Documentaries detailing the histories of superheroes, particularly Superman or Batman pop up every few years examining the character, its impact on pop culture and the paths of comic books as a genre. This title doesn't really break a ton of new ground in that way but it does perform a well-crafted update of this chapter in Superman's story culminating with the 2006 release of Bryan Singer's excellent "Superman Returns".

Featuring interviews with the comic book's writers, artists and editors as well as some famous fans, we get some good insight into what makes Superman compelling. Lots of attention is given to the film productions featuring of course touching pieces on the late Christopher Reeve and his doomed 50's TV counterpart, George Reeves. Personal note: I thought it was especially nice that both Noel Neill and Jack Larson (Tv's Lois and Jimmy) were interviewed side by side as I have become accustomed to seeing them. (Singer also used both actors in "Superman Returns". Way to go, Bry.) Aside from the film productions, changes in the comic book and the attempts at radio and of course the classic TV versions including Smallville are covered featuring interviews with virtually every living contributor they could track down including the elusive Jackie Cooper, Ilya Salkind, Richard Donner, Margot Kidder and of course, Neill and Larson. Other perspectives are given by comic book smartypants Mark Waid, Tongue jockey Gene Simmons, Luke Skywalker, Sci-fi grandfather Forrest Ackerman and Superman's current golden girl Annette O'Toole. The entire thing is ably narrated by a virtual unknown named Kevin Spacey who gets to refer to himself in the third person right towards the end.

This is a lot of good stuff. It's a rather in-depth retrospective on the iconic superhero and for my money the producers did an excellent job.

Originally broadcast on the A&E network, this excellent documentary covers the entire history of Superman. From the early 20th century comics to the modern-day television shows and movies, this Kevin Spacey-narrated piece covers much of the Superman mythos. Woven into this story was how all of this was affected by and reflected the culture around it, from World Wars to 9/11.

As a Superman fan, this is a must-see. The A&E (and later in2TV.com) program is 90 minutes. A full 2-hour DVD will be released on June 20, 2006. This viewer is looking forward to not only "Superman Returns", but also the release of A&E's documentary.

I've never been a fan of Superman, but this enlightening documentary really allows you to respect what is, in my opinion, an out dated character. This film details the highs and lows of Superman in popular culture, and avoids being just an advertisement for his latest incarnation. There are interesting tidbits, such as many of the distinctive characters/traits coming from the early radio shows. We see Superman's effects on celebrities, writers, producers, a world at war, and much more. At times it places its feet where they're not wanted. Did we really need talk on September 11th? Probably more of a nice introduction to the character, or good for those looking to expand their knowledge. But most fans will be familiar with what's going on.