John Newton Saves!

Faster than a speeding bullet, TV’s Superboy fearlessly cornered a real-life mugger in New York City and quickly recovered the victim’s $100.

Actor John Haymes Newton wasn’t wearing his character’s cape, but he didn’t hesitate when he saw a man grab the money Barry’s [real identity of the Victim kept secret] pocket on a busy Manhattan street. He took off and chased the fleeing mugger on foot.

Newton, who starred in Levi’s jeans commercials before he was chosen to play the Boy of Steel in a new syndicated series, is a muscular six foot former bodyguard for such celebrities as Equalizer Edward Woodward and actress Melanie Griffith. The Victim [name kept secret] and an executive director of a medical research firm in Atlanta, Georgia, didn’t even realize he was being mugged before Newton was in hot pursuit of the assailant.

The Victim told the GLOBE: “I was waiting to cross the street when somebody clipped me behind the knees. I thought it was an old New York buddy playing a trick.” The mugger grabbed $100 from his pocket and ran.

“I was on my knees and I turned and saw this young guy with a knapsack, running after the mugger, so I joined in,” he explains.

“It seemed like we ran for miles, but this young man had powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. He was stronger than a locomotive.”

“Finally I turned a corner and the guy with the knapsack was standing in front of a construction site. He said: “I got him cornered in a building.”

“The frightened mugger emerged and returned the money before he dashed off and disappeared into a crowd of curious onlookers. I guess he’d gotten his wind back,” the Victim says. “No cops were around, and couldn’t just hold him.”

Then the young hero revealed his identity. “I play Superboy on television.” He confessed. The Victim, who had watched one episode on television with his six-year –old daughter, was dubious until he noticed the telltale curl of black hair in the middle of Newton’s forehead.



That’s what gave it away and made me think it was really him,” the Victim says. “He was very shy; very unimposing. In fact he was just like you’d think the young Clark would be. I was completely taken aback by his quiet personal charm. He wouldn’t even accept a cup of coffee as a thank you.”

- VALARIE JONES

Rob Burman - Special FX Make-Up Artist on Superboy the TV Series.

Article by Rennie Cowan

The Superboy TV Series had a great special effects make-up/animatronics artist on the series, and his name is Rob Burman. Even if you have never heard of him before, more than likely you have seen his handy work either on TV or Film. He has done work on some classic horror movies such as "The Fly" and "The Thing". His special FX make-up department finally achieved an Academy award in 2009 for their work on the latest "Star Trek" incarnation, which was, according to Burman, the franchise's first Academy Award! Most of the monster work and make-up you see in the Superboy series (if not all of the best of it) was done by Burman. He did not work on season one, but jumped in for the ride on seasons 2, 3 and 4.



Above, Rob Burman at Mono Lake doing FX make-up for a commercial of C3PO's cereal (1983).

The Bizarro white face six piece mask was done by the hands of Rob Burman on Superboy the TV Series. In fact, by season 3 Burman was doing some pretty incredible make-up FX and animatronics work. He did the werewolf animatronics FX and make-up for the third season episode "Werewolf" (which fit in nicely with the Film Noir feeling of the 3rd and 4th seasons), and it was very much in tune with the classic Universal Monsters that we would see in any Universal monster film. He even did a homage to the classic movie he had worked on years earlier: "The Fly".

In the episode "Special Effects", this began with conversations that Burman had with the writers. Burman stated: "Since my family is involved in monster-making and things of that nature, it gave them conceptual ideas. The next season was when they came to me with the script." And we all know this season is season 3; in "Special Effects" we see a female-like Fly character who is actually Stacy Haiduk's stunt double. And so it is no coincidence that the remaining three seasons of Superboy were shot on the Universal lot in Florida. The "Werewolf" episode was shot back to back with "Neila and the Beast". Concerning this, Rob Burman stated: "We managed to do both of the werewolves and the bigfoot alien in about 3 weeks. Small crews, long hours."



Bizzaro (left) and a photo of a flying Bizarro that Burman took with his camera during a Superboy shoot (by use of a fog-lens), which he stated made the wires look like they weren't there.

As if building the monsters weren't enough, Burman was able to get his SAG card when he played the character of the beast Ajax in the third season episode "Special Effects". The costume was of Burman's own design; a full body suit with an RC overhead (an animatronic head). No make-up necessary! But the only difference, he got to wear it and play the part because he designed it to fit only his body. He said, "One of the perks of having a monster suit that fits only you...". Rob also had a funny story to tell about the Ajax episode ("Special Effects"). I mentioned to him that Ajax was just as strong as Superboy and Superboy had a hard time getting him down. Rob thought otherwise as there were some delicate pieces inside of the Ajax costume. Gerard was advised to aim for the body rather than the head. Rob goes on to explain: "During the fight with Superboy, I told Gerard that the animatronic head was held in place with a fiberglass helmet that sat right over my nose. I told him, "Please don't hit the head in the fight - it is very delicate and it could break - especially my nose." So, "Take one: Action!" Gerard comes out and the first punch lands square on the chin of the animatronic. Pain instantly shoots through my face, my eyes tear up and I can't see. I stop and hold up my hands waving "time out!" We reset to do it again. Take two "Bam!" right in my face again - so I wasn't so invincible."



Above, Rob Burman enjoys his cameo as Ajax on The Adventures of Superboy season 3 episode "Special Effects" (Gerard Christopher is on the left).

Rob Burman chatted on facebook about his monster-costume wearing experience on the Superboy TV series: "It isn't all that often that a guy gets to have a fight with Superboy." Indeed, Ajax got to fight Superboy. Sadly, he didn't win the fight. In fact, he died in that episode but Ajax was almost as strong as Superboy. The suit must have been hot but Burman didn't seem to care. He adds with: "Three days of sweating is nothing when you get a SAG card out of it."

You can watch the episode "Special Effects" on youtube (just click these links, Part 1 and 2). Only by watching this particular episode can you truly appreciate Burman's work on the Superboy TV Series. The costumes themselves look very expensive, especially Ajax. However, according to Rob Burman the Ajax costume was used in a different film entirely and only re-worked for the "Special Effects" episode: "If you ask the Producers, the work was expensive. If you ask us Artists, we say it was done on a shoestring budget. I was luckly enough to have made the suit (Ajax) initially for another film. I had to do was re-make it from the molds. Managed to get it done in a few weeks. At the same time, we had to make the other characters which turned out to be the Caliban make-up, the snake-man mask and "The Fly" homage mask."



Between scenes, Gerard Christopher takes a break with the Werewolf.

Burman also goes on to explain his work as a whole on the Superboy TV series: "I did quite a few episodes over the last three seasons. A sickly, diseased guy in an episode with Phillip Michael Thomas; a radiation mutant living in a swamp; a couple of werewolves, and a Bigfoot alien. There was the episode called "Special Effects" with several characters in it, including Barry (Meyers) as "Caliban" and myself as the creature "Ajax". The show kind of gave me carte blanc over designs and such. They'd call and say, "Well, what can we do for this epeisode?" and we'd figure something out. Next thing I knew, it was time to make something and head off to Florida for the shoot. I felt like a special guest star as any of the ACTUAL guest stars!" For a series that was not shot on film, this is some incredible work for a professional high-quality video-produced syndicated series as Burman expresses: "I do not believe we shot on film."

Aside from Superboy, Rob also worked on several episodes of "Lois and Clark". Initially he and his FX make-up comrades had approached the "Lois and Clark" team but they stated that it wasn't that kind of show because "Lois and Clark" was more of soap opera, not a science fiction show. However, a year later they called him back to do specialty stuff and he did a few prop molds and disguise prosthetics for an episode (Jimmy Olsen was even cast for an episode). As Rob Burman told me: "Apparently, the mail that came in about the show wanted them to ramp it up a bit and make it a little less boring and soap-opera-like."

Burman also states that he has been involved in quite a bit over the years, namely as a mold-maker on the Penguin suit in "Batman Returns" and then patching and repair work on the Batman and Catwoman costume for the same film.

Life without a heritage - the intent of the Superboy TV show was to have a fully developed Superboy.

Article by Rennie Cowan

We all know about the #1 rule in the "Smallville" TV Series: no flight, no tights. Quite the contrary to the Superboy TV Series. The intent of the show was to depict a fully-developed Superboy character that mirrored the one seen in the pre-crisis DC line. So by the premiere of the series it was evident that Clark Kent had already discovered most of his powers (if not ALL of them). In fact, he knew he could fly, use heat and x-ray vision, and that bullets could bounce off of him (the bullets bouncing was discovered in the show's tie-in comic book, issue #2). Nevertheless, this didn't eliminate discoveries. Superboy learned that he could be affected by magic, vampirism, alien forces, other super-powered beings and Green Kryptonite (which was introduced in the first season). Red Kryptonite and Bizarro Kryptonite was introduced in the second season.

These random discoveries and phenomenons inspired Superboy to write a journal. In this journal, he would place his thoughts, facts, theories, and many doubts about his powers. However, he was still a fish out of water! He had no inkling of his true heritage--where he was from or why he was here. The rocketship that had sent him to Earth was safely stored in the basement of the Kents' house; the rocketship alone was evidence for the theory that he could have come from another planet. And in issue #1 of 'Superboy: The Comic Book' which told the tale of Superboy's first appearance to the world, Superboy came into contact with an alien life-form that lived inside a meteorite. This alien clued him into the idea that he was in fact an alien.

The waiting was soon over. Well, almost. Only two episodes ever mention Krypton and Kal-El's past, a second season two-part tale titled "Abandon Earth"/"Escape to Earth" (actually, in the episode "Metallo", the planet Krypton and the origin of Kryponite was briefly mentioned as being from a planet Astronomers theorized once existed). In this two-part story, Superboy finally learned about his true heritage, and the aweful fate of Krypton. However, this new-found knowledge turned sour when Superboy found out Jor-El and Lara were really two imposters posing as his parents (Vorok and Mir). They actually ran an unethical cosmic zoo and needed Superboy for their Kryptonian habitat. In the end, Superboy had to make a difficult choice between the knowledge of his true heritage or the life of his college roomate, Andy McCallister. I suppose it's obvious what choice he made. Superboy changed the past in order to salvage the present. Surely, the absence of this heritage brought an element of sympathy to the Superboy character.

Is the Superboy TV Series contemporary?

Article by Rennie Cowan

Did the show take place in a contempary setting, starting with 1988, the year of the series debut? This is a good question and remains a mystery to Colin Chivlers, the director of several first season episodes of Superboy. There was never really any hard-core references to a particular time-frame in the show itself and it is just assumed to be contemporay. I mean, you can notice the cars, the Kevin Kiner synthesizer music and Lana Lang's hair styles (and choice of clothing) that it's the 1980's (and I still like Lana Lang's choice of clothing to this day!). Colin Chivlers stated online in an interview, "Superboy is set in a nowhere time."

If this is accurate, then it was probably done for one good reason: a specific, established time could make the show look 'dated'. If you specifically say in an episode..."it's 1988"...then viewers watching the season 1 DVDs today can say, "Oh, this is old." So it's not exactly about looking at the 1980's hair styles in first two seasons, but looking at what it doesn't say. In terms of when the production was shot, this gives it away indeed. However, by using your imagination, Superboy could take place during any contemporary setting, even today (minus the cell phones, of course).

I think a 'nowhere time' setting is far more accurate in the latter "The Adventure of Superboy" seasons 3 and 4. Indeed, looking "dated" is not good for the future of a new syndicated series, so it was wise of the Salkinds to never pay attention to dates during shooting. But the promotional commercials for the first season eluded otherwise, labeling our hero as "The Superhero of the 90's" when it was still being shot in the late 1980's. So the Salkinds were indeed thinking in advance. Back in 1988, the 90's looked far into the distance. Now, of course, it's in the past.

So, although elusive, this was exciting to hear! Setting Superboy up for the future gave the series the impression of Superboy being somewhat futuristic, or taking place in some kind of 'nowhere time' like Colin Chivlers describes it. If one were to sit back and watch an episode today, it would be easy to determine that seasons 1 and 2 may have been shot in the 1980's,but the time-setting of the show itself is not going to give this away. In fact, you'll have to look at the date on the box to know for sure.

The exception to the 'nowhere time' that Colin Chivlers mentioned is at least one episode of Superboy the TV Series that could be considered a time-piece. It takes place during the roaring twenties. Superboy went back in time in the episode "Hollywood". Not only was the production and costume design dead-on in that episode, but it really had a 1920's feel to it. The music by Kevin Kiner was adjusted likewise.

The production value and scenery with seasons 3 and 4 can definitely be called 'nowhere time' because it was mostly shot at night, with that "Dark Knight" film-noirish shooting-style and seemingly timeless look of the wardrobe and set design. The music became far less of a 1980's pop-synth backdrop to a musical score more cinematic. This 'nowhere time' is most definitely in season 3 and 4 (which stepped away from appeasing to the young audiences and became dark and gothic in nature).

Regardless, an entire Superman TV Series like Superboy is sure to leave a fresh take on the Superman mythos for new generations to come which was far more daring than the later television incarnation "Smallville". Don't get me wrong, "Smallville" is a great show. But the Superboy TV show innocently said yes to flight, and yes to tights and wouldn't have had it otherwise.

Superman V - The development hell of the Cannon/Salkind Universe sequel.

Article by Rennie Cowan

Article by Rennie Cowan

Like many other Superman movie ideas that ended up in development hell, SUPERMAN V was being planned as early as 1988 by Cannon Films. They once again would have been responsible for the story, production values and a possible release date for the summer of 1989. A screenplay was never written for this idea by Canon, but Superman V would have taken advantage of much of the 45 minutes stripped from Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Yes, Superman IV is a shorter movie than it would have been if it was not for a screen test that happened in Orange County, California prior to its' release. You can watch a good majority of this cut footage on the released Superman IV Deluxe DVD available for purchase on amazom.com.

The original cut of Superman IV was well over 2 hours, so for quite some time never-before-seen footage could have been recycled and inserted into a new cut of a Superman V - at least this was what Cannon was hoping for. This would have made Superman IV look like the better movie of course; Cannon Films appeared to have no respect for the previous Salkind produced Superman films in terms of the flying effects. For those who were familiar with Cannon's reputation this was no surprise. Cannon was prone to cutting corners and cheapening production values in any way possible to save money. Christiopher Reeve's sole reason for doing Superman IV was because Cannon promised him involvement with writing the story and to star in another unrelated movie called Street Smart. Oddly enough, to this day, Street Smart has the better reputation in terms of quality. Ilya Salkind actually told me once that this poor Mr. Reeve went into this movie with this high expectation but only Street Smart appeared to have any recognition as it started Morgan Freeman's acting career.

Of the 45-40 minutes of footage that was cut from Superman IV only about 30 minutes of it was placed onto the latest Superman IV release known as The Deluxe Edition as extra material. For years fans believed the footage was completely destroyed, and they blamed the Superman IV Editor for that one, but apparently a work print was found. Splicing pen marks could be seen on the footage added with campy temp music and unfinished FX. But - all the footage was found according to an official press release by Warner Brothers preceding the Deluxe Edition release. Fans of this film, or rather, fans of Reeve's Superman incarnation are still hoping for an extended cut by WB, one that will re-incorporate all the extra footage.

One scene from Superman IV in particular would definitely have been used by Cannon for their Superman V sequel - it was a battle scene between Superman and Nuclear Man #1 (not Mark Pillow) which had been reported as costing Cannon $4-6 million dollars to shoot. The high price tag is a rumor, but more than likely all the extra money went to Golan-Globus Productions' 1987 release of Masters of the Universe. And what a let down that was.

When one watches the car-crushing scene on the Superman IV Deluxe Edition DVD, it is exciting how Superman and Nuclear Man #1 get into a pushing war. Literally. The scene doesn't look cheap by any measure, as they continue to smash the cars against one another. This scene gave Reeve hope, but one of the most expensive scenes of this movie was unfortunately scratched, and then, almost lost forever. The campy temp music lessons the value on the Deluxe Edition. And if you are not a big, big fan you might actually believe that was the real music used in Superman IV.



Just above is the box for the 'Superman IV' Deluxe Edition which contains the extra 30 minutes of the cut footage from 'Superman IV'.

Below, watch one deleted scene from 'Superman IV' - Superman's fight with Nuclear Man #1.

Above, more interesting shots from the cut footage of Superman IV.

Be careful not to confuse Superman V with Superman Reborn which was the sequel Ilya Salkind wanted to produce with Christopher Reeve. If interested, you only need to do a google search to find and read the full script to Superman Reborn. The script was written by comic book verterans Mark Jones and Cary Bates with story by Ilya Salkind. Cannon Films wanted to do Superman V first, with the bastardized left over footage from Superman IV. Later, the Salkinds made a move to do their own sequel to Superman IV. Reeve would have done it according to Ilya Salkind. For Reeve, doing another Superman film with the Salkinds would have been the "saving grace" for his character's plight on the defunct world peace negotiations. However, due to the results of the test screening for Superman IV, Cannon's plans for Superman V would have been very different.

Superman IV's test screening was conducted in Orange County, California, completely uncut. Reviews from that audience caused some major editing changes. Many believe those changes left important sequences on the cutting room floor. For example, what happened to Jeremy after he met Superman at the World Leader's Summit? The Editor of Superman IV, John Shirley, was told to destroy the master print of the 134 minute complete cut of 'Superman IV' (with all that extra footage). So that was the story and for a very long time, 45 minutes of the movie was believed to be NON-EXISTENT. As in GONE. FOREVER. There are still scenes that the fans have not seen from the cut footage, like the Metro Club scene (where Clark and Lacy are inside the club). It is up to Warner Brothers when these additional scenes will be released.

It is believed that the 45 minutes stripped from the picture was indeed destroyed until theSuperman IV Deluxe Edition was released by WB. There are a few fans today who believe the cut footage, if used in Superman IV, could have made the film better (even into an epic piece perhaps), one that would have matched Donner's Superman: The Movie. Donner, don't move over yet. Superman IV has grown a small fan-base of followers over the years because of the alternate style and edgy story/characters in the picture, despite the controversy over the FX problems. To these loyal fans, only a few of FX shots were messy.

Nevertheless, Superman IV was a failure at the box-office. Was it because the Salkinds didn't produce it? Many blame the editing for the failure; many blame the strikingly different and inferior FX work. Cannon certainly didn't have the budget to market this film properly, and if they did they used the money for their marketing on other films, not on Superman. Christopher Reeve eventually chose not to do a Superman V with Cannon. He felt it would not capture the spirit of the original as a blockbuster epic. And despite what he felt was wrong in Superman III, the Salkinds now were the far better choice.

And if we thought Cannon was bold back then, they went even further. A replacement was necessary for the reluctant and increasingly expensive Christopher Reeve. Cannon Films thought of using a different actor to continue the series, but eventually the idea was ditched all together and Cannon moved on from the project (and their company was eventually dissolved). And that left the Superman franchise once again into the hands of some old friends...Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

The Salkinds gained back the rights to the Man of Steel; Cannon had an option for a limited time only and this gave the Salkinds some extra money but with a sour taste in their mouths. In their wisdom, Ilya Salkind wanted to bring Superman back with Christopher Reeve who was always the first choice, above all other actors. It was like Reeve was only glove that ever fit. Ilya Salkind actually had a lunch meeting with Christopher Reeve around 1991. To his memory, it was a wonderful lunch and Reeve took the idea seriously. According to Ilya Salkind in the interview On The Pool Patio With Ilya Salkind: "Reeve would have done it.". This was, according to Ilya Salkind, the last time he ever saw Reeve walking. And so what was left - Superboy, the TV Series. Ilya Salkind was already working in television with Superboy. He thought of his new and ever increasingly successful Superboy series which premiered in Northern America on October of 1988. But, according to Ilya in the documentary On The Pool Patio With Ilya Salkind Warner Brothers sabotaged both the Superboy series andSuperman Reborn. Leaving a scar on the Superman franchise. And this left the Salkinds out - for good.

Of course, the idea and rumor began to abound that a new Superman movie could be made from Gerard Christopher's portrayal as Superboy to Superman. The idea had been thrown around, according to Ilya Salkind from the same Pool Patio documentary Directed and Produced by myself. According to comic book movie sources, the film would have been calledSUPERMAN: THE NEW MOVIE. Though Ilya Salkind denies that Gerard Christopher was in the list of guys to play Superman (Gerard was too short, only 6 foot, according to Ilya), the rumor was that the new movie would star none other than Gerard Christopher, the star of theSuperboy franchise. The media and the hype, or what not to believe, Gerard would be an all new Superman, but not such an unfamiliar face. News on the development of this picture was sparse. It appeared to drag more feet than Lex Luthor had kryptonite to throw at Superman. One thing was intriguing--if the rumors had any truth to it then it would have finally married two popular, traditional Superman DC mythos and characters--Superboy and Superman! Much like the Silver Age of DC Comics, Superboy and Superman would be in the same universe.

The Superboy TV Series ended the popular era of the Salkind Universe. The lack of script approvals for Superboy episodes by DC Comics made it difficult to continue. And as a result, Superboy was killed off faster than Lex Luthor ever could have done it. In 1993, WB completely regained the rights back to the Superman franchise, plus their lot of characters with only a new war over rights issues with the Shusters and heirs of the original Superman creators. The Salkinds were out for the long run. But WB spent over $50 million on the development costs to finally release Superman Returns. And 12 years later without a sequel. The character of course will live on forever, as do all powerful myths of the imagination.

Judging by the production value in the car-crushing scene and the storyboards of this particular sequence, this car battle was, by all means, the best scene of any of the cut footage of Superman IV besides the last car scene with Clark and Lacy (no action in that one, just good intimacy). If the car crushing sequence had been kept in the final cut of Superman IV, it could well have been the most stunning battle of the movie. It might have even challenged the super-fight seen in Superman II.

Below are some photos from a portion of the 45 minutes that were cut in Superman IV.



Above, Superman catches a car that was thrown at him by Nuclear Man 1.



Above, Superman lifts a Lynch garbage disposal.

Above, more interesting shots from the cut footage of Superman IV.

Be careful not to confuse Superman V with Superman Reborn which was the sequel Ilya Salkind wanted to produce with Christopher Reeve. If interested, you only need to do a google search to find and read the full script to Superman Reborn. The script was written by comic book verterans Mark Jones and Cary Bates with story by Ilya Salkind. Cannon Films wanted to do Superman V first, with the bastardized left over footage from Superman IV. Later, the Salkinds made a move to do their own sequel to Superman IV. Reeve would have done it according to Ilya Salkind. For Reeve, doing another Superman film with the Salkinds would have been the "saving grace" for his character's plight on the defunct world peace negotiations. However, due to the results of the test screening for Superman IV, Cannon's plans for Superman V would have been very different.

Superman IV's test screening was conducted in Orange County, California, completely uncut. Reviews from that audience caused some major editing changes. Many believe those changes left important sequences on the cutting room floor. For example, what happened to Jeremy after he met Superman at the World Leader's Summit? The Editor of Superman IV, John Shirley, was told to destroy the master print of the 134 minute complete cut of 'Superman IV' (with all that extra footage). So that was the story and for a very long time, 45 minutes of the movie was believed to be NON-EXISTENT. As in GONE. FOREVER. There are still scenes that the fans have not seen from the cut footage, like the Metro Club scene (where Clark and Lacy are inside the club). It is up to Warner Brothers when these additional scenes will be released.

It is believed that the 45 minutes stripped from the picture was indeed destroyed until the Superman IV Deluxe Edition was released by WB. There are a few fans today who believe the cut footage, if used in Superman IV, could have made the film better (even into an epic piece perhaps), one that would have matched Donner's Superman: The Movie. Donner, don't move over yet. Superman IV has grown a small fan-base of followers over the years because of the alternate style and edgy story/characters in the picture, despite the controversy over the FX problems. To these loyal fans, only a few of FX shots were messy.

Nevertheless, Superman IV was a failure at the box-office. Was it because the Salkinds didn't produce it? Many blame the editing for the failure; many blame the strikingly different and inferior FX work. Cannon certainly didn't have the budget to market this film properly, and if they did they used the money for their marketing on other films, not on Superman. Christopher Reeve eventually chose not to do a Superman V with Cannon. He felt it would not capture the spirit of the original as a blockbuster epic. And despite what he felt was wrong in Superman III, the Salkinds now were the far better choice.

And if we thought Cannon was bold back then, they went even further. A replacement was necessary for the reluctant and increasingly expensive Christopher Reeve. Cannon Films thought of using a different actor to continue the series, but eventually the idea was ditched all together and Cannon moved on from the project (and their company was eventually dissolved). And that left the Superman franchise once again into the hands of some old friends...Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

The Salkinds gained back the rights to the Man of Steel; Cannon had an option for a limited time only and this gave the Salkinds some extra money but with a sour taste in their mouths. In their wisdom, Ilya Salkind wanted to bring Superman back with Christopher Reeve who was always the first choice, above all other actors. It was like Reeve was only glove that ever fit. Ilya Salkind actually had a lunch meeting with Christopher Reeve around 1991. To his memory, it was a wonderful lunch and Reeve took the idea seriously. According to Ilya Salkind in the interview On The Pool Patio With Ilya Salkind: "Reeve would have done it.". This was, according to Ilya Salkind, the last time he ever saw Reeve walking. And so what was left - Superboy, the TV Series. Ilya Salkind was already working in television with Superboy. He thought of his new and ever increasingly successful Superboy series which premiered in Northern America on October of 1988. But, according to Ilya in the documentary On The Pool Patio With Ilya Salkind Warner Brothers sabotaged both the Superboy series and Superman Reborn. Leaving a scar on the Superman franchise. And this left the Salkinds out - for good.

Of course, the idea and rumor began to abound that a new Superman movie could be made from Gerard Christopher's portrayal as Superboy to Superman. The idea had been thrown around, according to Ilya Salkind from the same Pool Patio documentary Directed and Produced by myself. According to comic book movie sources, the film would have been called SUPERMAN: THE NEW MOVIE. Though Ilya Salkind denies that Gerard Christopher was in the list of guys to play Superman (Gerard was too short, only 6 foot, according to Ilya), the rumor was that the new movie would star none other than Gerard Christopher, the star of the Superboy franchise. The media and the hype, or what not to believe, Gerard would be an all new Superman, but not such an unfamiliar face. News on the development of this picture was sparse. It appeared to drag more feet than Lex Luthor had kryptonite to throw at Superman. One thing was intriguing--if the rumors had any truth to it then it would have finally married two popular, traditional Superman DC mythos and characters--Superboy and Superman! Much like the Silver Age of DC Comics, Superboy and Superman would be in the same universe.

The Superboy TV Series ended the popular era of the Salkind Universe. The lack of script approvals for Superboy episodes by DC Comics made it difficult to continue. And as a result, Superboy was killed off faster than Lex Luthor ever could have done it. In 1993, WB completely regained the rights back to the Superman franchise, plus their lot of characters with only a new war over rights issues with the Shusters and heirs of the original Superman creators. The Salkinds were out for the long run. But WB spent over $50 million on the development costs to finally release Superman Returns. And 12 years later without a sequel. The character of course will live on forever, as do all powerful myths of the imagination.

Joaquin Pheonix on Superboy: The TV Series as "Little Hercules".

Article by Rennie Cowan

Before the hit Hollywood epic known as "Gladiator", Joaquin Pheonix started his acting career in television guest roles, most notably, on Superboy: The TV Series (season 1). At that time, Joaquin was known as Leaf Pheonix because his parents named their children after "nature" names, like his brother was named River Pheonix. Leaf Pheonix eventually changed his stage name to Joaquin when he got older.

In the episode titled "Little Hercules" in Superboy season one, Joaquin plays an awkard character, a small freshman who is in love with an attractive girl at his High School. "Billy Hercules" is a computer genius and teams up with Superboy when he accidently starts a countdown for a nuclear holocaust on his home computer. He and Superboy have to stop this mistake from destroying the entire world from nuclear weapons.

This episode alone proves the genuis being Ilya Salkind and his early casting instincts. Though Joaquin has disappeared from acting, he can still be found on the season one DVD set distributed by Warner Brothers. So be sure to purchase Superboy, season one on DVD (now available on amazon.com).



Joaquin Pheonix with Ilya Salkind (1988).

I actually found a clip of the openning dream sequence on youtube (click here). Joaquin "Billy Hercules" uses heat vision like Superboy.

Gilbert Gottfried -- Nick Knack on Superboy the TV Series (Season 2).

Article by Rennie Cowan

The comedian Gilbert Gottfried played the villain Nick Knack in two episodes of season 2 of Superboy, the TV Series. You can visit his official website at this link.Toys are for kids, or so Superboy thought. Nick Knack used toys as weapons in the episode "Nick Knack" and more advanced toys as mind machines in the episode "The Secrets of Superboy". Though he disappeared after the second season, Nick Knack was funny and sometimes even made Superboy look foolish. Below, watch the trailer for the episode "Nick Knack":

Nick appeared harmless with his toys, but don't let that fool you! He was able to chain superboy to a power-zapping machine and drained all of Superboy's powers and transferred that to...his robotic super-suit! Nick Knack also appeared in Superboy, The Comic Book, an on-going DC comics line based on the TV series. Today, Gilbert Gottfried is doing stand-up comedy in various locations in the world, like in Chicago most recently. Below, watch a clip from the episode "Nick Knack":

Skye Aubrey - Tiger Eye

Article by Rennie Cowan

Certain actors would reappear on the Superboy TV Series for several reasons, and sometimes as different characters. An actor would dress differently, change the hair perhaps, Not too many people noticed. Smallville has also done this trick before. In this case, Skye Aubrey played two different characters in two guest-starring roles. Skye Aubrey is an American actress who is the daughter of a former MGM President, James T. Aubrey (now deceased) and Phyllis Thaxter who played Ma Kent in Superman: The Movie. Skye Aubrey appeared in season one and two of Superboy the TV Series.

In season one, Skye was a woman from the future who lived in a world full of mutant humans. In season two, she was a villain of dark magic called Tiger Eye.

In the photo above is Ilya Salkind and Skye Aubrey on the set of Superboy, the TV Series (season one). This is from the episode "Mutant".

Superboy is highly vunerable to two things: Kryptonite and Magic.Tiger Eye did what any other villain in the Superboy TV Series universe would do, and that is kidnap Lana Lang to get to Superboy. While using magic, she convinced Superboy to do her bidding. Below watch the trailer for the second season episode "A Woman Called Tiger Eye".

For some trivia, Skye Aubrey was also married to Ilya Salkind for eight years, the Executive Producer of the Superboy TV Series (seasons 1-4). They have two children, Sebastian and Anastasia. Sebastian Salkind is a graduate of Florida's Full Sail film school, and is a filmmaker, actor and muscian.

SMALLVILLE - THE TV SERIES (2001-2011)

Article by Rennie Cowan

The Smallville TV Series is a direct descendent of DC's golden age and silver age Superboy comic book character who is also Superman. Superboy is basically young Superman, follwing the adventures of Superman when he was a kid, teenager or very young man (college years). It was also inspired by the Alexander and Ilya Salkind syndicated series Superboy: The TV Series which was produced about ten to fifteen years earlier. However, there is one twist and rule to the Smallville show: no flight no tights. The developers of the series, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar didn't want their Superman to fly or wear the classic Superman comic book costume. Later, the WB series Young Justice followed the same motto with the costume when Superboy, a clone in the series, proclaimed, "No tights, no offense".

The Superboy in Young Justice is a clone of Superman and is simply named Superboy. Smallville had started a trend that conveyed the idea that the Superman costume of the comic books was no longer cool as Superboy in Young Justice only wears a black T-shirt with a red Superman "S" on it with a pair of faded blue jeans or baggy military pants. The same is true with Smallville; even when Clark decided to wear the glasses, he just didn't wear the glasses. Not until season 10 episode "Booster" where Lois cracks down on Clark, telling him he has to wear them; he has to slouch and has to be the bumbling, clumsy office fool (the mask that hides his true identity).

The Smallville TV Series actually went as far as bringing in Conner Kent, the Superman Clone (now a DC comic book title called Superboy), into the timeline of the show. And likewise, he wears the black T-shirt with the red "S" emblem on it, with faded jeans. This Superboy is played by actor Lucas Grabeel who is well-known for the High School Musical movies.

Originally, the clone on Smallvile was thought to only be a clone of Lex Luthor. His name was Conner (an Acronym), so one can only guess where this storyline was going. It was discovered that Conner was a hybrid - he had half the DNA of Clark Kent, which stopped his growth accerlation which was killing him. In the 10th season episode "Scion", Clark enrolls Conner Kent into Smallville High School, in harmony with the current timeline of today's Superboy DC comic book. It is being assumed that there will be a spin-off TV series with Smallville's version of Conner Kent, but nothing has been announced by WB and this more than likely is wishful thinking. Below, watch clips of Conner's coming of age in the Smallville episode "Scion".

Smallville is the longest running Superman TV series of all time. It lasted 10 seasons, and by season 9, the show had made significant improvement on an epic level. During season 9, a band of Kandorians were released from an orb invented by Jor-El; the orb consisted of the DNA of Zod and Jor-El and Kandorians who were soldiers in Zod's army on Krypton. By the lead of the Krypton Council, Jor-El was forced to develop this orb. It was openned on Earth and during season 9 Zod and his army, the Kandorians, clones with all their memories before the explosion of Krypton, were released from the Orb. Jor-El developed their DNA with an element of blue kryptonite, knowing that this was disable their powers on Earth. It appeared he knew Zod's true self and that if allowed to have powers on Earth, he would want to rule.

Earlier in the series, General Zod was a phantom in the phantom, but his embodied clone in season 9 made Zod truly episode on the series. The overal arc mirrors the recent DC graphic novels Superman: Last Son or New World of Krypton. If you are a fan of Superman II, then you better watch season 9. To much delight, General Zod (actually at this point, he is called Major Zod as a clone because his clone is younger), Zod uses the famous phrase, "Kneel before Zod". An epic fight scene between Clark and Zod occurs during the season 9 finale. Clark convinces the Kandorians to descend to another planet via the Book of Rao, a kryptonian travel device made by Jor-El. But Zod has other plans, he wants to stay behind and conquer Earth. He wants humanity to kneel before Zod. To watch this episode fight scene, view below.

The Superboy TV Series proved there was a market for young Superman on television. Without the history of the Superboy TV Series which aired from 1988-1992 there probably wouldn't have been a Smallville TV show. Smallville stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang and Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. It also introduced an entirely new and hip character: Chloe Sullivan, played by Allison Mack. She turned out to be a Smallville fan favorite, and even DC Comics bent over backwards to push this character into the Superman universe as an official DC comic book character. The series also starred Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent who originally starred in Superman III as Lana Lang. The former Dukes of Hazard star John Schneider played Jonathan Kent on the series. He died during season 5 of the show in the 100th episode "Reckoning" and is buried at the Smallville cemetary.

The series certainly brought in a nostalgia of actors from the Salkind Universe, including Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

The original Superman: The Movie theme conducted by John Williams was brought into the Smallville universe as well, drawing in a crowd of Superman movie devotees.

During the infancy of the show, Clark had a secret crush on Lana Lang. She was the most beautiful girl in school and had a special heart for kindness. However, far into the series Lana's character took a turn, and she became highly criticized because she marries Lex Luthor. Of course, Clark had kept his secret power from her until she ends her realtionship with Lex. When Lana absorbs kryptonite radiation she can no longer be close to Clark.

Ultimately, Lana leaves the show and this didn't hurt the ratings at all. In fact, Lex left the show as well. Chloe Sullivan is left to take over The Watchtower. Chloe was obsessed with her "wall of weird" during Smallville's High School years but eventually discovered Clark Kent's powers and became a force for good. She was in charge of The Watchtower for the heroes of Metropolis. Chloe became one of the most loved characters on Smallville. She was even going to marry Jimmy Olsen played by Aaron Ashmore, but Jimmy Olsen died in season 9 by the hands of Doomsday played by Sam Witwer. There is some argument as to whether or not he is the real Jimmy Olsen of the Superman universe because he had a younger brother named Jimmy. The younger brother had the older Jimmy's camera at Jimmy's funeral. By season 10, Chloe was a computer genius and very swift in combat scenarios.

Clark Kent is the focus of the series, not Superboy or Superman. In fact, it isn't until season 10 that we actually get to see most of the Superman lore swoop in concerning Clark's secrety identity. The show is truly one big teaser; you will see Clark wear red and blue colored clothes, but don't expect more.

For the most part, Clark would wear the same red jacket throughout most of the series. It got a bit redundant, however, we got the idea. Red and blue = Superman. Tom Welling only starts to wear the Clark Kent glases in the episode "Homecoming" during season 10. He also flies for the first time around the Daily Planet globe in season 10, with Lois Lane in his arms. This was only in virtual reality, not the real world to every fan's dismay.

In the Lois and Clark series we got to see Clark stand in front of a mirror trying on different costumes to wear as Superman. In Smallville, Clark actually wears different costumes for a time, trying on different Superman-looks if you will. The first look was a black trench coat with a black Superman T-shirt that had a dark grey "S" on it.

As the real Superman costume was finally introduced on Smallville, it was kept locked up in the fortress of solitude and greatly resembled the Superman costume that Brandon Routh wore in Superman Returns. Eventually, there was an overhaul to the black trench coat and it was replaced with a redish leather jacket with an S-Shield on it. You can actually purchase a replica of this jacket from the actual makers of this peice of wardrobe (it costs a high $2,500). Simply visit this website if you deep pockets.

Lois Lane in Smallville is played by Erica Durance who popped up during the forth season to annoy Clark with her fast non-stop talking and spunky personality. Her nickname for Clark is "Smallville". This is probably a nod to Superman: The Animated Series where Lois called Clark "Smallville" in the second introductory episode titled "Last Son of Krypton" Part 2. Swaying away from the traditional Superman mythos, Lois actually attended Smallville High for a time. As Clark used his powers only when he was the red, blue blur Lois became fascinated by the mystery. She fell in love with the red, blue blur, somebody she had never even seen. Clark corresponded with her as the red, blue blur via cell phone and a voice distortion device so Lois would know who he was. She finally discovered the blur was Clark Kent when the blur kissed her in a dark alley. I guess only Clark could kiss like that.

Before marrying Clark Kent by the series finale, Lois was dating a rich playboy named Oliver Queen who eventually hailed himself as The Green Arrow from the popular DC comic books. Oliver Queen is played by Justin Hartley.It is interesting to note that in the season 7 episode "Fracture", Lois takes comfort in Clark during an emotional scene over her and Oliver's former romance and it eludes to a possible new beginning with Lois and Clark.

Kara of Argo City who is actually Supergirl in the Superman Universe appears on Smallville as Clark Kent's cousin. Supergirl aka Kara appears during season 7 for the first time. And in season 10 she appears in a Linda Lee disguise. If Clark Kent won't wear the classic red and blue, then Kara will- but partially. In the photo below, she has yet to wear the cape yet it appears to be a close call for the classic supergirl costume. Kara eventually left Clark and joined the Legion in season 10.

Season 10 is the final season of Smallville, as was announced by CW at 2010's upfronts. The 10th season premiere was on Sept. 24th, 2010. John Schneider returned for season 10 as a ghost of a man, and as an alternate Jonathan Kent in Clark Luthor's world (an alternate Clark who was raised by Lionel Luthor). Allison Mack announced she would only be returning as a guest star on a few episodes during season 10, but it felt like she was around for the entire season; her return was enough to close the character on a good scale. The series finale ended with a bang, and even Lex Luthor returned to begin his quest as Superman's ultimate enemy. In the episode "Prophecy", Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl) ties-up her character storyline during the 10th season. She leaves Clark and joins the Legion. Meanwhile, we also discover that the Legion of Dooms lurks.

The series finale of Smallville gained tremendous praise as well as criticism. But for the most part, it was an emotional moment and a farewell to a great series. Lois and Clark have their wedding, but as we know, weddings never go well on Smallville. The previous wedding of Chloe and Jimmy in season 8 ended with bloddy carnage after Doomsday crashes in on it. Likewise, the power of Darkseid crashes in on the wedding of Lois and Clark. Clark is able to save Lois, his friends and guests. However, Lois and Clark remain unwed seven years later due to the event; and also because of the rampant emergencies that keep popping up. Despite this, the Wedding in itself was done beautifully. Credit must be given to the Director of Photographer, Glen Winter. He did 87 episodes of the series. Much of the gorgeous, soft/warm lighting you see on series was done by him.

Three million viewers were said to have tuned in. Tess Mercer, one the most interesting non-canonical characters of the series (and Lex Luthor's sister) died by the hands of Lex. Lex stabbed her with one of his swords while giving her a gentle hug; poetic in a sense as the Luthor's were killing each other. However, Tess protected Clark's secret identity when she touched Lex with a brain enducing substance that made him forget everything. Below, watch the final climatic scene between Luthor Luthor and LuTessa.

Tess died, but she didn't lose. Tom Welling did become Superman and he was seen wearing the costume from a distance (via CGI). For a television show, the finale scenes with the Superman feats were spectacular as well as the CGI work on Apokolips. After Superman (Welling) literally saves the world, there is a flashford to seven years later. There we see the Daily Planet in all it's glory; Perry White is the Editor in Chief and real Jimmy Olsen is in place. Clark and Lois are still trying to get married, but emergencies keep it on the back-burner.

Below, view Welling in action as Superman....

Welling performed various Superman feats including saving the Air Force One from crashing and pushing Darkseid's planet Apokolips out of Earth's atmosphere before it destroyed Earth. He was seen up-close wearing the Superman top and the cape, and the cape actually had the "S" on the back of it in contrast with the cape in Superman Returns. Apparently, the Superman Returns costume was used in the season finale most likely due to budget cuts. However, most agree that when Welling is seen up front wearing the Superman top and the cape, the colors are much brighter. Much brighter than the Superman suit that ghostly Jonathan Kent handed to Clark in the Fortress before he made the costume and took flight as Superman.

You can download episodes of Smallvile on amazon.com. You can watch season 9 in HD quality on amazon.com for $2.99 per episode here.

You can purchase every season of Smallville on amazon.com. Only a few seasons are available on Blu-ray, unfortunately. Visit the amazon.com Smallville webstore.

YOUNG JUSTICE - THE ANIMATED SERIES (2011-2013)

Article by Rennie Cowan

Young Justice is a covert operation team that takes place on Earth-16 (an alternate Earth reality) with Batman overseeing the young heroes at Mount Justice. Produced for Cartoon Network, this series combines some the best writing with some of the best animation seen on TV. The main characters of the series are all young teenagers, some of them sidekicks but they certinaly hold their own. And they hate being called "sidekicks". Superboy appears in the first two episodes, which is a two-parter, as a clone in Cadmus labs. He is released from a pod by Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash. They convince him to be his own man rather than a slave to Cadmus. Interestingly enough, Cadmus Labs first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 in 1970 and by the hands of Jack Kirby.

This Superboy does not follow the timeline of any of the current DC comic book releases. This Superboy is a clone of Superman, but he is somewhat incomplete.His powers have limits and he lacks some of the same super strengths as Superman. For instance he can only leap tall buildings at a single bound rather than fly. Sometimes depicted as an angry teenager who wants to be like Superman, Superboy has used his super powers in rage against the enemy. Superboy does not wear the classic Superman suit, much in tune with the Conner Kent of the current DC comics line. He wears a black T-Shirt with a red "S" on it and blue jeans or military pants. His motto is: "No capes, no tights, no offense."

There are six main characters on Young Justice: Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Artemis and finally, Superboy. Superboy is voiced by Nolan North who also voices other characters on the series. Young Justice has an official tie-in comic book and Mattel plans to release a line of action figues and playsets based the series.The fifth episode of the series titled "Schooled" is being hailed as the best so far, even with its' short run. This episode pays homage to a scene from Superman: The Movie. When a bus is about to go off the edge of a huge bridge, Superman picks it up and flies it back down to safety. Of course, Superboy is behind the bus pulling it up. You can watch the scene and episode below.

DC is released a Young Justice toyline. View photos of the toys below:

More Fun Comics #101 - The introduction of Superboy in DC Comics.

Article by Rennie Cowan

In late 1944 or January of 1945, DC Comics for the first time introduced the character of Superboy to the world (who was young Superman) in the comic book issue of More Fun Comics #101. It was a mere five pages and Joe Shuster supplied the art. This went on to become an on-going strip for seven issues that chronicled young Superman's adventures until it was moved to the Adventure Comics title in issue #103 (in 1946).



n these early developing stages, Clark Kent didn't wear a suit (not until he grew up to become Superman) but he certainly used his powers like lifting cars. Sometimes he used his powers in front of his young friends (and he didn't wear glasses, not just yet...much like in CW's "Smalliville"). Young Clark finally realized that he needed a secret identity and a super suit. So Superboy was born!



The character of Superboy had initially been pitched to DC Comics in November of 1938 by Jerry Siegel but it was rejected. He tried to pitch it again two years later, but no luck. It wasn't until the popularity of Robin, the Boy Wonder that DC realized there was a market for younger Superheroes. The rest was history.

Because of the popularity of the Superboy character DC gave the Boy of Steel his own comic book in 1949 called, you guessed it, Superboy. This title is where much of the early Superman mythos were born and the pre-crisis Superboy character would enjoy publication for another 40 years until the John Byrne revamp in 1987.

Aside from the existence of the Superboy character itself (Clark Kent/Kal-EL), the first Superboy title actually ended it's run in 1977 (issue #231) and continued on as Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes for three more years. By 1980 (issue #259), Superboy left the Legion and because of this, his name was dropped from the title entirely. So it became known as simply The Legion of Superheroes which lasted until 1987. The final Legion of Superheroes issue was issue #354.

Superboy #1 (1949) - the first Superboy DC comic book title.

Article by Rennie Cowan

The first Superboy DC comic book title to appear in publication was Superboy #1 in the Month of March/April in 1949. This was, of course, the pre-crisis Superboy who was also Superman when he was a boy (Kal-El/Clark Kent). The front cover, as clearly seen above, has a child asking Superman what he was like when he was just a boy. The cover art was done by Wayne Boring. Superboy #1 marked Superboy as the sixth DC superhero to have his own comic book title in the DC universe.

The title began as a bi-monthly publication but eventually narrowed releases down to 8/9 issues a year in 1966 to a stable 12 issues a year by 1972 (this is when it became a monthly comic book release). The Superboy pre-crisis title endured 258 issues (total) of publication up until 1977 with Superboy #231 when the title became Superboy and The Legion of Superheroes. A Superboy #1 has been known to sale on ebay for $1,000 US dollars (or more) depending on the condition of the comic book.

The earlier Adventure Comics in which Superboy previously appeared before having his own title, he was about 10 years old. But by Superboy #1 he was in his early teens and most stories revolved around teen plagues and teen romance. Superboy also began to take flight into outerspace in his own title, unlike his relegated earthbound adventures in Adventure Comics. He flew to the moon, intercepted a comet and went back in time in the early Superboy title.

The supporting cast of the young Superman mythos were also developed within the Superboy title (Pete Ross didn't appear until Superboy #86). It should be noted that Pete Ross never appeared in the Superboy TV Series but he did on "Smallville". In Superboy #3 (the front cover is below), Ma and Pa Kent appeared on the front cover and in many more stories. They eventually received names...Jonathan and Martha Kent.



It is within the Superboy stories itself that we actually find the early history between Superman and Lex Luthor and why Luthor hates him. Lex Luthor first appeared with Superboy in Adventure Comics #271 (1960) and it is a classic story; Lex is an intelligent student and friends with Superboy until Superboy puts out a dangerous chemical fire that causes Lex to lose his hair (it also destroyed his experiment). From that day on, Lex is Superboy's enemy. This classic story was also used in Superboy: The TV Series. After Lex lost his hair, he was very upset and demanded revenge.

SUPERMAN: THE SECRET YEARS (when DC first sent Clark to college).

Article by Rennie Cowan

What is Superman: The Secret Years? It is the first DC comic book to depict Clark Kent in college. Young Clark was 21 years old and he was still called Superboy. Ma and Pa Kent had passed away. Perry White was a reporter for the Daily Planet. This was the time of Clark Kent's college days at Metropolis University. It wasn't often that DC ventured to explore Clark's life after High School and just before the Daily Planet, but on occasion, an "untold story" would fill the last three or four pages of a Superman mag, and on occasion, they would revolve around Kent's college days. Those days have been traditionally called The Secret Years (or the inbetween-years), the focus of Bob Rozakis' 4-issue limited series that was published in 1984. It was perhaps the focal inspiration for the popular 'Superboy' TV show, except that by Clark's second year at MU Lana Lang had transfered to Hudson Universtiy, leaving Clark with a rasically roomate (Ducky) much the same as Andy McAllister . Yet, we get to see Superboy up against his arch-enemy Lex Luthor, with the same kind of humor we would expect from Sherman Howard (the Lex Luthor of the 'Superboy' show). And by the 4th issue, Superboy has made the final decision to become Superman and gets hired at the Daily Planet, the first step to the life of the legend. Read about all four issues by clicking on the photo covers and enjoy--emerging into the story that started it all!

Superboy Action Figure (or the one that resembles Gerard Christopher).

Article by Rennie Cowan

DC Comics never released an action figure of the Superboy based on the TV Series, but there is one action figure on the market that looks very much like Gerard Christopher's Superboy! It is an Earth-Prime action figure based on the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" DC comics storyline and is available through DC Direct (or amazon.com).

Superboy fans didn't get their Superboy action figure based on the TV series, but if you want one that looks very much like Gerard Christopher as Superboy, then now is your chance to own one. Study the mold work on this particular action figure; because it looks very much like Gerard. You really would have to have the action figure in your hand to see most of the detail, the photo below doesn't give it 100% justice. The "S" emblem is a tad smaller than Gerard's from the Superboy series. And the cape might even be a bit shorter around the shoulders, but the photo gives an idea of the resemblence....



Earth-Prime Superboy action figure that looks a ringer for Gerard Christopher's Superboy.



This is the action figure autographed by Gerard Christopher. He really liked this figure and agrees that it looks like him as Superboy.

Visit DC Direct to purchase this cool action figure or browse through all of their exciting Superboy toys!

Superboy - His debut to Television, but as a cartoon (1966-1969).

Article by Rennie Cowan

Superboy the TV Series was the first live-action television series to bring Superboy to color TV, but two decades before John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher wore the tights Superboy actually made his debut as a cartoon. The Superboy cartoon series was aired on CBS and consisted of 34, 6 minute episodes and it was called The Adventures of Superboy. You might ask, why 6 minutes long? Well the cartoon was an added addition to other 6 minute segments like The New Adventures of Superman cartoon (1966-1970) (which eventually accumulated 68 episodes along side the Superboy run). It was featured as part of DC Comics Superheroes; we also got the opportunity to see Aquaman and Batman.

The Adventures of Superboy would appear with The New Adventures of Superman and would display the life of Superman as Superboy. This marked Superboy's debut (or I should say, animation debut) to the TV world, and in full color. Though the black and white TV pilot with John Rockwell was the first depiction of Superboy on TV, it never actually aired on televion. The Adventures of Superboy cartoon also marked the debut of Lana Lang to the small screen (the animated Lana Lang) as well as Krypto, the superdog.

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY - INTRO

Seasons one and two of Superboy the TV series with John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher was very similar to these classic cartoons. In the cartoon, we got to see for the first time Superboy's young alter-ego Clark Kent wearing glasses (unlike in Smallville) and dodging Lana lang in High School to save the day. Ma and Pa Kent often made appearances as Clark's parents because Clark was still living at home in Smallville.The production itself had a very low-budget, so it often made use of stock animation which by today's standards may appear to be a bit cheesy. We'd see familiar flying segments, or other pieces from previous 6 minute episodes again and again and again.

Despite the low budget, the cartoon remained consistent and very faithful to the DC comics "Superboy" title which was being published every month by DC comics. The cartoon was also very much science-fiction oriented and plots and characters were classic sci-fi tales that contained robots and alien menaces. Most of the stories were written by DC comic book writers like Bob Haney and George Kashdan (comic book writers also worked on The New Adventures of Superman cartoon as well as Superboy the TV Series (like Cary Bates).

Warner Home Video released 8 selected episodes of the Superboy cartoon for release on VHS as a part of the "Super Powers Collection" in 1985. It is out of print today but it can usually be found for sale on amazon.com, either new or used from various vendors.

All 68 episodes of The New Adventures of Superman were released by Warners as a two-disc DVD set but because of the legal problems between Warner Brothers and the Jerry Siegel Estate, the Superboy segments were not included. There is still a legal regarding who really owns the rights to the Superoby "name" (please read The Death of Superboy section on this site for more information about the lien on Superboy).

The Legion of Superheroes TV Series - The TV Series (2008-2009).

The Legion of Superheroes was produced by Warner Brothers Animation and takes place in the 31st century. It draws on the rich history of the earlier DC comic book title Superboy and The Legion of Superheroes. Likewise, Superman is still a teenager and he is about to make the move to Metropolis. But before he leaves Smallville he gets some company from his futuristic friends the Legion. The highlight of the show was that we got to see many of the classic Legionnaires like Phantom Girl, Bouncing Boy and Brainiac 5. The series lasted for two seasons (26 episodes total) and at this point and time, Warner Brothers has only released the first season on DVD.

As the story went, the Legion intended to travel back in time to the period of when Superman was a man, but unfortunately they went back too far. The Legion had to act fast so they bring the young Clark regardless of his age, and forward him to the 31st century. Once in the future, Clark visits a museum where his Superman costume is on display. He puts on the costume and becomes young Superman. The Superman suit barely fits his younger body frame, but he is seen wearing the classic Superman costume throughout the entire series. Clark befriends the Legion and stays to serve the United Planets until he is ready to go back home.

It is easy to notice that this Superman is a younger version of Superman and the name Superboy would have been more fitting. In fact, this Superman should have been called Superboy if we are to go by the DC universe comic book line from the 50's, 60's and 70's. And yet, even in the first episode of this series Clark is called Superman rather than Superboy and he is still a teenager. So there is some argument as to why Clark is called Superman and not Superboy when traditionally the Legion has always fought alongside with Superboy. One argument is that the pending litigation regarding the Superboy character name could be the reason for calling the Boy of Steel Superman when he should have been called Superboy.

The first two episodes of season two are my own personal favorites called "The Man from the Edge of Tomorrow" Part 1 and 2. The character they meet is Superman, or, most popularly known as Superman X. Superman X is quite the mystery, cloned directly from Superman's DNA and it is probably the most intriguing storyline in this kids show. You can watch the two-part episodes below.

DC Universe Classics has released a classic Legion of Superhero's toy line with the Legion Ring (and Proty). You can read an article on it here.

On The Pool Patio with Ilya Salkind - Filmmaker Rennie Cowan

Robert Evans stayed in the picture, but Ilya Salkind invented the Superhero Epic! On The Pool Patio With Ilya Salkind is a feature length documentary and interview with Ilya Salkind that took place on his pool patio in Los Angeles, California. The Salkind Universe was an era that changed how Hollywood sees Superman and other related characters on film and television. Ilya is the father behind the madness - unlike nothing you've ever seen or heard before - Ilya is at home among his many movie posters, DVD boxes (from various projects he has produced) and buzzing phones?

Full DVD cover for "On the Pool Patio with Ilya Salkind".

For two hours, Salkind talks about his Superman movie franchise (starring the famous Christopher Reeve) and the height of Superman versus the height of Superboy; plus, a detailed discussion on Superboy: The TV Series. Did you know that Robert Evans is Ilya Salkind's idol (and true inspiration in real life)? Well, you will discover these facts and many others surrounding his famous movies down to who Ilya's original concept for Superman III. Who did he really want to play Ross Webster?

Executive Produced and Directed by the webmaster of Superboy Theater, Rennie Cowan, this documentary will certainly entertain any Superman fan and admirer of the famous Ilya Salkind. On the Pool Patio with Ilya Salkind is on IMDB here.

Ilya Salkind at USC Film School - Q&A with Ilya Salkind

ILYA SALKIND VISITS USC'S THE SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS FOR AN EXCITING ONE EVENING EVENT!

On February 21st, 2012 Ilya Salkind visited production and producing film school students at the legendary USC Film School, The School of Cinematic Arts. This was Salkind's very first film school visit in the academia world. The goal - to screen the classic 1980's hit Superman II as an example of a successful film franchise sequel..

After a round of applause, the successful screening was wrapped up with an exciting Q&A with Ilya Salkind himself. He discusses his work on the Superman franchise in general and why The Richard Donner Cut of Superman II didn't quite make the cut. To view information about the event on USC's website, please visit this link.

Hosted by Alessandro Ago of USC, and Produced and Directed by Rennie Cowan, this feature length Q&A is now packaged on DVD for special viewing in your very own home. The Q&A will also be hosted by Neil Cole's Superman Supersite.com. You can also read about it on his website here.If you are a movie academic, you will surely enjoy the Salkind experience at the prestigious School of Cinematic Arts at USC.

Young Superman in other Media.

Article by Rennie Cowan

Who were the youing Supermans (or Superboys) that exhibited Superman's great super-abilities at the movie theater before and after Superboy: The TV Series? Well, they didn't necessarily wear the costume, and they weren't called Superboy either, but they were memorable: Jeff East, Aaron Smolinski, Stephen Bender and many more played toddler and adolescent Boy of Steels. The latest push by Warner Brothers for a new Superman franchise with The Man of Steel movie to be released in 2013 has two new young Supermen: Cooper Timberline (Clark Kent at age 9) and Dylan Sprayberry (Clark Kent at age 13). It is worth mentioning that John Rockwell played Superboy/Clark Kent on the black and white 1961 Superboy TV Pilot.

The first obvious pick is Jeff East from Superman: The Movie. And being that Superman: The Movie is now a well-remembered classic, East's performance as young Clark Kent has been seen in theaters around the world, many times over. He never wore the suit but he exhibited super-strength, raced a train, waved to a child Lois Lane and kicked a football into outer-space. His voice was dubbed over with Christopher Reeve's voice, but the finished product left a mark on the Superman universe. The finished product was filled with wonderful music by John Williams and special effects that depicted outstanding realism. You will believe a man can fly. We have yet to see a good comparison or rival to Superman: The Movie.

Superboy Theater Show - Episodes

Visit the Superboy Theater Youtube Channel to watch the shows and many, many more fun clips on the series!



Episode 1: The webmaster meets up with Stacy Haiduk in Pasadena.

Episode 2: The webmaster takes you thourgh the office of Ilya Salkind and interviews Ilya Salkind's assistant, Leo Coehn.

Episode 3: Ilya Salkind talks about Superman IV.

Episode 4: Ilya Salkind on Frank Langella and Richard Lester's Superman III Circus Act.

Episode 5: Ilya Salkind discusses casting Sherman Howard as Lex Luthor.

Episode 6: Ilya Salkind discusses casting IIan Mitchell-Smith and talks about the Superboy season one episode "Hollywood".

Episode 7: How to watch SMALLVILLE in 3D.

Episode 8: Tracy Roberts performs Darla at Superman Celebration 2011.

Episode 9: Inside the Superman Museum with Tracy Roberts.

Episode 10 (part 1), part 2, part 3: Q&A with Tracy Roberts and Mark Pillow.

Episode 11: Interview with Superboy TV series actor Jeffrey Breslauer.

Episode 12: Meet the Superman Statue in Metropolis, IL.

Episode 13: Ilya Salkind and Marlon Brando's wand.

Episode 14: John Schneider meets Ilya Salkind.

Episode 15: Moments of the Superboy TV Series (season one) cast reunion, 2012.

Episode 16: Jim Calvert and the Spanish Superboy comic book!

Episode 17: Ilya Salkind authenticates Superman: The Movie props plus Superboy stars!

Episode 18: Ilya Salkind talks Superboy costume and he finally meets a new friend, the authentic General Zod doll! Special appearance by websmaster Rennie Cowan.

Episode 19 - Moments with Stacy Haiduk at the Hollywood Show, 2012.

Episode 20 - In over 20 years, this is the first time that Gerard Christopher and Stacy Haiduk have seen one another! The Stacy / Gerard Superboy cast reunion at The Hollywood Show 2012! Special appearances with Rennie Cowan and Ric Alfonso.

Episode 21: Ilan Mitchell-Smith signs Superboy items for the Webmaster of Superboy Theater at the Chiller Theater Expo 2013!