In honor of Man of Steel, Zach Snyder’s take on Superman (which opens tonight at midnight), I thought it would be fun to take a look at the evolution of Superman’s “S” logo over the years. Fortunately, someone has already thought of the idea and created a handy infographic showing all of the logos since the character was first introduced in Action Comics #1 in 1938.
Yes, there’s a lot of them. And yes, I think they’ve gotten better over the years. Of course, I do have a special place for the one from 1978. That’s the one worn by Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner’s classic Superman, which I saw in the theater with my parents on opening weekend.
That’s the logo, and the movie, that made a young boy truly believe a man could fly. As cliche’ as that may sound today, after a heavy dose of Star Wars the year before and a whole host of other sci-fi, fantasy and comic book influences and input on a daily basis, I was ready to believe . . . And I did.
Let’s hope Snyder’s Man of Steel can work that same magic again on the much older and somewhat cynical (yet still a kid at heart) adult I’ve become. I don’t think it’s too late for me. I think there’s still a chance.
Because, dammit, I want to believe again.
