With the forthcoming release of the second storyline in the Superman ‘78 series, you would think that there would be plenty of variant editions out there for both series.

This past week the Superman Homepage website dropped the announcement for the latest variant cover of the first issue of the original series, and this one has definite film inspirations to it.

In October, in time for the New York Comic Con, Big Time Collectibles will release a new foil cover variant of Superman ‘78 #1, and this one should be popular for fans and collectors alike. Illustrated by Mico Suayan, who designed the Jim Lee-inspired variant cover back in 2021, this newest variant takes inspiration from two different sources. The skies and colors in the background harken back to the classic Bob Peak poster artwork from 1978, while the image of our Man of Steel in flight is referenced from the June 1978 photograph taken in New Mexico and later adapted and modified by Jim Bowers and Ramon Casares that has appeared on the lenticular cover for the Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD set in 2006, the 2018 Hallmark ornament, and other places.

Wilfredo Torres, the artist for the first Superman ‘78 series, received a copy of the variant cover and shared it to his Instagram page, saying, “Photo really doesn’t do the foil cover justice.” With an endorsement like that, we’re all in for a treat indeed!

NYCC is set for October 12-15, and while the MSRP has not been announced yet, based on the different foil cover variants of other comics on the Big Time Collectibles website, I’m thinking it’ll be around $29.99. One thing is for sure, I plan to pick up this movie-inspired collectible when it comes out!

(And how about those foreign language versions that are out there? There’s the Spanish version entitled Superman 1978 which came out in 2022—I’ve tried to find a copy of it, but it’s apparently very hard to obtain. I myself have a German language digital version for my Kindle that was released through Panini Comics, and I’ve even seen one in Korean that I plan to add to my collection!)

9/13/23 update: I just learned from my friend Jim Bowers that the new Mico Suayan variant cover will be a limited edition of only 1,000 copies. Given that I was able to get a limited edition version of another Superman comic, my thinking is that half of them will be available at NYCC, and the other half will be through Big Time Collectibles. Be ready to get this one, because it will go fast!

Also, Jim informed me that there will be yet another variant cover issued at the same time, this one a straightforward cover of the classic Bob Peak poster artwork. That one I’m sure will go equally fast, too. This version, too, is also limited to 1,000 copies.

And here’s the best part: preorders for both editions will occur on the Big Time Collectibles website beginning Friday, September 29th! You’ll want to add these beauties to your collection… I know I will!

Thanks for the updates, Jim!