rummel-Eury

Supermovie’s Supermen A 1978 one-sheet Mylar poster promoting the premier superhero film, Superman: The Movie, brought to you by executive producers (inset) Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Poster courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). Superman TM & © DC Comics.

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distribution only, but it would still say: “Alexander Salkind presents…” not “Warner Bros. presents.” EURY: I remember the credits and can see that now. SALKIND: Yes, it was clear, “Alexander.” Warners got excited by then. We made that deal and then they got more and more excited and I think I showed them some footage and they bought [distribution rights for] the rest of the world. Two or three countries were presold, but the ones that were available, Warners got. EURY: Your and your father’s persistence there not only brought the Superman franchise to the fold, but you helped create this entire genre of superhero movies. SALKIND: Yes! Every three months, we have a new movie now! The Robert Downey Iron Man character… EURY: The thing your Superman film did was treat the material with affection, and reverence; with respect, and a level of sophistication; not as juvenile or pap. SALKIND: Yes. When I had the famous dinner with my father, I said, “If we make the movie and you agree and your backers agree, this has to be a big movie and has to be real; it can’t be campy and play with the jokes, it has to be straight.” And he got that. EURY: There were name actors considered to star as Superman and Clark Kent… or is that legend? [Editor’s note: Among the actors said to have offered the role: Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, James Caan, and Paul Newman.] SALKIND: It’s true. In the beginning, the backers and my father wanted a star for the lead. I said, “No, let’s get an unknown. If the star has a name everyone recognizes, it won’t work.” And I didn’t know all the problems we’d have with the flying later! EURY: You didn’t get on the wires to test them, did you? SALKIND: [laughs] That was before CGI: We did all wires, blue screens, green screen, Rotoscope. EURY: I re-watched the film recently and was as mesmerized by it, and the flying sequences, as I was when I first saw it in 1978. I was one of the people who repeatedly saw the movie when it came out. SALKIND: We got [a “Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects”]. EURY: That’s fantastic! Speaking of special effects, I’ve been told you wanted to use Brainiac in one of your Superman films. SALKIND: This is true. When we did Superman III (1983), after that we sold the rights to Globus and the Cannon Group to make IV (1987). We [did] Supergirl (1984). And after IV, which was a disaster, a terrible movie… it killed the franchise. So after that, we started writing with two writers who worked for me on the Superboy TV show. One was Cary Bates from DC Comics, and the other was Mark Jones; he directed Leprechaun (1993) later. With them, we wrote a new script that would be Superman: The New Movie, and it had Brainiac in it and the script was very good. I read it not long ago. … They were working with me as story editors and we were working on the script for Superman. … The script was very good, was very powerful, but I think Warners was worried… it was right before Batman opened. [Editor’s note: Cary Bates elaborates on this Superman movie that wasn’t in the “Greatest Stories Never Told” article elsewhere in this issue.] EURY: Any other superhero or comics-related projects in your future? SALKIND: I’m working now on a possible project which is about a comic-book cartoon and it is very original, and might have Chinese financiers. It’s written by Cary Bates; he’s very talented. EURY: That he is! I wish you great success with that. [looking up] I see you have a line forming for autographs, so we’d best wrap this up. Thank you so much. SALKIND: My pleasure.

Live, from Metropolis… (middle) Ilya Salkind signs a collector’s autographedcovered Superman cape at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, June 2018. (bottom) Mr. Salkind and BI’s Michael Eury. Photos by Michael Eury and Rose Rummel-Eury.

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Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 9

The Kids from Smallville Three iconic images from Superman: The Movie: (left) Baby Clark (Aaron Smolinski) reveals he’s a Superbaby (with Phyllis Thaxter and Glenn Ford); (center) cheerleader Lana Lang (Diane Sherry Case) befriends outcast Young Clark (Jeff East); and (right) Pa Kent (Ford) assures Young Clark (East) that “You are here for a reason.” © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

By the time he had arrived on Earth, little Kal-El Superman: The Movie is considered by many film critics and comic-book fans as the definitive superhero film, had aged some since being rocketed as an infant from the movie that led the way for today’s blockbusters. It tells Krypton. Actor Aaron Smolinski was just three when he the story of the Man of Steel and how he comes to Earth was cast to play baby Kal-El/soon-to-be Clark Kent in the early Smallville scenes. In spite of his from the doomed planet of Krypton, grows age, though, the actor has vivid and up on our world, and eventually becomes wonderful memories of his time on our planet’s greatest champion. The film is broken up into three the set. “I do remember a lot of the acts that follow Superman from behind-the-scenes stuff,” says infancy to adulthood. Act One Smolinski to BACK ISSUE. “Like is the story of Kal-El on Krypton. talking into Richard Donner’s His father, Jor-El (Marlon Brando), walkie talkie. [I also remember the and mother, Lara (Susannah York), scene where I’m] standing under the place him in a rocket and send him truck and my arms are getting tired into the heavens and to safety. Act Three from holding them up. I remember is the story of Superman in Metropolis. hugging Phyllis Thaxter and riding the bus This is where the fully grown Clark to set. We all parked at a gas station Kent (Christopher Reeve) begins to and then were bussed to the location.” fulfill his destiny and find his place in Being the baby on set, literally, aaron smolinski the world with the one, true love of Smolinski found himself the center of attention between takes. “It was a his life, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), and his most trusted friends and allies, Jimmy Olsen (Marc magical time for a three-year-old,” he recalls. “I McClure) and Perry White (Jackie Cooper), and faces off got lots of attention and I got to do fun things. [Plus, I with his greatest enemy, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). got] all the candy and food I wanted. It was wonderRight now, we’re here to talk about Act Two of ful. Everyone on set was fantastic. To this day, I am still Superman, which concerns young Kal-El’s arrival on Earth in contact with Richard Donner. He is such a kind, warm and the teenaged Clark Kent deciding the path he will man. It wasn’t work to me. It was fun. I loved it.” follow—and this part of the legend is set in Smallville. Part of Aaron’s wonderful memories include his time In many comic books, Smallville was located in Kansas. with the acting legends that played his adopted parents For Superman: The Movie, the countryside around Calgary in the movie. “I remember how sweet Phyllis was,” in Alberta, Canada, filled in for Superman’s hometown says Smolinski. “[She was] very nurturing. I felt a real and afforded director Richard Donner the idealistic small connection to her. And Glenn Ford was nice, but very town that looks like it was taken right off the comic-book professional.” Compared to some other performers in page. The very first scene set in Smallville is when Kal-El’s the movie, Smolinski’s work on Superman: The Movie ship crashes and the child is discovered by Jonathan was relatively short. “[I was there for] eight days of (Glenn Ford) and Martha (Phyllis Thaxter) Kent. filming. This time included a series of additional shots

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by D

an Johnson

and footage that were to be included in a montage, similar to what Donner did in The Omen, but these never were used in the film.” After the Kents find young Kal-El, and decide to raise him as their own son, the action in Smallville jumps ahead about 15 years. The next time we see the Last Son of Krypton, he is now a teenager, named Clark Kent by his adopted parents, and he is played by actor Jeff East. East came to join the cast of Superman: The Movie after Richard Donner and the film’s producer, Ilya Salkind, went looking for crew members to fill their roster behind the camera. “Donner and Salkind had seen me in The Hazing,” recalls East to BACK ISSUE. “Carole Littleton was editing that film in post during the winter of 1977. They were looking at her editing reel. After Donner saw the film, they called Lynn Stalmaster, the casting director, to have me come in for a meeting to offer me the role of Young Clark Kent.” The casting process for East moved very quickly as director and producer both knew East was the right actor to bring teenaged Clark to life, even though the actor himself didn’t know initially that was the role he was up for. “I was not told what I was [being] considered for,” says East about the casting process. “They just had a photo of Chris Reeve next to mine on the table.”

Country Boy (top) Jeff East in the title role of the 1974 movie musical Huckleberry Finn, a follow-up to the previous year’s musical production of Tom Sawyer. (bottom) East as a fleet-footed Young Clark in Superman’s memorable train-racing scene. As East told BI editor Michael Eury at the Superman Celebration in June 2018, at first he was hesitant to don the character’s wig and especially, a prosthetic nose, laughing, “ ‘I’ve got to wear a fake nose?’ They said, ‘Welcome to the movie business!’ ” Huckleberry Finn © United Artists. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 11

BEYOND SMALLVILLE

Looking to see the kids from Smallville in roles outside of your favorite movie? Diane Sherry Case, Jeff East, and Aaron Smolinski have extensive film and television credits that extend beyond the rustic borders of Clark Kent’s hometown, many of which you’ve probably already seen:

DIANE SHERRY CASE

Filmography: Man in the Square Suit (1966, TV movie) Hawaii (1966) Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) Superman: The Movie (1978) Sins of the Father (1985, TV movie) Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story (1986, TV movie) Deadly Intent (1988) The Case of the Hillside Strangers (1989, TV movie) TV credits include: The Bill Dana Show Make Room for Daddy The Bing Crosby Show The F.B.I. Room 222 Adam-12 House Poor

JEFF EAST

Filmography: Tom Sawyer (1973) Huckleberry Finn (1974) The Hazing (1977) Superman: The Movie (1978) Stranger in the House (1978, TV movie) Klondike Fever (1980) Deadly Blessing (1981) The Day After (1984, TV movie) Up the Creek (1984) Dream West (1986, TV miniseries) Pumpkinhead (1988) Another Chance (1989) Blue Champagne (1992) Deadly Exposure (1993) Misfortune Smiles (2009) Last Breath (2010) Terminal (2015) TV credits include: Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color How the West Was Won M*A*S*H 1st & Ten: The Championship Doogie Howser, M.D.

AARON SMOLINSKI

Filmography: Superman: The Movie (1978) Superman II (1980, stock footage) Superman III (1983) Hostile Force (1997, TV movie) A Champion’s Fight (1998, TV movie) Someone to Love Me (1998, TV movie) MVP: Most Valuable Primate (2000) Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001) Carts (2007) Revelations (2011) Man of Steel (2013) TV credits include: Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years The Sentinel Poltergeist: The Legacy Night Man The Outer Limits (1999) JAG

Credits compiled by Michael Eury from Wikipedia and Internet Movie Database.

All-American Teens… …on location in Canada. (left) Contact sheet of Lana and Clark photos from the set of Superman, courtesy of Diane Sherry Case. (right) Original movie serial Superman Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill (Lois Lane of the serials and Seasons Two and up of TV’s Adventures of Superman) as the train-traveling parents of future reporter Lois Lane, played by Kathy Painter, who spies Young Clark Kent outracing their train in the film. From the personal collection of Kirk Alyn and courtesy of Heritage Auctions. © Warner Bros.

12 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

Once East had secured the role of Young Clark, things moved faster than a speeding bullet for the young actor. “[Being cast in this movie] was an experience of a lifetime,” says East. “I was thrilled and left the morning after I was cast for London [to begin] shooting and rehearsals. [As it turned out,] I flew over with Margot Kidder, who was testing for Lois Lane at the time.” Most transatlantic flights can be long and tedious, but East was able to put that time to good use, getting to know the icon he would be playing by reading Superman and Superboy comics on the plane. East’s excitement was soon tempered by the process that would be needed to help make him look more like Christopher Reeve. “I was concerned about the wigs and nose pieces they were using and testing on me in the first few weeks,” he recalls. “But it all turned out good, after several variations; the wig helped me find the soul of Clark.” Central to the Smallville scenes was the love interest of teenaged Clark, Lana Lang, played in the movie by Diane Sherry Case (who was then billed as Diane Sherry). Hearing how she came to be cast, it seems Donner saw some very Lana-like qualities in the young actress. “I was cast because the casting director diane sherry case was familiar with my work and Donner viewed my photo and liked the mischievous glint in my eye,” Case informs BI. Case had a determination early on that would have made Lana Lang proud. Instead of wanting to uncover Superboy’s secret identity as Lana did in the Silver and Bronze Age comics books, Case’s desire was turned toward acting. “My family is from the boot-heel of Missouri, about three hours from Memphis,” Case says. “My parents were attending college in Tulsa when I was young, and we moved to Beverly Hills when I was seven. The story my mother used to tell was that I threatened to run away from home if she wouldn’t get me an agent. She says she thought I’d get discouraged by the interview process, but I landed a job at my first audition. That was for a segment of The Bill Dana Show entitled ‘The Brat.’ I got to act out in ways I would have never gotten away with at home and I just fell in love with acting!” Case was delighted to join the cast of Superman: The Movie. Even if she wasn’t familiar with Superman or his mythos, she was aware of another acting legend who was tied to this movie. “[I had no prior knowledge] at all to Superman or Lana Lang,” says Case. “I was simply excited to be in a film that also starred Marlon Brando.” Brando aside, joining the cast of this film was quite the feather in the cap of the young actress as this was one of the biggest project of her career up to that point. But then Case had a track record with big-budget epics. “I had done another film, Hawaii (1966), in which I played Julie Andrews’ sister,” recalls Case. “[That movie] had a $15-milliondollar budget and it was nominated for several Oscars.” Hawaii also featured a young Gene Hackman in an early role for the man who would one day be Lex Luthor. “I had also been Bing Crosby’s daughter in The Bing Crosby Show (1964–1965) and sang with him nearly every week,” says Case about her other early projects. “I’d been in a film directed by Roger Vadim, Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971). [He was] the director who made Bridget Bardot and Catherine Denueve stars, and who was married to Jane Fonda at the time. I just read a portion of a biography about Gene Roddenberry, who produced that movie, telling just how irritated Vadim was that I wouldn’t do the role I was cast in that required nudity. I was hoping he’d drop the nudity and he was hoping I’d drop my clothes!

The Girl Next Door (top) From the collection of Diane Sherry Case, a painting by fan Trevor Hawkins of the actress in her Smallville glory. (middle) On the set with Superman director Richard Donner (left) and cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, in a photo taken by Diane Sherry Case. Unsworth died shortly before the release of Superman, on October 28, 1978, and the film is dedicated to him. (bottom) Behind the scenes in “Smallville” with Unsworth, Donner, and Sherry (Case), the latter of whom kindly contributed this photo to BACK ISSUE. © Warner Bros. Lana Lang TM & © DC Comics.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 13

I ended up with just a tiny part in that movie, another actress played Superman: The Movie’s extended cut already know that the train the character that I was cast as. I also did a lot of television work and sequence involved a young Lois Lane, who glimpses the man of her commercials, including two Super Bowl commercials.” dreams for the very first time as he races alongside the locomotive (the Case’s screen time in Superman was brief, but director Richard extended scene on the train also features cameos by the movie serial Donner’s vision and desire to make the definitive superhero movie Lois Lane and Superman, Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn, as the future reporter’s translated into her being on location for quite some time. “I was up parents). To get this sequence, East had to take some time learning to in Canada for several weeks as Donner was waiting for the perfect work on wires… even putting himself at great risk. weather in order to shoot the Lana scenes during the “The train sequence was difficult,” admits East. “It took magic hour,” says Case. “He certainly had a vision!” two weeks of practice [on wires] at an airbase in East agrees with his co-star in that Donner Lethbridge and then another two days of shooting knew what he wanted for his movie, and that the sequence. Getting the wires to not show was is why it holds up, even till today. “Donner is tricky, plus the swinging motion [on the wires] was hard to control. But after hours and days of the boss,” seconds East. “He’s great with actors’ verisimilitude—keep it real and true to the test runs, we finally solved the issues and it worked. comic-book story. Plus, he had a great team as well. It was, however, very dangerous when I jumped the train because I was going into the train through the He’s the reason Superman: The Movie is a classic.” Case managed to make the most of her time on frame of the camera and then I disappear out of frame, the Superman shoot and enjoyed getting to know her but I was still swinging into the path of the train at full castmates and the crew. “Jeff [East] and I had a speed. Fortunately, Richard Hackman, my stuntman, terrific time,” the actress recalls. “I also hung out caught me before I was hit by the train, but it was close.” with Dick [Donner] during the shoot and one day off, For many fans of Superman: The Movie, the heart jeff east and soul of the film is the scene just before Jonathan I drove to Montana with him and the special-effects Kent dies, when he and Young Clark have a heart-toguys. That was a fun day trip. It was also fun getting heart talk about purpose in life and the reason for Clark being here. to know the drivers of our trailers. This was in Calgary, and they It is a wonderful moment where a young man is reassured that his life has were off-season rodeo cowboys. It was quite a gathering!” Of all the portions of the film, the scenes set in Smallville required the a greater purpose than he can imagine at the moment and a promise least amount of special-effects shots, but it did feature one memorable that he is here to do more important things than just score touchdowns. scene that involved Young Clark racing a speeding train. Fans of “The scene of Glenn and I walking up the road, I knew something was special about it,” recalls East. “We did it in one take. The spirit was there on the set and in the scene. Ford is good.” Child Actress Along with Smolinski, East has fond memories of his onscreen parents. “Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter were (top) Diane Sherry held by her terrific and kind and they both were very gifted actors that TV dad Bing Crosby, with TV made me look good,” recalls East. Another memorable scene in the film comes shortly after Jonathan’s funeral, mom Beverly Garland, from the when young Clark decides he must leave Smallville and musical sitcom The Bing Crosby go out to find the purpose his adopted father spoke of. “Phyllis [Thaxter] was a very kind soul and I felt a deep Show (1964–1965). (bottom) connection with her. She said to me while doing the scene A newspaper photo noting in the wheat field that she had the pleasure of working with Gary Cooper when she was younger and now the Diane’s 13th birthday. With her pleasure to work with Jeff East. It was a nice compliment.” are young actors Bobby Buntrock The Smallville segment ends as young Clark Kent heads off for the Arctic. It is there that he will discover the Fortress (Hazel), Jon Provost (Lassie), of Solitude and who he really is, and learn about the world he Patty Peterson (The Donna originally came from. With that, East and Case’s involvement with the world of Superman were done. For Aaron Smolinski, Reed Show), and Lisa Loring his journey, like Kal-El’s, was just beginning. (The Addams Family). Both Superman: The Movie would go on to become a worldwide phenomenon, as would its sequel, Superman II. In 1983, courtesy of Diane Sherry Case. Superman was ready to make his third big-screen appearance The Bing Crosby Show © Bing Crosby Productions. with Christopher Reeve in the role. It is with the third installment that Smolinski returned in a small, but memorable, role. During the opening scenes set in Metropolis, Clark Kent dashes into a photo booth to become Superman. As he changes, the booth photographs him and the pictures reveal the stages of his transformation into his secret identity. A young boy finds the photos, but Superman is able to nab the incriminating shots before the cat is out of the bag. The youngster in the scene for this memorable moment was young Aaron. “At that time, I had been doing a number of commercials in Calgary and was kind of ‘the go-to kid’ for that sort of thing,” recalls Smolinski. “So, with that, and my Superman history, [the producers] asked me to be in Superman III.” Smolinski’s time on the set of Superman III proved to be even more memorable than his time on Superman: The Movie, mainly because this time around he got to meet Christopher Reeve. It would be an encounter that would shape the man Smolinski would become. “The first time I met him on set, I remember shaking his hand and mine disappearing into his,” says Smolinski about meeting Reeve. “It was big! He was very kind and professional. Very warm. A prime example of the type of person he was is when we were in High River filming a scene; he sat 14 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

in the lunch tent with everyone else instead of isolating himself in his trailer like some of the other cast. That was neat. It showed me that no matter how ‘big’ of a star you are, you can never forget to be humble. That had a huge impact on me and how I was on the set for my career.” Smolinski also recalls one of the most harrowing scenes in the film and being nearby as it was shot. “I loved watching them film the part of the opening scene where the car fills up with water,” says Smolinski. “That was neat to see everything that went into that. Also, my dad was in that scene.” For many people, being in two Superman films would be enough for one lifetime. Not so with Smolinski. Twenty-some years after Superman III, he returned to the world of Superman yet again as Henry Cavill stepped in to take over the title role in Man of Steel. In the film, Smolinski plays one of the soldiers that first encounters Superman and determines he is on their side. “I actually sought that [role] out,” says Smolinski. “I remember hearing about it and thinking this could be the last Superman movie. It would be neat to be in the first and the last. Jim Bowers, an all-around great guy (and friend), encouraged me to reach out to Dick Donner. So I did. Dick agreed with me and sent my headshot and résumé off to [Man of Steel director] Zack Snyder, and the rest is history. They wrote me into the script.” Smolinski is someone who is in the rare position to know how Reeve and Cavill stack up against one another in the role of the Last Son of Krypton, having met them up close and personal. So, what was his impression of the new Man of Steel when he met him for the first time? “As soon as I met Henry Cavill, I knew Superman was in good hands,” Smolinski tells BACK ISSUE. “He was very charming, kind, and I could tell how much the legacy meant to him. Then, after getting to know him more, I got angry—because not only was he a very attractive human being, he was English, funny, and kind. It’s really not fair that one person was blessed with all that [laughter]. All kidding aside, he is a great person.” Smolinski, like East and Case, continues to work as an actor. Case also has also become a life coach and has authored a book entitled Write for Recovery: Exercises for Heart, Mind and Spirit. All three continue to do conventions and signing shows around the world, where they are warmly greeted by Superman fans from all walks of life. As BACK ISSUE celebrates the 40th anniversary of Superman: The Movie, we ask these stars what their final thoughts are regarding this film and the impact it has had on their lives and their careers, and their impressions of the fans they get to meet. “To be honest, it never really sunk in until my later years,” admits Smolinski about the impact Superman: The Movie has had on so many people’s lives. “[I realize it] more so now. Since I have gotten to meet so many incredibly Superman fans, I truly appreciate being in the Superman movies. I see what it means to so many and to be a part of that, an actual ‘Superman,’ is incredible. To see fans light up because of their love for the movie is incredible. As a kid I didn’t truly grasp what it meant. Plus, it was hard being picked on because I was the ‘naked kid’ in that movie [laughter].” Like Smolinski, it took Case some time to realize her role in a movie that had become iconic. “I knew it was something special, I just didn’t realize it would become a classic,” the actress says. “[And now] Superman: The Movie is even in the National Archives. It continues to amaze me how many terrific fans are still loyal to Superman!” “The fans’ reaction of the movie has been a nice reward for me as an actor,” says East. “They are loyal and true. It’s amazing how many people love the film. For many years and more to come, I am reminded that I am, and always will be, Young Superman, and it’s great to know that the scenes I am in really affected people when they were younger and even to this day. So, it is a blessing to have been a part of film history. To the fans, thanks for this amazing support and love. I am very proud to be in the family.” DAN JOHNSON is a comics writer whose work can be found in Cemetery Plots from Empire Comics Lab. His other notable comics work includes Herc and Thor for Antarctic Press and several books for Campfire Graphic Novels. He is also a gag writer for the Dennis the Menace comic strip.

The Superman Family (top) Young Aaron Smolinski almost discovers Clark Kent’s secret identity in 1983’s Superman III. (middle) Smolinski (third from left) as seen in 2013’s Man of Steel. (bottom) Courtesy of Jeff East, a convention photograph from earlier this year gathering some super friends (and one special guest). (front row, left to right) Aaron Smolinski, Margot Kidder (may you rest in peace, our dear, departed, favorite Lois Lane), and Diane Sherry Case. (back row, left to right) Doug Jones (the actor who brought creatures to life in The Shape of Water, Hellboy, and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer), Jeff East, and two reformed escapees from the Phantom Zone, Jack O’Halloran and Sarah Douglas. Special thanks to Dan Johnson for forwarding this and Ms. Case’s contributed photographs for this article. © Warner Bros.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 15

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I was fortunate enough to be one of two people, along with Tim Hussey of California, to win the grand prize in “The Great Superman Movie Contest” of 1977, with the winners receiving a small part in the movie. As a teenage comic and science-fiction fan, of Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and other DC (and a few Marvel) works, it was quite exciting.

ENTERING THE CONTEST

by E

dward Finneran

The contest involved cutting out special strips with a letter on them, placed at the bottom of the editorial/letters page of each DC comic. Entrants were then required to spell out “SUPERMAN” and either “CLARK” or “KALEL” using these letters, and mail it in. I was interested in possibly winning one of the 5,000 second prizes, a Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes book, so I entered. I would buy almost all edward finneran my comics at a small local store in Springfield, Massachusetts, called Williams Luncheonette, that had a soda fountain and everything—but a very small selection of comics to choose from at any given time. In order to spell out the two words, you’d have to buy a minimum of 13 comics. Most of those I would have bought anyway, so I only had to buy a couple that I wouldn’t have normally in order to spell out SUPERMAN and KALEL.

WINNING AND ARRANGEMENTS

Christopher Reeve, along with Sol Harrison, president of DC Comics, and Jenette Kahn, publisher, picked the winners out of the avalanche of entries they received. The first two entries to be drawn only spelled out SUPERMAN and so did not qualify, so they pulled two more. I was either the third or fourth entry drawn—I don’t know which. I found out I won when we got a telegram delivered to the house, which was a first for me, being a teenager at the time. Correspondence followed, with Sol Harrison and also Mike Gold of DC, to fine tune when and where my mom and I would need to travel to participate in the movie. That was cool, not only for what it said, but it was printed on DC Comics stationery with a fairly normal front side, but with seven DC Comics characters (Superman, Shazam! [the original Captain Marvel], Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Robin, and Wonder Woman) standing on each other’s shoulders on the back so if you held it up to the light, they appeared to be holding up the “DC Comics” round logo on the front side. We were to be in some of the scenes where Clark Kent is a teenager, so it wasn’t off to New York, but to

How Lucky Can One Guy Get? Make that two guys, as Tim Hussey joined guest columnist Ed Finneran as the winners of the original Great Superman Movie Contest in 1977. This DC Comics house announced the competition. TM & © DC Comics.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Go, Smallville, Go! (top) Photocopy of a Bob Penn picture of contest winner Ed Finneran suited up for football practice. All photos in this article are courtesy of Edward Finneran. (bottom) The original screen Superman and Lois Lane, Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill, played parents to a young Lois Lane in Superman: The Movie. This 1977 publicity photo by Bob Penn shows Tim Hussey, Alyn, Finneran, and Neill, and was signed by Noel in 2004. (middle) Kirk and Ed. © Warner Bros./DC Comics.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which had the right stage of wheat harvesting to stand in for Superman’s Smallville home. It was my first time on a plane, and we connected through Denver on our way to Calgary. There was a looming air-traffic-controller strike in Canada, and our plane was one of the last few to land in Canada before the strike took effect.

CALGARY

We spent more time in Calgary than planned, because the weather wasn’t cooperating with filming. We wound up being there about a week. We stayed at the International Hotel, and every couple of days would stop by to see the Superman publicist Gordon Arnell or his staff in the production office to get a stipend to cover our time there. I remember visiting the 600-plus-foot Calgary tower and doing other things in the city, including seeing the movie Star Wars in Canada. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a little time with two other folks who were also there for small walk-on parts in the movie: Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the movie serials, along with Noel Neill, who played Lois opposite Kirk as well as from Season Two onward of the George Reeves TV show Adventures of Superman. We did a photoshoot in the park with Superman still photographer Bob Penn that was a lot of fun, and I still have some of the pictures. There’s a still from their brief scene in the movie captured on card 34 of the Topps card series (inset) for the movie, “Youthful Lois Lane and her parents.” The idea was that a young Lois Lane is a passenger on the train with her parents and as she’s looking out the windows, sees Clark running and passing them! This scene is about 28:00 into the theatrical Blu-ray, but about 29:30 into the extended edition Blu-ray, which also includes their lines. There are a couple of pages about this in an oversized magazine, DC’s All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-62, Superman: The Movie. Page 9 has several pictures of Kirk and Noel and their on-screen young daughter “Lois Lane” (including a picture from our photo shoot in the park). The next page is all about the Great Superman Movie Contest and describes how we won, and has photos of our entries being chosen, as well as a picture of us. During our time in Calgary, Tim and I also roamed around and unsurprisingly wound up visiting a local comic shop, “Grandpa Takes a Trip Comic Room.” There just happened to be a reporter in the store talking to the owner about comics, so it came out fairly quickly that we were the winners of the contest, and the next thing we knew there was an article about us in the Calgary Herald of August 13, 1977, including our picture in the shop. When, due to the weather, it become obvious the filming schedule wouldn’t be ready for us right away, I not only got to see the sights of Calgary, but also got to go farther afield. I was able to go up into the Rockies to visit the picturesque town of Banff and the beautiful Lake Louise with its stunningly blue water and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise on its shore. Another day, I crossed back into the US to visit the Glacier National Park portion of the two-country International Peace Park that spans Alberta and Montana.

FILMING

One of the first things we saw upon getting out to the area where filming was taking place was the scene where Jeff East as teenage Clark Kent runs in front of the train at high speed on his way home. It was filmed with a slow-moving train and Jeff hanging in a harness, which was a pretty cool piece of movie-making magic to see right off the bat. Apparently Kirk and Noel were onboard the train filming their scene, although we couldn’t see that from the roadside. I do remember Jeff East came over to our table one morning at breakfast to introduce himself and ask about the contest and how I won, which I thought was very nice of him. 18 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

We stayed at a hotel in Lethbridge, and each morning had an extremely early call for us to get transported out to the filming site for our scene, which was in the tiny town of Barons. Also nearby was the small town of Blackie, where the Kent family farm scenes were shot, but we didn’t get out to that location. One stop we made early in our time on set was with hairdressing and later costuming, to get us ready for our roles. Pat McDermott was the hairdresser that cut our hair to get it movie-ready. In subsequent years, it was fun watching the credits of other movies in the theater to see Pat’s name go by and think about who else’s hair she had cut other than mine, when she worked on films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Supergirl. Our scene was outside a local school in Barons. We appear right at the very beginning of the scene where Clark is the equipment manager for the Smallville High football team. Originally, they had planned to have us in the stands during a football game, but this got changed to having us be part of the football team practicing. Most of the football team were locals wearing maroon football jerseys with white numbers, while Tim and I stand out because we’re in gray. Right at the very beginning of this scene, one of us in gray is catching a football on the way back toward the school, but the camera is moving away and focusing elsewhere, so I can’t tell which of us it is. The whole team comes off the practice field, and then runs in front of Clark in his bright red shirt, before the scene with the coach and cheerleader really starts. To find us, look for two players in gray running by together—I believe we are the tenth and 11th players to pass by Clark. In the extended edition of the movie, I believe Tim comes on-screen right around 23:00 minutes into the movie, followed by me. As I drop my helmet and spin around, I say, “See you later, Clark,” which you can hear if you crank up the volume. During each take, we all ran into the school and basically waited just inside the door sitting on the stairs while the rest of the scene played out. One interesting thing to me was the shooting of us coming off the field was in one location, but when the shot turns around to face the school, the cameras were moved much closer, so in real life the school was farther from the field than it appears in the movie. In particular, the cheerleaders jumping up and over the field bench was filmed in one location, while the footage of them coming back down again on the other side, that really starts the main shots of the scene, were shot a little ways away. During the scene, instead of watching Clark, if you concentrate on the door into the school in the upper-left corner, I think you’ll actually see the two of us in gray enter the school twice—showing that the frames came from two different takes. Also, if you watch in between Clark and Lana as they’re talking, I believe I’m correct in saying that the football helmet that you can see on the ground near the bench is mine! One of the people in our “orbit” was David Petrou, who wrote the book The Making of Superman: The Movie. He had a small part in the same scene we did, as the assistant coach wearing a blue ball cap, who comes up to Clark to tell him to do some things, as we’re running by. David mentions us as winners of the Great Superman Movie Contest in his book, on pages 137–139, along with more about Kirk and Noel. I also got to see them film the shot where Clark punts the football into next week, by burying an air cannon and having Jeff East drop a football that he appears to then kick, but in actuality he just dropped it on the ground and the cannon fired the football. It was impressive in real life to see this behind-the-scenes movie magic of the day, and it looked great in the film.

One time, Bob Penn, the still photographer on the shoot, took several pictures of Tim and myself on the steps leading into the school. We also did some stills with the football team and the cheerleaders on the field. One of the photos from this session is the one of us in the All-New Collectors’ Edition magazine. I did get to talk to the director, Richard Donner, who could not have been nicer. He asked where I was from, and knew that Springfield, Massachusetts, was on the Connecticut River. Once our scene was in the bag, we were back to Calgary, and on our way to New York.

NEW YORK

From Calgary, we headed to New York to visit the DC Comics offices and get to do some sightseeing. Visiting the DC offices was awesome, as you might expect for a longtime comics fan. Getting to see where people worked and where the magic happened was great. On the tour, I remember interacting with Mike Gold and Bob Rozakis. I also got a couple of cover line art drawings (prior to coloring) to keep. I also got to interact with editor Julius “Julie” Schwartz, which was fortunate for me, as I would see him in later years at World Science Fiction Conventions [Worldcon] that I’ve been attending for some decades now (just as a fan). We did a little more sightseeing in New York. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue, which was very nice. I remember DC taking us to see the musical Grease on Broadway. Interestingly, Superman went on to big box office returns for Warner Bros. when it was released the next year in 1978, but was subsequently overtaken by the movie version of Grease, leaving Superman as the second-highest-grossing US domestic film of 1978. I got back home around August 18th or 19th, 1977. I always think of the movie as happening in 1977, which is when I participated in the filming, although, of course, for most people they think of when it was released, which was 1978.

Super Friends Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill with the two contest winners. The top two photos were taken by Edward Finneran; the bottom two, by Ed’s mother. Ms. Neill signed the bottom photos in 2004.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 19

Thanks, Mom! Finneran’s mother snapped all four of these behind-thescenes photos at Smallville High: (top left) Bob Penn taking a publicity photo of Ed and Tim reading a Superman comic (Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-31, to be exact). (top right) The football team extras, with Tim and Ed (left/right) in the front. Note Diane Sherry (Lana Lang) leaning on Tim, and one of the cheerleaders leaning on Ed. (bottom) The prizewinners, in gray, hustling around the bench during their big scene. © Warner Bros./DC Comics.

PREMIERE

Superman had several premiere events in different cities—apparently US President Jimmy Carter went to the one in Washington, D.C. (with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder), but I got to go with my uncle to the one in Boston. It didn’t happen until December 13, 1978. The pre-premiere party was at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel’s Georgian Room, with the actual film screen nearby at the Sack Cinema 57. The entire event was a benefit for Special Olympics and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, so there were a lot of Massachusetts notables in attendance. I got to shake the hand of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy as he walked through the crowd to the stage to give a speech. In addition to the article in the Calgary paper that really happened by chance, there was an article about me winning the contest in the local Springfield Morning Union of August 5th, and a mention in the Boston Globe on August 10th.

AFTERWORD

You can see some of the info about the contest in the aforementioned publication All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-62, Superman: The Movie. I’m also a fan of science fiction as well as comics. Years later, while I was at a World Science Fiction Convention with Janet, my significant other, she found a British version of that magazine in the dealers’ room, and spying my picture in it, nonchalantly bought it for just a few dollars—and came up to me saying, “Look what I found!” I was able to meet Sarah Douglas, who played Ursa in the movie (although I never met her during filming), along with Barry Morse,

at a convention for Space: 1999 fans, SpaceCon V in Springfield. Massachusetts, in 1982. Much later, at the 2004 SuperMegaFest media-oriented con in Massachusetts, they featured “Two Lois Lanes,” with both Noel Neill and Erica Durance, who played Lois on the TV show Smallville. I was pleased to be able to attend and interact with Noel, who remembered me and the photo shoots that we did. I did get her to sign some copies of pictures of us together—and some fans, overhearing our conversation, asked me for my autograph! While not Superman-related, I did manage to meet several other luminaries, like Anthony Daniels (C3P0 of Star Wars), Verne Troyer (Mini-Me of Austin Powers), Joanna Cameron (Isis), and Adrienne Barbeau (Swamp Thing and tons of other things). Unfortunately, that was the last time I was to see Noel, as she passed away in 2016 at the age of 95. If you check out the IMDb entry for Superman: The Movie and look at the photos associated with it, I’ve uploaded a couple with me in them, including one of me and Kirk Alyn from that photoshoot in the park (I’m in the IMDb for this role, but you have to navigate to the movie, not my entry as an actor). Thanks for letting me reminisce about winning the contest. I hope I haven’t used up all my luck—I’ll still occasionally buy a lottery ticket, since even though the chances or winning are quite small, small is not zero—and someone has to win eventually! © 2018 Edward Finneran. Special thanks to Shaun Clancy.

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by P

hilip Schweier

Super Novels Movie images illustrated the covers of Elliot S! Maggin’s first two Superman novels, Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

In the days before home video, movie fans could revisit their favorite films thanks to adaptations in novel form. An entire generation of fans snatched up paperback copies of Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture from the shelves and spinner racks of bookstores coast to coast. Conspicuous in its absence was a mass-market paperback adaptation of Superman: The Movie. Instead, Warner Books (a corporate sibling of both DC Comics and the studio that released the film) published Last Son of Krypton, an original story by DC Comics writer Elliot S! Maggin.

FROM SUCH HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Maggin was born and reared in the NYC area, and like many kids at the time, read comic books until entering his teens. In an interview for The Amazing World of DC Comics #2 (Apr. 1974), Maggin described Superman as the prototype of the hero, the ideal person. “He and President Kennedy probably influenced me more than anyone I’ve ever known, except my father.” While attending Brandeis University in Boston in the early 1970s, he managed a tutoring program for kids, providing comic books to help them read. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow series caught his eye and prompted him to submit a Green Arrow story entitled “What Can One Man Do?”, which was published in Green Lantern #87 (Dec. 1971–Jan. 1972). This led to a lengthy career writing for virtually every major character in the DC Comics library, usually credited as “Elliot S! Maggin.”

Legend has it his habitual use of exclamation points in his comic-book scripts led to a typo in his byline, which caught the attention of DC editor Julius “Julie” Schwartz. Schwartz liked it so much he made it policy that Maggin’s middle initial always be punctuated with an exclamation mark instead of a period. Maggin was one of the primary writers for the Superman titles in the mid-1970s. He submitted a loose outline of Last Son of Krypton in 1974 to DC publisher Carmine Infantino as part of a Superman feature film proposal. It included a theory that the time for heroes was returning— from a sociological standpoint. “I guess I was right, huh?” Maggin says. However, Maggin wasn’t the only one who saw Superman’s big-screen potential. Independent producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind had begun development on what would become Superman: The Movie. To help give the project credibility as a film, they enlisted screenwriter Mario Puzo, a two-time Oscar® winner for his Godfather movies. Prior to penning his screenplay, Puzo paid a visit to the DC Comics offices for research. He met with publisher Carmine Infantino, editor Julius Schwartz, and writers E. Nelson Bridwell, Cary Bates, and Maggin. Having such a celebrity in their camp was pretty casual, according to Maggin. “No one seemed particularly cowed over it,” he says. “When I first found Puzo, he and Nelson Bridwell were sitting on the floor in the big library archive early one day, looking at old comic books.” Maggin says Puzo didn’t know much about the character to start with. “Mostly Cary and I sat with Mario in a conference room with the

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 21

Bronze Age Breakout (top) Maggin’s extraordinary Green Arrow tale in 1971’s Green Lantern #87 put the young writer on the map. (middle) In 1974, Elliot (rendered here by Kurt Schaffenberger, from the cover of 1974’s Amazing World of DC Comics #2) submitted to DC’s head honcho Carmine Infantino a rough outline for what would become his Last Son of Krypton Superman novel. TM & © DC Comics.

door closed for two days, talking about who Superman was,” explains Maggin. “Cary and I talked a lot about Superman’s origin, and about how he tended to handle most emergencies. Bank robberies, volcanoes, exploding planets, that sort of thing. Mario mostly took notes. Then at some point he picked his head up out of his notepad and said, ‘I see it now. This is a Greek tragedy.’ And Cary said, ‘That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you.’ ” According to the Internet Movie Database, Puzo was promised a financial piece of any book adaptation of his story. Though a screenwriter might be credited as the author of the book, novel adaptations are often written by someone else. In this case, Maggin says Puzo suggested his son Gino write the book version of the screenplay. However, the novelization never happened. One theory is that Puzo was annoyed that David and Leslie Newman were hired to rewrite his screenplay extensively— adding a few “questionable ideas”—while the producers continued to use Puzo’s name to attract cast members. Instead, Warner Books published two other massmarket paperbacks in conjunction with the film. David Michael Petrou, in addition to instructing Clark to have the football team uniforms ready for Saturday’s game in the Smallville High scene, wrote The Making of Superman: The Movie [see this issue’s Superman collectibles article—ed.]. It chronicled how the film came to be made—how the producers developed the project, and brought key people such as Puzo, Marlon Brando, and director Richard Donner on board. Much attention is paid to casting the perfect Man of Steel, as well as other key roles such as Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Perry White. However, in order for the book to coincide with the film’s December 1978 release, the final stages of production—including frequent arguments between the producers and director—are not included.

LAST SON OF KRYPTON

The other book was Maggin’s Last Son of Krypton. Dailies from the film had attracted a great deal of interest at Warner Bros., DC’s corporate parent. Striking while the iron was hot, Maggin enjoyed a quick elevator ride up two floors to Warner Books to pitch his movie treatment as a novel. With a sequel already planned, it was originally intended to publish Maggin’s book between the two films, to maintain interest. “When it became clear that Mario was not going to exercise his right to do a novelization, Warner Books bumped up the publication date,” says Maggin. Last Son of Krypton retells Superman’s origin, featuring Albert Einstein in a pivotal role. A Kryptonian navigational device sent ahead of Kal-El’s spacecraft contacts Einstein and informs him of Kal-El’s imminent arrival in Smallville. Jor-El had hoped the greatest intellect of Earth would safeguard the infant, but a chance encounter with Jonathan and Martha Kent changes that plan. Instead, Einstein decides a simple Midwestern upbringing is what the boy needs. He is able to place the Kents in the right place at the right time to find the child. Einstein

Seeing Red Actor Red Buttons (left) visits author Mario Puzo (center) and future Jor-El Marlon Brando (right) on the set of The Godfather in 1972. Set photo by Jack Stager, from the archives of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). The Godfather © Paramount Pictures.

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chronicles his “close encounter” in a journal, which he seals away for a generation. Einstein was one of Maggin’s boyhood heroes, an admiration he passes on to his version of Lex Luthor, and explores in detail in “The Einstein Connection” in Superman #416 (Feb. 1986). “It seems to me I find a spot for Einstein in virtually everything I write,” he says. “I wanted to be a theoretical physicist when I was a kid, but it occurred to me that, for purposes of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Einstein had outtheorized pretty much everyone.” Decades later, as Einstein’s journal is about to be made public, it is stolen by Lex Luthor, only to be stolen from Luthor by an alien minstrel named Towbee, who originally appeared in Action Comics #420 (Jan. 1973), also written by Maggin. Apparently, Einstein’s reputation extends to the far reaches of the galaxy, where an intergalactic despot, the Master of Oric, also covets the journal. At the behest of the Guardians of Oa, Superman agrees to retrieve the document, and it is recommended he take with him an Einstein expert: Lex Luthor. However, their presence on the planet Oric will fulfill an ancient prophecy, bringing about a major power shift in favor of the Master. Maggin had submitted his manuscript at least a year before Puzo finished his first draft of the screenplay. Both the book and the film were released the same day, which may have led to some confusion. “People started referring to my novel as a ‘novelization,’ which got me a little bit crazy,” Maggin says. “A novel is a book, and novelization is the process of turning something other than a book into a novel. What I wrote was a novel, which wasn’t a novelization of anything.” Two days later, DC Comics president Sol Harrison phoned Maggin at his home in New Hampshire, saying Alexander Salkind, the film’s producer, was threatening legal action. “He thought I had stolen material from the movie for my book. At this point I hadn’t even seen the movie or the screenplay yet; I’d been excluded from the premiere although I had asked to be invited. I told Sol I handed in my manuscript long before most of the elements of the movie were thought of, much less written down, and I told him where to find documentation of that fact.” The next day, Harrison called back to say that Salkind was just kidding. “I called my agent to see whether she thought I should sue Salkind,” says Maggin. “She said no, if I ever wanted to get any work on a subsequent Superman movie, which was bad advice. I should have rather listened to Mario Puzo, who told me no one gets paid for anything in Hollywood unless it involves a lawsuit.” According to Maggin, Last Son of Krypton was a bestseller, selling 450,000 copies in paperback. However, he’s

convinced no one at DC ever read the novel, either before it was released or for at least several years after. “Here’s how I can be sure no one at DC read it,” he says. “I plugged Xerox copiers—great machines, state-of-the-art stuff at the time—in a little two-page aside. First of all, DC would never have allowed something like that to get through if anyone had actually passed on the book. They would have made me change the name of the company at the very least. Clearly Xerox was rather thrilled. Everyone involved seemed perplexed when Xerox bought 50,000 copies of the book (not an exaggeration) for their employee book club. Only I seemed to know why—and I wasn’t telling. “I don’t think I really ever met anyone outside Warner Books who had read it until about eight years later when I met Mark Waid and we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant somewhere in Los Angeles. He and I talked about it a lot.” Evidence of this can be found in the Mark Waid/Alex Ross limited series, Kingdom Come, which echoes one of Superman’s axioms from Last Son of Krypton: “There is a right and a wrong in the Universe, and that value judgment is not very difficult to make.”

Uncle Albert (left) Elliot Maggin celebrates his hero Albert Einstein’s birthday in 2017 in this photo from Facebook. (right) Courtesy of Heritage, original art by the super-team of Curt Swan and Al Williamson to the conclusion of “The Einstein Connection,” from Superman #416 (Feb. 1986). Superman TM & © DC Comics.

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Alternate Versions (left) Cover to the 1978 British edition of Maggin’s Last Son of Krypton. (right) Cover to a reissue of Miracle Monday. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

MIRACLE MONDAY

TM & © DC Comics.

Superman II was released in the summer of 1981. As a continuation of events begun in the first film, Puzo is credited, but again there was no novelization of his story. Instead, fans enjoyed Superman: Miracle Monday, another original novel by Maggin. In the book, Luthor escapes Pocantico Federal Penitentiary via teleportation, which inadvertently opens a gap into a demonic netherworld. C. W. Saturn, the ultimate evil being, is able to enter Superman’s world and take possession of Kristin Wells, Lois Lane’s part-time assistant. However, unknown to anyone, Kristin Wells is a time traveler from the 29th Century. A historian by trade, she has traveled to the past to gather details regarding the origins of Miracle Monday. Because she is misplaced in time, she becomes a pawn in the conflict between Superman and C. W. Saturn. Luthor is duped into revealing C. W. Saturn’s plans, providing Superman the edge he needs to defeat the demon. Following Superman’s victory, Kristin realizes her role in the events that lead to Miracle Monday and returns to her own time. But that would not be the last we see of her. Maggin introduced Kristin Wells into the mainstream DC Universe in “The Last Secret Identity,” in DC Comics Presents Annual #2 (1983; see inset). She returns from the 29th Century, bringing with her technology that enables her to become Superwoman. [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE #84 for more about Superwoman.] Maggin also revisited Miracle Monday in the landmark Superman #400 (Oct. 1984). In the 60th

TM & © DC Comics.

THE OTHER SUPER PAPERBACK OF 1978 Coinciding with the release of Superman: The Movie, Warner Books also published this trivia tome, The Official Superman Quiz Book by Bruce Nash, packed with “Super-Stumpers” culled from DC Comics lore.

Century, as the Benedix family sits down to a traditional Miracle Monday dinner, a time-lost Superman appears on their doorstep. Riley, their eccentric teenage son, recognizes their guest as the genuine Man of Steel, but chooses not to give his identity away. To show his gratitude, Superman continues to visit Riley for years to come. “Every year, through Riley’s old age, the food on Superman’s dish mysteriously disappeared during dinner! Of course, everyone thought it was a trick— that Riley teleported it away… but only Riley knew that sometimes, legends live!” Many long-time Superman fans celebrate Miracle Monday—the third Monday in May—as an actual holiday. According to the website Superman Through the Ages, “For Earth humans everywhere it was a special day, when the spirit of humanity soared free; a day for friends, family, recreation and—if it brought happiness—reflection. Maggin tries to respond to the “gazillions of greetings” he receives through social media. “I used to think of it as my own personal holiday. Something good generally seems to happen for me on that day. But a slew of other people seem to have piled on, so I’m hoping it’s a good day for them too.” But it wasn’t until the book was published that the date held any personal significance for Maggin. “It was random—but it turned out that it was the day in 1981 when I got the first two copies of Miracle Monday in the mail. So I guess it became significant retroactively. I gave one copy to my grandmother and I have no idea where the other one went.” Response to Miracle Monday was comparable to Last Son of Krypton. “The letters were better, the sales less so,” says Maggin. “I supposed that you got a more fulfilling response if the book was better—which I think Miracle Monday is.”

THE GREATEST CRIMINAL MIND…

Both of Maggin’s novels are firmly set in the Bronze Age, when Clark Kent was a news anchor for WGBS rather than a reporter for the Daily Planet. Perennial pain-in-the-neck sportscaster Steve Lombard shares the news desk on the 6:00 evening broadcast. Lex Luthor is featured as the familiar comic-book villain, rather than the “diseased maniac” portrayed on the screen by Gene Hackman. Though certainly an adversary of Superman, Luthor is not depicted as the typical evil scientist often shown in the comic books. “I’ve got a big problem with the idea of making villains the kind of character who is unredeemably bad—like, say, Iago. Everyone is the hero of his own story, as Charles Dickens taught us all,” Maggin explains, “and Heaven only knows who taught Dickens that.” Instead, Luthor has greater depth than a simple criminal mastermind. Through aliases, Luthor shares his scientific genius in the forms of cures for rare diseases and cutting-edge power sources for thirdworld nations. Such contributions to science and technology suggest Luthor may not be the villain most people take him for. Through these alternate identities, he is able to contribute to a society that

24 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

might not be so accepting if it knew such wonders came from a known felon. However, the considerable revenue generated by his innovations does contribute to his less reputable activities. With that in mind, Luthor becomes the good guy in the Luthor story. “Go to Lexor and ask anyone,” Maggin says. “I think one of the reasons I made the villain in Miracle Monday the Devil is because Hell was the only place I could find a really bad guy. But then look at the Lucifer TV show, where you’ve got a roughly positive treatment of a devil character.”

A SNAPPY, PUNCHY PROSE STYLE

When a third Superman film was in production, DC Comics executive Paul Levitz shared the script with Maggin, asking if he’d be interested in writing the novelization. “I read it, didn’t like it very much, and told him I’d be glad to write another independent story but not a novelization.” Neither happened. Maggin continued to write comics into the 1980s until tapering off in the early 1990s. He has alternately taught and written for a living since he was about 17. “I just wanted to write novels, and I realized the differences between the things you could do in a verbal as opposed to a visual medium.” He cites a scene in Miracle Monday where Superman has to right a skyscraper that’s magically turned upsidedown. “I don’t know how you’d do it in the comic— probably with a page worth of action involving a very large object and Superman lost on the page,” he says. But in the book, Maggin explains how he does it, moving at super-speed from one spot to the next, knocking bricks back into walls before they can fall and injure someone. “You can’t do that in the comic, and it wouldn’t look like much of an action scene, but in a book you get to cut loose with something like that.” Film is much the same, he says, referring to the underground earthquake scene in Superman: The Movie. “Superman is flying through fire and molten rock propping who-knows-what up, pushing this, prodding that, and it looked pretty good, but you’re never quite sure what he’s doing moment to moment. In a book that would take something like half a chapter and it’d be very detailed and very cool.” Since leaving the comic-book industry, Maggin has written for a handful of comic-book-based animated shows and video games. According to MikesAmazingWorld.com, his last published comic book was an Adam Strange story in 2004. In between, he has also taught high school English, and run for congress in New Hampshire and the New York State Assembly, among other endeavors. Most recently, Maggin has been working for a large HMO, teaching doctors and nurses how to use medicalrecords software. “It seems computers were invented for the likes of me,” he says. “I’m pretty fluent in nine languages—ten if you count English. But some of those languages are already dead ones.” He says the job was originally intended to pay for his kids’ college educations. “We’ve managed to do that. A few years ago my daughter, who’s 26 now, said she was grown up and I can go out and play now, so the plan is to do as much traveling as I can. I went to Nepal with my son. I’ve covered, I think, 43 states, and I would really like to see Havana before Monsanto shows up in town.” He says his dream trip would be on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from St. Petersburg to Hong Kong, sipping vodka as he watches the snow settle on the steppes. To this day, Superman remains a large part of Maggin’s life. “He’s my guy; my rich uncle. Whenever I’ve been

short of mortgage money I’ve looked up in the sky and the rain comes down.” He published two stories, Starwinds Howl and Luthor’s Gift, online. Though perhaps best known as a comic-book writer, Maggin had always loved novels, which is the focus of his current writing. “I’ve always told people I’d much rather be read than paid, and that’s what I’m trying to set up now. I wrote this book—Not My Closet—that my agent kept telling me to rewrite, and I didn’t get pissed off about that mostly because every time I rewrote it, the thing got better.” However, after the fifth and final draft, the agent couldn’t figure out whom to send it to. “I said it’s a book—like any book—only without people wearing Spandex or flying under their own power. I told him he could sell my time-travel trilogy if he sold Not My Closet, but he didn’t. So I just published it myself and dropped it on Amazon and BN.com.” That’s when it occurred to him to do the same with Miracle Monday. His original contract with DC Comics stated he could republish the novel after it had been out of print for five years. “I’ve been trying to do that in partnership with DC and some other publisher since the ’80s, with a non-committal response,” he says. “By 2017 it was a little over 35 years, and in the interim the Internet was opened to the public and we all grew the capacity, among other things, to be publishers ourselves.” Maggin cites journalist A. J. Liebling. “The power of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one,” quotes Maggin. “Now we all own one. Welcome to Century Twenty-One.” He produced an audio version of Miracle Monday that he originally intended to release through Audible. Instead, he’s considering of circulating it as a series of podcasts, along with audio versions of his other books. “Meanwhile, I don’t know a damn thing about marketing but I’m just trying to get books out in the world at an alarming rate.” Maggin’s plan is to turn out a book a year—on each Miracle Monday, as it happens. Not My Closet was released in 2016, Miracle Monday in 2017, and a collection of short stories entitled An Enemy’s Gift in 2018. “I’m working on a trilogy of time-travel books starting with Saving Lincoln in 2019 just now, and somewhere in there I’d like to get Last Son of Krypton out the door again.”

PHILIP SCHWEIER (right) is a graphic designer and freelance writer living in Savannah, Georgia.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

He helped put the Phantom Zone on the map as the mute and menacing Non, one of the three Kryptonian supervillains seen briefly in Superman: The Movie (1978) but extensively in its sequel, Superman II (1980). Yet Jack O’Halloran’s career spans far beyond his role as the bad guy we love to hate, stretching from a roughand-tumble upbringing to his victories in the ring as a heavyweight boxer (where he scored 17 knockouts!) to his cinematic tutelage by one of the greatest screen legends of the 20th Century to his more recent success as a novelist. In addition to the first two Superman movies, he has also appeared in the films Farewell, My Lovely (1975), King Kong (1976), March or Die (1977), The Baltimore Bullet (1980), Dragnet (1987), Hero and the Terror (1988), and The Flintstones (1994), among others. What follows is an edited transcription of a panel conducted on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at the Fayetteville (North Carolina) ComicCon. Special thanks must go to the convention’s organizer, Michael Chaudhuri, for arranging Jack O’Halloran’s appearance, and to Mr. O’Halloran himself for his kind cooperation. – Michael Eury

by M

ichael Eury

transcribed by Rose Rummel-Eury

MICHAEL EURY: Hello, folks, I’m Michael Eury, editor of BACK ISSUE Magazine. I went over and introduced myself to Jack a few minutes ago and found him to be one of the friendliest jack o’halloran celebrities I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Photo: Cornstalker / [to Jack] But, Jack, in my favorite Wikimedia Commons. movie, I heard you described by Marlon Brando as “A mindless aberration whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction.” [laughter]

The Zod Squad Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com), a villain-centric Superman II movie poster autographed by the late Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) and the subject of this interview, Jack O’Halloran (Non). © Warner Bros. Superman and related characters TM & © DC Comics.

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[to audience] Don’t listen to Brando—our guest is a pretty cool guy. Let’s have a big round of applause for Mr. Jack O’Halloran! [applause] Now, we’re going to talk Superman in a few minutes, but that’s only one small part of your career. It started with boxing as “Irish” Jack O’Halloran in the mid-1960s, is that right? JACK O’HALLORAN: Actually, it started with football. I played a little pro ball for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jets, and I got angry at some people so I went into boxing. I saw [Muhammad] Ali win the title and I thought, “I can beat that guy.” Some friends of mine said, “What a good idea.” So, next thing I know I was in a gym, training for a professional career in boxing. I figured it would be better than me fighting in the street all the time. It worked out pretty well. I boxed for about nine years, but they found that I had a disease called acromegaly, which is a tumor of the pituitary disease, and I shouldn’t have been boxing at all. [Editor’s note: According to Wikipedia, acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. It is typically due to the pituitary gland producing too much GH.] But we just soldiered through a lot of things and it worked out. I enjoyed fighting with a lot of pretty good people. Muhammad [Ali, originally Cassius Clay] and I were signed [for a bout], I think four different times, and it unfortunately didn’t work out, so I went into the movie business. EURY: How did you transition from boxing to acting? O’HALLORAN: When I first started fighting, Steve McQueen was doing a picture called The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), in Boston. I was living in Boston, and we took care of him [bodyguarding] while he was there, and we became friends. He said, “You ought to come back with me to Hollywood and I’ll put you in the movie.” I said, “Eh, I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.” Then they did a picture called The Great White Hope (1970), with James Earl Jones, and they wanted me to play [a part] and brought me out to Hollywood. I had just knocked out the Number One heavyweight champion in the world and they said instead, “You want to go to Spain for six months?” I said, “You want me to give up boxing and go play in a movie?” “Yeah, man.” They thought the deal was all set for me. Some people in the East Coast wanted to see me get off the street and go to a foreign country. Some other people would like that as well. But I turned them down. They couldn’t believe it. I was leaving Fox, going down the steps, and James Earl Jones was coming up the steps, and said, “Jack O’Halloran, is it true that you just told Hollywood to take the biggest movie in Hollywood and ‘stick it’?” I said, “I don’t know, it depends on what you heard.” “Did you?” I said, “Yeah.” He said, “I gotta shake your hand. I never met anyone who told Hollywood to take a leap.” [laughter] So, we became good friends. I continued with the boxing and in 1975, they made me quit because of the acromegaly. Then they offered me a picture called Farewell, My Lovely, with Robert Mitchum. I had an agent in San Diego when I was boxing because I was California heavyweight champion. I became one of ten fighters in the history of fighting that became a world-ranked fighter without boxing [as an] amateur. So, I had an agent and did a lot of commercials with Royal Crown Cola. She called me and said, “They want you to do this movie with Robert Mitchum, and I think you should do it.” I looked around and said, “Hmm,

maybe the time has come.” I met with the director, and he said, “You’re the guy.” They sent me to Hollywood and I met a man named Robert Mitchum, who was an incredible actor and incredible human being. He took me by the hand and guided me through a tour of Hollywood, and here I am. I owe it all to him. EURY: Did you undertake any acting lessons? O’HALLORAN: Robert Mitchum. EURY: That was it? O’HALLORAN: I’ll tell you a funny story. The very first day I was going to work, he arranged for us to drive down together. He had me laughing all the way to the set. We got out of the car and he said, “I’ll meet you there. Get the monkey suit on.” We were walking up the steps and he said, “Did you read the script?” I said, “Read the script?! I read your part, her part, this part, that part.” He said, “Throw it in the trash can. Don’t let me catch you doing like so many people in this town—acting. Just be yourself. Throw it in the trash. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” I thought, “What a concept.” He taught me eye levels and eye contact. We got on the set and did the first shot. We got done and they started moving cameras around. I looked at him and said, “What’s the deal?” He said, “You really don’t know? That’s it.” I said, “Wait, that’s all there is to this stuff? I’m a star!” [laughter] He laughed, and that became a tagline for the movie. That opened the door for a phenomenal career I’ve loved with a passion. He was an amazing man and became like a father and a mentor and led me down the street. I was halfway through the movie and I was coming out of the Samuel Goldwyn lot and someone grabbed me and said, “Is this your first picture?” I said yes. He said, “Let me tell you, son, you’re going to be a star.” I went back to Mitchum and said, “Maybe I should take some elocution lessons, go to UCLA and really get into this thing.” He looked at me, and laughed. “If you go to those classes, they’ll ruin you, or you’ll ruin them. Stick with me, kid, and you’ll be fine.” I said, “Okay, here we go.” Here I am. EURY: You couldn’t have had a better teacher. O’HALLORAN: No, the man was an amazing individual. One of the most well-read individuals I’d ever met. He was a trip.

Hard-Boiled Lobby card (courtesy of Heritage) from O’Halloran’s breakout role as Moose Malloy in the 1975 crime drama, Farewell, My Lovely, with his mentor Robert Mitchum as gumshoe Philip Marlowe. © 1975 Avco Embassy Pictures.

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“Guilty!” (top) In this lobby card from Superman: The Movie, Jor-El (Marlon Brando) sentences insurrectionists General Zod (Terence Stamp), Non (Jack O’Halloran), and Ursa (Sarah Douglas) to the Phantom Zone. (bottom) The escapees, from Superman II. © Warner Bros. Characters TM & © DC Comics.

EURY: I read that you turned down the part of Jaws, the James Bond villain, that Richard Kiel took. O’HALLORAN: I actually turned down six pictures that made his career. [James Bond movie producer Cubby] Broccoli came to see me to do this Bond movie because Farewell, My Lovely was an excellent film, and King Kong was a pretty good movie. They said, “We really, really want you.” My agent called me and said, “These guys are sitting here, waiting to see you.” I was around the corner, having lunch with Robert Mitchum—getting loaded. He said, “You want to do that picture?” I said, “No, I don’t like the script.” He said, “Then don’t. What are you worried about? Another margarita, please!” So, I went around the corner out of respect to see this guy who came all the way from London, and I said, “If you can work this out with my agent, fine.” But I was already doing a picture called March or Die, in Spain, with Gene Hackman and some people, so that got me out of it. After March or Die I went right to Superman. Superman was a better role.

EURY: How did you get the part of Non? O’HALLORAN: Gene Hackman and I were doing the picture March or Die, and we had a break in the picture, so they invited us up to London to talk to [Superman director] Richard Donner. Donner and I had a great discussion about the character Non, who was a scientist, a very smart guy that they lobotomized and he didn’t speak. He said, “How do you feel about doing a non-speaking role?” I said, “Let me tell you something. Jackie Gleason did a movie called Gigot (1962) and he was a friend of mine. He played a mute and he won an Oscar for it. I said if I ever got an opportunity to do a film that I could use facial and body expressions, I would do it.” Non was a perfect fit because Terence Stamp [was frightening] and Sarah Douglas was a man-eater. Someone had to relate to children, because there would be a lot of children in the audience. I did this brutish, huge character with childlike mannerisms, using big eyes and getting overjoyed and having this adulation for Zod. So, I did everything like a child yet with a brutish, male influence. It worked very well. The three villains were all different, and came across well. Thank God. EURY: Don’t you mean, “Thank Zod”? [laughter] Did you grow the beard specifically for this movie? O’HALLORAN: I had the beard and they kept wanting to add to it. Every time they do, they use a substance called acetone to remove it, and it was breaking off my real beard. So I said, “You know what, just take my real beard off and use the fake stuff.” EURY: What were the Phantom Zone villains’ costumes made out of? O’HALLORAN: They were made of a fine, sheer material, with a burgundy trim. Reflective material that worked. It was a creative idea. I thought they were great. EURY: Flimsy, pliable, or restrictive? O’HALLORAN: Not restrictive at all—light and moveable. It was like wearing a negligee, only thicker. I got that [description] from Sarah. I think Sarah would have rather had the negligee. EURY: When I see Non in the movie, I’m not thinking of a negligee. [laughter] In Superman II, you set a standard with that fight scene. What’s amazing is the three of you taking on Superman in Metropolis, and there was no CGI then— it was a whole different type of special effects. I guess there was at least one choreographer for the fight? O’HALLORAN: You have no idea. They did something— they broke technology rules and set some precedents. We had a huge 70-foot screen and they put pole arms through the screen, and at the end of the pole arms were body molds that we laid in. The molds allowed for motions so we could move up and around. It was called VistaVision. Here we are, up in the air on these pole arms, and there was a concrete floor 70 feet below us. Sarah almost had a heart attack. I made them put an air mattress underneath just in case and [a production] guy said, “Those poles are very strong; they’ll never break.” Well, I broke the leg [of the mold], and he said, “Oh, my heavens!” That was very naughty… I used to do things like that just to scare them. They actually shot us into the film. When you see us flying around buildings and underneath bridges, it was actually us doing that. There were no wires; there was no blue or green screen. We laid up in these molds… it was very tedious and took time. They shot VistaVision on VistaVision, which was a breakthrough in technology. The fight scene was brilliant. EURY: So why didn’t Richard Donner direct Superman II? Creative differences?

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Make Way for Your Ruler Non barrels into the Daily Planet in this tense scene from Superman II, shown here on a 1980 lobby card courtesy of Heritage. © Warner Bros. Characters TM & © DC Comics.

O’HALLORAN: It wasn’t creative differences. They [the producers] didn’t want to pay him! It was so sad, because Donner lived, ate, and slept Superman, him and [screenwriter] Tom Mankiewicz. It’s sad because it would have been a whole different franchise, because Donner would have done III, IV, and V. They did the same thing with Brando. How do you cut Brando out of the movie? They’d already paid him, but didn’t want to pay him the points. Christopher [Reeve] should have never come back without bringing Donner back. He said, “Oh, they’ll do so many Supermans,” and they never did. The fourth one wasn’t even done by Warner Bros., it was done by Cannon. Christopher wrote the script and it was a terrible film. When you stop and think that Superman was the first American superhero, the original one, the way they did the film and characters, it was brilliant. Nowadays, it gets darker and darker and darker [in superhero movies]. So, we were talking six months ago, about the hologram technology, and we’re thinking about bringing Christopher and the three villains back. We have a storyline. We could come back at any age because of the hologram thing. Bringing us out of prison… Lex Luthor does some magic with the kryptonite that gets us our powers back… it would be a great idea. Non, of course, would talk by that time. While I was in jail, I learned a few skills, you know. [laughter] I had come up with a couple of storylines—if Superman kept his powers, why couldn’t we flip ours back again? Because of the atmosphere, we were of different molecular structures. Our powers would have been only taken away temporarily, I thought. We’re kicking it around—I think it’s brilliant. I hope we can pull it off. EURY: Wow! A CGI Superman sequel? A lot of us would love that. [audience applause] What kind of a person is Richard Donner? O’HALLORAN: He’s one of the nicest men in the world. Such a good guy. It’s just sad… he’s such a good director. Like night and day with the other guy [Superman II and III’s director Richard Lester]. We did both Superman movies together, and [Donner] really got into doing II, but he had to stop to deliver I. That’s why the Donner cut came out, because he had already shot 86% of the film.

From Gumshoe to Gum Cards But I was glad I was part of the two we did. It was an honor and a thrill. We had a lot of fun doing it. Great cast, brilliant crew. A lot of fun. EURY: I can only imagine if we could’ve had five Superman movies directed by Richard Donner. I doubt we’d have had Richard Pryor. O’HALLORAN: Likely no Pryor. I don’t think you would have seen a lot of junk. It would’ve been a much different franchise. EURY: For people who have only seen the theatrical version of Superman II, without seeing the deleted footage or the Donner cut, it may seem ambiguous as to what happens to you and the villains at the end of the Fortress fight scene. O’HALLORAN: Well, we fall down into an abyss, because we lost our powers in the transitional cubical. We shot a shot of them loading us into police vans and carrying us off, taking us to prison with Lex Luthor. There is footage of that. EURY: I’ve seen that footage… yes, the Phantom Zone villains were arrested, which would allow you to come back, as you said a moment ago. My fingers are crossed that this becomes a reality. Tell me… how was it, working with Christopher Reeve?

Among the Superman merchandise bearing O’Halloran’s likeness: Topps trading cards and stickers. This box for Superman II cards features on its top lid one of the images used for a movie poster, featuring Non and his fellow outlaws soaring toward the Man of Steel. Courtesy of Heritage. Superman and related characters TM & © DC Comics.

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Give Her a Big Hand Culled from Heritage’s archives, a behind-the-scenes still from director John Guillermin’s 1976 King Kong— in which Jack O’Halloran played (inset) Skull Island trespasser Joe Perko—showing Jessica Lange and the sometimesproblematic mechanical Kong hands. © 1976 Dino De Laurentiis Company/Paramount Pictures.

O’HALLORAN: You have to realize it was his first film—really nice kid, but naïve. He made his own problems. He got very much into the role too much. Some people get into acting and take the role on and stay with it all the time and don’t know how to change their clothes. He was like that: Superman, Clark Kent; super-nice kid that got into trouble with a few people. They will never find another Superman/Clark Kent combination like him. He did it well. When they first hired him; they talked to a lot of people about this role. When they first hired him, he weighed 170 pounds. I talked to the bodybuilding guy they were going to use and said, “Don’t bulk him, do like a Steve Reeves, just give him the cuts.” He was vain and didn’t want to wear any body molds under the costume. I said, “Just build him naturally out.” It worked well and he was a great Superman. He was a great Clark Kent and did the role extremely well, transforming back and forth. EURY: Let’s open up the floor for some questions… FAN 1: How long did it take to make the movie? O’HALLORAN: First film was one year and a half. We took a break, came back, and shot another year. Because they brought on another director, Richard Lester, in order to put his name up [in the credits], he had to shoot 50% of the movie, so he re-shot a lot of the movie. FAN 2 (child): What was the name of Superman’s weakness? Did he use it on you? O’HALLORAN: Kryptonite? No… We could never use it [on him, either], because it would affect us as well because we came from the same planet.

FAN 3: When you worked on King Kong, did you get to see some of the [mechanical] ape? O’HALLORAN: They only had the ape together one time. They had pieces of it—head, arm, and the hand. Poor Jessica [Lange] almost got killed sitting on his hand, when he was blowing air on her and was stroking her. The wire on the finger broke and it hit her in the head. “Oh, my God! That’s a wrap!” She was a tough chick… Minnesota girl, sweet lady, and brilliant actor. Rick Baker did a great job in the [Kong] suit. He did a lot of stuff that made it look like it was the whole monkey, but it was him. It was sad—we had a great script and great cast and a drunk director. The picture was good, but could have been a lot better. FAN 4: Did you ever turn down a movie part you later regretted? O’HALLORAN: When I was doing King Kong, they came to me about Silver Streak (1976) with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, which I’m sorry I didn’t do. Gene was a good friend of mine and said, “Please do the movie.” We were doing King Kong and I had six weeks off because they were going to New York to shoot the stuff in New York after we were already dead because we’d fallen off the log. The last shot we did was the log scene. So, we had to wait to wait for them to come back from New York. I could have gone to Canada to film Silver Streak, and Paramount wanted me and was angry. It probably hurt me as an actor because I then would have been a Paramount baby and done a lot of stuff. They offered me the series, Walking Tall.

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FAMILY LEGACY

A novel by Jack O’Halloran

I didn’t care. [I said,] “I’m going to relax at the beach.” It would’ve been great working with Wilder, a great guy, and Pryor was a great guy. He was nuts! It would have been fun. I turned down six pictures that Richard Kiel did that made his career. God bless him. I didn’t want to be a goofy guy. Mitchum taught me that I had better acting skills than that. I had written some things I wanted to do and I was pushing to do other movies and doing a lot of writing. FAN 5: What was your favorite thing you acted in? O’HALLORAN: Farewell, My Lovely, because I met one of the greatest friends of my life, Robert Mitchum, and the picture worked really well. Again, I kick myself in the butt because I was offered to be nominated for supporting actor and probably would’ve won that year. Robert Mitchum set up a meeting with [The Tonight Show’s] Johnny Carson and he said, “Can’t wait to get you on the show,” and “I’ll get you nominated if you do my show.” I said, “I don’t think I can do your show. It’s live, right? You’ll ask me about my father and I’ll get up and ask, ‘Where’s the men’s room?’ ” He said, “You’d get up and leave?” I said, “Yes. My father was one of the most feared Sicilians that came to America, named Albert Anastasia, and he ran a little company in New York called ‘Murder, Incorporated.’ He was one of the heads of the five families of New York and was formidable.” Johnny said, “Ah, no, I’ll give you a list of questions I’ll ask.” I said, “No. You are the key reporter in the United States and you’ll have Albert Anastasia’s son sitting on your set, and you’re not going to ask me about my father? Do I look like I fell off the turnip truck? I’m sorry, I have to say no.” [Editor’s note: Albert Anastasia (1902–1957) was one of the central figures in the evolution of the American mafia. On October 25, 1957, he was assassinated while in a barber’s chair in Manhattan’s posh Park Sheraton Hotel.] Mitchum yelled at me, “Are you crazy? This is Hollywood. Who cares? They would have made it wonderful. What’s the matter with you?” I had just come off the streets when I did Farewell, My Lovely and probably would have won an Oscar. It was a foolish move. EURY: A couple of times today you’ve mentioned your rough-and-tumble younger days, and now, your famous— perhaps, infamous—father. A lot of your fans from the Superman movies may not know about your career as a crime novelist. Tell us about that. O’HALLORAN: I’ve written a book called Family Legacy— the book’s already out. I have two more books coming, and we’ve signed a deal for a television series about the books. It’s a great deal—a stronger story than The Godfather, and will make it look like a child’s story. It will tell a lot of truth about the opening of our country and things people deserve to know. Now we’ve done the book and written about my family and the story, and it’ll be great and answer a lot of questions people have been asking for years. EURY: So, the distance of years made it easier to talk about your father? O’HALLORAN: Yeah, because, look—I’m 74 years old and have seen a lot of changes in this country. When my father and those people ran the country, there were no drive-by shootings. When I was a child, we never locked our doors. Your neighborhoods were safer. It was a whole different kettle of fish. FAN 6: Weren’t you in Dragnet? O’HALLORAN: Dragnet was a great film—Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, and a host of people. We had

[Editor’s note: The following book description comes from the website FamilyLegacythenovel.com:] Jack Pagano has always felt he is different. Smart and physically talented, the normal pursuits of youth—women and sports—have always come a little too easy to him and left him unfilled. At age 17, Jack is eager to leave high school and begin his college career. But the schooling that lies ahead of him is of a far different variety than he could have ever imagined. Albert Anastasia, the notorious leader of Murder, Inc., appears and claims Pagano as his son. But before Jack can make heads or tails of his newfound father, Anastasia is gunned down at the Park Sheraton Hotel. Under the tutelage of his late father’s associates, Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello, Jack enters a world where crime and politics, money, murder, and the American way of life are all but a hand’s breadth apart and inextricably linked. At the same time, another father is grooming his son to further his plans: Joseph Kennedy, the patriarch of what will become America’s ruling dynasty, has set his sights on the White House—and with the help of some old friends in Chicago, his son, and also Jack, will rise to power. Then, one autumn day in Dallas, the sins of the father are borne by the son and the world learns that greed can make anyone expendable— even the President of the United States. To order a copy, visit FamilyLegacythenovel.com.

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a lot of fun. Dragnet is one of the pictures you can watch 50 times and never get to hear all the one-lines Danny did. He just threw them out, left, right. He did Jack Webb to a T. It was a breakthrough picture for Hanks. It allowed Tom to be Tom and he didn’t have to carry the picture because of Danny. It was a great cast. It worked fluidly, and that was Tom Mankiewicz, who was the director, and he was great. There was some improv… Danny—his life is an improv! To get to work with comedy people like that and do something as neat as a TV story brought to the screen… I thought they did it well. I loved my character. FAN 7: [Other than Non,] wasn’t Hero and the Terror the first time you played a villain? O’HALLORAN: It was. That is the first time I played a villain. I liked the story and it allowed me to do something without talking. When we were shooting the movie, my wife at the time, an English blueblood who was on the set, and I came walking down the ramp in the garage and I scared the hell of her. [She said,] “You walked up the ramp and when you came down the ramp, you were a different person.” I scared her, because I learned a great trade from Mitchum, how to do what you need to do. It allowed me again to express something, and the film worked extremely well. But the people who produced it just ran out of money for distributing. Probably one of the best films Chuck [Norris] did. We did a great fight scene. We did a professional fighter and he was a martial-arts kid. It looked very real. People said, “It looked like you were killing each other.” I said, “We were, man—I was ripping him up!” We had a lot of fun. FAN 8: Do you keep in touch with people from Superman? O’HALLORAN: Oh, yeah. I’m about to see Sarah [Douglas] in a few weeks in Kansas City. I talk to Terence [Stamp]. [Gene] Hackman is retired and I talk to him once in a while. [Marc] McClure, I see all the time. Valerie [Perrine] unfortunately doesn’t get out of her house—she is very sick. Ned Beatty—used to have breakfast with him in Beverly Hills. He is sweetheart and great actor and a nice person. Ned is just a nice person. He belongs down here in North Carolina on the farm: “How ya’ll doing? Come on down and see me real soon, ya hear?” But when you work together for four years, you become like family. I probably talk with them more than any others from my other pictures. FAN 9: What was it like working with Terence Stamp? O’HALLORAN: He was a brilliant actor. When he did Superman, he had just cleaned up his life. He had been a partier—best-looking kid out of England, nominated at an early age for an Oscar—but his brother was manager for the Who, so he did a lot of partying. Then, he went to India and got Rolfed, and became very spiritual. Superman was his first picture after that, and he was a whole mellow fellow. Such a pleasure to work with—super guy. Ever see a picture called [The Adventures of] Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [1994 drag-queen/ transvestite comedy with Stamp, co-starring Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving]? You will laugh your brains out.

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“That was General Zod? Playing a transvestite?” He’s that versatile. FAN 10: Which was your favorite Superman movie? O’HALLORAN: Superman II was my favorite. It opened up everything and worked well. Great story. Of the superhero movies now, a lot of them are storyless. FAN 11: What did you think of the Richard Donner cut of Superman II? O’HALLORAN: I think the Donner cut is so much better than Lester’s cut. The whole film has less comedy and has more of a serious turn. It’s just Donner. Richard Donner is such a great director. He didn’t have to fudge anything. To show you the difference: [Lester] shot the Eiffel tower scenes [at the beginning of Superman II]. You’re talking about big-time Superman movies. He goes to Paris under the name Daisy Mae or something… they were trying to sneak into town to do the scene at the Eiffel Tower, and it was pouring rain that day. If you look at the picture, if you look at the cop cars, the windshield wipers are moving. Cops grabbing Margot [Kidder] before she goes up, and rain spots are hitting her shirt. Lester didn’t care because he shot it with an open lens. He took it into the lab and opened it up. The open lens allowed him to eradicate a lot of stuff. That, to me, is phony. There was no necessity to do that. You could wait two days and maybe the rain would go away. What’s the big deal? It was things like that that bothered me with Lester’s stuff. A lot of cramming of this and that. It was like working with a high school director and a professional between the two. Donner was a great director and knew everything—his mind, body, and soul was in the project. Funny story: We were doing first Superman, they were out to dinner one night with Marlon Brando. The first 11 days were shot with him; the Salkinds needed him to get the money. They were doing the first shoot at Shepherd Studio. It was a nice little studio, but they were intending to move back to Pinewood [Studio] with a house crew. All the people who signed on at Shepherd were thinking they were the crew for the whole movie, but their jobs got chopped in two or three weeks, which was kind of cruel. I made them bring my guy back to Pinewood because I knew he had a wife and kids. “I’m not coming back if he’s not coming.” But Brando was having dinner with these people and he said to Donner and the Salkinds, “I’m working really hard; maybe we should take a day off.” Donner said, “Okay, you have been working hard, we can take a day.” They were kicking him under the table! “No, you can’t give a day off!” They needed the footage to take to the bank to get the money. “It cost too much money.” Marlon asked, how much is a day’s shooting?” [Producer] Pierre Spengler shot up and said, “$350,000! You can’t take a day off!” Brando said, “Let’s take a day off, and I’ll pay.” But that was Brando. He had such an amazing attitude. He and I became good friends. He loved New York and loved the stories about my father. I went there to watch him work—it was the first time I ever saw anyone with cue cards everywhere. I never saw anyone else do that. Something happened with the camera and they stopped and he said, “No, just continue,” and he came right back in the shot… he was that good. I’m sure others would have been afraid to ask him, but I said, “What is it with the cue cards, man? Are you that bored with the industry you have to use cue cards everywhere?” “Oh, no, I started that with Mutiny on the Bounty. I don’t want

the camera to think I had studied the script; I want them to think I took the lines out of the air.” He was a great Shakespearian actor and he ripped off some lines of Shakespeare right then and it was mesmerizing. It was like I was at the play. He knew it word for word. He said, “That, you must know word for word; this sh*t is a piece of cake.” [laughter] I said, “Wow, man, thanks for the acting lesson.” [Brando] was a guy, when he walked on the set, you could hear a pin drop. People paid attention. He taught me something, and so did Mitchum. When they came on a set, they said hello to every person and said goodnight to every person when they left, ’cause you are like a family. Robert explained to me, “You know, kid, let me tell you something. You see that guy up in the rafter that’s lighting you for this shot? He can make or break your career. If he’s talking about what he did with his girlfriend last night, and not paying attention, you’re looking like sh*t, but if he’s paying attention to what he’s doing, you’ll look like a star. So it’s very kind of you to say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Real easy; doesn’t cost a dime.” He was that kind of a person. If Mitchum ate steak, everybody ate steak. Brando, too. They cared about the people they worked with, which is a treat.

A Signing and a Sighting (top) O’Halloran at a book signing for his novel, Family Legacy. Photo courtesy of Neil A. Cole (supermansupersite.com). (bottom) BACK ISSUE’s Michael Eury and Jack, after their panel interview at the Fayetteville ComicCon in October 2017. Photo by Rose Rummel-Eury.

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compiled by M i c h a e l

The Man of Steel’s worldwide acclaim led to the international distribution of all four Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. Enjoy this gallery of movie poster art that includes a pair of fantastic paintings that were not featured on posters in the USA.

(this page) British Superman: The Movie one-sheet featuring the famous “You’ll believe a man can fly” line, with art by Bob Peak. (opposite) Japanese Superman II poster, with art by Dan Goozee. (pages 36 and 37) French Superman III poster, with art by John Berkey, and American Superman IV poster, with art by Dan Goozee. Poster scans courtesy of Heritage Auctions. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Superman movies © 1978, 1980, 1983, 1987 Warner Bros. Pictures.

34 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

Eury

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THE RETRO COMICS EXPERIENCE!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY, BACK ISSUE magazine celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through recurring (and rotating) departments like “Pro2Pro” (dialogue between professionals), “BackStage Pass” (behind-the-scenes of comics-based media), “Greatest Stories Never Told” (spotlighting unrealized comics series or stories), and more!

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“Bird People!” Hawkman in the Bronze Age, JIM STARLIN’s Superman/Hawkgirl team-up, TIM TRUMAN’s Hawkworld, Hawk & Dove, Penguin history, Blue Falcon & Dynomutt, Condorman, and CHUCK DIXON and SCOTT McDANIEL’s Nightwing. With GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, GREG GULER, RICHARD HOWELL, TONY ISABELLA, KARL KESEL, ROB LIEFELD, DENNY O’NEIL, and a GEORGE PÉREZ cover.

“DC in the ‘80s!” From the experimental to the fan faves: Behind-the-scenes looks at SECRET ORIGINS, ACTION COMICS WEEKLY, DC CHALLENGE, THRILLER, ELECTRIC WARRIOR, and SUN DEVILS. Featuring JIM BAIKIE, MARK EVANIER, DAN JURGENS, DOUG MOENCH, MARTIN PASKO, TREVOR VON EEDEN, and others! Featuring a mind-numbing Nightwing cover by ROMEO TANGHAL!

“BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES’ 25th ANNIVERSARY!” Looks back at the influential cartoon series. Plus: episode guide, Harley Quinn history, DC’s Batman Adventures and Animated Universe comic books, and tribute to artist MIKE PAROBECK. Featuring KEVIN ALTIERI, RICK BURCHETT, PAUL DINI, GERARD JONES, MARTIN PASKO, DAN RIBA, TY TEMPLETON, BRUCE TIMM, and others! BRUCE TIMM cover!

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100-PAGE SPECIAL featuring Bronze Age Fanzines and Fandom! Buyer’s Guide, Comic Book Price Guide, DC’s Comicmobile, Super DC Con ’76, Comic Reader, FOOM, Amazing World of DC, Charlton Bullseye, Squa Tront, & more! ALAN LIGHT, BOB OVERSTREET, SCOTT EDELMAN, BOB GREENBERGER, JACK C. HARRIS, TONY ISABELLA, DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT, BOB LAYTON, PAUL LEVITZ, MICHAEL USLAN, and others!

ROCK ’N’ ROLL COMICS! Flash Gordon star SAM J. JONES interview, KISS in comics, Marvel’s ALICE COOPER, T. Rex’s MARC BOLAN interviews STAN LEE, PAUL McCARTNEY, Charlton’s Partridge Family, David Cassidy, and Bobby Sherman comics, Marvel’s Steeltown Rockers, Monkees comics, & Comic-Con band Seduction of the Innocent. With AMY CHU, JACK KIRBY, BILL MUMY, ALAN WEISS, and others!

MERCS AND ANTIHEROES! Deadpool’s ROB LIEFELD and FABIAN NICIEZA interviewed! Histories of Cable, Taskmaster, Deathstroke the Terminator, the Vigilante, and Wild Dog, plus… Archie meets the Punisher?? Featuring TERRY BEATTY, MAX ALLAN COLLINS, PAUL KUPPERBERG, BATTON LASH, JEPH LOEB, DAVID MICHELINIE, MARV WOLFMAN, KEITH POLLARD, and others! Deadpool vs. Cable cover by LIEFELD!

ALL-STAR EDITORS ISSUE! Past and present editors reveal “How I Beat the Dreaded Deadline Doom”! Plus: ARCHIE GOODWIN and MARK GRUENWALD retrospectives, E. NELSON BRIDWELL interview, DIANA SCHUTZ interview, ALLAN ASHERMAN revisits DC’s ’70s editorial department, Marvel Assistant Editors’ Month, and a history of PERRY WHITE! With an unpublished 1981 Captain America cover by MIKE ZECK!

FOURTH WORLD AFTER KIRBY! Return(s) of the New Gods, Why Can’t Mister Miracle Escape Cancellation?, the Forever People, MIKE MIGNOLA’s unrealized New Gods animated movie, Fourth World in Hollywood, and an all-star lineup, including the work of JOHN BYRNE, PARIS CULLINS, J. M. DeMATTEIS, MARK EVANIER, MICHAEL GOLDEN, RICK HOBERG, WALTER SIMONSON, and more. STEVE RUDE cover!

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GOLDEN AGE IN BRONZE! ’70s Justice Society revival with two Pro2Pro interviews: All-Star Squadron’s ROY THOMAS, JERRY ORDWAY, and ARVELL JONES (with a bonus RICK HOBERG interview), and The Spectre’s JOHN OSTRANDER and TOM MANDRAKE. Plus: Liberty Legion, Air Wave, Jonni Thunder, Crimson Avenger, and the Spectre revival of ’87! WOOD, COLAN, CONWAY, GIFFEN, GIORDANO, & more!

ARCHIE COMICS IN THE BRONZE AGE! STAN GOLDBERG and GEORGE GLADIR interviews, Archie knock-offs, Archie on TV, histories of Sabrina, That Wilkin Boy, Cheryl Blossom, and Red Circle Comics. With JACK ABEL, JON D’AGOSTINO, DAN DeCARLO, FRANK DOYLE, GRAY MORROW, DAN PARENT, HENRY SCARPELLI, ALEX SEGURA, LOU SCHEIMER, ALEX TOTH, and more! DAN DeCARLO cover.

BRONZE AGE AQUAMAN! Team-ups and merchandise, post-Crisis Aquaman, Aqualad: From Titan to Tempest, Black Manta history, DAVID and MAROTO’s Atlantis Chronicles, the original unseen Aquaman #57, and the unproduced Aquaman animated movie. With APARO, CALAFIORE, MARTIN EGELAND, GIFFEN, GIORDANO, ROBERT LOREN FLEMING, CRAIG HAMILTON, JURGENS, SWAN, and more. ERIC SHANOWER cover!

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Mags of Steel by J o e

Stuber

Superman: The Movie was a popular subject on magazine covers in late 1978 and early 1979. (Join us in two months for BI #110, themed “Make Mine Marvel,” for a look back at Marvel’s Pizzazz Magazine.) Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics. Famous Monsters of Filmland TM & © Philip Kim. Fantastic Films © Blake Publications Corp. MAD TM & © EC Publications, Inc. Newsweek TM & © Newsweek LLC. People TM & © Time Inc. Pizzazz © Marvel. Playgirl TM & © Playgirl. Starlog © The Brooklyn Company.

SUPER PUBLISHING

You’ll believe a man can fly... ...and a kid can buy! It was a particularly frigid day in late December 1978. My mom and I, along with some family friends, were planning to head out into the western Pennsylvania winter weather to see Superman: The Movie… again. But this night would be extra special. One of our friends brought a gift for me. I didn’t think anything could top rushing out for another round of Christopher Reeve soaring across the big screen, but I would soon be proven wrong. Tearing off the wrapping paper, I beheld a 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" thing of beauty—the original movie soundtrack by John Williams! Even though our friend had kindly thought to remove the price tag, I could still see the impression left behind on the cover—$11.98. Double album coin. Growing up in a working-class family, you quickly get a sense of what things cost, so I truly appreciated her generosity and incredible thoughtfulness. I treasured this gift immensely and immediately jotted my name and address on the gatefold right below the stunning image of Reeve flying high as my hero. It would be quite some time before I learned about the term “mint condition.” I could not wait till after the movie to listen to the soundtrack. I had to hear a bit before we braved the cold for our trip to the theater. I removed the first record carefully, placed it on the turntable, and lowered the needle. With the vinyl disc spinning at 33 1/3 RPM and the sound of Williams’ Superman Theme thundering out—as much as it could—from our Zenith Circle of Sound OmniDirectional stereo speakers, I stared wide-eyed at the photomontage of movie images on the record sleeves. The destruction of Krypton. The journey to Earth. Super-rescues. The movie was coming to life in my living room! But I needed more. More images, more information, more… stuff! Thus began one kid’s quest to seek out and find all things… Super.

Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it’s a simple adventure story. Others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe. – Lex Luthor One thing made evident in the late ’70s following the explosion of Star Wars (with an earlier assist from Planet of the Apes) was that a movie franchise could make much more money in the realm of merchandising than it could at the box office. This concept was not lost on the marketing team at Warner Bros. Perhaps the biggest merchandising push for the Superman film was from the rights holders—Warner Bros. Prior to the soundtrack from Warner Bros. Records hitting store shelves, the book division (Warner Books) promised “the most ambitious movie/publishing tie-in of all time.” They did not disappoint. Ads touted a novelization of the film, “Making of” book, wall calendar, “telephone book” with room for 400 contacts (how many friends did Warner Bros. think I had?), packet of super-blueprints, portfolio of amazing art, and a kit of collectible diorama cut-outs. A few years earlier, Ballantine Books released of package of 12 Star Trek blueprints, and Warner Bros. hoped to cash in on the “burgeoning popblueprint market,” as an early ad stated. To this day, I’m not quite sure how prosperous that market was, but it did result in a cool collectible, Superman: The Movie Blueprints. Topping Ballantine with 15 layouts, the Superman set includes the entire floor plan of Lex Luthor’s lair, for the budding architect with space 200 feet below ground. What more could anyone ask? Superman Cut-Outs, designed by John Harrington and Aldo Coppelli, is a more hands-on activity packet. Featuring three “action sets” from the film—Krypton, Kansas, and Metropolis—kids and parents could recreate baby Kal-El’s starship, young Kal giving Pa Kent a hand fixing

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 39

Super Soundtrack (right) The album cover for John Williams’ Superman: The Movie soundtrack two-album set, (middle) its interior image of a flying Man of Steel, and both sides of its picture-packed inner sleeve. Scans courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

a flat, and Superman saving Lois Lane in the memorable helicopter rescue scene. Superman: The Movie Portfolio is a true prize. Inspired by scenes from the movie, artist Jim Dietz crafted 12 sensational paintings that capture the spirit and spectacle of the epic film. Standouts include “Lois Lane and Superman over Metropolis” (a perfect image of Reeve and Margot Kidder), “Superman Saves Airforce One,” and “Superman Deflecting Guided Missile.” While we didn’t get the promised novelization of the film, we did get an original Superman origin story from author Elliot S! Maggin—Last Son of Krypton (detailed elsewhere in this issue). And no super-book collection would be complete without the pride of the Warner Books Superman series, The Making of Superman: The Movie by author David M. Petrou. In my interview earlier this year on my podcast, Comic Book Central, Mr. Petrou (who was working for Random House Publishing in the mid-’70s) explained how a chance meeting on the tennis court with Superman producer Ilya Salkind set the stage for his chronicling the Man of Steel’s journey from comics to cinema. Petrou stated, “Everybody says, ‘Oh, it’s luck. You were in the right place.’ No, it’s more than that. You have to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right talent. And I filled all of those bills for Ilya.” He certainly did. The Making of Superman: The Movie is an outstanding fly-on-the-wall account of pre-production, casting, filming, and of course, the famous in-fighting during production. The paperback also features a 16-page insert of photos, including a hilarious (and highly personal) picture of Valerie Perrine mocking the numerous delays in filming. No other item in my collection has

Suitable for Framing (bottom left) A dozen dynamite prints of painter Jim Dietz’s recreations of movie scenes were featured in Warner Books’ Superman: The Movie Portfolio. This set in Mint condition commands at least $100, often more, in today’s collectors’ market. (bottom right) Writer Joe Stuber’s muchloved original copy of The Making of Superman: The Movie and his replacement copy. Inset is its author, David M. Petrou, who kindly contributed this photo for BI’s readers. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

40 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

been subjected to more wear and tear than this book. As I started my conversation with Mr. Petrou, he asked if I had read the book. Smiling, I explained that I currently had two copies in front of me, one that I purchased a few years ago to replace my original, which was now in four pieces from reading and re-reading over 40 years! In addition to the releases from Warner Books, Superman was on full display on the magazine racks. And oh, were there magazines! Fantastic Films got the jump previewing the flick in June 1978, and Time (SPOILER ALERT!) reviewed the film November 27, 1978, more than two weeks before the premiere. By the first week of ’79, publishers were all in on the Superman craze. A cover story in Newsweek (January 1 – Superman to the Rescue!), People (January 8 – It’s Superman!), Starlog, and even Famous Monsters (issues #151 and 152) got in on the action! One of the coolest covers on the stands, however, was Pizzazz—a Marvel Comics publication. The cover shows Reeve in a famous Superman promo pose and a word balloon stating (with marvelous Marvel humor), “I consider it the greatest honor of my long career to be on the cover of a Marvel magazine.” A mind-blowing concept to fanboys and fangirls everywhere. MAD Magazine (issue #208) parodied the film with “Superduperman” (written by Larry Siegel, art by Mort Drucker), a throwback to the original MAD super-spoof from 1953. In the closing panels, Superduperman brings Lotus Lain back to life when a chorus of voices (Warner Bros. executives) tell him that without Lotus, there’s no Superduperman II! That’s just a small sampling of what I snagged off the racks in ’78–’79. In case you’re wondering—no, I did not pick up the January 1979 issue of Playgirl with Reeve as Superman on the cover. Hey, I did say publishers were all in on the Superman craze!

Collect ’em All An unopened pack of the first series of Superman: The Movie trading cards from Topps, and individual cards depicting some of the beloved film’s stars. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

SUPER CARDS

What has chewing gum got to do with the secrets of the universe? – Eve Teschmacher I vividly recall my trips to the local pharmacy a block away from my house, as well as the market up the street from my grandparents’ house, to grab a few packs of Topps trading cards for 20 cents a pack. Opening the wax packaging (yes, I saved the wrappers), I shoved the included powdered pink stick of bubble gum in my gob, and flipped through the ten-pack of cards (and one sticker) to discover how much closer I got to my ultimate collecting goal. “Have it, have it, have it… need it—yes!” My friends and I traded the cards to complete our sets, devoured the movie facts on the card backs, and completed the puzzles. Topps released two series of Superman trading cards, 165 cards in all. Series One features 77 cards with a white border, six foil stickers, and six standard stickers. The puzzle pieces on the back reveal Reeve as the Man of Steel against the American flag background as seen on card #63. Series Two consists of 88 cards with a red border, ten foil stickers, and six standard stickers. The card backs highlight more movie facts and puzzle pieces. For this series, it’s Superman in flight as seen on card #65. A fascinating aspect of the trading cards is that, unbeknownst to us, deleted scenes from the film were revealed! Who is that guy on Krypton wearing a hood and standing in the hula hoops? I don’t remember Superman encased in ice! When was he surrounded by fire? It wasn’t until the extended version of the movie aired on ABC in February 1982 that I finally saw what I was missing! One other note about Topps and the Big Blue Boy Scout—in 1981, Topps released a series of 12 mini movie posters (one pinup and one stick of bubble gum to a pack) featuring silver screen classics such as Jaws, Grease, Star Wars, and Superman: The Movie. The Superman reproduction poster shows our hero zooming into the sky, leaving a red and blue blur trailing behind. Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 41

Hands-On Collectibles Mego, best known for its 8” cloth-dressed action figures, super-sized the Man of Steel for (top) this movie tie-in figure. (middle) Also shown are Mego’s minis of Jor-El, Lex Luthor (in his comic-book threads), and General Zod (you will bow down before him). (bottom) One of several jigsaw puzzle tie-ins to the movie. (inset) Superman: The Movie in View-Master form. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

SUPER TOYS

It’s a little idea I was toying with.

– Lex Luthor

Mego Corporation, which did a stellar job producing action figures, playsets, and vehicles for such licensed properties as Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and the Marvel/ DC lines of superheroes, didn’t find the same good fortune with Superman: The Movie. This seems like it would have been the perfect opportunity to emulate Kenner’s success with the 3 3/4" Star Wars line, but Mego went big—literally—with a 12" line of figures, eschewing its standard 8" series. Originally slated for a set of six action figures (Superman, Jor-El, Lex Luthor, Zod, Ursa, and Non), only four were produced (sorry, Ursa and Non). Mego did, however, hope to springboard off its 3 3/4" Comic Action Heroes (Pocket Super Heroes) line (1976) with two Superman-themed playsets—the Fortress of Solitude with monitor images of the Krypton hula hoops and Marlon Brando (I wonder how much that image would have set Mego back for licensing!), and Earthquake with exploding bridge. The playsets, while advertised, were ultimately abandoned and this downsized concept only resulted in some poorly sculpted Jor-El, Luthor, and Zod peg-warmers. After that, the Mego Superman: The Movie project was abandoned to the Phantom Zone. Quite a shame. I can only imagine the playsets Mego could have produced for Superman II. Metropolis Mayhem! West Wing Wipeout! Fight at the Fortress! Niagara Falls Rescue for the bathtub! Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch, but it would have been cool. For the true Superman collecting completist, you’ll want to track down the original comic-book ad featuring artwork by a team at the Joe Kubert School of Art. The copywriter mistakenly refers to one of the figures as “Zor-El.” Or, perhaps he or she was a huge fan of Supergirl’s dad and hoped a toy would be made for the character. Yeah, I doubt that theory as well. Probably just an error. That was about it for the action figures, but toy department aisles across the country were not lacking a Superman: The Movie presence. Numerous jigsaw puzzles were produced by American Publishing Corp., and you could relive the movie over and over again in 3-D as you inserted one of three discs into your ViewMaster viewer. Each disc displayed seven action-packed scenes from the film, and the enclosed booklet told the tale with a story, pictures, and crossword puzzle. It even included an offer for an “S”-emblazoned tank top. If you wanted to redecorate your room—and believe me, I did—you could choose from any number of posters available from several outlets. For highly collectible posters, giveaways are always a good bet, and the marketing team at Procter & Gamble ran a super promotion. Simply buy the specified P&G products (Safeguard soap, Bounce fabric sheets, Comet cleanser, or Spic and Span cleaner) and you scored one of four posters: • • • •

Superman flying over Metropolis the classic Superman flying fist first into the camera Jor-El sentencing the Kryptonian villains toddler Kal-El giving Jonathan Kent a hand in fixing the flat tire on the truck

From the DIY camp, the Superman Movie Coloring Set from Fun Art/Chapin Creations came packaged with four posters to color, six coloring pens, and a bonus poster—a fully-painted piece of artwork showcasing a collage of movie scenes. My poster of choice in ’78–’79, which still hangs on my basement wall today, is the photomontage of movie scenes and publicity stills surrounding Reeve’s Superman bursting through the center. I have to say it was a truly surreal experience interviewing Richard Donner over the phone with the poster above my head. Full circle. 42 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

SUPER FOOD AND DRINK Do you… eat?

– Lois Lane

Yes. Yes, I do. When I’m hungry.

– Superman

If you had a hankerin’ for Taco Bell in 1979, you probably found a super surprise waiting for you at the counter. A cardboard display featuring Reeve ready to spring into action was the backdrop for the featured drinking glasses produced by Pepsi. Over the course of a month and a half, Taco Bell customers could buy a medium Pepsi for 69 cents and keep the glass! This sparkling set of drinking glasses is splashed with a red/ yellow/blue color scheme. Each week, patrons could pick up one of the six glasses which tell the story of the Superman saga: • • • •

Week 1: Kal-El comes to Earth Week 2: Superman saves the day Week 3: The Caped Wonder to the rescue Week 4: The characters (Jimmy, Lois, Perry, Clark, and Superman) • Week 5: From Kal-El the child to the Man of Steel • Week 6: Lois Lane is saved by her hero Unfortunately for me, there wasn’t a Taco Bell near my neighborhood, so I missed out on these beauties. They are pretty easy to find online, though, and as you’re Googling to track down the set (as well as the cardboard display and one-sheet promo poster), you’ll more than likely find the original Taco Bell commercial on YouTube. Ready for dessert? Drake’s Cakes from Borden packed one collectible Superman: The Movie trading card in each specially marked box of sweet treats (see inset, at right). No matter whether you were a fan of Swiss Rolls, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Ring Dings, Creme Fingers, or Yodels, a super scene was waiting to be revealed as you opened the family pack of snacks. I’m quite certain many of those Ring Dings and Devil Dogs were plopped into one of the most sought-after Superman: The Movie collectibles—the Superman metal lunchbox from Aladdin Industries Incorporated. You were the envy of the cafeteria with this bad boy at your side. As with most Aladdin-era lunchboxes, artwork is featured on all six sides. You could travel from Krypton, to Smallville, to the Daily Planet newsroom all while crunching an apple and gulping down some milk from the characterenhanced thermos. You’re doing quite well if you find both in primo condition now as they were definitely put to use back in the day. All full after that dining experience? Toss out any of your Taco Bell and Drake’s Cakes wrappers in the Superman metal wastebasket, which showcased a similar painted image of Superman as seen on the lunchbox on one side, toddler Kal hoisting the Kent truck on the other, and the shining silver “S” symbol within, waiting to contain your dynamic debris.

SUPER APPAREL

Where’d he get that blue suit? Did he have it made? Is it silk? Is it plastic? – Perry White T-shirts were the dress of the day in the ’70s, and far-out iron-ons were all the rage. Most Superman shirts featured the classic red “S” symbol, the revised silver movie version, or Superman in flight. Two standouts from the T-shirt/iron-ons products were Clark Kent and Superman (I chose the latter). The Man of Steel is seen striking the iconic hands-on-hips pose against a background of planets and

Eat, Drink, and Be Super (left) One of the Pepsi glasses available at Taco Bell. (above) Impressive likenesses graced Aladdin’s Superman lunchbox and thermos. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

a swirling red flame. Clark was set against a similar background, which seemed a bit much, as he was simply headed to the Daily Planet to write an article. We’re all part of the same team.

– Superman

Like Superman reversing time, revisiting the movie merchandise is a way to turn back the clock, and recall a simpler time of collecting. My recounting of these items is by no means a complete list. Here in the US, I didn’t even have access to items produced in other countries like Spain’s Superman action figure, helicopter, and dune buggy. By the way, why did Superman need a dune buggy and why is Lois in the passenger seat wearing her dress from their first date? But I digress. As I sit here beneath my Superman poster with Maestro Williams’ super double album soundtrack playing in the background, I realize (as I’m sure you do as well) that, while the collectibles associated with Superman: The Movie aren’t as abundant as, say, Star Wars, they still evoke the same sense of nostalgia and wonder. And the scarcity of these items makes them all the more treasured. Four decades on, these products stand the test of time, not unlike the movie itself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just noticed a sweet deal online for those Taco Bell Pepsi drinking glasses…. If you want to see more of the items mentioned in this article, be sure to check out the following websites: www.capedwonder.com, www.superman1978.com, and www.megomuseum.com. JOE STUBER is an Emmy® Award-winning writer/ producer and lifelong comic-book fan. In 2013, Joe created the celebrity talk show podcast Comic Book Central (www.comicbookcentral.net), the world’s first podcast exclusively devoted to in-depth interviews with the legendary talents who have brought comic-book properties to life on TV, Broadway, film, video games, live events, and beyond! To date, the show has been heard in nearly 160 countries, was mentioned on Kevin Smith’s show Hollywood Babble-On, and is now part of Blog Talk Radio. Joe resides in Ohio with his beautiful superhero-loving wife, his hyperactive yellow Lab, and way more action figures than he could ever display.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 43

While Superman III was in production in 1982, I was sent to England by Warner Bros. and DC Comics as a liaison to deliver studio notes regarding the script. As I later came to learn, my trip was a consequence of studio politics—the Salkinds were contractually obligated to address DC’s notes in order to trigger Warner Bros.’ next production payment. But with principal photography already well underway, any script alterations at this late date had to be restricted to minor tweaks. So it was no surprise director Richard Lester and screenwriters Leslie and David Newman were not happy with the studio input or the comic-book writer who was the messenger. All in all, it was a very intense few days. However, the trip wasn’t a total bust because Ilya Salkind and I got along very well. More about that to come. Not long after the frustrating Superman III experience, I decided I’d take a shot at pitching my own Superman movie to Warners. Even though I had been writing Superman comics for 15 years by then, I knew success would be far-fetched and the odds slim. On other hand, I had been down a similar road a decade earlier. In 1974, with the help of Roald Dahl, two years of perseverance and some dumb luck, I managed to sell an original James Bond treatment for Moonraker to Cubby Broccoli (no, they didn’t go with my story, although certain plot elements from it turned up in later Bond films). At least with a Superman film, so I figured, I’d have a leg up due to my DC Comics connection. The villain in my treatment was Brainiac. As for the plotline, a lot of the details are fuzzy now, though I do recall a major Ragnarok-ish off-world sequence involving shrunken cities vying for the right to be restored to their home planet. But unlike the Bond treatment, after working on it for months between comics assignments, I still hadn’t reached the point where I felt the story was fully developed enough to send out. And since Superman IV had just been announced, I put it on the back burner. A further setback was the fact the Salkinds were no longer involved; they had temporarily licensed their Superman rights to Golan-Globus’ Cannon Films. But the Salkinds were by no means inactive. Their original deal with Warners had granted them rights to not only Superman but all Superman-related characters. And that included Superboy. Superboy was a syndicated series Ilya and his father Alex were co-producing with Viacom, filmed at Universal Studios Florida. In late 1988 Ilya hired me as a scriptwriter and story editor, so I relocated to Orlando. At some point during the second season I showed Ilya my aborted movie treatment, not really expecting much since he no longer had the film rights. But as I was to find out, things were in flux—on several fronts. After Superman IV’s lackluster box

(Super)Man vs. Machine Our fantasy poster for a Superman movie penned by Cary Bates. The main image is from an Australian poster for 1983’s Superman III, inserting Brainiac (by José Luis García-López and Dick Giordano) from the cover of 1977’s DC Special Series #5: Superman Spectacular. TM & © DC Comics.

44 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

by C

ary Bates

Super Scribe Cary Bates’ (lower left, as illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger, from the cover of 1974’s Amazing World of DC Comics #2) first professional connection to would-be movie villain Brainiac stretched back to his teenage years, when he submitted to DC Comics editor Mort Weisinger a cover sketch that would become the cover of Superman #167 (Feb. 1964). TM & © DC Comics.

office, Cannon Films couldn’t afford to continue the license for a fifth Superman film… which meant the rights would revert back to the Salkinds. Ilya and Alex meanwhile would soon be in pre-production on Christopher Columbus: The Discovery. Because it was a big-budget theatrical film to be filmed in Europe (with a cast headed up by Marlon Brando and Tom Selleck), it meant running a weekly TV series out of Florida was no longer feasible. Thus, they arranged to sign over their stake in Superboy to Viacom once Season Two wrapped. And yet, with the Superman rights falling back into their laps, mounting a Superman V had suddenly become a very real prospect as well. In Ilya’s view my treatment would at least provide a starting point—and it certainly didn’t hurt he’d always wanted to use Brainiac (by the way, his original choice for the villain in Superman III). After some deliberation, the Salkinds decided to proceed and a deal was struck for my treatment. The screenplay was to be written by me and the other story editor on Superboy, Mark Jones. He and I had developed a good working relationship on the series and complemented each other’s strengths as writers. Soon after Season Two of Superboy wrapped, writing commenced on the script. The title was to be Superman: The New Movie. In my treatment, Brainiac was a robotic incarnation reminiscent of the late ’80s comics version. But in developing the story we realized this presented a problem. Following the template of their earlier films, i.e., signing up major stars like Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, the Salkinds wanted a big name for Brainiac. However, bringing a robot to the screen would likely require a clunky C-3P0type suit or a CGI effect that would limit an actor to a glorified voice-over—not helpful for attracting a big star. And going with the original Brainiac from the ’60s would’ve meant green face paint and a bald cap, also not much of an inducement. So it was decided to combine both versions. We came up with a logical rationale for Brainiac to be portrayed as a tenfoot-tall robotic android—and a normal-looking human. The screen story paid homage to the classic Brainiac origin story where he first comes to Earth and shrinks Metropolis, adding it to his interplanetary collection of miniaturized cities. In our version the robot Brainiac uses his advanced technology to dispassionately study and analyze each species he acquires. When observations of his newest acquisition reveal a unique superpowered being who appears to be the tiny inhabitants’ champion, Brainiac decides this civilization merits closer scrutiny. It should also be noted here the screenplay had a subplot about Superman and Lois reaching a turning point in their relationship; the film opens with recent events causing her to realize Superman’s first priority will always be protecting mankind, so there can be no practical future for them as a couple. Thus, she accepts a job offer from a paper in another city. But as fate would have it, it’s when she’s on her way to the airport that Brainiac’s ship arrives. She ends up as one of the citizens trapped inside the shrunken city. Brainiac devises a plan utilizing his advanced alien science that will allow him to literally insert himself into the population. Enlarging a freshly deceased Metropolis policeman to full size, he downloads his 12th-level A.I. intelligence to “reanimate” the body into android form before shrinking himself into the city to observe the human species firsthand. (A supernatural take on this ploy would be seen in Meet Joe Black [1998], where the character of Death reanimates the corpse of Brad Pitt’s character

to interact with mortals.) Once he is free to roam Metropolis, the human Brainiac wreaks havoc in order to draw Superman out. This inevitably leads to a spectacular knock-down, drag-out fight that culminates in the Man of Steel’s death by disintegration. But having observed Superman’s earlier interactions with Lois—who he perceives to be his opponent’s “mate-object”—Brainiac claims her as his prize and a specimen worth closer examination. So he takes Lois with him when he leaves the shrunken Metropolis. They materialize full-size aboard his vast ship, where he retains his human form and she remains his prisoner. Though it appeared to Lois and everyone else in Metropolis that Superman had died, we find out a split-second before his atoms would’ve been permanently disintegrated, they were sucked into another miniaturized city a few rows over—Kandor. There he is revived and “reborn,” experiencing what it’s like to be a mortal man among his own kind, reconnecting with his Kryptonian roots. As he goes about the arduous process of rehabilitating himself he gets his mojo back… and eventually escapes from Kandor to rescue Lois and resume his battle with Brainiac. With Superman full size and once again in full possession of his powers, Brainiac proceeds to transfer his A.I. back into the giant robot for a final spectacular battle amid the ruins of the planet Colu. After Brainiac’s defeat and death, Superman and Lois return to Earth. Profoundly affected by their separation and harrowing life-and-death ordeal, they both decide they want their relationship to continue. The film ends with Superman (finally) revealing his secret identity to Lois as he asks her to marry him. After the first draft was completed, everything went on hold as the Salkinds were gearing up to begin principal photography on the Christopher Columbus film. It was during this period Ilya hired me to come aboard for the final production draft (original writers Mario Puzo and John Briley were no longer available). During the weeks I was on location in

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Hello, Columbus (top) Tomas de Torquemada (Marlon Brando) and explorer Columbus (Georges Corraface) from the 1992 Salkind production, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery. Courtesy of IMDb.com. (bottom) How many of you were daydreaming that our hero was fighting Brainiac during this climactic scene in Superman III? (Ye ed was!) (middle) That same year, DC retooled Superman’s computer nemesis (in a redesign by Ed Hannigan), shown here in his second appearance, on Gil Kane’s cover to Action Comics #545. © 1992 Christopher Columbus Productions. Superman III © Warner Bros. Superman TM & © DC Comics.

Europe with Columbus, I was also doing a polish on the Superman script (Mark Jones had since moved on, taking a job as a show-runner for an animation series). The film was now titled Superman Reborn (predating the similarly titled Jonathan Lemkin script Warners commissioned years later). Over the years there have been conflicting reports as to whether Christopher Reeve was approached and/ or was considering playing Superman one more time. To this day I’m not sure how far negotiations may have gone. Certainly the allure of having both Reeve and Margot Kidder reprise their roles one last time for the cinematic resolution of the Superman-Lois romance would’ve been a huge plus. On the other hand, it was no secret at this point in his career that Reeve was reticent about putting on the cape again. He was still bitter about Superman IV, with its drastic budget cuts and other broken promises made by the Cannon group. If he was open to the idea of coming back, no doubt his salary demands for playing Superman a fifth time would’ve been quite steep. But regrettably, with or without Reeve our Superman Reborn was never going to happen. Principal photography on Columbus wrapped in the spring of 1992, and the original plan was to commence preproduction on Superman that summer. And yet by August, Superman Reborn had still not moved forward because ongoing negotiations between the Salkinds and Warners had bogged down. The writing on the wall became depressingly clear once it was determined the prospect of a new Superman film didn’t gel with Warners’ own plans: They wanted to launch a Lois & Clark TV series. This conflict led to complex re-negotiations between the studio and the Salkinds, which ultimately culminated with Warners reacquiring all the Superman rights for an undisclosed sum. Unfortunately, as almost always happens when a property changes hands or studios, all previous drafts go out the window and they start over again from scratch. This certainly proved to be the case with our script. The Lois & Clark run notwithstanding, the next Superman movie would be stuck in development hell for another 12 years, going through half a dozen scripts and almost as many writer-director teams before Warners would finally release Superman Returns. While the sudden demise of our Superman Reborn film was a disappointment that seemed unexpected at the time… in retrospect, not so much. When the Salkinds struck their deal with Warners in the early ’70s, films like The Godfather, The Poseidon Adventure, and The Exorcist were the blockbuster hits. No studio had any reason to believe Superman (or any comic-book character) could realistically appeal to enough adults to become a profitable big-budget film property. But from the start, Ilya, to his enormous credit, always had faith in Superman’s untapped potential and universal appeal. When the first film defied all the naysayers to break box-office records around the world, he was proven right. And the success of the Superman films had undoubtedly paved the way for Warners to take another big gamble in 1989 with the Tim Burton-directed Batman. When that film proved to be a blockbuster as well, it was inevitable the studio’s philosophy would change. Rather than outsourcing to independent producers like the Salkinds, by the ’90s it made more business sense to reclaim Superman so they could maintain complete control of all the DC properties under their corporate tent. Up, up, and away… Writer CARY BATES’ numerous credits include (in comic books) Superman, Action Comics, The Flash, Legion of Super-Heroes, Captain Atom, Silverblade, and Video Jack, and (in cinema) TV’s Superboy and the 1992 film Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.

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by J o

For almost as long as there have been superhero comics, they’ve been influenced by outside media adaptations. Kryptonite, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White all originated on the 1940s’ The Adventures of Superman radio show. Alfred Pennyworth’s appearance was remodeled to look like the actor from the 1943 Batman serial, and the 1966 television series inspired Alfred’s return to the comics. And one of the most popular Batman villains, Harley Quinn, made her first appearance in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series. 1978’s Superman: The Movie was no different. Although initial screenwriter Mario Puzo’s contract prevented DC Comics from doing direct adaptations of Superman and Superman II, many elements of the movies still made their way into the comics, years and even decades later. This article will examine some of the most prominent examples, in the order they occurred in Superman: The Movie.

THE PLANET KRYPTON

h n Tr u m b u l l

One of Superman: The Movie’s biggest changes from the comic-book mythos came right after the opening credits: Superman’s home planet of Krypton. Gone was the futuristic Buck Rogers Krypton of the comics with its colorfully clad, head-banded populace. In its place was a majestic, but sterile, world carved from icy white crystal, where even the citizenry’s clothing emitted an unearthly white glow. This reimagining came directly from Tom Mankiewicz’s shooting script, describing Jor-El and Lara’s home city of Kryptonopolis as “a magical city, constructed of pure white crystalline matter that encloses and protects it from the blazing red sun.” From this, production designer John Barry and miniature model director/creator Derek Meddings gave Krypton a new, distinctive alien appearance, establishing Superman’s epic scope in its opening minutes.

The Adventures Continue A 1979 Superman: The Movie tribute by Jerry Ordway, who would, in the next decade, go on to become one of the premier Superman artists of all time. TM & © DC Comics.

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A Whole New World (top left) With his 1986 The Man of Steel reboot, writer/artist John Byrne reimagined Superman’s homeworld, also writing this 1988 miniseries providing Krypton’s backstory. Cover art by Walter Simonson. (top right and bottom) The John Tenniel card men and the Syd Mead tower were both influences on John Byrne’s version of Krypton. Scans courtesy of John Trumbull. World of Krypton TM & © DC Comics. Mead art © US Steel.

The new look proved instantly iconic, and the white crystalline Krypton of Superman: The Movie became the planet’s default appearance in live-action for the next 20 years. Marlon Brando’s white-garbed Jor-El inspired the looks of several actors, as detailed in Chris Franklin’s article following. Superman: The Movie’s version of Krypton proved so popular that John Byrne even considered using it when he was revamping Superman in the 1986 miniseries The Man of Steel. In an interview with Peter Sanderson in Amazing Heroes #96 (June 1, 1986), Byrne said, “I liked the cold, antiseptic Krypton of the movie. Dick [Giordano] said he loved the Krypton of the movie, but we couldn’t do it for copyright reasons. So Dick and Jenette [Kahn] said, ‘Redesign Krypton. That’s the first thing we’re going to see in the new series. The very first page should tell us that everything is different.’ So I sat down and over a process of four sketches designed Jor-El, and what Jor-El looked like told me what the rest of Krypton looked like.” Expanding on his process in a 2009 post on his forum ByrneRobotics.com, Byrne explained, “I knew the biggest problem I’d have redesigning Krypton was coming up with a look for the clothes and architecture that wouldn’t look dated ten, twenty, or fifty years later. So, after some

unsuccessful attempts to adapt [Joe] Shuster’s Buck Rogers approach—very cutting edge in 1934, but kept around far too long—I realized the answer lay in finding a look that was alien rather than ‘futuristic.’ I ended up taking my cue from the playing cards in [John] Tenniel’s original illustrations for Alice in Wonderland.” The sleek, mile-high towers that Byrne designed for Krypton were inspired by the work of futuristic film designer Syd Mead [Blade Runner, Tron]. In a 2000 interview with Michael Thomas on ComicBookResources.com, Byrne admitted that he tried to make his Krypton noticeably different from Superman: The Movie’s: “Oddly, the one thing in my version that most people seem to think was heavily inspired by the movie, my portrayal of Krypton, was not at all. I came from an entirely different direction, looking for that ‘look.’ I even went so far as to make ‘my’ Krypton a desert world, so as not to be ‘confused’ with the ice planet of the movie.” But while the two Kryptons were very different in look, the emotional harshness and antiseptic quality of Byrne’s version created a linkage between them in fans’ minds. Byrne’s Krypton remained the default in the comics for the next 17 years, when Superman’s origins were once again revised in the 12-issue series Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu. But in john byrne revamping the Last Son of Krypton, Corey Bond / Mark Waid says that the Krypton Wikimedia Commons. of Superman: The Movie did not influence them at all. “While I realize how visually striking the STM Krypton is, I always felt it was a missed opportunity,” Waid explains. “It seems to me that the tragedy of Superman’s loss is underscored if Krypton is a thriving planet full of life rather than a near-dead husk of a world.”

WHAT DOES THE “S” STAND FOR?

Director Richard Donner’s watchword for Superman: The Movie was verisimilitude. Even though the movie depicted fantastic events, everything was shown in as honest and truthful a manner as possible. As screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz explained in the behind the scenes features of Superman: The Movie, “When you can make an audience believe what’s happening on the screen, even though it’s totally extraordinary, that this is actually happening, that’s when you have verisimilitude.” This attitude of believability extended to all aspects of the production, even the Man of Steel’s chest emblem. The opening scenes of Superman: The Movie have Marlon Brando’s Jor-El wearing Superman’s “S” symbol on his chest, showing it to be a symbol of Kryptonian origin. In his DVD commentary with Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz explained, “One of the great riddles we tried to figure out was why Superman has an ‘S’ on his chest, because it obviously stands for ‘Superman,’ but he wasn’t called Superman ’til he got this [costume]. Why does he have an ‘S’ on his chest? So we decided to give everyone [on Krypton] a family crest with a different letter, which didn’t really exist in the comic books.” A similar idea is evident in the original script by Mario Puzo, which describes the Elders of Krypton as all having “the futuristic letter ‘S’ imprinted on their clothes, as does JOR-EL. There should also be a huge futuristic letter ‘S’ design on the wall of the Council Chamber.” (Intriguingly, Puzo also suggested that the same actor play both Jor-El and Superman, in order to 48 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

get the lead actor on-camera sooner. Obviously, the hiring of Marlon Brando as Jor-El changed those plans.) Superman: The Movie costume designer Yvonne Blake ran with the idea of Superman’s “S” being a Kryptonian symbol, and designed a series of glyphs for the other 11 members of the Kryptonian Council. Although never stated outright, it’s implied that the S-emblem that Jor-El wears is a family crest for the House of El. It just coincidentally looks like a stylized Earth “S.” This idea, however, was not incorporated into the comics for quite some time. Tying in with his de-emphasis of the planet Krypton, John Byrne’s Man of Steel miniseries had the S-emblem simply standing for “Superman,” with the symbol designed by Clark and Jonathan Kent after Lois Lane names the anonymous hero “Superman.” But with 2003’s Birthright, the “S” was officially tied into Krypton, with one crucial difference. Recognizing that Superman was the Last Son of Krypton rather than the Last Son of the House of El, Birthright writer Mark Waid reasoned that if the S-emblem came from Krypton, it should be a symbol of all of Krypton, rather than just one family. In issue #2 of Birthright, Clark learns about Krypton from a tablet stored in his rocket. Even though he can’t yet understand the Kryptonian language, he notices the “S” emblem recurring throughout all of the planet’s history. As he writes to his mother, “At first I thought it was a family crest of some sort—but if it was, it certainly came to mean more than that to these people. Wars were fought over it. Entire cities were built on it. Over the course of time, it became a… a promise. A sign of people fighting to make a better world. A symbol of hope.” This time, the S-emblem’s connection to Krypton took hold in the comics. It even found its way back to the silver screen in 2013’s Man of Steel, with Henry Cavill’s Superman explaining to Amy Adams’ Lois Lane that the symbol on his chest stands for “hope.” It was a moment that immensely pleased Mark Waid. “I was and am truly overjoyed every time I hear that reference made,” he says today. “Part of the thrill of working on a franchise character like Superman is the opportunity to give something back to the mythos that has legs and outlasts your story. I feel the same way every time I turn on the Flash TV show and hear someone using the words ‘Speed Force.’ ”

More Than a Logo (top) Superman: The Movie made Superman’s chest insignia a Kryptonian family crest. Shown here, courtesy of John Trumbull, are the film’s Kryptonian crests as designed by Yvonne Blake. (bottom) John Byrne evoked the Richard Donner-directed Superman “reveal” scene with this special-edition cover to 1986’s The Man of Steel (herewith Man of Steel) #1. © Warner Bros. The Man of Steel TM & © DC Comics.

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD

The opening scene of Superman: The Movie shows Marlon Brando’s Jor-El before the Kryptonian Council, prosecuting General Zod (Terence Stamp), Non (Jack O’Halloran), and Ursa (Sarah Douglas) for their planned insurrection of Krypton, with Jor-El’s arguments succinctly establishing each of their characters. The towering, mute Non is described as a “mindless aberration, whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction.” Zod’s second in command is Ursa, “whose perversions and unreasoning hatred of all mankind have threatened even the children of the planet Krypton.” And finally, General Zod, “once trusted by this Council, charged with maintaining the defense of the planet Krypton itself. Chief architect of this intended revolution, and author of this insidious plot to establish a new order amongst us, with himself as absolute ruler.” After the other Council members vote “Guilty” and fade away, the sinister Zod glares at his accuser, saying, “The vote must be unanimous, Jor-El. It has therefore now become your decision. You alone will condemn us if you wish, and you alone will be held responsible by me.” Without another word, Jor-El casts his vote for guilty and summons the Phantom Zone to the domed chamber. As Jor-El slowly walks away, General Zod’s rage builds, vowing vengeance against Jor-El and, someday, his heir. Although Non and Ursa were created for the movie, General Zod and the Phantom Zone both had their origins in the comics. First appearing in Adventure Comics #283 (Apr. 1961), Zod was the commander of Krypton’s military who attempted to take over the planet using a Bizarro-like army of imperfect clones. For his crimes, Zod was sentenced to 40 years in the Phantom Zone, an immaterial plane discovered by Jor-El, where criminals exist as disembodied wraiths, able to observe the outside world, but absolutely powerless to affect it. Ironically, the Phantom Zone ultimately saves its prisoners, as its dimension is unaffected by Krypton’s destruction. But whenever the criminals escape to Earth, they gain the exact same powers as Superman. Various Phantom Zoners had been established over the years, with Superman always pushed to his limit to stop their evil schemes before sending them back to their inter-dimensional prison. Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

Krypton’s Worst Citizens (left) Before Superman: The Movie introduced Ursa, writer Cary Bates’ Kryptonian villainess Faora gave Supie the what-for. Cover to Action #472 (June 1977) by Bob Oksner. (right) Writer Steve Gerber—who was considered for the 1986 Superman revamp—took readers to Krypton’s prison realm in a Phantom Zone miniseries and in this issue of DC Comics Presents (#97, Sept. 1986). Art by Rick Veitch and Bob Smith. TM & © DC Comics.

FAORA AND URSA

Although the man-hating Ursa was original to Superman: The Movie, a similar male-hating Phantom Zone villainess had already debuted in the comics nearly two years earlier in a three-parter by Cary Bates and Curt Swan. Action Comics #471 (May 1977) finds Clark Kent dealing with his new neighbor Jackson Porter, a kindly old man who is convinced that his late wife Katie is talking to him from the afterlife. Meanwhile, a strange phantom is wreaking havoc in Metropolis. We soon discover that the phantom is really Faora Hu-Ul of Alezar, a Kryptonian criminal sentenced to 300 years in the Phantom Zone for the deaths of 23 men in her male concentration camp. Action #472 reveals that Faora was able to exploit Jackson’s loneliness by convincing him that she was his deceased wife, using the mental link to create a channel out of the Zone. Faora is also a master of Noru-Kanu, the deadliest martial art on Krypton, making her more than a match for the Man of Steel. Soon realizing that he’s outclassed, Superman projects himself into the Phantom Zone. As Faora engineers a mass escape from the Zone in Action #473, several Metropolitans find themselves transformed into phantoms. But the tables turn when one of the escaped Phantom Zoners is unmasked as Superman himself. Using a “dimensional phaser” to exchange the Metropolis citizens with the Phantom Zone criminals, Superman reveals that he was able to foil Faora’s plans because her mental abilities were broadcasting them to him the entire time. In a Silver Age-style epilogue, Superman grants one last wish from Jackson Porter: projecting him into the Phantom Zone to be with his beloved wife “Katie,” leaving Faora permanently tethered to a man she despises. Despite the similarities between Faora and Ursa, they were conceived independently. Although Ursa was featured in the treatments STM’s initial screenwriter Mario Puzo produced in 1975–1976, comics writer Cary Bates had Faora in mind for some time before she finally saw print. Bates tells BACK ISSUE, “Even back when I was writing Superman stories for [Silver Age Superman editor] Mort Weisinger, I had always wanted to introduce a major female Phantom Zone villainess, but the right opportunity never materialized. Years later during my tenure writing Superman for Julie Schwartz, we came up with a three-issue arc for Action Comics that focused on Phantom Zone villains. This became an ideal platform for introducing a major female villain. Faora was driven by an intense hatred of men (from all races and planets). She displayed

Nazi/fascist overtones as well, having run a male concentration camp on Krypton before she was captured and imprisoned in the Zone. Once she escaped, she was especially difficult to capture… not only because of her powers, but her expertise in an ancient Kryptonian martial art that could prove fatal to Superman in hand-to-hand combat. “As for Ursa, the Puzo character had no bearing on what Julie and I were doing at our end or vice-versa. She was a more generic villain, driven by a universal hatred of all mankind when she wasn’t at General Zod’s side hating on Superman.”

GERBER AND COLAN’S PHANTOM ZONE

General Zod, Ursa, and Non returned to the silver screen as the main villains of 1980’s Superman II, with Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor aiding them in their conquest of Earth. The superpowered trio proved worthy adversaries for the Man of Steel, with Terence Stamp’s gloriously over-the-top portrayal of General Zod walking away with the picture. Although DC Comics was once again unable to directly adapt Superman II due to Mario Puzo’s contract, DC tied into it in other ways, including a four-issue Phantom Zone miniseries by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan. In a 2006 interview with Michael Eury for TwoMorrows’ The Krypton Companion, writer Steve Gerber told how he got the assignment: “As best I recall, Dick Giordano approached me about it. It’s not something I would’ve come up with myself, because I was never a big fan of the PZ villains.” Gerber asked for his Howard the Duck collaborator Gene Colan on the art, knowing that Colan could deliver on both the mood and the science-fiction action the story required. The Phantom Zone miniseries began with the basic formula of DC’s previous three-issue minis like The World of Krypton and The Untold Legend of the Batman—highlights of the characters’ histories presented under the framework of a new story. But rather than merely summarizing previous stories, Gerber kept his recaps to the first issue, telling an all-new tale in the final three. Although originally scheduled to come out close to 1980’s Superman II, delays pushed the debut of the PZ miniseries until October 1981. The Phantom Zone #1 (Jan. 1982) opens with Charlie Kweskill, production artist for the Daily Planet, uncharacteristically falling asleep at his desk. Kweskill finds himself constantly dreaming of the Phantom Zone and the Kryptonian criminals imprisoned within it: renegade

50 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

scientist Jax-Ur, who incinerated Krypton’s moon Wegthor Superman and Charlie’s Dante’s Inferno-like journey in a nuclear conflagration; Professor Va-Kox, who mutated through the other realms of the Phantom Zone continues the planet’s marine life; Dr. Xadu, who experimented on in issue #3 (Mar. 1982), as they travel through a savage patients in suspended animation in the name of medical wasteland inhabited by winged demons, encounter the research; Faora Hu-ul, keeper of a concentration camp of priestesses of the Temple of the Crimson Sun, and meet Kryptonian males; General Zod, leader of a failed rebellion Thul-Kar, last of the ancient Wizards of Juru. From Thul-Kar, using unliving clones; the immortal Nam-Ek, hideously Superman and Charlie learn that the Phantom Zone mutated by his own experiments; Az-Rel and Nadira, was actually created by the interface of this universe sadistic thieves who use their mental abilities to torture with an ancient crystalline entity known as Aethyr the Oversoul, whose thoughts give their victims and combust them into flames; Jor-El’s homicidal cousin the Zone its own physical laws and Kru-El, hoarder of forbidden abstract reality. As Superman and Charlie travel ever deeper into weapons; the mad prophet Jer-Em, destroyer of Argo City; the Zone, Charlie’s memories and finally, the falsely convicted of his Kryptonian heritage and Quex-Ul, a man who looks exactly powers gradually return. Back on like Charlie. We soon learn that Earth, Zod and the other villains Charlie Kweskill actually is Quex-Ul, have assembled a gigantic Phantom having lost his memory and his powers Zone cannon in orbit, powered by after exposure to gold kryptonite in Green Lantern’s stolen power battery, Superman #157 (Nov. 1962), now planning to plunge the entire planet living his life as an ordinary Earthman. into the Phantom Zone! Charlie’s dreams are caused by the steve gerber Phantom Zoners reaching out to him telepathically, making him sleepwalk John Tighe. through his everyday life and steal machinery from S.T.A.R. Labs at night. Investigating Charlie’s problems, Superman discovers that Kweskill has unknowingly assembled the stolen components into a working Phantom Zone projector. But just as Superman arrives on the scene, Kweskill activates the projector, trapping both of them in the Zone and unleashing the Phantom Zone prisoners on Earth. In his interview with Michael Eury (also published in BACK ISSUE #31’s Steve Gerber tribute issue), Gerber explained his decision to use Quex-Ul in the miniseries: “I’d read the [Superman #157] story when it was originally published, but the strangeness of it really popped out in the research stage. Here was this Kryptonian, living and working among humans, even believing himself to be human, but carrying deeply repressed memories of a prior—and villainous—existence on another world. These huge concepts were tossed around very casually during the Weisinger years. Quex-Ul never appeared again, nor was his presence at the Daily Planet ever mentioned. For me he became the ‘hook’ that made the PZ villains understandable on a human level, the character who could lead the others out of the realm of caricature.” Gerber was as good as his word, writing a more horrifying version of the Zoners than ever before, with Gene Colan’s art bringing their twisted and terrifying crimes to life. The miniseries, DC’s first to run four issues instead of three, remains a fondly remembered standout of DC’s early-’80s output, with Gerber and Colan putting a new, disturbing spin on well-worn tropes. As the freed Zoners wreak havoc in The Phantom Zone #2 (Feb. 1982), Earth’s heroes struggle to contain the damage. Zod and Faora take over Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, while Va-Kox, Jax-Ur, and Kru-El hurl the JLA Satellite out of orbit, trapping several JLAers aboard. As Supergirl and Wonder Woman intercept nuclear missiles mistakenly launched by the US and USSR, Green Lantern finds his ring’s power battery stolen by the Zoners. Supergirl recruits Batman to track down the missing Superman while she tries to retake the Fortress. Meanwhile, Superman and Charlie discover that the mysterious Phantom Zone is much more than it appears, with the immaterial dimension only the first level among many. Undaunted, the pair journey to the Zone’s other levels, trying to find a way out.

Trading Places The good guys are trapped in the Zone while Zod and his Kryptonian criminal cartel are free on Earth on this gripping page from Gerber’s Phantom Zone #1 (Jan. 1982). Original Gene Colan/ Tony DeZuniga art courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

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After Kweskill/Quex-Ul nobly sacrifices his life to save Superman’s, the Man of Tomorrow is finally able to escape the Zone in The Phantom Zone #4 (Apr. 1982), flying through the final portal of condemned souls slaughtered over the years. The freed Superman and Supergirl destroy the Phantom Zone cannon together and return Green Lantern’s power battery to him. The heroes make quick work of the scientists Jax-Ur, Kru-El, and Prof. Va-Kox, while the vicious Zod and Faora go on a final rampage through Metropolis, toppling as many buildings as they can. Supergirl defeats Faora, while an enraged Superman nearly breaks his code against killing, beating General Zod to within an inch of his life. The remaining villains doom themselves, with the mad prophet Jer-Em infecting himself and Nadira with green kryptonite poisoning, and Nadira forcing Az-Rel to be consumed by his own flames. A repowered Green Lantern creates a new Phantom Zone projector to return the surviving villains to their immaterial prison. All is back to normal, but Superman knows that he will be forever haunted by Charlie Kweskill’s death and the horrors he saw in the Zone.

THE PHANTOM ZONE: THE FINAL CHAPTER

Gerber returned to the Phantom Zone with DC Comics Presents #97 (Sept. 1986), the final issue of the long-running Superman team-up series. “The Phantom Zone: The Final Chapter” was designed to wrap up Superman continuity before John Byrne’s revamp. Billed as “An Untold Tale of the Pre-Crisis Universe,” the opening pages detail the history of Jor-El’s discovery of the Zone and the villains contained within it, as well as the creation of the alien Aethyr, the heart-shaped crystalline entity whose consciousness forms the Zone. The story then shifts to the Bizarro World, where its imperfect citizens are all overjoyed to learn of their planet’s impending implosion. As Bizarro No. 1 rockets his only son to the center of Bizarro World to ensure his death, the wizard Thul-Kar discovers that the Bizarro World’s implosion is sucking alien matter into the Phantom Zone, threatening its survival. Needing to reconstitute the Zone, Thul-Kar turns to the Fifth

Dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk, offering him a chance for revenge on his enemies. Merging Mxyzptlk’s mind with that of the Aethyr, Thul-Kar gives the imp greater power than ever before. Mxyzptlk immediately destroys the Fifth Dimension, hurls Bizarro’s head into the WGBS studios, interrupting Clark Kent’s evening newscast, and sends the kryptonite-laced remains of Argo City plummeting down on to Metropolis. Superman once again struggles against the escaped Phantom Zone villains, but at the last moment, the Zoners are abruptly absorbed into the consciousness of the Aethyr/Mxyzptlk entity, doomed to spend eternity in the prison of the Aethyr’s mind. It’s an odd, disjointed story that attempts a great deal in just 36 pages, wrapping up rather frantically, with even Superman not quite sure of what just occurred. Adding to the confusion, the story is also completely at odds with Bizarro’s and Mxyzptlk’s fates in Alan Moore’s own last pre-Crisis story, “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” simultaneously running in the final issues of Superman and Action Comics. Story penciler Rick Veitch recalled on his website that due to DCCP #97’s being one of Superman’s last pre-Crisis issues, “I don’t think anyone in publishing or editorial gave a hoot what was in it. “With no one paying attention,” Veitch explained. “Steve turned in an absolutely nutty script in which the Phantom Zone was revealed to be a living being made of billions of dead souls. I don’t know what was going on with Steve at the time, but it was written in a wildly disjointed style: ‘Again the self is pierced and again and again— and the begin time is now and now is the begin time and the else-ones multiply like—HATE! Fingers (what are fingers) gouging (what is gouging?) into faces (what are faces?) into—COWARDS! WHY DID YOU PUT US TO DEATH? …death was the begin time…’ and came in pieces; three or four pages at a time. Julie [Schwartz] was fretting, Steve wasn’t returning his phone calls, and the whole project was wildly late, so I hammered the pencils out in record time so Bob Smith could get them inked. “I never got to meet Steve, so I don’t know if he was consciously referencing the Jungian Self in his depiction of the Phantom Zone, but the connection is unmistakable with his Phantom Zone Self being a gigantic heart-shaped diamond, and I played it up as time allowed.”

PHANTOM ZONE, POCKET UNIVERSE

The Phantom Zone was officially relegated to the pre-Crisis DCU in the John Byrne era, but it soon made a surprising return to plug a hole in post-Crisis continuity. Byrne’s removal of Superboy from DC’s history created a discrepancy with Legion of Super-Heroes, where the teenagers from the future regularly teamed up with a Boy of Steel who now never existed. Byrne and Legion writer Paul Levitz concocted a four-part crossover explaining that the Legion’s Superboy came from a “Pocket Universe” created by the villainous Time Trapper, in a scheme to manipulate history in his favor. The Pocket Universe Superboy heroically sacrificed himself to save his friends in the Legion and defeat the Time Trapper, and that was that… until 1988. In the three-part “Supergirl Saga” beginning in Superman #21 (Sept. 1988), the secret behind a mysterious “Supergirl” discovered under the Arctic was revealed—she was the Lana Lang of the Pocket Universe, sent to Superman’s world to recruit him for help. The story continued in Adventures of Superman #444 (Sept. 1988), where Superman learned just how devastating the loss of Superboy a decade before was to the Pocket Universe. As Smallville mourns the loss of their hero, the heroic scientist Lex Luthor investigates the technology the Boy of Steel left behind, hoping to find a way to recover him. Instead, Luthor is tricked into freeing three Kryptonian villains from the Phantom Zone—the devious General Zod, the brutish Quex-Ul (now purely villainous and Non-like in appearance), and the femme fatale Zaora (a renamed and re-colored Faora, but still Ursa-like

Man-Hater Meets Man of Steel At the 1982 San Diego Comic-Con, John Byrne was still a few years away from his Man of Steel revamp when he penciled this Ursa–Superman sketch. Courtesy of John Trumbull. Characters TM & © DC Comics.

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Pocket Universe in her hatred of all males). With no other superheroes in this world thanks to the Time Trapper’s manipulations, the Phantom Zone villains (left) Superman’s lament, from Jerry Ordway’s dynamic make quick work of the Earth’s defenses. Zod sets himself up as king cover to Adventures of Superman #444 (Sept. 1988). of the world, with Zaora as his queen and Quex-Ul as his entire army. Smallville becomes Earth’s last stronghold against the Zoners, as others (middle) The next month, the Man of Tomorrow executed like Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, and Oliver Queen join the resistance of three Phantom Zone menaces in John Byrne’s controversial Luthor, Pete Ross, and Lana Lang. Determined to end all opposition to their rule, the three Phantom Superman #22. (right) Another early Ordway STM tribute, Zoners burrow down to the Earth’s core, releasing super-heated steam, for the cover of The Comic Reader #165 (Feb. 1979). boiling the seas, and ripping away Earth’s atmosphere. With the Smallville fortress now containing the last life on Earth, the Pocket Superman and related characters TM & © DC Comics. Universe’s Luthor desperately sends the superpowered Lana back in time to contact the Superman of the regular DC Universe, in the hopes of finally defeating the Zoners once and for all. Although the Supergirl Saga turned out to be Byrne’s last storyline Superman #22 (Oct. 1988) features the final battle between the on the Superman titles, it was a major turning point for the character. resistance and the Phantom Zone villains. Zod, Quex-Ul, and Zaora Superman’s guilt over executing the Phantom Zone villains grew until he ruthlessly murder the last of Luthor’s troops, and Supergirl is revealed to ultimately exiled himself into outer space. The “Matrix” Supergirl became a be merely a protomatter clone of the real Lana, an early casualty of the regular supporting character, gaining her own title in 1996. And Superman’s war. Finally, a dying Lex Luthor tells Superman of one travels in space led to his discovery of the Eradicator, last hope: a stash of gold kryptonite underneath the a Kryptonian artifact that became a major part of the 1992–1993 “Death of Superman” storyline. old Kent home in Smallville. Superman uses the gold K to permanently remove the Kryptonians’ powers, but it’s a hollow victory at best: DONNER AND JOHNS’ “LAST SON” the three Phantom Zoners have successfully In the years following the Supergirl Saga, Superman creators introduced several other murdered all five billion people on Earth. versions of General Zod, hoping to make him a Horrified at the thought of the Phantom Zoners escaping and destroying another world, Superman recurring villain once again. Two of the Zods were realizes that he has no choice but to act as judge, jury, from alternate dimensions, and one was a Russian and executioner. Exposing Zod, Zaora, and Quex-Ul dictator mutated by kryptonite, but none of them to green kryptonite radiation, Superman watches took hold of readers’ imaginations. Finally, in 2006, them perish slowly and painfully, fighting each Geoff Johns restored Zod to his place of prominence other with their dying breaths. Although he had in Superman’s Rogues’ Gallery, bringing Non and jerry ordway no other choice, Superman is still devastated by Ursa into DC continuity for good measure. Johns’ his actions, and knows that his world will never be © Luigi Novi / co-writer was a man who had experience with the the same again. Phantom Zone villains: Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner. Wikimedia Commons. Penciler and co-plotter Jerry Ordway offers Before he broke into comics, a young Geoff Johns got his start as some insight to the origins of the Supergirl Saga, telling BACK ISSUE, Richard Donner’s assistant. In a 2008 interview with Jami Philbrick on “Byrne was drawing two Superman issues to my one at that time. ComicMix.com, Johns explained his bond with Donner: “He’s been a big Action Comics was turned over to be a weekly anthology, Superman part of my life for a long time now. He taught me a lot of things about shifted to twice-a-month schedule, and so John did the first and last writing, production, and life in general when I worked for him. We grew part of that story, so I had little input except on my own issue. He and really close and obviously he’s my mentor. I started writing comics when I both loved the first [Superman] film, but he had a lot more love for I was working for him, and he loves comics, so he would see the stuff Superman II than I did, and I recall chatting at one point when he first that I was working on.” The affection was obviously mutual, as Donner took over scripting Adventures, about whether the movie implies that agreed to collaborate on his first Superman story in over 25 years. As a the movie Superman de-powered the Phantom Zone criminals and left cross-promotion with the Richard Donner cut of Superman II being them for dead in the Fortress. We knew there was an outtake that released to DVD, Johns and Donner co-wrote the storyline “Last Son” in seemed to show the bad guys carted away by the ‘Arctic police,’ but it Action Comics, beginning with issue #844 (Dec. 2006). Fan-favorite didn’t quite count, as it wasn’t in the theatrical release. I can’t speak artist Adam Kubert came aboard as well, telling BACK ISSUE, “That was for John, but in my mind, I always thought that that was his inspiration the first project that I did when I moved from Marvel to DC. And I wanted to draw Superman. That was the character I wanted to do.” for Superman killing the criminals in the ‘Pocket Universe’ story.” Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 53

Seems Like Old Times (left) Kurt Busiek and Pete Woods introduced this film-inspired Fortress of Solitude in Action Comics #840 (Aug. 2006). (right) STM director and visionary Richard Donner collaborated with his former protégé, Geoff Johns, and artist Adam Kubert for the celebrated “Last Son” storyline, which began in Action #844 (Dec. 2006). TM & © DC Comics.

Not even the computer program of Jor-El at the Although Kubert wasn’t involved with plotting the story, “I did create all the looks of the characters, Fortress of Solitude is able to identify the Kryptonian the costume designs,” he reveals. “I changed my style child in Action #845 (Jan. 2007). With no other slightly, because I always equate Superman with a leads, Lois and Clark decide to raise the boy as their lighter, brighter, happier type character. Not a dark own. They give him a pair of glasses and pass him character, not a Dark Knight. So I left off as their cousin’s son, Christopher my style open, [with] a lot of room Kent. But while this new family for color. Backgrounds, I left is formed in Metropolis, three linearly in pencil. Dave Stewart rockets identical to the one was coloring it, and you can that brought Chris to Earth trust that guy with anything. land near the Fortress of And that in itself gave it a different Solitude. Inside are the Phantom look. I was thinking more like [an] Zone criminals General Zod and animated cartoon, where the figures Ursa—the child’s parents—and the were inked and the background was mute, murderous Non. in pencil, so the figures would pop in Just as Lois and Clark are introducing front of the background.” Chris Kent to the staff at the Daily Action Comics #844 starts off with Planet in Action #846, Zod, Non, a spaceship crashing into downtown and Ursa attack Metropolis, geoff johns demanding their child Lor-Zod Metropolis. Superman discovers a young boy inside, completely © Luigi Novi / back. Zod declares that his child, not Kal-El, is the true last son of Krypton, and unharmed. He soon learns that the Wikimedia Commons. child is from Krypton and has powers declares his plan to remake Earth into New Krypton. like his own. Feeling that the boy is his responsibility, Almost on cue, an entire army of Phantom Zone Superman breaks him out of government custody criminals arrive in rockets, as Zod banishes Superman when the Department of Metahuman Affairs tries to to the Phantom Zone. examine the child in secret. He takes the boy to Ma At this point, “Last Son” began to experience production delays, with part four of the storyline not and Pa Kent in Smallville, asking them for help in appearing until Action #851 (Aug. 2007). The delays forging the necessary documents.

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were to accommodate Adam Kubert, who explains matter of factly, Krypton’s image. As Superman and his villains battle against the “I got sick. I lost 60 pounds.” Thankfully, Kubert made a full recovery Zoners, Luthor deduces that their rocket ships are still tethered to the from his illness and was able to complete his work on the story. Zone, and can be used to pull them back into it. As the Phantom Helping fill the gap was Action Comics Annual #10 (2007), Zone criminals are all sucked in to the resulting vortex, Superman co-written by Johns and Donner. “The Criminals of Krypton,” illustrated desperately tries to hold on to his son. Realizing that his presence by Rags Morales and Mark Farmer, expanded upon Action #846’s is what’s keeping the vortex open, Chris lets go and flies into the origin story for Zod, Non, and Ursa. There, we discover that Non was eye of the storm, sacrificing himself for the safety of Metropolis. once a brilliant scientist in his own right, and a friend and mentor to Clark and Lois are heartbroken. While Mon-El cannot find any sign Jor-El on the Kryptonian Council. As the only members who believe of Chris back in the Zone, he vows to never stop looking. Despite the delays caused by his illness, Adam Kubert had a in the impending destruction of Krypton, Jor-El and Non are accused of heresy by the Council and silenced by General Zod and his great experience working on “Last Son,” fulfilling his dream of illustrating a Superman story. “It actually exceeded Lieutenant, Ursa. Forbidden to talk about Krypton’s my expectations! I never thought going over to imminent doom, Jor-El continues his preparations DC that I’d be working with Richard Donner. in secret, while Non takes his case to the people, He’s the real deal, you know?” inciting panic. Ultimately, Non is only able to convert Zod and Ursa to his cause. When Non is mysteriously spirited away SMALLVILLE, KANSAS and lobotomized into a mindless brute, Zod As the baby Kal-El is rocketed away from and Ursa lead a rebellion against Krypton’s Krypton’s explosion, we follow his journey to government, killing five members of the Council Earth. The ship ultimately crash-lands in the heartbefore they are defeated. Jor-El successfully argues land of the United States, next to the passing truck of for the trio to be exiled to the Phantom Zone instead Smallville farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. The Kents of being executed, but Zod vows to return and take discover the child in the spaceship, resolving to raise the revenge on his betrayer, Jor-El. boy as their own. And so Kal-El of Krypton grows up Action Comics #851 picks up the main storyline as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. adam kubert Superman’s boyhood home was first identified as once again, with Superman stuck in the Phantom Zone. Inside the Zone, innocent prisoner Mon-El Tracy Kubert. “Smallville, USA” in Superboy #2 (May 1949), but the shows Superman the place where Lor-Zod was town’s location in the comics shifted over the years. born: the Kryptonian prison Fort Rozz. The facility was transported 1977’s The Amazing World of DC Comics #14 placed Smallville in intact into the Zone when a Phantom Zone projector exploded Maryland, with other comics identifying it as being in Delaware or during a prison riot. Inside its walls, the phantoms become solid Pennsylvania. All that really stayed consistent about Smallville was that and time passes normally. Because Christopher was born inside it being a farming community in the United States. But 1978’s Superman Fort Rozz, he is immune to the Phantom Zone’s effects, and added a new location for Smallville: Kansas. Superman: The Movie shot its Smallville scenes in Calgary, Alsolid throughout the immaterial dimension. Superman takes one of the remaining rockets back to Earth, where he seeks allies in berta, as its earlier growing season allowed the wheat fields of the his fight against Zod’s forces: Lex Luthor, Bizarro, the Parasite, Kent farm to be the proper height. Although the film never refers and the Kryptonite Man. to Smallville as being in Kansas, the shooting script by Tom Action #851 is also notable for its rendering of all the Phantom Mankiewicz explicitly places it there. The finished movie also contains Zone sequences in 3D. Adam Kubert explains to BACK ISSUE, hints to Smallville’s location: If you look closely at the scene where “Now, that was my idea. I’ll take credit for that. Because I like trying to do things differently, but it has to be story driven. I thought, ‘Okay, if they’re in the Phantom Zone, let’s make this different. It’s a good time to put their glasses on and see it in 3D.’ And I rendered it differently, too. I rendered it in all grays on a gray paper. So that would make it look different. That was a fun part of the whole thing. “[Comics 3D whiz] Ray Zone also separated it and turned it into 3D. All I had to do was draw it. Of course, when you’re doing something that’s going to be in 3D, you want to put [in] elements that are closer and elements [that are further away]. You’re thinking about that sort of thing. But I’m not thinking about how it’s going to happen [technically]. If I did that, I wouldn’t have gotten it done.” “Last Son” finally comes to a conclusion in 2008’s Action Comics Annual #11. Zod’s forces have built a Kryptonian crystal fortress in the middle of Metropolis, determined to remake the planet in

Special Glasses Required To convey the otherworldliness of the Phantom Zone, Adam Kubert’s art for Action Comics #851 (Aug. 2007) was produced in 3D, with 3D effects by Ray Zone. TM & © DC Comics.

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young Clark Kent jumps past a speeding train, you can just make out “Kansas Star” on the front of the train (right). Interestingly, Kansas became the default location of Smallville after Superman: The Movie. “What if Superman had grown up in Germany instead of America?”, a Saturday Night Live sketch that aired on January 27th, 1979, made reference to Superman’s rocket landing in Kansas. Elliot S! Maggin’s 1981 novel Superman: Miracle Monday likewise identified Smallville as being in Kansas. And by 1986, the comics followed suit. In John Byrne’s Man of Steel #1, Jor-El, preparing for his son Kal-El’s rocket flight, shows Lara an image of a Kansas farmer. The prudish Lara is horrified at the sight of a hairy, shirtless male touching unprocessed soil, but Jor-El assures her that the farmer isn’t the barbarian she thinks he is. Man of Steel #6 makes the Kansas connection even more explicit, as Clark Kent disguises Superman’s flight to Smallville by mingling with the passengers of a bus coming in from Kansas City. When asked on his Byrne Robotics Forum in 2013 why he selected Kansas as the official location of Smallville, Byrne surprisingly didn’t cite Superman: The Movie, simply stating, “I placed Smallville at the geographical center of the continental United States.”

SUPERBOY NO MORE

Superman: The Movie made a major break from pre-Crisis Superman continuity by not including the Man of Steel’s career as Superboy. Instead, Clark Kent is introduced as the 15-year-old equipment manager of Smallville High’s football team. Frustrated at constantly having to keep his powers a secret, this Clark settles for occasionally kicking a football over the horizon and outracing a train at super-speed. Superboy had © Warner Bros. been a part of the legend since 1945, but STM dispensing with him made Clark Kent more believable and relatable to general audiences. It was a cleaner approach to the origin, and spoke to the heart of the earliest stories of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, where Clark was only appreciated once he became his true self of Superman. Superboy’s omission made an impression on one future Superman creator in particular. John Byrne stated in a 2000 interview on ComicBookResources.com that the Donner movie “provided a couple of important insights, for me, into the character of Superman. One was the absence of Superboy. So much of Superman’s personality and history made much more sense if, as originally presented by Siegel and Shuster, he made his debut as an adult.” The STM influence made itself felt on Byrne’s version, even in unexpected ways. It’s doubtful that the sight of young Clark Kent as a high school football star in Byrne’s Man of Steel #1 would have had quite the same impact if it wasn’t for Superman: The Movie’s depiction of him being forced to sit on the sidelines. And like the movie’s 12-year tutorial in the Fortress of Solitude, Byrne similarly chose to give Clark Kent some “missing years” before his Superman career, with Clark traveling the world for seven years before his public debut in Metropolis. Although DC introduced other versions of the Boy of Steel in subsequent years, Superboy was not officially restored to Superman’s history until Superman: Secret Origin, a 2009–2010 miniseries by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank that once again revamped Superman’s comics continuity. After the teenaged Clark Kent saves Lana Lang from a tornado in issue #1 (Nov. 2009), Martha Kent resolves to make her son something more durable to wear during his rescues. Basing the design on Jor-El and Lara’s Kryptonian attire, Martha sews Clark a red-and-blue costume from the indestructible blankets found in his rocket. Although Clark wears the suit while performing super-feats around Smallville, he is careful never to be seen, causing the “Super-Boy” to be regarded as an urban legend. But when Clark meets and travels into the future with the teenaged Legion of Super-Heroes in Secret Origin #2 (Dec. 2009), he begins operating freely in the 30th Century in costume as Superboy.

ALL THOSE POWERS, AND I COULDN’T EVEN SAVE HIM

One of the more memorable moments in 1978’s Superman was Glenn Ford’s final scene as Pa Kent. Recognizing his son’s frustration at how he can’t reveal his powers or even play a game of football, Jonathan Kent reassures him that he has a higher purpose, even if it isn’t immediately clear: “One thing I do know, son, is that you are here for a reason. I don’t know whose reason, or whatever the reason is… But I do know one thing: It’s not to score touchdowns.” The wise words comfort his son, but Clark’s happiness is sadly short-lived, as Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack shortly thereafter. Most versions of Superman’s origin in the comics featured a similar scene, with the dying Jonathan Kent urging his son to use his powers for

Crisis in Kansas Glenn Ford’s death scene in STM planted the seed for this powerful Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke cover for Superman: The Man of Steel #21 (Mar. 1993). TM & © DC Comics.

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good. It was a scene that John Byrne chose to do away with in Superman’s 1986 revamp, reasoning that Clark’s upbringing was enough motivation for him to become Superman. Thus, in a break from nearly 50 years’ worth of continuity, Jonathan and Martha Kent lived into their son’s adulthood to see him become the world’s greatest hero. (This was also true of Phyllis Thaxter’s Martha Kent in Superman: The Movie. We know that she’s still alive when Clark moves to Metropolis, but she’s passed away off-screen by the time of 1987’s Superman IV.) When asked if he thought about killing the Kents off again for his Superman revamp in Birthright, Mark Waid says he never seriously considered it. “The job was to tread carefully between my own personal take and the take that seems to work for most people,” Waid tells BACK ISSUE. “In my own head, the Kents should absolutely, positively be gone by the time Clark becomes Superman. It’s not just that, as in the movie, the point of death is that it’s a teaching moment for Clark—some things, he just can’t fight—it’s that Superman seems a little more helpless and weak to me when he can simply fly home and get Ma and Pa’s advice over a piece of blueberry pie on every matter of gravity he has to deal with. Still, having the Kents alive was one of those Byrne-era changes that people really, really seemed to like, so I rolled with it.” Previously, Superman origin stories traditionally had Martha Kent passing away first, leaving Jonathan Kent alive a few minutes longer to give his last words to Clark. But ever since Superman: The Movie, creators default to Pa Kent dying of a heart attack before his wife. In the aftermath of Superman’s death at the hands of Doomsday, Jonathan Kent suffers a major heart attack in Superman: Man of Steel #21 (Mar. 1993), flatlining in Superman #77 soon after (like his son, Pa Kent got better). The television series Smallville killed off John Schneider’s Jonathan Kent in its 100th episode, “Reckoning,” in 2006. Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s out-of-continuity All-Star Superman flashed back to the death of Pa Kent in the story “Funeral in Smallville” in issue #6 (Mar. 2007), depicting it as the major factor that helped Clark decide between staying on the farm and life in the big city. And, after more than 20 years of the Kents being alive and well in Superman’s regular continuity, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank had Pa Kent suffer a fatal heart attack after saving his wife Martha’s life during the climax of the “Brainiac” storyline in Action Comics #870 (Dec. 2008). But no matter what version of the Superman legend is being told, in a familiar red-and-blue uniform, gary frank the death of Jonathan Kent remains a ready to begin his career as Superman. poignant reminder that even a Superman CmdrClow. The Fortress of Solitude had been has his limitations. “All those things I a staple of Superman comics since Superman #58 can do… all those powers, and I couldn’t even save him.” (May–June 1949), inspired by pulp hero Doc Savage’s Arctic headquarters of the same name, but it had never HERE IN THIS FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE been featured in television or movie adaptations of On a sleepless night after Jonathan Kent’s funeral, Superman. For Superman: The Movie, production designer Clark discovers a mysterious green crystal underneath John Barry and miniature supervisor Derek Meddings the Kent family barn. Its telepathic connection to Clark devised a new appearance for the Fortress, with stark, instills in him a drive to journey north. Reaching the criss-crossing shafts of crystal giving it an instant visual North Pole, Clark hurls the Kryptonian crystal into the connection to Krypton. Although the movie design of the Arctic waters, making them bubble with great energy. Fortress was used in other media adaptations like Smallville, Towering crystal spires shoot out of the water, assembling it wasn’t incorporated into the comics until Action Comics themselves into a gigantic Fortress. Inside, Clark is greeted #840 (Aug. 2006), the finale of the “Up, Up, and Away!” by a projection of Jor-El, revealing Clark’s birthright as storyline co-written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek. Taking Kal-El of Krypton. Clark spends the next 12 years in the place in the “One Year Later” era following DC’s 2005–2006 Fortress of Solitude, learning about his powers and his crossover Infinite Crisis, the eight-part “Up, Up, and Away!” place in the universe from the spirit of Jor-El. With his concerned a now-powerless Clark Kent adjusting to life studies at last complete, Clark swoops out of the Fortress without superpowers. As Clark’s powers gradually return

Nobody Does It Better According to artist Gary Frank, Christopher Reeve was the consummate Clark Kent and Superman. Frank’s cover to Superman: Secret Origin #3 (Jan. 2010). TM & © DC Comics.

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Sound Familiar? Scripter Elliot S! Maggin’s tribute to Superman: The Movie, from DC’s Superman #417 (Mar. 1986). Original Curt Swan/ Dave Hunt art courtesy of Heritage (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

over the course of the story, a disgraced Lex Luthor unearths other things. But I don’t think I was consciously influenced an ancient Kryptonian sunstone crystal that crashed on Earth by Superman: The Movie all that much. I liked it, but I in 1938. Discovering that the sunstone is self-replicating and wasn’t trying to bring elements from it in. And even if I’d infinitely programmable, Luthor uses it to wanted to, with Donner himself co-writing recreate a gigantic Kryptonian warship Action, I’d have left it to him and to once commanded by Admiral Geoff. It felt more like their area.” Adam Kubert used the movie Dru-Zod. After defeating Luthor’s Fortress in the Johns/Donner warship, Superman takes the sunstone crystal to the Arctic, storyline “Last Son” beginning where the crystal recognizes his in Action #844, but doesn’t recall being asked to do so. “That was the Kryptonian brain waves and activates its full potential. In a scene highly remione that came to mind,” he says today. niscent of Superman: The Movie, the Man of Steel tosses the sunstone over the horizon, WHO, DISGUISED AS where the crystal builds him a new Fortress CLARK KENT… of Solitude in the Kryptonian style. Clark Kent travels to Metropolis, where As Kurt Busiek recalls on using the he gets a job as a reporter at the Daily kurt busiek movie version of the Fortress, “Geoff Planet—in part because he’s the fastest wanted to do it, perhaps because he Joshin Yamada. typist editor Perry White has ever seen. was going to be co-writing [Action Clark’s persona as a well-meaning klutz is quickly Comics] with Richard Donner, and my reaction was, ‘Sure, established when he tries to open a soda bottle for Perry why not?’ We built on that to expand the crystal tech to and ends up spilling it all over himself. Christopher Reeve reportedly based his Clark Kent on Cary Grant in the 1938 comedy Bringing Up Baby. Although Clark had always been meek and mild in contrast to Superman’s heroics, Reeve differentiated between the two identities more than any previous actor, making Superman’s Clark Kent disguise more convincing than ever before. Reeve’s performance certainly left a positive impression on many comics creators. In an April 2018 interview with Mike Avila of SyFy Wire, John Byrne remarked, “There’s an amazing scene in the first Christopher Reeve movie where Lois has gone into the bedroom to change and Clark is standing there and he realizes he’s got to tell her. And he takes off his glasses and he stands up, and he stands up like another four inches, and then he puts his glasses back on before she comes in. Christopher Reeve convinced me that you could part your hair on the other side and wear a pair of glasses and slouch and look like somebody else. He really did.” When Byrne got the job to revamp the Man of Steel in 1986, he told Amazing Heroes that in terms of personality, “my Superman pays homage to Christopher Reeve,” specifically citing “the slightly self-depreciating sense of humor” that Reeve gave Superman. “This guy is so good at what he does that if he didn’t have a sense of humor about it, he’d be intolerable. I’m giving him that kind of sense of humor.” Marv Wolfman agreed, telling Peter Sanderson in AH, “I think Superman in the comics can be as warm as Christopher Reeve in the first movie. I think he needs to be as young as Christopher Reeve in the movie, where the character has a sexual attractiveness. Superman’s not your father. The day he becomes your father, he’s a dead character. I think Superman has to go back to being a young, virile character.” Reeve’s portrayal of the Man of Steel also motivated Byrne to scale Superman’s powers down to more manageable levels. Talking to SyFy Wire in 2018, Byrne said, “I saw the first Superman movie 112 times— and that is actually the number of times I saw it—and I noticed that the civilian audience [went], ‘Oh, look, he’s flying!’ ‘Oh, look, he’s knocking the dam over!’ But the moment they cheered, the whole audience cheered, every time I saw it, was when he ripped off the car door to get to Lois. And I said, ‘Because that’s relatable.’ That’s something—nobody has ever wanted to push over a dam, right?—but everybody’s wanted to tear a car door off [and] save somebody. And I said, ‘That’s what we need to think about.’ Yeah, he’s Superman, but he’s not inconceivable. We can relate to what he does.”

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Switching Channels Puzo’s original Superman screenplay featured Clark Kent, TV anchorman; that was rejected for his traditional Daily Planet vocation. In 1988, however, Christopher Reeve played a TV personality in the comedy Switching Channels. © 1988 Columbia Pictures.

For Mark Waid, Reeve’s Superman represents both an ideal to strive for and an interesting “What If?” “ ‘My’ Superman always talks and acts like Christopher Reeve,” Waid tells BACK ISSUE. “In fact, while we were putting together the audiobook version [of Kingdom Come], we were very, very briefly in negotiations with Reeve’s people for him to do the voice, but I’m sure that all came down to one phone call (rightfully) asking for money far outside our budget. Still, how cool would that have been?” But when it comes to depictions of Superman, no artist took more from Christopher Reeve’s portrayal than Gary Frank. In a 2010 interview with Jeffrey Renaud of Comic Book Resources, Frank said, “I don’t think there is any other actor playing any other superhero who has ever so completely embodied a character in the same way as Christopher Reeve did Superman.” When he took over the art chores on Action Comics for a well-regarded run with Geoff Johns, Frank revisited the Reeve Superman movies, only to find “I just remembered virtually every scene. There were a lot scenes where Christopher Reeve didn’t appear that were completely new when I went back and watched it, but the actual things that he did were just so memorable. It felt like one of those movies which you’ve watched 100 times. And I’ve probably watched Superman: The Movie three times. Or four times, maybe. But it’s just that the performance he gave was just so… it just really resonates. It’s such a wonderful performance and impossible to forget.”

MILD-MANNERED REPORTER FOR A GREAT METROPOLITAN NEWSPAPER

Corporate takeovers and mergers were big news in the early ’70s. This was especially true in the world of comics, where the Kinney National Company acquired National Periodical Publications (DC’s formal business name) in 1967 and Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation (later known as Cadence Industries Corporation) bought Marvel Comics in 1968. A few years later, the Kinney National Company gave itself a more familiar name: Warner Communications Inc. With all of these corporate shenanigans in the air, it’s not surprising that Jack Kirby had the Daily Planet bought by the Galaxy Broadcasting System in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct. 1970), making the Metropolis paper a subsidiary of the larger corporation. Incoming Superman editor Julius Schwartz decided to use this new setup to his advantage. Having just taken over the Superman titles from longtime editor Mort Weisinger, Schwartz was looking to revamp the Man of Steel in any way he could. One of those ways was modernizing Clark Kent’s job. As Schwartz wrote in his 2000 autobiography Man of Two Worlds: My Life in Science Fiction and Comics, “I decided that Clark had to leave the Daily Planet. Young people didn’t relate to newspaper reporters. They got their news from the television, so therefore it was only natural that Clark Kent should take a job as a television reporter.” Schwartz viewed the new TV job as a way of to add even more complications to Clark’s double life. “I would always put him on television for remote broadcasts,” Schwartz wrote in Man of Two Worlds, “and if all of a sudden a plane started to fall out of the sky, he would announce that it was time to go to a commercial—and off camera by the time the commercial was over, the plane and its passengers were saved, and Clark Kent had a new story to report right on the news.” After the Daily Planet buyout in Jimmy Olsen, it swiftly becomes clear that Morgan Edge, Galaxy Communications’ own “Smiling Cobra,” has little use for print media. The Daily Planet’s iconic globe is removed from the top of the building in Action Comics #398 (Mar. 1971), replaced with a mammoth TV antenna. And In Superman #233 (Jan. 1971), Edge reassigns Clark Kent as a roving TV reporter. After reading an on-air editorial for Edge in #235 and doing a newscast in #237, Clark Kent is anchoring the six o’clock evening news in Superman #244 (Nov. 1971). By Action Comics #408 (Jan. 1972), he’s referring to it as his “regular newscast.” The television job brought with it a host of new

supporting characters, with prankster sportscaster Steve Lombard (#264), stressed-out director Joshua Coyle (#258), and gossip reporter Lola Barnett (#275) all becoming a regular part of Clark Kent’s life. And in Superman #317 (Nov. 1977), Clark Kent got a new co-anchor on the GBS evening news: his childhood sweetheart Lana Lang. Following the lead from the comics, Mario Puzo’s initial script for Superman: The Movie had Clark Kent working as a television anchorman, with Lois Lane as the station’s weather girl. But when audience research revealed that the general public still thought of Clark Kent as being a print reporter for the Daily Planet, it was quickly decided to restore the classic setup. Out went Clark Kent, television anchorman, and Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a Great Metropolitan Newspaper, made his return in both comics and film. Clark Kent resumed working for the Daily Planet in Action Comics #493–494 (Mar.–Apr. 1979), issues out around the time of Superman: The Movie’s Christmas 1978 release. For the remainder of the Bronze Age, Clark split his time between WGBS and the Daily Planet. Writer Cary Bates confirms to BACK ISSUE that Clark’s return to the Planet was made because of the movie: “Yes, in deference to the film, the Daily Planet was restored to its former prominence in the comics. DC didn’t want to abandon the Galaxy Broadcasting angle, so the decision was made to maintain both media entities and have Clark Kent split his duties.” But with no adaptation into outside media to enter the TV job into the public consciousness, Clark Kent’s days as an anchorman were numbered. When Superman was re-conceived by John Byrne and Marv Wolfman in 1986, Clark Kent once again became a full-time reporter for the Daily Planet, this time writing novels on the side. As Byrne explained to Peter Sanderson in Amazing Heroes #96, the original Daily Planet setup just made more sense for Superman’s secret identity. “You don’t roam as an anchorman,” Byrne said. “The whole point of his being a reporter is so he can travel around and go where the stories are, and go where he’s needed, and snoop around like a detective. And an anchorman is too visible, and too tied down.” But Byrne still envisioned his Clark Kent to have some public notability. In a news piece by Tom Heintjes in The Comics Journal #104, Byrne stated that his version of Clark Kent would be in the vein of Jimmy Breslin, halfway between a feature reporter and an investigative journalist, with a daily column and an additional story in the Sunday paper. In addition, Kent “would have greater visibility, like Breslin does. He won’t be an anonymous reporter— he’ll be more of a Woodward-and-Bernstein type of reporter.”

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…DOES HE HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?

At the Daily Planet, Clark meets his coworker on the city beat, Lois Lane. Although the brash Lois pays little mind to her awkward new coworker, she is instantly smitten with the charming and powerful Superman. Superman: The Movie is largely dependent upon the romance between Superman and Lois, and the palpable chemistry between Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder ensures that you believe that Lois is a woman Superman would turn back time to save. And again, some of Kidder’s portrayal carried over to the comics. In a February 2006 post on Byrne Robotics, John Byrne wrote, “Phyllis Coates was my ‘first’ Lois, and so had quite a part in defining the character for me. But it was not until Margot Kidder played her that I finally ‘got’ what Superman saw in her.” Byrne’s Lois certainly displays some of trademark spunk that Margot Kidder brought to the role, to the point of driving her car off a pier and risking drowning just to get the first interview with Superman in Man of Steel #2. Superman grants an interview with Lois, only to reveal as he leaves that he knew the entire time that Lois had an aqualung under the front seat of her car. From the look on her face as Superman flies off, this Lois is just as obviously smitten with the Man of Steel as she was in the “Can You Read My Mind?” scene in STM.

…YOU’VE GOT ME? WHO’S GOT YOU?

Superman: The Movie’s Superman makes his public debut in an unforgettable scene that’s become a classic movie moment. When a freak accident leaves the Daily Planet’s helicopter dangling over the edge of the building with Lois Lane hanging out the side, Clark Kent zooms into action as Superman for the first time. Catching the falling Lois in his arms, the Man of Steel reassures her, “Easy, Miss, I’ve got you!” and an incredulous Lois exclaims, “…You’ve got me? Who’s got you?” A moment later, the Planet’s helicopter topples off the roof, threatening to crush the couple, but Superman easily catches it with one hand. Down on the street, the crowd erupts into cheers, and Metropolis has a new hero. Eight years later, John Byrne offered up his own aerial rescue for Superman’s debut in Man of Steel #1 (Oct. 1986), where Clark Kent performs public heroics for the first time to save the experimental space-plane Constitution from crashing. (The “space-plane” was originally drawn as a space shuttle, until the 1986 Challenger disaster prompted a last-minute revision to the pages.) Among the passengers on the flight is Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, who names the new hero with the headline “Mysterious Superman Saves Space-Plane.” Superman: Birthright #4 (Dec. 2003) presented a new version of Superman’s public debut, with Lois flying the helicopter and Jimmy Olsen as a passenger. This time Jimmy is the one who falls out the side when they’re endangered by Lex Luthor’s out-of-control drone helicopters. And, as a bonus for STM fans, Superman even calls Lex Luthor a “diseased maniac” when confronting him in issue #5. Although the similarities to Superman: The Movie are hard to miss, they weren’t writer Mark Waid’s first choice. “To be brutally honest,” he says, “I spent a long time trying not to make the Birthright scene a helicopter scene, as I didn’t want to be that on-the-nose. Ultimately, it was just too good an opportunity. I’m a big believer that regardless

Blades of Story STM-inspired helicopter rescues were seen in (top) DCU: Legacies #3 and (bottom) Action Comics #978. TM & © DC Comics.

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of how you retell the origin, it’s always best to have Superman debut in flight. It’s his most impressive power and the one that really encapsulates the ‘angel sent from above to help mankind’ vibe.” Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Superman: Secret Origin #3 (Jan. 2010) gets even closer to Superman: The Movie, with the Action Ace catching a crashing helicopter moments after saving a falling Lois. This time around, both Lois and the helicopter are falling from the roof of the LexCorp building following an exo-suit weapons demonstration that goes awry. In his 2010–2011 overview of DC history in the miniseries DC Universe: Legacies, writer Len Wein presented the closest homage to Superman: The Movie yet in issue #3 (Sept. 2010) with—you guessed it—Superman catching Lois Lane with one arm and a falling helicopter with the other. The sequence even quotes STM’s famous “You’ve got me? Who’s got you?” exchange nearly word-for-word. It’s impossible to read without hearing the voices of Christopher Reeve as Superman and Margot Kidder as Lois. Wein and artists José Luis García-López and Dave Gibbons do make some concessions to real-world physics by having Superman flying downward to match the rate of Lois’ fall, then setting the helicopter down at street level instead of on the Daily Planet’s rooftop. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the comics’ Caped Wonder stunned the city of Metropolis just as much as he did on the silver screen. Even the most recent rewriting of Superman’s continuity, in Action Comics #978 (Jun. 2017), by Dan Jurgens and Carlo Barberi, features Superman rescuing a falling Lois Lane from a helicopter as their first meeting. It seems that 40 years after Superman: The Movie, this particular element of the legend is here to stay.

Bad to the Bone STM’s Luthor the businessman imprinted DC creators from Byrne and Wolfman forward, including writer Mark Waid, who borrowed the film’s “diseased maniac” line in Superman: Birthright #5 (Jan. 2004). Art by Leinil Francis Yu and Gerry Alanguilan. TM & © DC Comics.

THE GREATEST CRIMINAL MIND OF OUR TIME

Every hero is only as great as his villains, and Superman: The Movie gave us Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor, self-described as “the greatest criminal mind of our time.” Although this Luthor had a more humorous bent than the comics version, he was still genius enough to deduce the existence of kryptonite from the merest of hints and twisted enough to plot the deaths of millions of people with nuclear missiles. It was in many ways a return to the plainclothes mad scientist of OTIS AND MISS TESCHMACHER the Golden Age. While Hackman’s Lex Luthor The Lex Luthor of Superman: The Movie has definitely favored “mind over muscle” in two assistants, the bumbling Otis (Ned combating his archenemy, he wasn’t the type to Beatty) and Lex’s curvaceous moll, Miss Eve put on a costume and duke it out with Superman Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine). But for all the himself. This was quite different from the comics of help they provide Luthor, you have to wonder the time, as the still-recent Superman #282 (Dec. 1974) why he keeps them around. At one point even had Luthor don a purple-and-green power suit that finally Luthor himself asks, “Why is the most diabolical let him pose a physical threat to the Man of Steel. (This leader of our time surrounding himself with total costume is probably best remembered from Luthor’s nincompoops?” As Otis and Miss Teschmacher Legion of Doom days on the Saturday morning cartoon were original characters to the film, they were never mark waid directly transferred to the comics, but references Challenge of the Superfriends.) Luthor would retain this to them still made it into a few stories. look for nearly a decade before upgrading to power © Luigi Novi / One of the references can be found in the World’s Greatest armor in Action Comics #544 (June 1983). Wikimedia Commons. The 1986 comics reboot changed Lex Luthor into Superheroes comic strip, in the story running from Jan 22 through something closer to the Hackman version, however. Gone were the May 20, 1979. The story is very reminiscent of Superman: The costumes and armors of the past, replaced by power suits of the three- Movie, with Superman performing a number of super-feats similar piece variety. This Luthor was a billionaire industrialist based on the to the film, such as saving a bridge when its suspension cables corporate raiders of the ’80s. The second or third richest man in the break, catching Jimmy Olsen from a deadly fall, and even perworld, Luthor was publicly regarded as a philanthropist, with no one able forming a last-minute rescue of Lois Lane at the end (although to prove his secret criminal dealings. Like Hackman’s Luthor, this Lex the comic-strip Lois is danger of drowning instead of being buried wouldn’t dream of physically engaging with Superman, preferring instead alive). In addition, Lex Luthor disguises himself with a wig, to plot against him long-distance. But just like his pre-Crisis version, the has an underground lair (in a sewer instead of an abandoned new Luthor couldn’t abide any threat to his ego. With Superman’s debut, subway station), and has a very Miss Teschmacher-like moll in Luthor was no longer the most powerful man in Metropolis, a situation the voluptuous Angela Duffelmeyer, who expresses an attraction that made him the Man of Steel’s deadliest enemy yet. for the Man of Steel. Marv Wolfman, the second writer for the 1986 reboot, denies any Writer Martin Pasko confirms that these similarities were far from STM influence for the post-Crisis Luthor, however. “Gene Hackman’s coincidental. “As my editor on Superman, Julie Schwartz seemed not Luthor had nothing to do with my approach to comic-book Luthor,” to want to change course in any way to accommodate the run-up Wolfman tells BI. “Hackman’s Luthor was funny and I didn’t think the to the first Donner film,” Pasko says. “The book was selling well comic-book Luthor would have any sense of humor, especially not about as it was, and he felt—and was ultimately proven correct in his himself.” Explaining his own approach to Luthor in an August 2016 post assessment—that the film would only enhance the sales of the on Byrne Robotics, John Byrne wrote: “Luthor was a composite, really. comics as they were. His only concession was to allow José Luis The overall tapestry was [Donald] Trump, but into that were woven the García-López to deliberately render Superman to more closely likes of Ted Turner, and even the more unsavory aspects of Thomas resemble Chris Reeve… while encouraging Curt Swan to continue drawing the character as he always had. Edison. There was a hint of [Nikola] Tesla around the edges, too.” Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 61

“Pink.” Co-writers Roger Stern and David Michelinie—both of whom would become Superman scribes—offered this subtle nod to Superman: The Movie’s Lois Lane penthouse scene in Marvel’s Avengers #191 (Jan. 1980). Art by John Byrne and Dan Green. Scan courtesy of John Trumbull. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

In Great Metropolitan Newspapers “On the other hand, there was Joe Orlando, who took over from Julie as my editor on The World’s The syndicated World’s Greatest Superheroes Greatest Superheroes (or Super-Heroes or Super Heroes, comic strip may have included Justice Leaguers, or however the hell we’re supposed to render it). Ugh. The first thing he demanded of me was that but as this 1979 ad shows it was essentially a we ‘tie into’ the movie as best we could, without adapting it per se. So, there is absolutely no ambiguity Superman strip in response to the film’s visibility on this point: all those similarities between that strip and popularity. Courtesy of Hake’s Auctions. continuity and the film that you cite were conscious and deliberate. And I wrote them with a figurative TM & © DC Comics. loaded gun held to my head, and hated every minute of it.” A more overt homage to Superman: The Movie SUPERMAN RETURNS PREQUEL COMICS appeared in the Superman comics a Superman returned to the silver screen couple of decades later. President in 2006’s Superman Returns, nearly two Luthor Secret Files and Origins decades after the disappointing (Mar. 2001) introduces Superman IV. In addition to an Nathaniel “Mac” Mackelvany, official comics adaptation of the movie, DC released four President Lex Luthor’s new personal assistant, in a two-page Superman Returns prequel story entitled “He’s Coming, specials, filling in readers on the Mister Lew-Thor!”, courtesy of film’s backstory, featuring story Jeph Loeb and Mike Wieringo. Mac is concepts by Superman Returns director undeniably Otis-like, appearing in a Bryan Singer and screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. And since the straw boater hat, knocking over furniture, story of Superman Returns built off of and even attempting to steal from a blind newspaper vendor, just like Otis story elements from Superman and martin pasko did in his first scene. Mackelvany Superman II, the prequel specials also would periodically appear over the drew from those films. The four specials, next several months, with the startling secret of his all cover-dated Aug. 2006 with covers by Adam true identity finally being revealed in Superman #175 Hughes, appeared weekly leading up to Superman (Dec. 2001). Returns’ June 28th release date.

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The first special, Krypton to Earth, focusing on Jor-El, is the closest comics have come yet to a straight adaptation of Superman: The Movie. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s script closely adapts STM right up until the Kents’ discovery of the baby Kal-El. The issue opens with a child reading a vintage copy of Action Comics, before shifting to the planet Krypton, drawn by Ariel Olivetti in all of its white crystalline glory. The Phantom Zone villains are not evident, but the Kryptonian Council still ignores Jor-El’s warnings of the planet’s impending destruction. Jor-El and Lara rocket their son away in a crystalline spaceship, with Jor-El’s record tapes providing knowledge of the 28 known galaxies. The issue ends with the rocket crash-landing in front of the Kents’ truck, this time staying intact to accommodate a plot point from Superman Returns. The issue’s cover was slightly altered to obscure a potentially expensive likeness of Marlon Brando (see inset). The Ma Kent special by Marc Andreyko and Karl Kerschl has more original material, splitting its focus between flashbacks of Clark’s upbringing and glimpses into Martha’s life after her son went into space. The STM moments include baby Kal-El hoisting up Jonathan Kent’s truck with his super-strength, Clark bemoaning how his powers still couldn’t save his father from dying (with the location shifted from Jonathan Kent’s funeral to the Kent home), and Clark telling his mother he has to leave home. The issue climaxes with Superman’s return to Earth in his Kryptonian spaceship. Lex Luthor, by Gray and Palmiotti, along with artists Rick Leonardi and Nelson, features flashbacks of Luthor explaining his scheme to create a new California coast by nuking everything west of the San Andreas Fault. Rough approximations of Otis and

Miss Teschmacher are seen, but both go unnamed in the issue. Lastly, Lois Lane, by Marc Andreyko and Wellington Dias, has a two-page flashback of the helicopter rescue from Superman, as well as Lois’ interview and flight with Superman. The rest of the issue is devoted to Lois coming to terms with Superman’s five-year absence from Earth, her romance with Perry White’s nephew Richard, and the birth of her son Jason. All in all, Superman comics are better for the influence and inspiration of Superman: The Movie. Superman may be able to change the course of mighty rivers, but with the help of Christopher Reeve, Tom Mankiewicz, and Richard Donner, Superman: The Movie changed the course of comics. Thanks to Cary Bates, Kurt Busiek, Adam Kubert, Jerry Ordway, Martin Pasko, Mark Waid, and Marv Wolfman for sharing their memories with BACK ISSUE. Quotes from John Byrne, Steve Gerber, Tom Mankiewicz, Julius Schwartz, and Rick Veitch are referenced from other sources. Thanks also to Mike Ciemcioch, Sean Dulaney, Mark Engblom, Chris Franklin, Andrew Hess, Ken Hommel, Shawn C. Kelley, Andrew Leyland, Chris Ma, Charlie Niemeyer, Mike Peacock, Rob Smentek, Bill Svitavsky, Mark Tensmeyer, Delmo Walters, Jr., Xum Yukinori, and most especially John Wells from the BACK ISSUE Facebook group, all of whom made suggestions for this article.

The AlmostAdaptation In the first issue of DC’s 2006 Superman Returns Prequel, co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and artist Ariel Olivetti re-present iconic scenes from Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie in their setup for Bryan Singer’s 2006 film starring Brandon Routh. TM & © DC Comics.

JOHN TRUMBULL tries to treat his editor-in-chief with the proper respect. He’s still working on the snappy, punchy prose style and being a faster typist, though.

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Richard Donner’s motto for his production of Superman: The Movie was verisimilitude. The subject matter— the legend of Superman, as he considered it—was to be treated sincerely, and with deep respect and regard. But that didn’t mean that the film would be completely slavish to 40 years of comics storytelling. Donner and the other filmmakers would adapt the characters, the locales, and the trappings to suit their needs, the times, and to add their own stamp to that legend. These additions, these changes, have now endured as long as the comics they were inspired by. Forty years after Superman: The Movie was first projected in theaters, its unique influence continues to permeate, and sometimes even dominate, the ongoing legend of the Man of Steel, in both the comics, as discussed elsewhere in this issue, and in other media. From animation to further live-action adaptations on both large and small screens, the mark of Superman: The Movie has been readily apparent since shortly after it ended its theatrical run.

by C

“OTISBURG?”

Not surprisingly, the film’s influences are first felt in Superman’s other active media adaptation of the time. The animated Saturday morning adventures of the Super Friends began in 1973, and through many incarnations, voice actor Danny Dark’s Superman had been the big man at the Hall of Justice. In 1978, the Justice League met their match in the supervillainfilled Legion of Doom, in perhaps the most famous and beloved version of the show, The Challenge of the Super Friends. Although producers Hanna-Barbara had originally hoped to add Captain Marvel to the League, with his arch-foe Dr. Sivana as the evil Legion’s mastermind, it was Lex Luthor who became the uncontested leader of this anti-JLA. With Superman’s big-budget, big-screen debut fast approaching during production, there is little doubt the movie had an influence on Luthor’s addition and appointment as lead rogue. Challenge ran a full hour on ABC, with one half hour devoted to the League vs. Legion battles, and the other to tales of the core Super Friends from the previous seasons. Perhaps the impending release of Superman: The Movie influenced the episode “Terror from the Phantom Zone,” written by Jeffery Scott, where three Kryptonian villains escape their ethereal prison and invade Earth. The basic premise of this episode would be mirrored in Superman II, a good portion of which was filmed during the first movie’s production.

The Adventures Continue From its glassy logo to its use of the icons of New York City (doubling as Metropolis), it was clear that the Salkinds’ Supergirl was a continuation of the Superman movie franchise… although the Man of Steel’s appearance in the Girl of Steel’s film was relegated to a cameo as a wall poster. TM & © DC Comics.

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hris Franklin

The following year, Luthor (once again angrily voiced by Stan Jones) returned in The World’s Greatest Super Friends episode aptly titled “Lex Luthor Strikes Back,” also written by Scott. Lex is visited in prison (where we last saw him in Superman: The Movie) by Jimmy Olsen and a very Margot Kidder-like Lois Lane. Lex, who seems much more smug and Gene Hackman-like in this outing, has turned the tables on Lois (Wonder Woman voice actress Shannon Farnon). Jimmy is not who he appears to be, but Lex’s dim-witted stooge Orville Gum in disguise. Orville is the spitting image of Ned Beatty’s Otis, from his face to his pork-pie hat and loud, outdated suit. He and Lex plot their revenge against Superman and his teammates in a somewhat-familiar lair deep below the streets of Metropolis. When Luthor’s deal with evil sun aliens backfires, Superman is forced to fly around the globe at super-speed to repel his flaming foes, in a move similar to the climactic end of the film. While Lex still sports his comic-accurate Bronze Age purpleand-green jumpsuit and jet-boots, this episode could almost be seen as a completely kid-targeted sequel to Superman: The Movie.

TM & © DC Comics.

“YOU’LL BE SAFE HERE, SON.”

Of course, the Salkind Superman films continued into the ’80s, without Richard Donner, but with another Richard (Lester, in this case) filming the remainder of 1980’s Superman II and its follow-up. Marc McClure’s Jimmy Olsen got more screen time in Superman III (1983), in one of that film’s best action sequences, but his role was even more important in the Salkind’s next super-production. The following year, Supergirl was brought to the big screen with the hopes of breathing new life into the franchise, a franchise that Christopher Reeve officially stated he was done with after his third outing in the red and blue. Unfortunately for fans wanting to see a House of El family reunion with Supergirl Helen Slater, Reeve stood steadfast on this statement during Supergirl’s production. The small visual cameo by the Man of Steel was provided by a poster of Reeve from the first film, displayed on the wall of Supergirl’s new roommate, Lucy Lane (Maureen Teefy). Yes, Lucy Lane, sister of Lois from the comics (apparently not the sister Lois mentions in the first film who has a family, mortgage, etc.), and on-again-off-again girlfriend to one Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy (played again by Marc McClure) bridges the continuity between the films, creating a shared cinematic comic universe 25 years before Tony Stark walked into that bar at the end of The Incredible Hulk (2008). Jimmy is in on the action when Supergirl battles a mystically controlled backhoe, and is also held captive by Faye Dunaway’s hammy sorceress Selena in the film’s climax. While Jimmy figured into Supergirl’s adventures on Earth, her Kryptonian heritage was a very important part of the movie’s wandering plot. But Argo City, the surviving colony of Krypton from which Kara Zor-El came, is nothing like the cold, crystalline world envisioned by John Barry in Donner’s film. Beyond the outer crystal-like structure of the city, the interior looks more like a hippie commune/shopping mall, with lots of earth tones and sweaters for clothing, instead of the 3M reflective outfits Jor-El and Lara sported. When Selena traps Supergirl in the Phantom Zone, she encases her in floating pane of glass like Zod and his minions. But that pane shatters on a desolate, barren world, which seems to be the actual Phantom Zone, contradicting what we had seen before. In 1985, Marc McClure continued to wave the Superman brand flag in a commercial promoting Kenner’s Super Powers Collection action-figure line (inset). In the Daily Planet offices (looking quite a bit different than the movie), Jimmy Olsen informs kids that they can send in proof-of- purchases from Super Powers figures in order to receive a free Clark Kent action figure. Jimmy notices that Clark’s “Power Action Feature” is the same as his pal Superman’s. Hmmm….

Shared Super-Universe (top) The Challenge of the Super Friends episode “Terror from the Phantom Zone” featured (inset) a trio of Phantom Zone escapees who were corralled by both Superboy and Superman. (middle) The inclusion of Superman supporting cast actor Marc McClure—shown here with Helen Slater as Linda Danvers and Maureen Teefy as Lucy Lane—connected 1984’s Supergirl with the Superman movies that preceded it… and Jimmy was even included in (bottom) Supergirl merchandising! TM & © DC Comics.

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“LOOK MA, NO WIRES.”

Saturday Morning Supie Ruby-Spears’ wellremembered 1988 Superman animated series, headed by scribe Marv Wolfman and featuring character designs by comics luminary Gil Kane, also featured writers familiar to comic-book readers such as Martin Pasko. The cartoon’s theme borrowed familiar strains from composer John Williams’ “Superman March.” TM & © DC Comics.

Byrne. Lex Luthor was portrayed as an untouchable The year 1988 marked Superman’s 50th anniversary, businessman as in the concurrent comics, but his sly and the Man of Steel made quite the splash on the small humor, delivered with dripping sarcasm by veteran screen. Beginning with a curiously humorous anniversary voice actor Michael Bell, seemed somewhat familiar. special produced by Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels, Wolfman adds, “What I was trying to do was combine Superman received no less than two new television series the Lex Luthor businessman idea I had come up with in the fall of that year. and the Gene Hackman over-the-top version… a blend On Saturday mornings, fans could watch new of the two. But always centering on Lex being a villain animated adventures of the Last Son of Krypton in a and not comedy relief.” Lex’s girl Friday, the dimwitted series produced by Ruby-Spears Animation for CBS, Miss Morganberry, can be seen as an amalgamation of simply titled Superman. This series had some serious Otis and Miss Tessmacher, just as Wolfman intended comic-book credentials, with then-recent Action Comics her to be—with a twist. “Luthor hadn’t ever had a collaborators Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane serving as secretary like that until the movie. I made her Miss story editor and production designer, respectively. Morganberry named after my daughter’s middle name, Right from the first few seconds, it was Jessica Morgan Wolfman.” As for the other film villains, General obvious the feature films would be a big influence on the series, as Zod made an appearance in the composer Ron Jones incorporated episode “The Hunter,” but his John Williams’ “Superman design was that of the Silver March” into the opening Age comic Zod, complete theme, along with the narration with gray uniform and military from both the Adventures of cap. But nods continued to appear Superman radio and television in both the longer episode segments shows, spoken by former Super and the “Superman Family Album” Friends narrator William Woodson. shorts that ended each show. In “The The use of the movie theme on TV was Graduation,” Lana Lang has a dog somewhat unusual for the time, and named Buster, just as she did in a nice treat for fans. Regarding the Superman III, and “It’s Superman” theme, Wolfman recalls it was his wraps up the series with a flashback marv wolfman idea to blend it with the iconic TV to the Man of Tomorrow’s costumed narration: “I do remember suggesting Noel Wolfman. debut. Just as he famously did in the that we use the ‘Faster Than a helicopter save in Donner’s film, Superman meets Speeding Bullet’ intro from the old radio show and TV Lois Lane by catching her in mid-air. show as a way of linking the old with the new. I liked Despite these obvious connections to the film the combination.” franchise, Wolfman says he was striving for a more The first episode, “Destroy the Defendroids,” written authentic comic-book feel. “I tried to put in some of the by Wolfman, begins with Superman (Beau Weaver) and movie material because Superman hadn’t had a show Lois (Ginny McSwain) out for a romantic flight. Was this for a long time and most of the kids knew him from the a direct nod to the couple’s famous first date in the first movie. But really I was only using that for the younger Donner film? “Yes, absolutely,” says Wolfman. “I also fans. I was really aiming for the show to reflect the wanted to approach this from a character point of view comics more than shows like that used to do. We treated rather than just show Supes in action.” the show very differently than most of the cartoon shows The series blended the feature film elements with of the time. It was a few years later before Batman new changes made in the recent post-Crisis comics completely changed the way animation handled comic revamp by Wolfman himself and writer/artist John book characters.” Wolfman adds there was no direction from on high to add those film elements. “Nobody really told me what to do. I felt it was important to have a slight movie memory jag. I never got real notes from the studio that changed the direction we were going, nor did I get any from Ruby-Spears. I was limited by budget, so I couldn’t do, say, the Max Fleisher Superman cartoons as I wanted, but it had to be CBS kid-friendly, and that’s what I tried to do.” The series only produced one short season of new episodes, but is fondly remembered by fans of both the films and comics.

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“I HAVE SENT THEM YOU… MY ONLY SON.”

of ruthless aliens in disguise. It is in these very episodes By the late ’80s, the Salkinds had sold their Superman that Superboy learns that his parents and planet are long film rights to prolific low-budget producers Cannon dead, if only briefly, due to a time paradox fix at story’s Films, which resulted in 1987’s well-meaning but end. But it’s the image of Jor-El and Lara that is important underfunded and underperforming Superman IV: The to fans of the film. Former James Bond George Lazenby Quest for Peace. Sadly, this rather lackluster film would and former Bond Girl Britt Ekland appear in costumes prove to be Christopher Reeve’s true swan song in the and wigs similar to those worn by Marlon Brando and role, but two new actors would step into the blue tights Susannah York in the film franchise. According to Bates, and red cape in the following two years. that direction came from the top. “That was The Salkinds had kept the option on probably a note given to the costume the character of Superboy, and designers by Ilya Salkind,” Bates tells unleashed a syndicated liveBACK ISSUE. “The Superboy series was initially pitched to Viacom action television series on the adventures of the… er… Teen as a ‘spin-off’ of the three (?) of Steel while he was in Superman movies, although the college. Since the films made no limited budget meant this was room for Superman to have had more in theory than in practice. Recreating Krypton was out of the such adventures in his years between question but an homage to the film Kansas and the Fortress of Solitude, the story continuity between the projects wardrobes of Jor-El and Lara was something was fairly non-existent. But with the they could afford. The series was sold on the premise that it was a spin-off Salkinds involved, there were many carryovers from the films, both in front from the films, though it would cary bates of and behind the camera. Many of inevitably suffer by comparison since the technicians who helped you believe © DC Comics. the time and money available was only a man could fly continued on with the a fraction of what went into the theatrical films.” Superboy series, and the super-suit was very similar to How did Bates, a longtime Superman writer, feel the one designed by Yvonne Blake for Reeve. Calling the about the movie look supplanting the traditional comicshots as director on three episodes was Perry White book designs? “I was on board with the choice,” he himself, Jackie Cooper… and one has to wonder, if in admits. “Overly strict adherence to the comic-book visuals this instance, it was okay to call him “Chief.” of many characters (not just Jor-El and Lara, but Metallo, Over its four seasons, the series evolved, with more Mxyzptlk, etc., who also appeared in the series) often doesn’t translate well to live actors. All the current CW frequent contributions from comic veterans like series have been taking liberties with DC hero and Cary Bates, Mike Carlin, Denny O’Neil, villain costumes for the same reason.” Andrew Helfer, and J. M. DeMatteis. Faux Jor-El and Lara even incorrectly Season One Superboy John Haynes Newton was replaced with Gerard pronounce their home world’s name Christopher in the second season, as “Crip-tin,” just as Brando had done. and it was in that season that the This stunt casting of famous actors show’s strongest connection to the as Superman’s parents, designed to films appeared, one that would set emulate Brando and York, would a precedent for future adaptations carry on for decades of TV productions, of Superman to come. as we shall see. Bates was definitely on board with any stunt casting that In the episodes “Abandon Earth” helped raise the profile of the show. and “Escape to Earth,” written by Cary Bates and Mark Jones, Jor-El and “Anything we could do to create added Lara appear on Earth to take their son buzz was a plus, and Ilya had many contacts back to Krypton. Of course, this isn’t and the influence to get us actors that normally the real Jor-El and Lara, but a pair wouldn’t appear on a low-

TV’s Teen of Steel The Salkinds made a lateral shift with their vision of the Kid from Krypton by unleashing the syndicated Superboy (later retitled The Adventures of Superboy) live-action series in 1988. Playing Clark Kent and Superboy in Season One was (left) John Haymes Newton, with (right) Gerard Christopher taking over in Seasons Two through Four. All four seasons are available on DVD. TM & © DC Comics.

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They’ve Got the Look Superman: The Movie’s snow-wigged Marlon Brando as Jor-El elicited some joking comparisons to the silvery mane of country crooner Charlie Rich back in the day—but Brando’s white-coiffed, white-robed interpretation of the chief scientist of “Crip-tin” inspired later screen versions of the character and his wife Lara, including: George Lazenby and Britt Ekland (Superboy), David Warner and Eliza Roberts (Lois & Clark), and Julian Sands and Helen Slater (Smallville). Even Ron Ely sported the look as he played an older Man of Steel in a Season Three episode of Superboy. Superman: The Movie © Warner Bros. Characters TM & © DC Comics.

budget syndicated series,” Bates tells BACK ISSUE. “Examples of other iconic casting choices during the show’s run: Sybil Danning (Battle Beyond the Stars), Richard Kiel (Moonraker), Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie and Clyde), Gilbert Gottfried (Aladdin), and Lloyd Bochner (Twilight Zone’s ‘To Serve Man’). It was always fun meeting these people. “On the Jor-El and Lara episodes, I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Lazenby and Britt Ekland about all sorts of things (including James Bond and Peter Sellers). The sound stages at Universal Studios Florida were within a few hundred feet of the office bungalows, so I was often able to visit the set. Exteriors were shot all over Orlando and central Florida. Episodes were done in five days on a Monday–Friday schedule. After each episode’s wrap, Ilya would pick a restaurant and host a Friday night dinner with the guest actors and those of us in the above-the-line crew. Good times.” In its last two seasons the series changed its name to The Adventures of Superboy and moved Clark and Lana (series mainstay Stacy Haiduk) from Shuster University to working for a government paranormal investigation agency. In the Season Three episode “The Road to Hell, Part 2,” former Tarzan and Doc Savage Ron Ely portrays an older Superma… er, Superboy (who is never referred to by his more famous name due to licensing issues), complete with white hair and spit curl… just like dad. Bates concludes, “For the most part I’m proud of the quality we were able to achieve in spite of the strict time and money restrictions (our budgets would barely cover the catering bill for current CW shows). But there’s no getting around the fact the Superboy series was hampered by limited special effects which now look crude in comparison to the state-of-the-art standards of today’s CGIenhanced series.”

“DOES HE HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?”

Superman’s next foray into live-action severed ties with the Salkinds and most of the trappings of the film franchise. Debuting in the fall of 1993, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman focused more on the romance between the two leads (charmingly played by Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain) and primarily took its inspiration from the post-Crisis DC Comics. But still, there were nods to the films. One of the best examples came in the show’s first of four seasons. “Foundling,” written by Dan Levine, finds Clark being awakened by the call of a mysterious globe. The globe, which came with him from Krypton, acts like the green crystal in the film. Rather than building a fortress, this globe gives Clark a direct line to recordings made by Jor-El. This is where Clark learns of his parents, and why they sent him away. Jor-El is played by sci-fi mainstay David Warner, who at the time was occasionally providing the voice of another DC character, Ra’s al Ghul, on Batman: The Animated Series. Jor-El and Lara (Eliza Roberts) are shown in their white, sterile lab, with matching white robes complete with “S” shields. While not a direct translation of Brando and York’s outfits, the inspiration is obvious. Roberts even bears a passing resemblance to Susannah York. Jor-El would return briefly in a Kryptonian-centric storyline in Season Three, but sadly Warner did not. Instead, Francois Giroday filled the robes in “Big Girls Don’t Fly.”

“YOU ARE HERE FOR A REASON.”

While Lois & Clark was in its third season, the Man of Steel returned to animation, this time in the very capable hands of producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, and Paul Dini. As part of the team that brought the award-winning Batman: The Animated Series to life four years earlier, they were the natural choice to chronicle the Man of Steel’s new animated adventures. Superman (although often designated

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as Superman: The Animated Series, or STAS for short) debuted in the fall of 1996 in the Saturday block of the fledgling WB network. Like the Ruby-Spears series and Lois & Clark, STAS took most of its immediate inspiration from the current comics, with Ma and Pa Kent living into the present to support and advise their son, and Lex Luthor as a Machiavellian businessman. But that doesn’t mean that the feature films didn’t influence the show. The series’ main theme by composer Shirley Walker follows the John Williams model of actually “singing” the word “Superman” through music, while still forging its own memorable march for the hero. The three-part opener (released on home video as its own standalone movie), “The Last Son of Krypton,” written by Burnett and Dini, follows the overall timing and basic three-act structure of Superman: The Movie. The first part takes place entirely on Krypton, and Burnett and Dini develop a story aspect left on the cutting room floor of Superman: The Movie, but seen in the three-hour extended television cut. In “Last Son,” Jor-El is actually on the run from the Krypton authorities shortly before launching his son into orbit as Krypton explodes. Cut scenes from Donner’s theatrical release of the film show the Kryptonian council dispatch a stormtrooper-like agent to stop Jor-El from doing anything about his apocalyptic theories, but both he and they die in the planet’s destruction before the act can be carried out. STAS is the first post-movie project to completely break away from the film’s sterile, crystalline depiction of Krypton, showing a colorful, lively world and clothing that combines both pre- and post-Crisis design aesthetics. Most of part two takes place during Clark’s teen years in Smallville, as he comes to grips with his heritage, after his parents show him his rocketship, hidden in their barn. A special holographic projector box is found in the ship, and Jor-El and Lara appear before their son and tell him

of his lineage and Krypton’s ultimate fate. This serves the same function as the film’s green crystal, which called to Clark from its hiding place in the barn and pulled him north to build the Fortress of Solitude and commiserate with his long-dead father, learning of his origins. Also, the projector box opens for Clark when he touches it, and the moving symbols align to form the famous “S” shield, here, as in the Donner film, a symbol from Krypton. The last two-thirds of the story begins as Clark goes to work at the Metropolis Daily Planet and meets Lois Lane, who isn’t too thrilled to share her beat with some new guy—just like in the movie. Superman’s first true public act is saving her from certain death, and then the Man of Steel gets involved in a complex plot sure to make Lex Luthor even wealthier. Along the way, Lois, noting the “S”-like symbol on his chest, names her new hero Superman. Sound familiar? Despite these similarities, STAS forged ahead with its own take on the mythos, culling from every previous version of the lore, but also adding original elements. These would carry into Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, where the continuity begun by Batman: The Animated Series would continue.

“THE SON BECOMES THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER… THE SON.”

In the fall of 2001, as Superman’s animated adventures began anew on Justice League, he embarked on his longest-running live-action venture… although he never truly showed up for it! Smallville chronicled the adventures of young Clark Kent (Tom Welling), on his road from teenager to Superman. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar originally pitched the WB network on a “Young Bruce Wayne” series, but the similarly themed film Batman Begins was in the development at the time, so they shifted their focus to the other cornerstone of the DCU.

STM-ing STAS While Superman: The Animated Series did not replicate Superman: The Movie’s interpretations of the hero’s respective environments, its three-part “Last Son of Krypton” was a tribute to the film’s three-act story structure, from (top) baby Kal-El leaving the doomed planet in Episode 1 to (bottom left) young Clark coming of age in Episode 2 to (bottom right) Lois Lane coining Superman’s name in Episode 3. TM & © DC Comics.

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You’re Never Too Big for Smallville (top) Annette O’Toole so charmed fans as the adult Lana Lang in Superman III that she was cast (middle) as Martha Kent in TV’s long-running Smallville. (bottom) No Smallville Superman film star cameo was more memorable, however, than Christopher Reeve’s turn as Dr. Swann. TM & © DC Comics.

The Andrew Wyeth-esque Smallville scenes in Superman: The Movie no doubt helped to inspire the series in general, but there were numerous other film influences felt throughout the series during its ten-season, 217-episode run. Direct nods to the films include the series version of the Fortress of Solitude, a fairly straight adaptation of John Barry’s design, and even the crystalline means of its creation. In flashbacks Jor-El and Lara are once again seen in white, with the “S” shield, although it is Smallville that establishes the authentic Kryptonese version of the symbol means “hope,” which will be carried forward in later Superman productions. The character of Tess Mercer (Cassiday Freeman), introduced in Season Eight as Lex Luthor’s heir apparent, is, of course, named after Valerie Perrine’s “Miss Tessmacher.” But Smallville’s strongest connection to the Superman film series is its cast. Superman III’s own Lana Lang, Annette O’Toole, played another famous native of Smalliville, Martha Kent, throughout the run of the series, first as a regular, then as special guest-star in later seasons. She replaced actress Cynthia Ettinger in the role before the pilot was aired, and reshot all of her scenes. While O’Toole shared the task of raising her very special son with former Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider as Jonathan Kent, another Superman film alum gave voice to Kal-El’s biological father. Beginning with Season Two’s episode “Calling,” General Zod himself, Terence Stamp, would be giving disembodied voice to his cinematic jailer. Stamp’s casting as Zod seemed to fuel the rather confusing portrayal of the character over the course of the series. It often seemed this Jor-El was far less benevolent than previous versions, and Stamp’s presence only added to that slight air of menace in 22 episodes across the remainder of the series, including the finale. Jor-El’s wife Lara was played by Supergirl star Helen Slater in three episodes beginning in Season Seven. She appeared alongside sci-fi/horror mainstay Julian Sands as Jor-El in those familiar white robes, recalling the celebrity stunt casting seen in both Superboy and Lois & Clark. Slater’s Supergirl director Jeannot Szwarc also helmed several episodes of the series as well. While Smallville mined comic stories both modern (Doomsday) and classic (Lex and Clark being friends before becoming enemies), it continued to honor the Man of Steel’s celluloid past by casting actors from previous iterations, particularly Superman: The Movie. Superman’s pal Marc McClure traded his in his camera for some true Kryptonian heritage as the Earthbound exile Dax-Ur in Season Seven’s “Persona.” Earlier, his Daily Planet officemate, Margot Kidder, was cast in the role of Bridgette Crosby in Season Four. The role was meant to be a recurring one, but Kidder and the production soon parted ways. Crosby was the assistant to telecommunications magnate Dr. Virgil Swann (possibly named after legendary Superman comic artist Curt Swan), and Swann’s casting would prove to be the show’s greatest coup. In Season Two’s “Rosetta,” written by Gough and Millar, Clark receives a letter from Swann containing symbols similar to the ones found on the spacecraft that delivered him to Earth. He seeks out the billionaire recluse looking for answers. When Clark arrives at Swann’s observatory, he grows nervous and prepares to leave, but is called back by Swann himself, and suddenly Tom Welling is face-to-face with… Christopher Reeve. Everyone reading this is probably aware of Reeve’s tragic horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed, and his tireless work in the following years to further paralysis research and awareness. Although wheelchair-bound and immobile from the neck down in his scenes with Welling, Reeve commands the screen,

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as composer Mark Snow works in elements of John Williams’ Krypton theme and “Superman March” for the first time in the series. In Donner’s film, it was Marlon Brando’s Jor-El who imparted the knowledge of his home planet and its destruction onto his son, and Reeve’s Swann does the same for Clark here. As Brando had intoned in the film, “The son becomes the father, and the father… the son.” Reeve made one more appearance as Swann in Season Three’s episode “Legacy.” Later that year, Reeve died of complications from his near-decade-long battle. His appearances on Smallville were his last acting credits, bringing his career full circle in many ways, and providing promotion for his Christopher Reeve Foundation, through a charming pitch with him and Welling at the end of each of his episodes. As mentioned earlier, the influences of Superman: The Movie would continue to be felt on Smallville, even in the finale, as an older Clark performed that famous shirt-rip to Williams’ legendary score. But none would have the impact of Reeve’s first appearance, perhaps the series’ finest moment.

“SORRY, LOIS. I’VE BEEN KIND OF BUSY FOR AWHILE.”

As Tom Welling wrestled with his great destiny on TV screens, the Man of Steel continued to struggle with getting back to the big screen. After many stops and starts, including productions that would have starred Reeve in the early ’90s (see Cary Bates’ article in this very issue), and no less than Nicolas Cage toward the end of that decade, the Last Son of Krypton was finally set for a comeback in 2006’s Superman Returns. Eschewing the vast changes once conceived by such directors as Tim Burton, X-Men (2000) director Bryan Singer saw his Superman film as a love letter to the Donner original, even setting it in the continuity of those films, or at least the first two. Superman (Brandon Routh) literally returns to Earth after five years in space searching for a Krypton he still believes to exist. He finds Lois

(Kate Bosworth) has moved on and has a new love interest, and a five-year-old son that may or may not have unique lineage. Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) is still obsessed with land, and Marlon Brando is still Jor-El, with the production getting the permission of Brando’s family to revive the actor through modern technology to appear and once more guide his son from beyond… this time for real! John Ottman faithfully recreates Williams’ iconic score throughout, with a few new flourishes here and there. The film’s central plot involves Luthor perverting the Kryptonian crystal technology (introduced in Donner’s movie) into creating a huge landmass of kryptonite, one that nearly kills the Man of Steel. Having successfully relaunched their Batman film franchise in 2005 with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, Warner Bros. had high hopes for Superman Returns. The film received both mixed reviews from critics and fans and somewhat tepid box-office receipts based on its budget and potential for blockbuster status. While not a complete financial failure, ironically this iteration of Superman would not return again, and the mystery of the Super-Son would be one left to the ages, as would Singer’s promise of the next film going “all Wrath of Khan” with the arrival of Brainiac on the big screen at last. Many blamed the film’s lack of success on being too reliant on Donner’s treatment and its trappings. For the next film production, the Superman mythos would be re-examined from the ground up, and fans of the 1978 film would have to look much harder to find solid connections between the productions. But as always, they were there.

Super-Son? Did (top right) Superman and Lois’ night in the Fortress in Superman II produce (bottom right) the son of Lois Lane in Superman Returns? We’ll never know for sure… TM & © DC Comics.

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Look Familiar? (right) While Zack Snyder’s bleak Man of Steel bore virtually no resemblance to Richard Donner’s cheery Superman, the costume of its Jor-El, Russell Crowe, employed the iconic “S” crest first sported by Marlon Brando in STM. (left top) Donner’s classic alleyway sequence inspired (left bottom) this scene in director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman. TM & © DC Comics.

“THAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH MEN OF STEEL…”

To say Zack Snyder’s DC films are divisive among fans is quite the understatement. Like them or not, director Snyder charted his own course, establishing a DC cinematic universe that was less interested in the wonder of a man who could fly, and more concerned with how such a man would be perceived in today’s paranoid and cynical world. Despite all of these intentional changes, elements first introduced in Superman: The Movie still come through in Man of Steel (2013), especially in the character of Jor-El (Russell Crowe), who wears the “S” shield and guides his son beyond his planet’s death. The Kryptonian scout ship in the movie works similarly to the Fortress in the earlier film. And when Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) takes a little superrevenge on an abusive trucker, one can’t help but remember Reeve’s “I’ve been working out” moment from the end of Superman II. And, of course, Superman’s adversary being General Zod (Michael Shannon) was a direct lift from that film. There are those who believe Reeve’s visage is intentionally made visible when Cavill’s face is distorted as Superman battles a powerful energy beam, but your mileage may vary. After a few mentions of both Metropolis and Superman himself in Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) and an earlier, aborted team-up/versus film to be directed by Wolfgang Peterson, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice finally realized the pairing of the Dark Knight (Ben Affleck) and the Man of Steel (Cavill once more), along with the debut of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and cameos from a handful of

other potential Justice Leaguers. Despite its even darker tone, the film set the board for the follow-up Justice League film. Things could only get brighter, and that seemed the intention from the get-go, but lukewarm box office-to-budget ratios and poor critical and fan response to BvS no doubt influenced the higher-ups at WB to reconsider veering so far afield of the successful Marvel Studios films DC and WB were competing with. Wonder Woman debuted in her own solo film in 2017, with director Patty Jenkins crediting Superman: The Movie as the template she followed to introduce the Amazing Amazon on the big screen. Two key scenes in the film are direct nods to Donner’s movie, when Diana (Gal Gadot again) has trouble going through a revolving door as Clark Kent did, and when she deflects a bullet in an alleyway meant for Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Wonder Woman became one of the highest grossing films of 2017, and one of the best received by both fans and critics. So when Justice League debuted in the fall of 2017, things lightened up. Joss Whedon stepped in to finish Snyder’s not-yet-polished film, and when Superman returned this time, he was smiling. Composer Danny Elfman revived Williams’ Superman theme for a few key moments, in both a darkened version as a misguided Superman battled his potential teammates, and then later in a purer version as the Man of Steel arrived to turn the tide against their foe Steppenwolf. Further proof of the connection to the Man of Tomorrow’s original big-budget adventure can be found in the presence of Marc McClure, cameoing as a security guard in the employ of Batman, who interacts with Barry (Flash) Allen (Ezra Miller). Despite being better received by many DC fans, Justice League was lambasted by critics and had an even more disappointing box office than the series’ prior films. Hopefully if Cavill’s Superman returns, he’ll keep his classic theme music. And that smile.

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Forever Family (top) Helen Slater and (center) Sarah Douglas are among the Superman franchise actors that have appeared in episodes of TV’s Supergirl. (bottom) STM’s crystalline Fortress was seen in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie. TM & © DC Comics. LEGO TM & © LEGO System A/S.

“THIS IS NO FANTASY, NO CARELESS PRODUCT OF WILD IMAGINATION.”

The legacy of Superman: The Movie and its sequels continues to be felt in almost every media interpretation of the DC Universe. On the CW’s Supergirl series, Helen Slater appears in the recurring role of Kara’s adoptive mother, Eliza Danvers. Of course, it’s not just Superman: the Movie that these shows homage with their casting choices. Former TV Lois Lanes Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark) and Erica Durance (Smallville) have also appeared on the show. But a direct connection to Superman: The Movie and Superman II can be found in the guest appearance of Sarah Douglas, who played the evil Ursa in those films. Keeping it all in the Superman family, one-time cinematic Man of Steel Brandon Routh now plays Ray Palmer/the Atom on Supergirl’s sister show, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. In animation, Slater also provides the voice of Martha Kent on the DC Super Hero Girls series of shorts. Williams’ Superman themes can be heard in both Lego video games and even The Lego Batman Movie when the Dark Knight pays a call on Superman’s very familiar-looking Fortress of Solitude. It’s not just DC-related projects that the movie influences today. At the time of writing, commercials for Stephen Spielberg’s much-anticipated Ready Player One feature the virtual lead character disguising himself as Clark Kent, while the Williams theme plays. And even behind the scenes, that music plays on. During the filming of the recent Mission: Impossible – Fallout, co-stars Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg hummed the “Superman March” for castmate Henry Cavill as he ran alongside their car on set. Superman: The Movie, its sequels, and its spin-offs have not only made an indelible mark on the Superman legend, they have gone far beyond, deeply engraining themselves into pop culture, and some would argue, culture in general. To almost anyone familiar with the character, the film’s iconography, dialog, performances, scenes, and especially music say “Superman” like nothing else. The easiest way to reference Superman as both a character and a concept is to harken back to that iconic film. Donner and crew’s insistence on verisimilitude made believers out of us all, ensuring that the film will never be looked upon as just an adaptation of a 20th-Century myth, but perhaps the adaptation, and an essential touchstone to any further production moving forward, 40 years later, and throughout our journeys in time and space. CHRIS FRANKLIN is the co-host of the Superman Movie Minute podcast with fellow BI contributor Rob Kelly. It can be found (along with many other fine shows) at fireandwaterpodcast.com. He would like to thank Marv Wolfman and Cary Bates for sharing their experiences with him for this article, and his cousin Joe for taking him to see Superman: The Movie at age four, ensuring his never-ending love for his favorite film.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 73

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EDITOR KEVIN DOOLEY REMEMBERS AQUAMAN

Former DC Comics editor Kevin Dooley was unable to respond to interview questions before the deadline for last issue’s post-Crisis Aquaman article but has submitted the following remarks about his editorship of the series… Aquaman has always been one of my favorite DC characters since I was a kid. Throughout my editorship, which I was blessed with, it was always my intention to do my best to bring the most exciting and enjoyable version of Aquaman to the fans. As an editor entrusted with one of DC’s major characters, I consulted frequently with many experienced DC editors when I had concerns about the direction of the title or the character. Often I fought as hard as I could for the creators themselves and for their ideas. And, of course, I did what I could to save Aquaman from the too frequent danger of sinking sales. (No pun intended, honestly.) My deep apologies if any of my communication with the creators at that time was perceived as contradictory or indecisive. In hindsight, my editorial stance may have been too heavy-handed because I knew story structure and I am not going to keep quiet when I see a problem or can make a suggestion to improve the book. But I was sincerely there to help, not to hinder, creativity throughout. Definitely I could have handled things in different, more diplomatic ways, but I believe an editor is there to bring out the best in the creative team and the character. And that’s what I tried to do. Oh, how I wish there was a lot less politics involved with the book. I don’t mean in the storylines. I mean behind the scenes. It cost many sleepless nights (especially from me), it caused a lot of anxiety, and it was too dear in terms of personal relationships. As [then-DC group editor] Mike Carlin once told me, though, DC was paying me to bring the best vision of Aquaman to the fans that I could.

WITH APOLOGIES TO THE MASTER OF ADVENTURE

I am tremendously proud of our All-Star Editors issue, BACK ISSUE #103. But I must apologize for an error that appeared therein.

Send your comments to: Email: euryman@gmail.com (subject: BACK ISSUE) Postal mail: Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief • BACK ISSUE 118 Edgewood Ave. NE * Concord, NC 28025

Every creative team on the book I was excited about and fully believed in from the beginning. I was truly honored to work with so many astounding talents. Some of my favorite stories were the Sea Devils two-parter during the McLaughlin era, as well as the opening storyline, Aquaman meeting Batman, and more. Of course, the hand-into-the-hook story that started off Peter David’s run was daring and empowering to the hero. I especially liked when Aquaman was with Dolphin and Mera showed up. That was a great character arc. And who could forget when Poseidonis became a floating city! I talked with marketing about getting a snow globe done of it. Nobody beats Peter David when it comes to snappy dialogue. During Erik Larsen’s reign, among other plots, Garth’s wedding and the relationship between him and Arthur was a nicely puttogether story that he had built up. Aquaman definitely grew as a character under the scripts of these guys. And without a doubt, the best artists were on Aquaman while I was there. Hooper, Jarvinen, Egeland, Calafiore, Battle, and others, as well as the inkers, colorists, and letterers—all brought their individual and amazing style to the Sea King and the cast. I always tried to choose artists who would bring a smooth line to the book that mirrored the underwater ambiance, and I was never disappointed. I am very proud of the work we all did on the adventures of the Sea King, and although there are things that I would change, I wouldn’t trade the experience for all the salt in the ocean. Thank you. – Kevin Dooley “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.” – Mary Poppins

Allan Asherman’s engaging editorial about his early career mentioned “Edward” Rice Burroughs instead of Edgar Rice Burroughs, an accidental typo on his part which slipped past me, and our proofreader. Ironically, this typo appeared in an issue about editors. (How embarrassing.) Our apologies to the late, great Master of Adventure and his fans.

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 75

PHOTO FINISH

Just so you know, however, the photo of Dan Jurgens on page 76 [of #103] that you credited to me is not one of mine. However, the photo of Bob Rozakis that you credited to Sammi Rozakis is mine. It was taken by me, and not by Sammi Rozakis. – Luigi Novi Thanks for the corrections, Luigi. We regret the errors. And thank you for the wonderful bounty of comics-pro photos you’ve taken and made available.

SALUTING THE SUPER EDITORS

Great job on issue #103. Thanks for the retrospectives on Archie Goodwin and Mark Gruenwald—two of the all-time great writers and editors. Really moving to read the emotional tribute from Mark’s widow. She wrote an amazing feature. Overall, a fantastic issue! – Jason Strangis

THE DREADED DEADLINE DOOM, DEFINED

Kudos on another great issue. BACK ISSUE #103 contained some wonderful articles that gave us fans some interesting insights into the editorial process and some of the exceptional editors who have toiled in the field. It was great to hear how some editors avoided the DDD [Dreaded Deadline Doom], even if, as a kid I didn’t really know what that meant. Deadlines are something from the adult world. It did take me a while even as an adult to learn that back in those days the comic companies had an agreement with the printer to deliver an issue of Avengers or Green Lantern on a specific date. Marv Wolfman’s solution was responsible for one of my favorite issues of Avengers. Issue #163 was, I believe, made up as a possible

fill-in for an issue of Iron Man or Champions, but when an issue of Avengers was needed, since the story featured Iron Man, Hercules, and the Black Widow (the latter sort of having been an Avenger at that point), it was brought in. Since I have always been a sucker for George Tuska’s Iron Man, and the comic features some great action, it immediately became a favorite. I pulled out my copy of Batman #392 and reread it after reading Bob Greenberger’s contribution. That issue just goes to show that even something created quickly and under duress can still be a quality product. I did not have to pull out my copy of Superboy and the Legion #235 to have memories of that tale. That occurred around the time I started reading Legion and I remember the story well. I recall being a little confused since the story was a continuation from the previous issue, yet it was relegated to the backup story! Poor Wildfire was left for dead and we were left waiting. Since the lead featured the return of artist Mike Grell and as Mr. Milgrom relates, the story had a difficult gestation, I guess that would account for it. Mr. Milgrom’s tenure on the title was fraught with problems as he detailed in his text piece in #238. Even though he rang in friends Jim Starlin (for a legendary issue), Walt Simonson, and Howard Chaykin, the aforementioned #238 was still a reprint. The best-laid plans and all that. You can probably correct me if I’m wrong, but my memory tells me that Marvel had a lot more issues that were reprints around that time, maybe due to the editorial structure at DC being more “old school.” But my memory might be fooling me. I’m sure a lot of people did literally laugh out loud at Bob Schreck’s comment about calling a creator’s mother. A lot of stereotypes exist because they are true. Before I leave the DDD, it was not all bad. Out of that situation, we got Steve Gerber’s famous/infamous Howard the Duck #16 essay. I am of the camp that it was the former of the two terms, so… The two retrospectives focus on men I have never heard a single bad word about. Archie Goodwin and Mark Gruenwald are legends, and rightly so. Both seemed to create the perfect atmosphere for creativity, and the quality of work created under their watch testifies to that. As mentioned in the article, Goodwin’s Blazing Combat is always at or near the top of the list when people mention war comics. We youngsters who were not around when the magazines initially came out are fortunate that there have been high-quality reprints since for us to savor. Some of my favorite comics are from Mr. Goodwin’s short but sweet run on Detective. Its Batman and Manhunter stories need no comment, but the choices he made for reprints were inspired. Besides initiating me into the wonders of Gil Kane’s Atom and Joe Kubert’s Hawkman, he always included an eclectic mix of underexposed features that really gave us young fans some perspective on comics history. Prince Street News rightfully skewered some questionable editing decisions, while the Assistant Editors’ Month article harkens back to the days when people could actually have fun with comics and even be downright silly with them. Aunt May and Franklin versus Galactus is certainly the poster child for not taking any medium or thing too seriously. I didn’t know Diana Schutz was initially a fellow Canuck! The things you learn in BI. I’m sure you enjoyed that exchange just for the pure fun of questioning a former boss. We certainly got the lowdown on how some people are not meant to work in the corporate structure and flourish in the proper environment. I think a lot of people from my generation equate Jackie Cooper with Perry White, but I agree with John Schwirian regarding his role in Clark Kent’s comic-book life. I also reread Action #436 and remembered how enjoyable a story it was. The seemingly absurd concept of Super-Cigars still works just fine. Nelson Bridwell was the flag bearer for most of us who have a vast knowledge of comic-book history, even though he could have easily “drunk us all under the table.” Of course, his vast knowledge of so many subjects always heartened me as an example to hold up to people when they would say that comic-book fans only know comics. As one of, I am sure an army of fans whose comic IQ is just the tip of an iceberg and who are extremely well read, I feel our (and

76 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

Mr. Bridwell’s) vast storehouse of facts merely reflects our passion and a fundamentally ordered mind. Now, if I can just remember where I left my car keys… – Brian Martin

ARCHIE GOODWIN, MAJOR LEAGUER

Enjoyed your editors issue, especially the articles on Allan Asherman and E. Nelson Bridwell. The only question I have is connected to the article about Archie Goodwin. Writer Richard Arndt confuses me. He spends much of the article praising him, then toward the end of the piece he calls Archie a utility player. Archie was more than that! His work as a writer and editor was great. You can compare him to Dick Giordano, a great artist and great editor. Utility players don’t put up Hall of Fame stats. – Patrick John Moreau I believe that Richard Arndt’s point was that Archie Goodwin, despite his critical acclaim and veneration among the comics community, never reached a star or fan-favorite status.

GRU REMEMBERED

I took BI #103 to the laundromat this afternoon and finished the article on Mark Gruenwald, which was excellent. The testimonials spoke volumes about his creativity and personality, which was held up by the quality of the books that he oversaw while he was an editor at Marvel in the ’80s. I never cared for his writing, but I’ve always been a fan of his work as an editor, steering an excellent time at Marvel that holds up well today. I think Gruenwald, Archie Goodwin, Julie Schwartz, and others represent an element of the Bronze Age (and earlier), a time when comic-book publishers were more artists and creators than businesspeople; when the crafts of writing and storytelling, and the purity of art, mattered more than the bottom line and the buck; and when the authenticity of the character mattered more than how many action figures or video games it would inspire. Comics have always been a delicate balance between art and commerce, but I think Gruenwald’s time was the last time that the art came out on top, and I’m sorry that the time has passed. – Tom Savini

SO, WHAT IS IT AN EDITOR DOES AGAIN??

An All-Editors Issue? Really? I mean, what does an editor even do? I assure you, I have never bought a comic because of the editor. Clearly, since Eury is an editor himself he thinks everyone else is fascinated by the job, too… I admit, my thinking ran something like that. I was wrong, and I’m sorry for doubting you. I was delighted with issue #103. The article on Mark Gruenwald (and tributes) was moving in a way I would not have expected. He wrote comics, pulled practical jokes, had his own TV show, built a secret hideout in his office so he

could work late (on comics), and had his ashes made into more comic books… he was an actual superhero! The tributes were quite touching (especially the Jack Morelli one), and having Catherine Schuller present the biography added to the warmth of the feature (even if it wasn’t planned that way). I think I can freely admit that I shed a few tears as I read this article. Please pass on our thanks to Catherine for this beautiful piece. I particularly liked the article on the Assistant Editors’ Month. I never realized this was a one-time event, I thought Marvel did them periodically or something. I have about ten of the issues that came out that month, but since I picked them up intermittently as back issues (I did not start collecting until a couple years later, around 1985 or 1986), I never realized they all came from the month… Quite a few fond memories tucked in those pages. Nice job done with the synopsis of each issue; now I want to read Marvel Team-Up #137… A large part of why I enjoy BI is the art, and you had some stunning pieces that caught my attention. In the feature on Archie Goodwin, I saw a couple black-and-white pieces from Blazing Combat and Secret Agent Corrigan, both published before I was born. I walked around at work showing my colleagues these pieces, marveling at the detail and realism… well, I think I was more impressed than they were. But I was astonished that I knew virtually nothing about these strips. It looks like I might have to revise my assumption that all the best stuff came out in the ’70s and ’80s—maybe I just haven’t been looking in the right places. Also, I never noticed that Archie shared his name with Nero Wolfe’s henchman, and I’ve read quite a few of the Rex Stout novels (shame on me!). The other feature that had stunning artwork was the interview with Diana Schutz. The covers of The Telegraph Wire blew me away—I can’t believe they gave it away for free! It was enjoyable to see that she appeared (in a way) in Mage— I feel like I might have read that before (maybe in the letter columns for the series) but if I did, I had clearly forgotten it. And, she made me feel a little TM & TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. bit better about never really knowing what an editor does (I’m not the only one, it seems). Both Archie and Mark passed away in the late ’90s. I can’t help but wonder why these articles are appearing now? Regardless, I’m pleased they did. Many thanks. Well done. I’m looking forward to future issues, unless you do something crazy like an all kung-fu issue. That would be stupid. (Just kidding! Looking forward to the “Deadly Hands” issue!) – John Shaw I’m glad the editors issue won you over. I shared your letter with Catherine Schuller Gruenwald, and she was thrilled to read your remarks. Why do Goodwin and Gruenwald tributes now, 20 years after their deaths? BI wasn’t around when they died, and in the 15 years

Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue • BACK ISSUE • 77

I’ve been editing this magazine, Archie’s and Mark’s names have routinely come up (always with respect and affection) in interviews with creators. Tremendous legacies that had to be shared. As a comics fan who was heavily into his collecting zenith by 1983, I gotta say thanks for the special, in-depth tributes to both Archie Goodwin and Mark Gruenwald, who played such important roles in my lifelong affair with the art form. Archie was one in a million, easily the nicest guy in the business because that’s just how he rolled. Archie’s overseeing of Starman in the late ’90s remains his editing hallmark for me. Mark was one of a kind as well, truly the Stan Lee of my generation. I was born in ’72 and first became an active Marvel (and DC reader) in ’81, so I grew up during the Shooter era Bullpen. Their crazy antics helped brighten my days during many rough patches throughout that decade. Mark’s passion for his work shone through in unprecedented projects such as The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, which served as my introduction to over 95% of Marvel’s characters just after its Universe had celebrated its (then) 20th birthday. Most of the anecdotes and tributes to Mark really hit me hard, especially those of Rick Parker and Jack Morelli, who touched on Mark’s humanity and the difference he made on their lives. My pal Eliot R. Brown did not disappoint (as always) with his behind-the-scenes look at life with Mark during the good old days. I say to him, transfer that videotape into CD format for posterity’s sake, Eliot. Anything related to Mark Gruenwald deserves to be archived with the same tender loving care that Mark treated our mutually treasured hobby during his years among us. And hey, I’m looking up those old recordings of Cheap Laffs on YouTube even as I write these words. Lastly, thank you for your comprehensive Assistant Editors’ Month retrospective and checklist. I’m proud to say that I was there in September of 1983, read the comics, understood the concept, loved the finished product, and have yet to see its equal. One of these days, I will devote my time to complete an entire set of all issues from that memorable month, complete with their cartoon extras, go-go checks, and those brilliant Surgeon General’s warnings on the covers. Thanks again for putting out such a top-notch magazine. – Joe Tages

HE WANTS A COLAN-OSCOPY

To echo several other correspondents to BI, thanks for regularly inspiring me/us to investigate underappreciated/obscure comics of the past. On that very point, having just re-read and enjoyed Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan’s Night Force in hardback (a series well ahead of its time), can I make an appeal to DC Comics for a deluxe hardback of Don McGregor and Gene Colan’s Nathaniel Dusk? Two Dusk miniseries, a total of almost 300 pages, with the original idea of printing from Colan’s pencils with minimal coloring. There’s also a lot of original artwork out there also as a potential for extras. C’mon, DC! (As an aside: Yes, I’m a Gene Colan fan, and to me his least commercial work— Nathaniel Dusk, along with his take on Don McGregor’s Detectives, Inc. and Ragamuffins, and the Comico one-shot Bloodscent— all reproduced from pencils, hit a career peak. Very few inkers could dull Gene’s pencils, but perhaps his best inker was… no inker! [Tom Palmer fans, feel free to disagree.] And even fewer artists succeeded in getting so many stories printed like this, as drawn— a feature for BI at some point?) – Geraint Davies West Coast Avengers and related characters TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. BACK ISSUE TM & © TwoMorrows. All Rights Reserved.

I LOVE A CHEAP LAFF!

As the co-editor (with Bob Schreck) of Bloodscent, I can personally attest to the remarkable penciling of Gene Colan. An article about Colan’s uninked pencil work is a good idea, Geraint! I’ll certainly consider it. (BI writers: Anyone interested?)

THE POWER OF PINTO

Presented here (opposite page), as a treat for BACK ISSUE readers, is the art produced as a special Superman: The Movie 40th anniversary poster that was available back in June at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois. The artist, who kindly provided this image, is the amazing Jon Pinto. If you’re not yet a fan of Jon’s art, you will be once you check out his site: http://www.jonpinto.com. Next issue: “Make Mine Marvel,” cover-featuring STEVE ENGLEHART’s “lost” issues of West Coast Avengers! Plus: DENNY O’NEIL’s and CARMINE INFANTINO’s Marvel work, a MARK WAID/ANN NOCENTI Daredevil Pro2Pro interview, British Bronze Age Marvel fandom, plus histories of Pizzazz Magazine, Speedball, and the anthology Marvel Comics Presents. And go backstage of Marvel Comicon ’75 in a photo- and ephemera-packed retrospective. Featuring TOM DeFALCO, SCOTT EDELMAN, PAUL GULACY, TERRY KAVANAGH, ERIK LARSEN, DON McGREGOR, DOUG MOENCH, ROGER STERN, ROY THOMAS, MARV WOLFMAN, and many more merry marching Marvelites! Featuring a previously unpublished West Coast Avengers cover by AL MILGROM and MIKE MACHLAN. Don’t ask—just BI it! See you in sixty! Your friendly neighborhood Euryman, Michael Eury, editor-in-chief

78 • BACK ISSUE • Superman: The Movie 40th Anniversary Issue

Superman TM & (C) DC Comics.

New Books! MIKE GRELL: LIFE IS DRAWING WITHOUT AN ERASER (Softcover & Hardcover) From a seminal turn on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes and creating the lost world of the Warlord, to his work on Green Arrow—first relaunching the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series with DENNY O’NEIL, and later redefining the character in Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters—MIKE GRELL made an indelible mark at DC Comics in the 1970s and ’80s. But his greatest contribution to the comics industry was in pioneering creator-owned properties like Jon Sable, Starslayer, and Shaman’s Tears. Grell even tried his hand at legendary literary characters like Tarzan and James Bond, adding to his remarkable tenure in comics. This career-spanning tribute to the master storyteller is told in Grell’s own words, full of candor, optimism, and humor. Lending insights are colleagues PAUL LEVITZ, DAN JURGENS, DENNY O’NEIL, MIKE GOLD, and MARK RYAN. Full of illustrations from every facet of his long career, with a Foreword by CHAD HARDIN, it also includes a checklist of his work and an examination of “the Mike Grell method.” It is a fitting tribute to the artist, writer, and storyteller who has made the most of every opportunity set before him, living up to his own mantra, “Life is Drawing Without an Eraser.” By DEWEY CASSELL, with JEFF MESSER. NOW SHIPPING! (160-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $27.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-088-5 • (Digital Edition) $12.95 • Diamond Order Code: JUN182065 (176-page LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER) $37.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-087-8 • Diamond Order Code: JUN182066 (This LIMITED HARDCOVER EDITION is limited to 1000 COPIES, and includes 16 EXTRA FULL-COLOR PAGES not in the Softcover Edition.)

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID!

(JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #75)

This first-of-its-kind examination of the creators of the Marvel Universe looks back at their own words, in chronological order, from fanzine, magazine, radio, and television interviews, to paint a picture of JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s relationship—why it succeeded, where it deteriorated, and when it eventually failed. Also here are recollections from STEVE DITKO, WALLACE WOOD, JOHN ROMITA SR., and more Marvel Bullpen stalwarts who worked with both Kirby and Lee. Rounding out this book is a study of the duo’s careers after they parted ways as collaborators, including Kirby’s difficulties at Marvel Comics in the 1970s, his last hurrah with Lee on the Silver Surfer Graphic Novel, and his exhausting battle to get back his original art—and creator credit—from Marvel. STUF’ SAID gives both men their say, compares their recollections, and tackles the question, “Who really created the Marvel Comics Universe?”. ByTwoMorrows publisher JOHN MORROW. (160-page trade paperback) $24.95 • (Digital Edition) $11.95 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-086-1 Diamond Order Code: MAY182059 • SHIPS OCTOBER 2018!

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES: The 1990s

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES: THE 1990s is a year-by-year account of the comic book industry during the Bill Clinton years. This full-color hardcover documents the comic book industry’s most significant publications, most notable creators, and most impactful trends from that decade. Written by KEITH DALLAS and JASON SACKS. (288-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $44.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.95 • SHIPS NOVEMBER 2018! ISBN: 978-1-60549-084-7 • Diamond Order Code: MAY182060

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History. Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

THE 1990s was the decade when Marvel Comics sold 8.1 million copies of an issue of the X-MEN, saw its superstar creators form their own company, cloned SPIDER-MAN, and went bankrupt. The 1990s was when SUPERMAN died, BATMAN had his back broken, and the runaway success of Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN led to DC Comics’ VERTIGO line of adult comic books. It was the decade of gimmicky covers, skimpy costumes, and mega-crossovers. But most of all, the 1990s was the decade when companies like IMAGE, VALIANT and MALIBU published million-selling comic books before the industry experienced a shocking and rapid collapse.

BACK ISSUE #110

BACK ISSUE #111

BACK ISSUE #112

RETROFAN #1

COMIC BOOK IMPLOSION

MAKE MINE MARVEL! ENGLEHART’s “lost” issues of West Coast Avengers, O’NEIL and INFANTINO’s Marvel work, a WAID/ NOCENTI Daredevil Pro2Pro interview, British Bronze Age Marvel fandom, Pizzazz Magazine, Speedball, Marvel Comics Presents, and backstage at Marvel Comicon ’75 and ’76! With DeFALCO, EDELMAN, KAVANAGH, McDONNELL, WOLFMAN, and cover by MILGROM and MACHLAN.

ALTERNATE REALITIES! Cover-featuring the 20th anniversary of ALEX ROSS and JIM KRUEGER’s Marvel Earth X! Plus: What If?, Bronze Age DC Imaginary Stories, Elseworlds, Marvel 2099, and PETER DAVID and GEORGE PÉREZ’s senses-shattering Hulk: Future Imperfect. Featuring TOM DeFALCO, CHUCK DIXON, PETER B. GILLIS, PAT MILLS, ROY THOMAS, and many more! With an Earth X cover by ALEX ROSS.

NUCLEAR ISSUE! Firestorm, Dr. Manhattan, DAVE GIBBONS Marvel UK Hulk interview, villain histories of Radioactive Man and Microwave Man, Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy, and the one-shot Holo-Man! With PAT BRODERICK, GERRY CONWAY, JOE GIELLA, TOM GRINDBERG, RAFAEL KAYANAN, TOM MANDRAKE, BILL MORRISON, JOHN OSTRANDER, STEVE VANCE, and more! PAT BRODERICK cover!

THE CRAZY, COOL CUTURE WE GREW UP WITH! LOU FERRIGNO interview, The Phantom in Hollywood, Filmation’s Star Trek cartoon, “How I Met Lon Chaney, Jr.”, goofy comic Zody the Mod Rob, Mego’s rare Elastic Hulk toy, RetroTravel to Mount Airy, NC (the real-life Mayberry), interview with BETTY LYNN (“Thelma Lou” of The Andy Griffith Show), TOM STEWART’s eclectic House of Collectibles, and Mr. Microphone!

AN ORAL HISTORY OF DC COMICS CIRCA 1978! Marking the 40th anniversary of the “DC Implosion”, one of the most notorious events in comics (which left stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished and spawned Cancelled Comics Cavalcade). Featuring JENETTE KAHN, PAUL LEVITZ, LEN WEIN, MIKE GOLD, and others, plus detailed analysis of how it changed the landscape of comics!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Jan. 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships March 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships May 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Now shipping!

(136-page paperback w/ COLOR) $21.95 (Digital Edition) $10.95 • Now shipping!

ALTER EGO #155

ALTER EGO #156

ALTER EGO #157

ALTER EGO #158

DRAW #36

Golden Age artist/writer/editor NORMAN MAURER remembered by his wife JOAN, recalling BIRO’s Crime Does Not Pay, Boy Comics, Daredevil, St. John’s 3-D & THREE STOOGES comics with KUBERT, his THREE STOOGES movies (MOE was his father-inlaw!), and work for Marvel, DC, and others! Plus LARRY IVIE’s 1959 plans for a JUSTICE SOCIETY revival, JOHN BROOME, FCA, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY and more!

All Time Classic Con continued from #148! Panels on Golden Age (CUIDERA, HASEN, SCHWARTZ [LEW & ALVIN], BOLTINOFF, LAMPERT, GILL, FLESSEL) & Silver Age Marvel, DC, & Gold Key (SEVERIN, SINNOTT, AYERS, DRAKE, ANDERSON, FRADON, SIMONSON, GREEN, BOLLE, THOMAS), plus JOHN BROOME, FCA, MR. MONSTER, & BILL SCHELLY! Unused RON WILSON/CHRIS IVY cover!

Interview with JOYE MURCHISON, assistant to Wonder Woman co-creator DR. WILLIAM MARSTON, and WW’s female scriptwriter from 1945-1948! Rare art by H.G. PETER, 1960s DC love comics writer BARBARA FRIEDLANDER, art & anecdotes by ROMITA, COLAN, JAY SCOTT PIKE, INFANTINO, WEISINGER, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, and others! Extra: FCA, JOHN BROOME, MR. MONSTER, & more!

FCA SPECIAL! Golden Age writer WILLIAM WOOLFOLK interview, and his scripting records! Art by BECK, SCHAFFENBERGER, BORING, BOB KANE, CRANDALL, KRIGSTEIN, ANDRU, JACK COLE, FINE, PETER, HEATH, PLASTINO, MOLDOFF, GRANDENETTI, and more! Plus JOHN BROOME, MR. MONSTER, BILL SCHELLY, and the 2017 STAR WARS PANEL with CHAYKIN, LIPPINCOTT, and THOMAS!

MIKE HAWTHORNE (Deadpool, Infinity Countdown) interview, YANICK PAQUETTE (Wonder Woman: Earth One, Batman Inc., Swamp Thing) how-to demo, JERRY ORDWAY’s “Ord-Way” of creating comics, JAMAR NICHOLAS reviews the latest art supplies, plus Comic Art Bootcamp by BRET BLEVINS and MIKE MANLEY! May contain nudity for figure-drawing instruction; for Mature Readers Only.

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Now shipping!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Dec. 2018

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Feb. 2019

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships April 2019

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Spring 2019

BRICKJOURNAL #54

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #18

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #19

KIRBY COLLECTOR #75

KIRBY COLLECTOR #76

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: A covert Dossier on Taiwan’s HSINWEI CHI and his revolutionary LEGO animals and giant robots! We also declassify other top LEGO builders’ creations, including MICHAEL BROWN’s colossal Technic-scale F-18 Hornet! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

Career-spanning discussion with STEVE “THE DUDE” RUDE, as he shares his reallife psychological struggles, the challenges of freelance subsistence, and his creative aspirations. Also: The jungle art of NEAL ADAMS, MARY FLEENER on her forthcoming graphic novel Billie the Bee and her comix career, RICH BUCKLER interview Part Three, Golden Age artist FRANK BORTH, HEMBECK and more!

Celebrating the greatest fantasy artist of all time, FRANK FRAZETTA! From THUN’DA and EC COMICS to CREEPY, EERIE, and VAMPIRELLA, STEVE RINGGENBERG and CBC’s editor present an historical retrospective, including insights by current creators and associates, and memories of the man himself. PLUS: Frazetta-inspired artists JOE JUSKO, and TOM GRINDBERG, who contributes our Death Dealer cover painting!

KIRBY & LEE: STUF’ SAID! The creators of the Marvel Universe’s own words, in chronological order, from fanzine, magazine, radio, and TV interviews, painting a picture of JACK KIRBY and STAN LEE’s relationship—why it succeeded, where it deteriorated, and when it eventually failed. Includes a study of their solo careers after 1970, and recollections from STEVE DITKO, WALLACE WOOD, & JOHN ROMITA SR.

FATHERS & SONS! Odin/Thor, Zeus/ Hercules, Darkseid/Orion, Captain America/ Bucky, and other dysfunctional relationships, unpublished 1994 interview with GIL KANE eulogizing Kirby, tributes from Jack’s creative “sons” in comics (MUMY, PALMIOTTI, QUESADA, VALENTINO, McFARLANE, GAIMAN, & MILLER), MARK EVANIER, 2018 Kirby Tribute Panel, Kirby pencil art gallery, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Ships Nov. 2018

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.95 • Now shipping!

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Winter 2019

(160-page trade paperback) $24.95 (Digital Edition) $11.95 • Ships Fall 2018

(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $5.95 • Ships Winter 2019

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