I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season! As I type this 2013 is still about 12 hours away but as I have been trying to stay ahead of things I wanted to take a few moments to wish everyone well (which I already did) and to talk about a few things that I am looking forward to in the next year. 2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for Superman and I couldn’t be happier about that. It is sort of like 2006 only bigger. Why? Glad you asked.
1. Man of Steel
For the past year or so I have been trying to keep it together regarding Man of Steel. Between the release date being far in the future (at the time anyway) and not knowing all that much about the film plus the general apprehension that a new take on Superman brings I was trying to put on a cautiously optimistic face. That all changed when the trailer hit. My inner child started hopping up and down like he had freebased some pixie sticks and that general sense of, “This is gonna be so AWESOME!” has told my more rational side that it needs to go take a coffee break for about six months. It’s not just the movie itself that has me excited. With a movie like this comes merchandising and I have complained long and loud about the lack of Superman stuff at the grocery and department stores. I am hoping that in addition to the posters and action figures and other toys that are going to be released with the film that we see new T-shirts and sleep pants and snack cakes and everything else they can slap an illustrated version of Henry Cavil in the suit on. While Superman Returns didn’t turn out to be the rock my church was built on there was still a lot of cool stuff out there for Superman fans to buy in ’06 and if 2013 has even half that to offer then it will be a good time indeed.
2. The Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Ill.
Back in 2008 my wife (Rachel for those that don’t know) and I headed up to Metropolis, Ill. to attend the Superman Celebration they have there every year. As a Superman fan it was one of the best times I have ever had and this year we’re going back. What makes this year even more awesome is that a bunch of the friends I have made through Superman fandom, especially in the world of podcasting, will be there as well. It will be the first time a lot of us are meeting face to face so when you add that to the friends I made last time and just the general awesomeness that is the Celebration itself I can honestly say that June can’t come here fast enough.
3. Superman in the Comics
2013 looks to be a pretty stellar year for the comic book adventures of Superman. Between enjoying H’El on Earth more than I thought I would and Andy Diggle along with Tony Daniel coming on Action Comics and the plethora of Superman trade paperbacks that are going to be released over the course 2013 and the Scott Synder/Jim Lee series that will be coming out later in the year there is an excitement surrounding the Man of Steel’s comic book appearances that I haven’t felt in years. I know that I might be setting myself up for a heaping dose of disappointment but at this point I really don’t care. It is great to feel this way again.
4. Superman Turns 75
Back in 2008 there was a lot of grousing on Facebook and other places fans gather on the Internet that DC wasn’t doing enough to celebrate Superman’s 70th birthday. I don’t know if DC has anything big planned to commemorate his 75th year but that doesn’t matter because I am going to be celebrating it all year long both here at the Fortress and over at Views From The Longbox. In fact most of Views’ episodes in 2013 will be devoted to the Man of Steel in a series I am calling Superman at 75: The Celebration of a Legend. I feel bad that I didn’t do more in ’08 so I am going to make up for that this year. I am also excited to see what my fellow Superman podcasters over at the Superman Podcast Network have in store on their shows and I know podcasts like Hey Kids Comics (hi, Andy and Micheal) will have a slate of Superman centric episodes as well. There will be a lot to look forward to and I am glad that I can be a part of that.
And that is pretty much it. I hope everyone had a very safe New Year’s Eve and I look forward to posting all kinds of awesome Superman stuff over the next year and beyond. Take care!
More to follow…