Because I can’t get enough of the "Death of Superman," it seems.
That image to the right is taken from this auction…apparently an actual granite tombstone, used as a promotional item for the “Death of Superman” storyline. I honestly have never heard of such a thing. Please note this bit from the auction’s description: “BOTTOM 4 INCHES OF THE TOMBSTONE IN [sic] STAINED FROM BEING LEFT ON THE GROUND(OUTDOORS).” Goodness.
While trying to Google up more information about this item, I found someone who produced his own out of styrofoam (along with a reproduction of the “tattered cape” image).
I think I’ve noted before on this site that, shortly after the original black-bagged “Death of Superman” issue (Superman #75) was released, there was a lot of panic buying and hugely inflated prices taking advantage of said panic buying. $200 was the craziest price I heard, and this was less than a week after the comic had sold out. Nowadays we regularly sell sealed copies for $18 a pop (which is the highest we’ve ever priced this particular book, which surprises some people when I tell them this). Looking at auctions on the eBay, copies tend to sell between $5 and $20, though there is the occasional person with high hopes.
This item isn’t specifically a “Death of Superman” tie-in, but any auction with the title “SUPERMAN BLOODY DEATH BLOOD DRIPPING DC SHIRT” deserves special attention. However, there was an official “Death of Superman” t-shirt, as I’m sure most of you recall, featuring that tasteful red bloody “S” from the bag covering Superman #75, printed against a black background. I still see people wearing them around town on occasion…whether they’re original owners or just picked them up in one of our many fine local thrift stores, I’m not sure.
There was another t-shirt design, one showing superheroes carrying Supes’ coffin. You know, the more I think about that superhero pallbearers shirt, the tackier it seems. Good Lord, people wore this. The other thing I remember about that shirt is that the image was taken from the poster that came with Superman #75, and Batman was one of the pallbearers*. Due to licensing issues, Batman was replaced by Captain Marvel for the t-shirt design (and, I believe, when that image was used in the tie-in trading card set).
And dig that belt buckle.