So I’m in the middle of my look back at everything that went wrong with Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, when I received this in the mail a little while ago…

This came as a result of the Official Pix autograph session with the legendary Gene Hackman, best known for his many films including The French Connection, Young Frankenstein, Hoosiers, Crimson Tide, and, of course, his portrayal of Lex Luthor in the Superman films alongside Christopher Reeve. Even though he retired from acting nearly twenty years ago, he has moved into a solid writing career and simply enjoying life.

I’ve been collecting Superman cast autographs for over a year now, so when this opportunity came up, I went for it. I could have selected any photograph from their selection, or I could have sent in a magazine or a DVD cover, but this particular piece from my collection just leapt out at me. And that it’s a reproduction of the newspaper headline that appeared at the start of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut didn’t matter to me. What mattered is that it’s a Lex Luthor piece with Mr. Hackman prominently featured on the front page. How could anyone not miss such an opportunity?

And I must give thanks to Chris Wyman at Official Pix for making this event happen. Chris is a wonderful person to work with. He answered all of my questions very promptly and efficiently, and he went the extra mile to mail the autographed print back with very protective packaging and the Official Pix holographic seal of approval. So there is no doubt about it that this is a genuine Gene Hackman autograph, a centerpiece for any Superman collection!

Many thanks to Chris Wyman and Official Pix, and many special thanks to the one and only Gene Hackman for creating so many wonderful memories for everyone!