ANDY FISH

ANDY FISH is a comic book artist

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

SUPERMAN! Man of the People!

All I can say is...maybe.
Superman's been done right on film three times.
1941-1943 Fleischer Bros Cartoons featuring stunning animation and a take no prisoners no fooling around Superman voiced by Bud Collyer (who was Superman on the popular daily radio show).
1951-1958 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN with George Reeves.  Reeves was a former prize fighter who looked like he could take a punch.  He was like your dad as Superman and you didn't want to tick him off.
1966 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN Cartoon series.  This TV version also featured the voice of Bud Collyer as Superman and it was done pretty well.

Yes, I know to most of you Christopher Reeve is the ideal Superman-- and I'll give you that for what it was 1977's SUPERMAN THE MOVIE was pretty entertaining and Reeve did a pretty good job of giving the Man of Steel the right attitude.  The subsequent sequels went quickly downhill.  Many cite SUPERMAN II as a better film but they really need to watch it again-- it's not.  In fact it's a pretty bad movie.

For the remaining appearances of Superman he's been in the spirit of a Lifetime movie.  An action hero as defined by your forty five year old mom.  He was a nice guy who helped out when he could and got out of the way when you didn't need him.  It started with his first live action appearance in 1948's SUPERMAN serial starring former DANCER Kirk Alyn.  Alyn skipped his was from one adventure to another.

Dean Cain was a former NFL receiver who's shiny red Superman suit and little red shorts looked like they came off the rack in South Beach at below retail.  His Superman was Lois Lane's lap-dog in LOIS AND CLARK in the 90s.

Then there was SUPERMAN RETURNS and don't get me started on that one.  I personally would have loved to see Wolfgang Peterson's proposed movie SUPERMAN VS BATMAN get made because Bats would have wiped up the mat with this version of Superman, and even Cain laughed at him.

But now we've got a brit as the American Man of Steel and maybe it works.  At least judging by this early picture anyway.  Interestingly we now have brits playing Batman, Spiderman and Superman so maybe it's time for George Clooney to take on the role of James Bond.

I've got some hope for this version of Superman, but only time will tell.