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The Art Of Superman Returns by Daniel Wallace
01/08/2006 Source: Geoff Willmetts 

pub: Titan Books. 160 page illustrated horizontal hardback. Price: £24.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84576-308-4.

Buy The Art Of Superman Returns in the USA - or Buy The Art Of Superman Returns in the UK

check out website: www.titanbooks.com and www.supermanreturns.com

For those of you who haven't figured what this book is about from the title, go to the back of the class. This book contains the designs for the latest Superman film, divided into five sections covering the Man of Steel, Smallville, Metropolis, Krypton and that nice chap, Lex Luthor.



Not only is this loaded with pre-production designs and storyboards but also an intense text accompanying and explaining all that you see and why certain decisions were made. I don't know if you're going to see anything that close-up to the film is out on DVD but this book shows that the texture on Superman's uniform is just loaded with the 'S' insignia - talk about getting carried away with symbolism. I guess Kryptonians take monographing their property to a greater degree than earthlings.

The design work really is taken to the nth degree so it appears nothing it left to chance when preparing the sets, right down to cardboard cut-outs of the Kent Farm. There's enough info here for any modeller to build with the right detail said farm, let alone Luthor's new yacht headquarters. Hell, there's every the front covers of the Daily Planet newspapers that were used.

Just in case you start thinking its all set design, there are also costume designs for Lois, Luthor and Kitty, not to mention a world map showing the Earth with New Krypton swamping out the USA.

In fact, everything you want to have to supplement your watching the 'Superman Returns' film. I always have a soft spot for such books as this is the kind of material that is likely to inspire people who want to get into the film industry of the standards they are expected to learn and its great to see a book out providing the necessary material. They are also excellent archive material that doesn't have to rely on a DVD freeze-frame to look at. If you collect such books, this should be in your pile already.

GF Willmetts

click here to buy Stephen Hunt's The Court of the Air

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