The Quest For Rental…

1988 was a landmark year for the Superman character – his 50 year anniversary was intended by DC Comics to be a grand event celebrated across all mediums.

Beyond featuring on the cover of Time magazine it was instead a subdued occasion with only the best-forgotten TV special (hosted by Dana Carvey) to mark it. The film series had bowed out on a sour note with disappointing returns and poor critical and audience response to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Initiators of the Superman Film series, Alexander and Ilya Salkind would eventually buy the rights back from The Cannon Group Inc. after premiering their SuperBoy TV show to similarly lukewarm notices. Though the series would continue for three seasons, Superman would be noticeably absent from our screens for some time…

From the top – Vintage magazine ad, scarce A3 size pop-up promo card for video rental, an original copy in library case and the UK Laserdisc…