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Various Vintage Superman Posters Available at Auction
by Neil Cole
Several original Superman posters are currently up for bids in the Heritage Auctions Annual Vintage Poster Auction which takes place July 29th & 30th on-line and live in Dallas, TX.
Among the posters featured in the auction are:
Superman (Columbia, 1948). One Sheet (28" X 42") Teaser Comic Book Style.
Rarely seen, this highly desirable one sheet pays homage to the Man of Steel's comic book beginnings, evoking a sense of nostalgia with its classic cartoon style. It's the only poster for Columbia's live action serial that features Superman's original design, with the rest of the advertisements showing painted artwork with photographic insets instead. The Kryptonian superhero had already gotten a massive popularity boost just a few years beforehand with Fleischer Studios' acclaimed animated Superman cartoons, raising the interest in a potential live production. Republic Pictures twice had tried to attain the rights to make a live action serial in 1940 and 1947, but negotiations fell through and they optioned Superman competitor Captain Marvel instead. Kirk Alyn dons the crimson cape for the first time in this Columbia series, while Noel Neill costars as the lovely Metropolis reporter Lois Lane, a role she would go on to play in the future TV series. Certainly one of Supes' most collectible posters in the hobby, this brilliant one sheet has had touchup applied to the folds and to a few spots in the white background. The professional restoration is well done, making this already fantastic poster look even better. Very Fine+ on Linen.Superman Cartoon Stock (Paramount, 1941). One Sheet (27" X 41").
Just after Superman made his dramatic appearance in Action Comics in 1938 and rose quickly to fame, he became the subject of Hollywood speculation. Republic Pictures wanted to turn the Man of Steel into a serial, but Paramount got the rights first and decided to create a series of cartoons instead. Under the leadership of Max and Dave Fleischer, Paramount turned out 17 cartoons and those shorts are considered some of the best work to emerge from Paramount's cartoon division. Paramount did not issue individual one sheets for the series, but instead, opted to create this stock one sheet with a blank imprint area where the individual cartoon titles could be written in or printed. Featuring bright colors, this one sheet shows mild edge wear, slight fold wear and separation, handling creases, pinholes in the corners, and light edge toning. A couple of the pinholes are torn, there are a few small chips in the borders, and the verso has some small pieces of cellophane tape at the folds. There is a NSS large rubber stamp and small pencil, pen and grease pencil notations on the verso, none of which bleed through. There is written in pencil on the verso, The Aortic Giant, which was the fourth in the 17 animated shorts in the series. None of these issues are distracting and the poster is one of the best examples of this one sheet we've ever seen. It remains one of the most sought after posters in the hobby and has crossover appeal to both movie poster, animation, and comic book collectors. Folded, Very Fine-.Superman (Columbia, 1948). Autographed One Sheet (27" X 41") Chapter 14 -- "Superman at Bay."
Although Superman, that strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers superior to those of mortal men, was a star of comic books, newspaper strips and animated cartoons, by 1948 he had never appeared in a live action film. That all changed when the energetic and charismatic Kirk Alyn brought him to life on the big screen in the form of a serial. Superman would go on to become one of Columbia's biggest successes, and spawned not only the inevitable sequel, but the popular TV series as well. Signed by Kirk Alyn, this colorful one sheet features not just exciting artwork of our hero, but also an inset photo of Superman with leading lady Lois Lane, played by Noel Neill. It shows some general edge and fold wear, slight crossfold separations, and light creases. The poster also has unobtrusive stains and smudges, a small piece of cellophane tape at the lower crossfold on the verso, and pinholes in the corners with light tape stains. There is an ink censorship stamp with an inked signature in the lower background with another stamp on the verso. Folded, Fine/Very Fine.Atom Man vs. Superman (Columbia, 1950). Title Lobby Card & Lobby Cards (3) (11" X 14") Chapters 1, 3,13, & 15.
Villain Lex Luthor (Lyle Talbot) disguises himself as Atom Man, and threatens to bring destruction upon Metropolis. It's up to Superman (Kirk Alyn) to save the threatened city in this thrilling adventure serial. Offered here is a title card from chapter 3 -- "Ablaze in the Sky" and lobby cards for Chapter 1 -- "Superman Flies Again," Chapter 13 -- "Atom Man's Flying Saucer," and Chapter 15 -- "Superman Saves the Universe." The Chapter 3 title card is in near immaculate shape, and the other cards show a mix of slight edge wear with small tears, light creasing, and unobtrusive stains and smudges. One card has pinholes in the top border. A couple of cards have uneven edges, which may be due to the manufacturing process. Very Fine.Superman III & Supergirl (Warner Brothers, 1983). One Sheets (2) (27" X 41") Advance, Larry Salk Artwork. Action.
Starring Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annie Ross, Annette O'Toole, Pamela Stevenson, Robert Vaughn, and Margot Kidder. Directed by Richard Lester. Included with Superman III is a one sheet for Supergirl (Tri-Star, 1984). Unrestored posters with bright colors and clean overall appearances. They may show general signs of use, such as slight edge and fold wear, minor fold separation, light creases, pinholes, unobtrusive stains, or small tears. Please see full-color, enlargeable images above for more details. Folded, Overall Grade: Very Fine.
For more information or to place a bid, please visit MoviePosters.HA.com.
