With the new Superman movie Man Of Steel barely a month from release, early interviews with the movie’s cast and crew are beginning to filter out. But in amongst the usual wearying discussions about the lead character’s perceived lack of relevance and how ‘dark’ the movie will be, one question has continually bubbled up: what specific comic books and creators have informed this latest incarnation of Superman?

Join us as we find out…

THE LOOK…

Curt Swan

As with any character that has existed over many decades, Superman’s look, while laid out by his creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938, has evolved over the years. While Shuster’s take inarguably set the template for the Man of Steel, for many, the definitive visual portrayal of Superman is the one drawn by legendary artist, Curt Swan.

After a brief sojourn in the advertising world, Swan returned to comics in the early 50s and began to work regularly on the Superman stable of titles.