Fun New Superman #1 Tribute

McFarlane Toys released their new Classic Animation (1940) Superman toy based on the Fleischer shorts that I love so much. This is their second Fleischer inspired Superman toy after the harder to find Super Powers version. But I’m here to talk Superman #1.

For the box art and the card that comes with the toy they’ve used a new illustration of Superman in homage to Superman #1. It’s not clear who the artist is (if you know drop me a line). Because it goes with the Fleischer toy, he has the Fleischer S and boots, but a longer cape and a more modern belt. The background has a Daily Planet (like the George Perez Action Comics #643 cover). They kept the “64 pages of Action!” and “All in full color” text which is a fun choice considering this is just a trading card. They also used the correct wordmark at the top which I’m a stickler for. The art deco styling on the bottom is reimagined and works well, but they didn’t integrate the name of the toy into the design. It feels tacked on afterwards like all the other McFarlane Toys cards.

I also did a Superman puzzle over the weekend which featured the “licensed” version of the cover, but also a good smattering of Superman covers over the years up to the new 52.