Check Out This Exclusive First Look at Lex Luthor's Subterranean Lair From An Upcoming Art and Architecture Book

ComicBook.com has a first look at the lair of Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) in Superman: The Movie, as seen in an upcoming art and architecture book titled Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. From Dr. Strangelove's War Room to the iconic Death Star from Star Wars, Lair explores the architecture of some of the silver screen's most visually stunning villain lairs from movies such as Superman: The Movie, Lethal Weapon, The Incredibles, Ex Machina, the Bond franchise, and Star Wars, just to name a few. The book includes 3D blueprints of the infamous lairs included in the book, as well interviews with key crew members who helped bring the villainous sets to life. It will be presented in a prestige format, with silver ink on black paper, perfect for collectors and both pop culture and architecture enthusiasts.

You can see two images from the Luthor lair below (click on the image to open a larger version). In case you want a more macro view of the Lair book, the trailer is embedded at the top of the page.

As you can see in the images above, there is a cutaway done in blueprint style as well as a 3D-looking line drawing of the space. Both images feature quotes and specs from and about the space and an analysis of how and why it works. The book itself rests on the idea that, as the trailer teases, "Like evil itself, the abodes of movie villains arefrequently compelling and seductive."

If you don't remember it from the film, Lex's lair in Superman: The Movie was like a sprawling penthouse but, in keeping with his idea that real estate was just too expensive becuase there wasn't enough of it, he put the penthouse below ground, building himself a subterranean mansion from which he could plan his crimes. The location also offered fortification against x-ray vision and a convenient place for him to run with his associates (Eve Tessmacher and Otis) when the heat was on from the police, since while this Lex was well-dressed and rich, he had not gone all the way over to the "businessman Lex" of the '80s and beyond, who managed to fool the authorities into buying his line of bull.

Tra Publishing is publishing Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villians by world-renowned architect Chad Oppenheim. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon today and will be available from booksellers on November 5th.