1983 Topps Superman III wraps up the trading card trilogy when it comes to the iconic Christopher Reeve movies. This might not be the most beloved superhero film but its campy qualities and the presence of a comedy legend make for some solid card content.
1983 Topps Superman III Checklist Details
At 99 cards, the base set is actually a little bigger than 1980’s Superman II, which has 88. It’s a standard recap, taking collectors through the highs and lows of the third film. While the story might not be the best, there’s plenty of comic book influence on the action, for better or worse. This makes for some strong visual that might translate better to stills on cards that on the screen as a part of a story.
The presence of Richard Pryor certainly helps, too. Despite a storied career on screen and stage, Pryor doesn’t have a lot of cards. In fact, it appears that this is his first appearance in a mainstream set of cards.
1983 Topps Superman III has a simple design that features a black border and a small yellow inner frame that holds in both the image — a movie still — and the caption. There’s also the icy Superman logo in the bottom corner.
Backs get the color treatement with images of both Pryor’s Gus Gorman and Superman on top along with the film’s title art. Below that is a descriptive write-up that covers the main story points.
Stickers
Stickers are the standard one per pack. Approximately half of the 22-card set is dedicated to characters. The remaining spots reuse stills from the base set. The design takes a patriotic approach with red and white stripes in the background. The sticker is surrounded by a thick blue border. Backs are puzzle pieces.
1983 Topps Superman III isn’t a hard set to find today. Condition might be the greater challenge as the black border show every little imperfection, no matter how small.
1983 Topps Superman III Checklist
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Set size: 99 cards
Cards per pack: 11
Packs per box: 36
Shop for 1983 Topps Superman III boxes and packs on eBay.
Base Set Checklist
99 cards.
Buy on eBay:
1 Title Card
2 A Comic Catastrophe!
3 Has Superman Been Snagged?
4 Soaring through the City!
5 The Crime-Fighter from Krypton
6 A New Kind of ‘Car Pool’!
7 Clark to the Rescue!
8 A Nimble Feat—Almost
9 A Gloomy Gus Gorman
10 Computer Whiz!
11 In Perry White’s Office
12 Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson
13 Smallville’s Finest!
14 Off on Vacation!
15 On the Road to Smallville
16 The Chemical Plant Disaster
17 A Job for Superman
18 Courageous Photographer
19 The Resourceful Superman
20 Slide to Safety
21 Jimmy Olsen—Injured!
22 Into the Fray
23 Rescuing Jimmy Olsen
24 In the Nick of Time!
25 Astounding Ice-Breath!
26 The Enormous Ice Platter!
27 A Dapper Clark Kent!
28 The Smallville High Reunion
29 Greeting Lana Lang
30 Gus Has a Plan
31 Millionaire Ross Webster
32 Gus and Lorelei Ambrosia
33 Clark Kent ‘Bumps’ into Gus
34 The Picnic
35 Ricky in the Wheat Fields
36 Terror of the Thresher
37 Saving Ricky’s Life
38 A New Found Friend
39 At the Bowling Alley
40 Creepy Brad Wilson
41 Gus Gorman’s Ploy
42 The Way to Brad’s Heart
43 The Ski Resort Penthouse
44 Gus Describes the Hurricane Affair
45 Lorelei Ambrosia
46 Skiing in Metropolis?
47 Smallville Honors Superman
48 The Esteemed Speaker
49 General Gus Gorman?
50 The Deadly Gift
51 Friends…or Foes?
52 De-Leaning the Pisa Tower
53 The Villains Exercise Their Options
54 Goodness at the Crossroads
55 The ‘Ultimate Computer’ Scheme
56 Awaiting Superman’s Arrival
57 A Disgraceful Superman
58 Spotting Superman
59 An Evil Superman?
60 Challenged by Clark Kent
61 The Man of Steel vs. Himself
62 Dastardly Nemesis
63 Clark Kent—Defeated?
64 Car Crusher Terror
65 Clark Kent’s Fight for Life!
66 Goodness Triumphant!
67 A Hero Once Again!
68 Back in Action!
69 Righting Wrongs with Heat-Vision
70 In Search of Ross Webster
71 Balloon Escape!
72 The Only Way To Travel!
73 The Fantastic Computer
74 Confronting His Foes
75 The Computer Attacks!
76 Controlling the Computer
77 Trapped!!
78 Strength of the Man of Steel
79 The Kryptonite Ray
80 Enveloped by the Ray!
81 Gus Gorman Turns on His Creation!
82 Is Superman Doomed?
83 Vera’s Monstrous Fate!
84 Robotized!
85 Attacking Lorelei Ambrosia!
86 Robot on the Rampage
87 Gus Gorman Is Zapped!
88 Allies at Last!
89 The Plan of Superman
90 Acid Indigestion Death!
91 Destruction of the Ultimate Computer
92 Giving Gus Gorman a Lift!
93 Stopping Off at the Coal Mine
94 Transforming Coal into a Diamond
95 The Friends Depart
96 A Gift from Superman
97 Lana Lang at the Daily Planet
98 Superman Flies Again!
99 Checklist
Stickers Checklist
22 cards.
1 per pack.
1 The Man of Steel
2 Lana Lang
3 Ross Webster
4 Gus Gorman
5 Lorelei Ambrosia
6 Vera Webster
7 Jimmy Olsen
8 Lois Lane
9 Clark Kent
10 General Gus Gorman
11 Superman Flying (Arms at Side)
12 Superman Flying (Fist Out)
13 Clark Kent Holding Up Sweater
14 Superman Holding Pipe
15 Superman Breathing
16 Clark Ken and Lana Lang
17 Superman and Gus
18 Superman with Laser Eyes
19 Superman Being Attacked
20 Superman Breaking Free
21 Superman in Krytonite Glow
22 Woman Turned Into Robot
