Over the past four years or so, fans have been treated to a host of screen test images, costume designs and various pieces of concept art from Warner Bros. and Tim Burton's canceled $50 million cinematic experiment known as Superman Lives. Actor Nicolas Cage would've starred as a very different version of the Man of Steel in the film circa 1996-2000, as a story penned by Kevin Smith that amalgamated assorted chunks of Superman comics lore, including the hero's 1992 death and return, plus a host of studio-mandated details. Though the project never got as far as the filming stage, Cage's likeness was cast and utilized by scores of artists, designers and craftspeople as they imagined metallic/fiber-optic armor and other items enow to fill a Fortress of Solitude. Last week I got to see one of these Nic Cage "life masks" up close during a tour of the DC Comics office library in New York City, along with a few others. It was, no hyperbole intended, pretty awesome. You can take a look at all of the cinematic life masks DC had on display in its library after the cut.

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Nicolas Cage Superman Lives Life Mask

From right to left: Life masks of actors Chris O'donnell (Batman: Forever, Batman and Robin), George Clooney (Batman and Robin) and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns).

Brandon Routh Superman Returns Life Mask

Chris O'donnell Batman and Robin Life Mask

George Clooney Batman and Robin Life Mask

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