LEWISTON – Mike Edgecomb Jr.’s seen the new “Superman Returns” movie trailers at least 100 times, downloading the little video clips online and watching them again. Again. Again.
Rumored for at least a decade, the film is supposed to re-energize the franchise. Debut a bald, villainous Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Bust out with action and awes.
To say Edgecomb is pumped would be like calling Supes’ blue tights a little snug.
He’s taking Wednesday, opening day, off from work.
The plan: Catch a midnight show. Squeeze in a birthday celebration for mom. See the movie again.
“There’s a shot in the trailer I just love,” Edgecomb, 25, said. A bad guy shoots Superman at point-blank range in the eye. The camera follows the bullet as it pings off his pupil.
He doesn’t even blink, warning the gunman: “Bad move.”
Edgecomb got into “Superman” with comic issue No. 75, back when the icon died at the end of 1992. His father had brought home a graphic novel of the story arc, figuring, like countless others, it might be worth something someday.
“I read it cover to cover. That kind of got me hooked,” he said.
Fortunately, the Man of Steel wasn’t in the ground for long.
Death in comics? Almost certainly temporary. (It’s a minor detail in the new movie as well: The late Marlon Brando has a cameo.)
From there, Edgecomb got to work collecting comic books. His tastes broadened to include Green Lantern and Flash.
“I’ve managed, as far as I can tell, to pick up every book with those three characters from 1986 to today,” he said.
The number of boarded and bagged books is in the thousands. He’s also got a number of hardcovers, action figures, movies and signed art by Ed McGuinness, the Brewer man who just ended a long reign on the Superman books.
Edgecomb met Margot Kidder, the actress who played Lois Lane in the 1978 “Superman” movie opposite Christopher Reeve, last year in Boston. She signed a copy of “Superman II.”
“She was kind of quiet. Pretty down to earth. Nice lady,” Edgecomb said.
He thinks newcomer Brandon Routh looks a bit like Reeve and can probably pull off the role. Superman got a costume makeover for the new film. Edgecomb’s warmed up to the 3-D icon on the chest.
The draw of the character, whether in movies or comics, is what he stands for, Edgecomb said.
Superman has never been a shoot first, ask questions later sort of guy.
“No matter how bad the outlook is, he does the right thing, because that’s what he does,” he said.
For now, Edgecomb’s hoping the movie is all it’s been hyped to be – at least good enough to demand two or three more – and he’s on the lookout for a Superman onesie, trying to groom his 22-week nephew into a little fan.
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