This book chronicles every attempt to bring Superman beyond the pages of his native format - the comic book. The book covers the whole gamut - from the early radio serials to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. After reading this book, I find it amazing that anything of any substance was ever really produced - especially in regard to the movies.
The radio serials are actually responsible for many of standard elements of the Superman myth - Clark Kent's job at The Daily Planet, the characters of Perry White, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olson, the introduction of Kryponite in order to make the nearly-indestructible Superman vulnerable, and Superman's ability to fly.
The early movie serials produced for the theaters suffered from all that was involved in portraying a flying omnipotent man - in other words, the technology simply didn't allow for much creativity. This wasn't true for the early Fleischer cartoons.
The longest and most compelling part of the book deals with the four Superman movies produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind. They purchased the rights when no one thought a superhero would be worth much on the silver screen. Unfortunately, the Salkinds never really knew what to do with their rights. It is a wonder that Superman I and II are as good as they are. There seems to be no end to the infighting among producers, directors, and stars.
Rossen also covers the television series, The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves, the many incarnations of Superfriends,, Lois & Clark, The Adventures of Superboy, Bruce Timm's outstanding Superman: The Animated Series and, my personal favorite, Smallville. Rossen calls Smallville "the most well-constructed, faithful, and competent take on the character to date" (264).
He also writes of the so-called Superman curse - George Reeve's suicide (or possible murder) and Christopher Reeve's paralyzing fall.
Finally, he goes into detail about the nightmare years of possible relaunches of the Superman movie franchise. Some of the ideas that producers, directors, and celebrities have had about Superman are positively absurd! Thank God that comic book fans - often ignored since the vast majority of the movie-going public knows superheroes through movies rather than their native format, comic books - are finally heard through fan-based websites. And, thank God Bryan Singer was finally chosen to make the new Superman movie. Of all the possible choices, he is the one who held the source material in the highest respect, which shows (perhaps a little overmuch) in the newest Superman movie.
It's hard telling where the franchise will go from here. Before the first frame of Superman Returns was even shot, the studio had spent an estimated $65 million in development hell. As successful as Superman Returns was, it could not possibly recoup the losses. But, wherever it goes, one thing remains sure - Superman lives!
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