Superboy/Gerard Christopher/Stacy Haiduk appreciation thread

[Jeffrey2]

Why you should watch Superboy? It gives Superman and Lois a run for the money as the best TV Superman series ever. The nod may go to Superboy which grew stronger over its 4 seasons while season 2 of S&L was not as good as season 1. We'll have to wait until season 3 of S&L to better gauge which series is better. In any case you should watch Superboy and, especially, seasons 2 through 4. Trunks aside, the Superboy/GC suit blows all other super-suits away. From Reeve to Cavill to Hoechlin. So much was spot on in this series the has not been so in other Superman TV shows. Why you should watch Superboy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOATa5Z7Sws

Gerard on Superboy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dm2Z2RZ7k4&t=4s

The ever vivacious and still stunningly beautiful Stacy Haiduk - this 30 years after the series aired. BTW S&L - Stacy wants to guest on your show. My advice - give her a call pronto and while you're at it give GC a call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPLrpMn2cSU&t=3s

[superduperman]

I've been meaning to get this series on DVD. I remember it from when I was a kid. It aired at a lousy time so I didn't catch that many episodes. I know it didn't have the best budget. But the costume looks like the most comics accurate ever and I know the stories themselves supposedly got better as the series went on. I know they played with the multiverse a lot so it has that in common with S&L. It kind of just existed quietly under the radar and wasn't acknowledged as much of anything. Imagine a Superman show that lasted four seasons and most people not knowing it existed. I've actually been collecting the spin off comic for about a decade now.

[Jeffrey2]

I've been meaning to get this series on DVD. I remember it from when I was a kid. It aired at a lousy time so I didn't catch that many episodes. I know it didn't have the best budget. But the costume looks like the most comics accurate ever and I know the stories themselves supposedly got better as the series went on. I know they played with the multiverse a lot so it has that in common with S&L. It kind of just existed quietly under the radar and wasn't acknowledged as much of anything. Imagine a Superman show that lasted four seasons and most people not knowing it existed. I've actually been collecting the spin off comic for about a decade now.

Definitely get the 4 disc DVD set. 100 episodes. Sells for under $30. The quality of the DVDs are great. The scenes are bright and clear unlike the first season S&L DVD which is grainy and poorly done IMO. GC made sure the product was excellent as he'd struggled for years to get WB to release Superboy on DVD. GC owns a lot of stills, cut scenes and retake footage from Superboy but WB wouldn't allow him to include it as extras on the DVD.

As to the costume it is indeed the best live action Superman suit ever done - they took the Reeve suit and improved it. Larger shield, thicker more royal cape and boots more form-fitting around the calves.

WB wanted to quash the series which was produced by the Salkinds whom they had a falling out with. Once the series ended it was pretty much suppressed. Not even going into rerun syndication. It took GC and the small but rabid fanbase almost 20 years to finally get a full release on DVD. In the interim a hardy band of supporters kept knowledge of Superboy alive through comic and Superman events.

[manofsteel1979]

I've only seen a few episodes of this show when it was on the old DC infinity app.it definitely suffered from some poor production budget and cheap effects but I found what I watched enjoyable. I always felt Stacey's Lana was an inspiration how some artists depicted Lois around the early 90s. I have been meaning to get the DVDs.

The spin off comics were probably some of my earliest Superman books. I was buying this and various issues of the main Superman books from my local 7-11 and without knowing continuity that well I thought the Superboy comics just depicted younger Clark and the current Superman books were the same character older.

[Jeffrey2]

I've only seen a few episodes of this show when it was on the old DC infinity app.it definitely suffered from some poor production budget and cheap effects but I found what I watched enjoyable. I always felt Stacey's Lana was an inspiration how some artists depicted Lois around the early 90s. I have been meaning to get the DVDs.

The spin off comics were probably some of my earliest Superman books. I was buying this and various issues of the main Superman books from my local 7-11 and without knowing continuity that well I thought the Superboy comics just depicted younger Clark and the current Superman books were the same character older.

The series did not have the budget of a network show but, given its resources, the FX isn't too bad. The flying is definitely better than in Lois and Clark. Agree about Stacy. Hopefully S&L will ask her to guest which she wants to do,

Superboy is a fun and bright series. Very uplifting. The tone is totally different from Smallville and S&L and SR/MOS - in a good way. I feel it has more of the "mafic" fans are looking for in a Superman film or TV project. The talent around the show from the writing to producing to guest stars is amazing. Many guest stars went on to make their name in the industry including George Chikiris and Gilbert Gottfried.

[Jeffrey2]

The spin off comics were probably some of my earliest Superman books. I was buying this and various issues of the main Superman books from my local 7-11 and without knowing continuity that well I thought the Superboy comics just depicted younger Clark and the current Superman books were the same character older.

I believe Superboy aired around the time DC eliminated Clark having used the suit and powers while still a teen in Smallville. L&C had Superman make his first appearance in Metropolis and a few years Smallville had Clark grow up in Smallville but not as Superboy.

[Jeffrey2]

Just released podcast featuring the Superboy TV series. Great discussion with Superboy expert Sam Rizzo and a surprise fun visit by Gerard at the end of the podcast.

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-4vrgs-1269463

[superduperman]

Someone pointed out online that the scene in the Titans TV show where Conner first escapes from Cadmus they are playing a sort of remixed version of the Superboy theme music. I went back and watched it and sure enough!

[exile001]

Someone pointed out online that the scene in the Titans TV show where Conner first escapes from Cadmus they are playing a sort of remixed version of the Superboy theme music. I went back and watched it and sure enough!

That's really surprising considering how Titans season one seemed to intentionally set about trashing established history for these characters as much as possible. Lol.

[Jeffrey2]

Someone pointed out online that the scene in the Titans TV show where Conner first escapes from Cadmus they are playing a sort of remixed version of the Superboy theme music. I went back and watched it and sure enough!

Yup. Kevin Kiner is an extremely talented composer. Check him out on IMDB. He did the theme for the Superboy TV series.

The talent around the series and especially the writing was incredible - one episode doing basically Red Son a decade before Millar wrote that book. Superboy feels different from other subsequent live-action projects. It is bright, sharp, defined and uplifting. In a way that even S&L is not. The Superboy suit compared to the S&L suit is a metaphor for that difference. And I'm not referring to the trunks.


The franchise went through a transition in the 90s. Moving away from the traditional Superman to a new and "improved" Superman. Indeed, iteration after iteration of updating since then. The problem is that change was not accepted by many Superman fans. Superboy was the "road not taken" by DC/WB in the 90s. The road DC/WB took was to move away from the character's ethos and that change coincided with an ongoing decline of the character - at least IMO.

[signalman112]

Nice cover photo to issue #1.

Superboy1.jpg

[Jeffrey2]

Nice cover photo to issue #1.

Superboy1.jpg

Great photo. Gerard trivia - he was older than Hoechlin, Reeve, Routh, Cain and Cavill when he debuted as Superboy in 1990 than they were when they debuted as Superman.

Also, Gerard was a competitive triathlete at the time he filmed Superboy. His bod and that suit (forgetting the debate over the trunks) are the best ever live action version of Superman.

[Jeffrey2]

One of my fav GC/Superboy shots.

[superduperman]

Nice cover photo to issue #1.

Superboy1.jpg

I actually have that issue! I think it's something like the second issue I got.

[Jeffrey2]

For anyone in the Golden Triangle area of North Carolina, Gerard Christopher will be at Galaxy Con on July 29 thru 31. He will be appearing on several panels and will likely be asked, among other things, what he thinks of Superman and Lois and would he like to guest on the show.

BTW, at 63 Gerard is in great shape and would make for a great Kingdom Come Superman.