When Superman: The Animated series first aired in 1996, I was thrilled that there was yet another Superman adaptation to watch. It had it all, intriguing stories and compelling characters. After handling the Caped Crusader with style in Batman: The Animated Series, the creative team of Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Stan Berkowitz, and Rich Fogel proved they could do it all over again with the Man of Steel… and, boy, did they!
Oh, how I loved both the Justice League and the Justice League Unlimited animated series. Actually, I still do. There were so many pieces of memorabilia to collect that it was nearly impossible to keep up with. Fortunately, you could stroll down almost any aisle and find something related to it. Turning into the personal care area in 2004, I found…
I saw this Man of Steel beach towel in Walmart in 2008 from pretty far away. It was hard not to with the huge image of Superman on it. Produced by the Franco Manufacturing Company, I knew this 30-inch by 60-inch towel had to be mine. Who could go wrong with the stunning artwork of José Luis García-López? When the towel is unfolded, the scene of Superman flying past a giant wave can be seen and fully admired.
In the 2006 motion picture Superman Returns, director Bryan Singer decided to bring back Marlon Brando as Jor-El through the means of CGI and archival footage from the 1978 film Superman: The Movie. Although we never got to see Jor-El appear as more than a disembodied head in the Fortress of Solitude, Mattel produced two separate figures of him. This 2-pack titled The House of El contains…
Taking clear nods from both John Byrne’s 1986 revamp of Superman’s origin coupled with a heaping helping of Superman: The Animated Series, this book from Scholastic is a wonderfully compelling introduction to Superman’s story. Intended for readers in grades 1 and 2, this Hello Reader book does a fantastic job of telling the tale of Clark Kent’s journey to discovering who he is and who he’s meant to be beginning with his days in Smallville High School. Knowing he was different than others and could do remarkable feats, he longed to known more. When his foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent (who are not named in this book), finally show him his rocketship and how they found him…
You’re looking at a CD that I couldn’t wait to be produced. This is a soundtrack to the 1950s television series The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves released by Varése Sarabande Records. In addition to the main theme, in all its staticless, digitally remastered glory, are wonderful selections of the bed music used on the show. For those who have watched the episodes, there are very recognizable tunes from memorable scenes. When reading the included booklet…
Gifted to me at Christmastime in 2006, this decorative Superman pillow was a pleasant surprise. Made by Franco Manufacturing Company, the pillow is filled with foam beads and is quite comfortable. So comfortable, I contemplated…
The Mattel toy line that promoted the Justice League animated series thankfully knew no bounds. There were countless variant figures including this Silver Storm Superman, produced in 2005, which looks like it was torn from an early 1990s independent comic cover. The figure is a made from the standard version, but is painted a slightly darker blue and gold where the yellows usually are. He comes with hefty, unnamed accessories like a shoulder/backpack tech… thing… that has a rotatable targeting monocle. On this shoulder/backpack tech… thing… you can…
Schylling made many, many unique Superman Classic collectibles in the early 2000s. This High Bounce Ball from 2005 is not just a bounce ball, but a diorama as well showing Superman flying high above a very detailed topographical area which a photo cannot do justice. In addition to various buildings, there’s a train running on its tracks about to approach a bridge that crosses a river. As it was for all of the Superman Classic merchandise…
Adding to the list of Superman collectibles from businesses that have long left us is this KB Toys gift card. Promoting the release of the film Superman Returns in 2006, the card sports the movie’s logo with honor. As it was with the Borders gift card from 2002, I had to add a minimum amount to it in order to get the card… which was fine by me.
Superman Collector in Hawaii 