Superman Returns and some history...
Tonight - Superman Returns! I have tickets to the 9:15PM showing at the AMC 20. Chris, Brian, and I are going to grab some dinner beforehand and then get in line. It used to be quite rare that I'd go see a movie on opening night, but lately I've found myself doing just that with films like Batman Begins and Revenge of the Sith. And yeah, I'll brave the insanely inconsiderate crowds that flock to Tallahassee's movie theaters for Superman. Simply put, Superman is the reason I started to read comics.
Well, kind of... Back in the late '80s, I would use my allowance to buy issues of Gladstone/Disney's Uncle Scrooge. After I moved to Florida, I still bought Uncle Scrooge for a few months but then kind of outgrew it (although I must admit, I still break out my huge Scrooge McDuck: His Life and Times book on occasion, for nostalgic purposes). I didn't buy any comics for a while, and then one day while browsing the local B. Dalton Bookstore, I came across The Death of Superman trade paperback. All I'd known of Superman at that point was from the movies (even as a kid, I thought that Superman III and Superman IV were incredibly lame) and from an old Superman comic from the '60s that my uncle Dan had given me. In it, Superman is hit with some kind of ray and becomes incredibly fat. I thought it was hilarious. :-P
So I bought the Death of Superman trade paperback! My dad saw me reading it later that day and asked if he could read it next. That was pretty weird... My dad asking me to borrow one of my books? I found out that Dad was a big-time Superman fan back in the day! And still is, really. It's always fun to discuss the latest episode of Smallville with him. :-) But anyway... I read the book, and then of course, I had to know what happened next! So I bought the Funeral for a Friend TPB and then I started on the weekly issues, following the entire Reign of the Supermen storyline until the end. For a while there, I was quite the Superman nut!
And then one day, in that same B. Dalton Bookstore, I saw a copy of Batman 497. Someone actually BEATS Batman and breaks his back!? THIS I gotta see...! And the rest is history. :-P I followed both Superman and Batman pretty extensively until around 1996 or so, when the comic shop near me closed down. I used the opportunity to kind of step back and break my comic habit; truth be told I was spending way too much on them! I was still a fan of Superman, but I had moved more toward the Batman side. I mean, he's the man. And he kicks Superman's ass in The Dark Knight Returns! :-P
Regardless of who I think is the better character, I'm still very much looking forward to the movie tonight! I only hope that the theater is jackass-free for once. After my experiences in Nacho Libre and Click, I know that's probably a pipe dream. :-( But oh well. Bring on Superman Returns!
Well, kind of... Back in the late '80s, I would use my allowance to buy issues of Gladstone/Disney's Uncle Scrooge. After I moved to Florida, I still bought Uncle Scrooge for a few months but then kind of outgrew it (although I must admit, I still break out my huge Scrooge McDuck: His Life and Times book on occasion, for nostalgic purposes). I didn't buy any comics for a while, and then one day while browsing the local B. Dalton Bookstore, I came across The Death of Superman trade paperback. All I'd known of Superman at that point was from the movies (even as a kid, I thought that Superman III and Superman IV were incredibly lame) and from an old Superman comic from the '60s that my uncle Dan had given me. In it, Superman is hit with some kind of ray and becomes incredibly fat. I thought it was hilarious. :-P
So I bought the Death of Superman trade paperback! My dad saw me reading it later that day and asked if he could read it next. That was pretty weird... My dad asking me to borrow one of my books? I found out that Dad was a big-time Superman fan back in the day! And still is, really. It's always fun to discuss the latest episode of Smallville with him. :-) But anyway... I read the book, and then of course, I had to know what happened next! So I bought the Funeral for a Friend TPB and then I started on the weekly issues, following the entire Reign of the Supermen storyline until the end. For a while there, I was quite the Superman nut!
And then one day, in that same B. Dalton Bookstore, I saw a copy of Batman 497. Someone actually BEATS Batman and breaks his back!? THIS I gotta see...! And the rest is history. :-P I followed both Superman and Batman pretty extensively until around 1996 or so, when the comic shop near me closed down. I used the opportunity to kind of step back and break my comic habit; truth be told I was spending way too much on them! I was still a fan of Superman, but I had moved more toward the Batman side. I mean, he's the man. And he kicks Superman's ass in The Dark Knight Returns! :-P
Regardless of who I think is the better character, I'm still very much looking forward to the movie tonight! I only hope that the theater is jackass-free for once. After my experiences in Nacho Libre and Click, I know that's probably a pipe dream. :-( But oh well. Bring on Superman Returns!