REVIEW: Mattel’s latest offering makes me think of the Supermen who’ve come before …
I couldn’t be more tickled that this exists.
Forget for a moment that Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #9 might be the best Superman story since the Flashpoint reboot. I just think it’s fantastic that there’s a black Superman action figure.
Gene Ha
It’s funky and it’s interesting and Mattel did a great job in producing it as part of its 6-inch DC Multiverse line.
They went with Calvin Ellis of Earth-23, who’s like Obama with superpowers, but I would have been just as happy if they’d gone with Morrison’s other creation, Sunshine Superman of Earth-47 (also known as Dreamworld), which is based on the psychedelia-soaked ’60s.
Art by Scott Hepburn from DC’s The Multiversity Guidebook.
Anyway, the action figure — which is out now and will run you in the $25-$30 range depending on where you get it — got me thinking about the great alternate Supermen (Supermans?) we’ve seen since 1938.
So, in no special order, here are 13 COVERS featuring some of the very best:
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President Superman
Rags Morales
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Sunshine Superman
Duncan Rouleau
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Earth-2 Superman
Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano
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Bizarro
Ross Andru and Dick Giordano
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Ultraman
Ivan Reis, Eber Ferreira and Joe Prado
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Superman-Red and Superman-Blue
Kurt Schaffenberger
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Red Son Superman
Dave Johnson
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These Guys
Neal Adams
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Superman Jr.
Nick Cardy
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Anti-Superman
Curt Swan and George Klein
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Composite Superman
Curt Swan and George Klein
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Earth-2 Superman
Andy Kubert
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Batman
Curt Swan and Stan Kaye
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Cover images and credits (mostly) from the super Grand Comics Database.
