McFarlane Toys has announced that their upcoming “Strange Lives of Superman” figure will be available exclusively at Target, and only in-store. Unfortunately, you will not be able to purchase this one online. The post did not indicate when it would be available, other than the normal “Coming Soon” text.
You can check out the official solicitation below for the upcoming Strange Lives of Superman figure from McFarlane Toys.
What is “Strange Lives of Superman”?
Published in 1961, Superman Annual #3 is a quintessential piece of Silver Age comic book history, packed with reprinted tales that explore the wild and imaginative “Strange Lives of Superman.” This 80-page giant collects some of the most unusual and inventive stories ever told about the Man of Steel, each one offering a twist on his traditional mythos. Overflowing with creativity, emotional depth, and a healthy dose of the era’s sci-fi flair, this annual is a must-have for Superman fans and collectors alike.
This figure pulls from two of the stories in this book, “The Lady and the Lion,” and “The Superman of the Future”.
“Lady and the Lion”
After performing for a group of children, Superman returns to his Fortress of Solitude to add a new award to his collection. Using his x-ray vision, he spots a woman in danger in the Mediterranean and flies to her rescue. The woman, who claims to be a descendant of the sorceress Circe and from another planet, invites Superman into her ancient home. She offers him a drink and proposes marriage. When Superman politely declines, she reveals she spiked his drink with an evolution potion that will transform him into a beast. Unless he returns to accept her proposal by dawn, he will remain in that monstrous form forever.
The next day, Clark Kent begins transforming into a lion-like man while at work, shocking his colleagues — especially Lois Lane. Now fully transformed, Superman rushes to find Circe, only to discover she has vanished and left no clue to her home planet’s location. After several adventures in his beastly form, he retreats to the Fortress to search for a cure. When his Kryptonite detector activates, he deduces that the potion included a trace amount of Kryptonite, leading him to believe Circe may have Kryptonian origins. Searching the archives in Kandor, he finds the antidote and restores himself. Back in Metropolis, he surprises Lois with his return to normal — and a wild story to match.
“The Superman of the Future”
In this imaginative tale from Superman Annual #3 and originally published in Action Comics #256, Professor Wright unveils his new invention — the Time-Cabinet — and enlists Superman to test it. Before a group of reporters, Superman seemingly vanishes into the year 100,000 A.D., only to return moments later looking physically altered, with a larger head and elongated fingers. Claiming to be the Superman of the future, he announces that he has come back in time to prevent four major disasters. As the first three disasters unfold, the Ultra-Superman fails to stop them, declaring that even with future knowledge, the past cannot be changed. The fourth predicted catastrophe is the assassination of the President of the United States.
During the staged assassination, a man named Dirk Folgar exposes himself as a foreign spy, believing the president has been successfully eliminated. But the “future” Superman reveals himself to be the real, modern-day Superman in disguise. The entire event — including the Time-Cabinet, the disasters, and the futuristic appearance — was an elaborate hoax designed by Superman and Professor Wright to flush out the would-be assassin. With Folgar apprehended, Superman proves once again that his greatest power may be his cunning intellect.
Will you be snagging this one for your collection? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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