For an indestructible man dedicated to saving everyone, Superman is associated with some uncomfortable real-life tragedies, enough that some superstitious types claim that starring as Superman, or even in a Superman show, can be dangerous. Lee Quigley, who played Superman as a baby in the 1978 film, died at age 14 from inhalant abuse. Christopher Reeve, who played him as an adult in that same film and some others, was paralyzed from the neck down in a horseback riding incident. George Reeves, who played him in the 1950s TV show The Adventures of Superman, was found dead in what was ruled, but not always believed, to be a suicide. There are other cast members and a couple of other Supermen sometimes considered to suffer from the curse. However, the real "Super-curse" may be rooted in much more mundane concerns: typecasting. Reeves, Reeve and the 1940s film star Kirk Alyn all struggled to find work after starring as Superman because they were too recognizable as the face of the Man of Steel. Reeves's fiancee claimed the depression from this career failure, not supernatural causes, led to his death.
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
