DC Histories: Batman and Superman in 3-D

Here at DC Histories, we try to make sense of the continuity that perplexes, befuddles, and intimidates. We discuss what worked and what didn’t. This week, we’re talking about the times that Batman and Superman entered the third dimension.

Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990 In-House Ad

Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990 In-House Ad

The 1950s was the original golden age of 3-D. After developing the process by which images could appear to have three dimensions when a viewer wore a certain type of glasses, the technology was used in film. There, a variety of movies, mostly genre pictures but also a few A-list films and musicals, were shown to audiences. Reaction wasn’t great. The process required two film reels to be projected at once and if they weren’t synchronized, or if one was a little blurry, it could result in an unclear image. Audience members complained of having headaches after some showings and by 1954, the fad had pretty much wound to a halt.

Before 3-D vanished from theaters, the folks over at DC jumped on the bandwagon. In 1953, they released two comic books in 3-D. One starred Batman, the other starred Superman.

Batman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953) Cover & Superman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953) Cover

Batman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953) Cover & Superman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953) Cover

Readers of these two issues found old tales retold using the new format. For instance, in the Batman book, readers discovered a tale titled ‘The Robot Robbers.’ Longtime readers may have been familiar with this story already, as it had first appeared in Detective Comics #166, published in 1950. The tale was a simple one as Batman and Robin battled against an evil scientist and his army of automatons. The key difference was that this version of the story stripped the color out and replaced it with a red and green-ish look that made the images pop when viewed with the supplied glasses.

From Batman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953)

From Batman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953)

To see Batman swinging through the streets of Gotham in 3-D was a treat for readers, even if he wasn’t going up against one of his more memorable rogues.

The Superman 3-D book also reprinted past tales. Among the stories that it presented was the then-current version of Superman’s origin story, taken from 1948’s Superman #53. Seeing Clark Kent nearly jump off the page as he cleared the Kent barn was a ton of fun.

From Superman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953)

From Superman 3-D (Vol. 1) #1 (1953)

As cinemas turned away from 3-D films, the comics followed suit. These two brief forays into the third dimension weren’t repeated by DC for decades, though the Batman book was republished in 1966 to coincide with the newly launched television program starring Adam West. Batman wouldn’t appear in a new 3-D story again until 1990. It seemed that once again, DC was following film’s lead as 3-D returned to some movie theaters in the 1980s.

John Byrne, fresh off the Superman relaunch he spearheaded after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, agreed to do a special graphic novel for DC featuring Batman battling his most famous villains. Released as Batman 3-D (Vol. 2), this new book came with its own special pair of 3-D glasses with a very distinct design. Labeled “Batman’s Glasses,” they certainly advertised where they came from.

Batman's Glasses in use

Batman’s Glasses in use

In the pages of this graphic novel, Batman battled Two-Face, the Riddler, the Joker, and the Penguin. The graphic novel format allowed the tale to be a bit longer and fuller than an average comic and the slightly oversized pages allowed the 3-D to pop.

From Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990 1

From Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990

The 3-D work in this book wasn’t perfect. Created by Ray Zone, the 3-D effects gave the entire affair the look of a ViewMaster slide. There was no gradation to the effects. Everything was a flat image on a separate plane. The end result was a fun novelty with some great Byrne art, but it didn’t manage to immerse the reader in what he or she was seeing. It was a fun distraction, but nothing more. At least this time, the word balloons were all left on the surface of the image, making them very easy to read. The 1953 books occasionally sunk the word balloons into the image, making them a challenge to read at times.

Perhaps even more enjoyable than the story itself was the pin-up gallery that followed. Featuring work by creators like Art Adams and Alex Toth, these were also turned into 3-D by Ray Zone. My favorite piece here is a wonderful Batman and Man-Bat meeting by Mike Mignola.

Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990

From Batman 3-D (Vol. 2) 1990

The book ended with another reprint of one of the stories found in Batman 3-D Vol. 1.

As before, the 3-D effects didn’t set the world on fire. It was a fun diversion but nothing readers clamored for. It wasn’t until 1998 that DC decided to bring back 3-D  for a series of special one-shots. Three issues and one pin-up gallery of various DCU characters were created and released in late-1998.

3D One-shots (1998) In-House Ad

3-D One-shots (1998) In-House Ad

In stark contrast to the 3-D tales which had come before, these specials were all in color. As he had done in 1990, Ray Zone created the effects present in each issue. His work had grown during the previous 8 years and a much more subtle use of 3-D was found in these issues. Another difference from past tales was that each story gave a reason for the 3-D to be used. For instance, during his one-shot, Superman only found himself in 3-D when he entered another dimension alongside Jimmy Olsen.

From Supeman 3-D (Vol. 2) #1 (1998)

From Supeman 3-D (Vol. 2) #1 (1998)

Likewise, the only time that the Batman tale was in 3-D was when its characters were under the effects of Scarecrow’s fear gas or a similar drug that the insane former professor created in the issue’s pages. It allowed the 3-D to become slightly more than just a simple novelty, but just barely.

From Batman: Scarecrow 3-D #1 (1998)

From Batman / Scarecrow 3-D #1 (1998)

Unfortunately, the colors present in the book meant that the 3-D didn’t work as well as in the previous tales. Keeping the art to black-and-white allowed the eye to easily pick up the effect but DC decided to do something different here. It was only partially successful and Ray Zone’s newly found subtlety with his effects meant that it didn’t look as obvious as it had before.

Of these one-shots, the most interesting one remains the book full of pin-ups. Inside are the heroes and villains of the DCU drawn by the creators currently working on their books. Howard Porter did an impressive JLA picture while Tony Harris supplied a wonderful Jack Knight page. My favorite of the bunch is Dave Johnson’s take on Darkseid. The 3-D effect allowed it to seem as though the ruler of Apokolips was sending his deadly Omega Beams directly at the reader.

From Legends of the DC Universe 3-D #1 (1998)

From Legends of the DC Universe 3-D #1 (1998)

Also that same year, gimmick covers were still being released by many comic companies. DC was no exception. While most issues of a special one-shot titled Superman Red / Superman Blue came with a normal cover, another came with a 3-D cover. This was a bit of false advertising though. The interior of the book was a normal issue, as long as you think it’s normal that in this issue Superman had electric powers and was split into two beings, each convinced that he was the one, true Superman. It was a whole thing. Perhaps I’ll tell you about it sometime.

Superman Red / Superman Blue #1 (1998) Cover

Superman Red / Superman Blue #1 (1998) Cover

As before, years went by before another stab at a third dimension was tried. 3-D was returning to films by the middle of the aughts, so it felt only natural that comics should, once again, follow suit. During a 2007 tale which sent Superman into the Phantom Zone, the Zone was presented as disorienting to the Man of Steel. In select printings of this story, the Zone was overlaid with 3-D effects, allowing readers to feel as out of place as Superman. By keeping colors to a minimum, the 3-D looked amazing and allowed readers to experience the Phantom Zone for themselves.

From Action Comics (Vol. 1) #851 (2007)

From Action Comics (Vol. 1) #851 (2007)

A year later, the third dimension returned to Superman during a Final Crisis spin-off. In a miniseries titled Superman Beyond, Superman once again found himself moving through time and space on an adventure penned by Grant Morrison. Some of the issues were published with regular art while others were labeled 3-D.

From Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1 (2008)

From Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3-D #1 (2008)

As he had done so many times in the past, Ray Zone contributed the 3-D effects to the issue. By this point, he had nailed it. The colors were slightly washed out to allow the 3-D effects to work and they were used with a lot more subtlety than the Batman book in 1990. These weren’t cardboard cutout characters standing in a diorama. Roundness to character’s body parts was hinted at and the whole thing worked extremely well. It’s a shame this technique hadn’t been revisited since then.

While 3-D may be a gimmick, it can be a fun and effective one. To those stories featuring larger than life characters in out-of-this-world situations, 3-D can be a boon. Of course, as with anything, it’s all about the execution. Here’s hoping that the next time we see Superman and Batman in 3-D, it’s crafted with care and serves some sort of story point. If that’s the case, I’ll welcome it back with open arms.

 


Jeff Reid saw Superman Returns in 3-D in an IMAX theater. During those scenes in which 3-D was used, the entire affair was all a blur of motion and madness. Had it existed in June of 2006, Jeff would have complained about the film on Twitter.

Comments

  1. Dammit, I am STILL pissed off about Superman Beyond! GRRRRRR!

    • How so? I remember spending most of the two issues confused and wondering what the f*** was going on, Also, I think that the 3D just gave me a headache, though some of the effects were cool . . .

  2. Blackthorne Publishing made a name for themselves for a period in the ’80s adapting or reissuing licensed properties into the 3D comic format. According to Wiki, the company flopped when their 3D Michael Jackson comic failed to moonwalk off the shelves. I remember the Three D Stooges comic splash page where Moe’s fingers try to poke the readers eyeballs. Nyuk, Nyuk! Suspiciously absent from the Wiki bibliography is The Weird World Of Wally Wood in 3D which does, indeed, exist (at least in my collection). His surreal, psychedelic, sci-fi style adapts quite nicely to the extra dimension. The company is probably best remembered for the highly original Pre Teen, Dirty Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos. In fact, an article on all the Ninja Turtle knockoffs would make interesting reading. Get to work!

  3. Catch Man of Steel in 3D on June 17th 😉

  4. Back in the 80’s, Step By Step Graphics Magazine published an issue focusing on the 3-D process written by Ray Zone. Very informative and educational.