SUPER SALES Man of Steel a gold-plated merchandising brand

Jul. 9--'Superman Returns" grossed $84.2 million in its first five days at the box office.

There is even more money to be made from the Man of Steel on retail shelves with more than 20 companies offering Superman-themed products. The items include clothes, jewelry, edibles and toys.

Products Tie-ins are an old plot line for the 68-year-old superhero.

A "Superman Krypto Ray Gun" from 1940 is available on eBay for $900; an action figure from 1977 is priced at $150. Today's products are available in all price ranges, from simple action figures (there's even a Superman Barbie doll) to high-end collectible statues and a remote-controlled flying Superman.

"This is definitely the big movie toy release this summer," said Justin Aclin, senior editor at ToyFare magazine. "There's really a broad range of stuff from kids to collectors. There's a lot of product out there."

The action figures, for example, are the first official Superman movie toys ever done, Mr. Aclin said.

Allen Pilkington, store manager of Wal-Mart on Gunbarrel Road, said customers have responded well to the movie's merchandise so far. He said it compared favorably with products launches for other big movies such as the "Spider-Man" and "Star Wars" series.

Here we take a subjective look at some of the newest products. We rate each item's good qualities in the "Super Strength" category, outline its weakness under "Kryptonite" and judge each one on a scale of 1-5 "Capes" (one cape being the lowest).

E-mail M. Trevor Higgins at thiggins@ timesfreepress.com SUPERMAN INFLATO-SUIT Cost: $19.76 Super strength: This suit renders other Superman costumes obsolete. Parents can no longer send out children with simply a cape, blue shirt and power S. To be a real Superman on Halloween, or any other day of the year, kids need airpowered muscles. A small batterypowered fan inflates a nylon shirt to give the illusion of a Mr. Universe physique. Kryptonite: Inflato-Supermen are also vulnerable to dead batteries and sharp objects. The suit is a shirt only. At deadline, inflato-pants were not available. Rating: 4 capes. It beats stuffing a shirt with pillows or actually lifting weights. SUPERMAN SUPER POWER ENERGY DRINK BY SOBE Cost: $2.19 Super strength: This drink packs a super punch of caffeine that may not give you X-ray vision but will make your heart beat faster than a speeding bullet. The sharp black, gray and white 16-ounce can is well-designed and looks better than most of the other energy drinks on the shelf, especially Tab Energy. The ingredient list says the beverage is flavored with grape juice, but I think it tastes more like black cherry. The color is somewhere between Coca-Cola and red clay mud. Kryptonite: It is not recommended for children or pregnant women. Rating: 2 capes. This drink hurts my teeth. SUPERMAN CRUNCH Cost: $2.73 Super strength: This is Cap'n Crunch with Crunch Berries shaped like the Superman S. So the cereal is delicious. There's also a fun game on the back of the box to read while you're eating breakfast. Kryptonite: Chocolate milk is good, and even pink strawberry milk has its place sometimes, but there is no room in this world for blue milk. But pour the milk onto the red S-shapes and, sure enough, the milk turns blue. And all forms of Cap'n Crunch, regardless of how they taste, will shred the roof of your mouth. Rating: 4 capes. Blue milk creepiness aside, Cap'n Crunch still tastes like childhood. SUPERMAN SWINGSHOT Cost: $10.92 Super strength: Much of Superman's appeal -- in the new movie, in comics, in back yards everywhere -- lies in his ability to fly. Toy makers have keyed off this and offer numerous ways to get plastic versions of the Man of Steel airborne. The swingshot can be thrown two ways. Toss him with a flick of the wrist like a dart, or grab the end of his cape, twirl above your head and release. Kryptonite: Per the box: "Warning, do not throw at people or animals." So, around the toy box anyway, it's up, up and get out of my way. Rating: 5 capes. This flying toy has lots of potential as a gentle diversion, dog toy or plastic missile in sibling rivalry. KRAZY KRYPTONITE Cost: $3.97 Super strength: There is a warning on the back of the package which reads: "Danger: Keep Kryptonite away from Superman." I kid you not. As advertised, it stretches and bounces (sort of), but that's about it. This Kryptonite is pretty much your basic stetchy/gooey/slimy toy, which means it's lots of fun. Kryptonite: In "Superman Returns," the Fortress of Solitude crystals take on the property of minerals around them. In the office, Kryptonite takes on the properties of dirt around it, quickly becoming a gritty, hairy slime ball. This is the type of toy that parents give children on the condition they don't put it on the walls, carpet or in their hair, even though it will end up destroying all three. Rating: 4 capes. It left my hands feeling very slick and smooth. It smells like Play-Doh and baby wipes.