Aldous writes:I can't help you, wootenz, but I hope you will forgive me if I add my plea to yours. Around the time the first Superman film came out, I owned a poster of Superman which had a drawing/painting of Superman as the main picture, maybe with one hand on a hip. I don't think it was a portrait of Christopher Reeve, although it was from around that era. The bottom quarter (roughly) of the poster was a series of comic book panels, in black and white I believe, which were definitely excerpts from "Superman Breaks Loose" (1971), particularly the scenes where the Man of Steel is challenging the jet planes ("....a few cannon shells aren't even a bother...").
When I was around 21, and living in another country, my mother disposed of a whole collection of posters I owned, and this was my favourite. I have never seen a picture of this poster since, or come across anyone who remembers it.
Well, old buddy, in that case I'm about to make your day.
I too loved this poster and to this day it remains possibly my single favorite image of Superman in any medium. It was printed by an outfit called "The Thought Factory" in 1977 as part of a series that also included Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and (though I've never seen it) the Hulk. Possibly some others as well.
The Superman image, and possibly the Batman, was painted by the great Drew Struzan, who also created many great movie posters for the original Star Wars trilogy and the Indiana Jones films, among others. I always loved the face, especially, and when, two years later, everyone said, "Chris Reeve looks just like Superman," I said, "no, the guy in this poster looks just like Superman!" The only thing that rang slightly false was the sheer, almost see-through quality of the cape, something that irks me about Alex Ross' Superman as well.
Anyway, below is an image of the abbreviated version of the poster. This is shorter than the original, which as you say featured panels from Superman #233 where Superman knocks out the jet pilots by punching them through the fuselage, and drags the plane off with one hand. I think this smaller version may have been a re-issue to coincide with the film.
Ta-da!
My copy is beat-up, with tears and holes. Always on the lookout for a nicer copy. Hopefully this info will help you find one, as well.