Consume All Media! Superman: "Chapter Four: Man of Steel"
- Joseph Heath
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Joe Heath is a big fan of comic books and watching things in order. So they made this spreadsheet containing every serial, short, film, television episode, commercial, motion comic, and web series based on a comic book. Now they're watching them all. Previously, Joe watched the third chapter of Superman. This time, they continue with the fourth.
Superman: “Chapter Four: Man of Steel” - 17:05 (Available on Amazon)
Leeds puts the meteor away and Clark gets better. Clark decides to tell him that he’s Superman. To prove it, he changes his clothes and then x-rays Leed’s closet. But it doesn’t work! Leeds explains that the closet is lead-lined just like the box containing the Kryptonite. So lead just blocks all things Kryptonian, I guess.
So instead Superman turns his x-ray vision towards a safe and describes the contents inside. And for good measure, he also picks up the safe to show that he’s a strong, strong boy.
Superman asks Leeds to destroy the meteor and Leeds agrees to do so after he studies it for a couple of days. Superman agrees to these terms and up, up, and aways out of the window.
Little do they know that a disgruntled employee named Morgan (Stephen Carr) was listening in the whole time.
Actor Highlights
Stephen Carr (1906-1986)
Trivia: Director Thomas Carr's brother.
Other comic book media credits: Tom MacGraw in Congo Bill (1948), Eddie in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), and various roles Adventures of Superman (1952-53) as well as a script supervisor and dialogue director on Superman and the Mole Men and Adventures of Superman
Clark gets the meteorite scoop over Lois which baffles her. Clark is very nice about it, even sticking up for her with Perry, and Lois finds this all very suspicious.
Seriously, I love them so much.
Morgan puts a vaguely coded message in a newspaper ad basically saying that he knows Superman’s weakness and he’s willing to sell this information. The Spider Lady reads this and is intrigued.
Jimmy and Lois go to talk to a wily character who claims to have some information, Hawkins (Frank Lackteen).
Actor Highlights
Frank Lackteen (1897-1968)
Other comic book media credits: Nagu in Congo Bill (1948)
He tells them about Morgan and the newspaper ad. They track him down and see him talking to some henchmen who proceed to knock Jimmy out and kidnap Lois.
They drive into a cave and meet the Spider Lady. Morgan tells her about the Kryptonite and she pays him a dollar for his info. He gets understandably upset about this, so she puts him in her web.
After she fries him up a bit, she throws Lois in for a turn.
Should you watch it, though? I’m just going to say it. This is loads better than the Zack Snyder film of the same name. We get some development of both Superman’s powers and weaknesses, as well as seeing the Spider Lady in action for the first time.
Tune in next time for Superman: "Chapter Five: A Job for Superman!" (Available on Amazon)
