This is a book devoted to the aesthetics of Man of Steel – how they’ve been shaped by the bold new direction 21st century Superman’s been taken in, and vice versa. Compiled by Daniel Wallace, it’s a detailed catalogue of the film’s design process with contributions from the whole team on the film, including director Zack Snyder, producers, casting, and the Weta Workshop team who carved out the film’s distinctive visuals.

Much of the book is devoted to the very ‘H.R. Geiger meets The Matrix‘ concept illustrations of Krypton, and goes into tremendous detail right down to the Kryptonian language created by linguistic anthropologist Christine Schreyer. Fans of the comics as well as the film will be impressed with how much thought and talent has been put into a unique vision of a world ultimately blown to smithereens. From the sheer amount of work you get the feeling an entirely Krypton set pre-Superman film could’ve been made.

There’s plenty of content but if anything it’s a little too well pruned. The pre-production stages in movies are a carefully ordered chaos of imagination, and though there are plenty of ‘exploratory’ images it would have been nice to have seen more unused or discarded designs. There’s no shortage of material here for your eyes to soak up (even the Kryptonian birdcage hats get a look in) and the big page spreads capture the cinematic ambition of the paintings and model mock-ups, but it’s all a little too tailored to the finished film product. Perhaps Zack Snyder had a singular vision, or perhaps one day there’ll be a second book, Up, Up, and Thrown Away!: The Unused Designs of Man of Steel.

Yet that’s a small niggle though in what is a comprehensive artefact of Man of Steel‘s creation. If you’re interested in the creative process that rockets a script to screen, or if you’re a fan of Superman in any guise, then Inside the Legendary World of Superman is a fascinating journey that’ll do justice to your coffee table. Or, as it’s so well-bound, even as a coffee table itself.

Published on Tuesday 18 June 2013 by Titan Books.

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