That's My Dad

I can never be prouder of someone, or more thankful for someone, than my dad (also called Dad). He was the Hand with the Paddle when I was younger, and the Guy Who Knows Things when I got a little older.

When we were expecting for the first time, twenty-some years ago, I asked him for suggestions on Dad-hood. He told me, "The best way to be a good father is to be a good husband." Word!

As the "baby" of the family, I got the "mature" Charlie, not the volleyball champion or the guy who had black hair but whose beard was bright red (I've seen the photo!).

But I'm so thankful that I still got the man who loved us enough to slay bookkeeping dragons every day, and took a second accounting job too. He loves to pretend to be scandalized by my "wacky" mom. Every Christmas Eve for a decade or more, he would read us a story aloud, "The Birthday of Little Jesus," which told of 8-year-old Jesus going into the hills to find a lost lamb. All three of us kids knew that Dad would do that for us.

Now he has to have an oxygen tube hooked to him, and use a walker. My dad, the same guy who excelled at sports all his life, hitting his last hole-in-one in his 70s (age that is), who used to run 2 miles a day at lunch when working, is now tethered to a machine and can barely walk the length of the house.

But now, as things wind down physically for Mom & Dad, I have never been prouder of my parents. Getting older, becoming dependent on friends, strangers, and relatives, has got to be galling. But, with dignity and a sense of humor, Dad is still dispensing wisdom and love.

Thank you Dad!

Super Watch!

Purchased in 1997 at a Warner Bros. Store, this splendilicious Fossil© watch is proof that sometimes corporate goofs can get it right! It was well worth the $45.
Besides being “Water 100 Resist” – whatever THAT means – and having a fun retro-industrial look to the silver case and setting knob, look at the Superman figure.
That little ol’ Supes is attached to the end of the second hand. That means he makes a complete Super-circuit every minute! Now look at the close-up. Rather than looking like a WB or Silver Age superguy, I’d say that this Superman looks a lot like the guy on the cover of All-Star Superman #1. Don’t you?

The Last of the Super-Pets !

The fourth Super-Pet is a friendly, telepathic blob from Antares named Proty II. He's Chameleon Boy's pet, and has the same shapeshifting powers. He's Proty Number Two because the first one croaked bringing Lightning Lad back to life. Look it up!

Our last Super-Pet is Streaky the Super-Cat, who like Comet is a "pet" of Supergirl. As revealed in a storyline in Action Comics, Linda Lee, still incognito as Superman's "Secret Weapon," was trying to come up with a Kryptonite antidote by, basically, pouring a series of chemicals (long-distance via super-tongs) onto a piece of Green K.

Now, this must have been MUTANT Green Kryptonite, because, unlike EVERY OTHER piece of Kryptonite in the univers, THIS PIECE was reduced by atmospheric friction to marble size. Since Super-Creator Jerry Siegel wrote these tales, I guess nobody told him that DC had a "Kryptonite continuity rule," as stated in Superman #130: When passing into our atmosphere, Kryptonite "didn't burn up in Earth's air like ordinary meteors because Kryptonite can't combine chemically with oxygen, which cause combustion."

So, when this marble-sized piece of mutant Green K was experimented on by Kara Zor-El, nothing happened. That she noticed, anyway. Actually, "by a strange twist of fate," the Green K's properties were changed to turn it into "X-Kryptonite." Another strange twist of story-telling fate got that small piece of Green K (oops, "X=Kryptonite") into a ball of yarn that -- just by coincidence, mind you -- was being played with by the stray cat adopted by Linda Lee, which she'd named "Streaky" because of the zigzag on his side.

And now we come to the end of this subhuman tale. The art for the Super-Pets is from a story with art by Pete Costanza. The Superboy cover was drawn by the NEVER EXCEEDED Curt Swan.

More Origins of Super-Pets

Our recaps of the Super-Pets' origins from Adventure 364 continues with perhaps the only two critters who could (technically anyway) REALLY be called "Super."

Lentils and Germs, I give you ... Krypto the Super-Dog, and Beppo the Super-Monkey!

Now, Krypto was baby Kal-El's pet pup, and was launched by dad Jor-El into space to orbit Krypton and return safely. However, a passing meteoroid whacked Krypto's rocket into deep space, and .. by a strange twist of fate ... it landed on Earth around the time that Clark Kent/Superboy became a teenager.

On the other rocket fin, Beppo was actually a hitchhiker on Kal-El's ship! As revealred in Superboy 76, he was one of Jor-El's experimental monkeys who hopped into the ship just before takeoff. Hmm, mayb e that's why there wasn't room for Lara?!?

In the origin story of the Super-Simian, he is never named. In fact, "Beppo" is the name of an organ-grinder's monkey that is "aped" (sorry) by the Kryptonian critter. He sees that the organ-grinder's monkey, named Beppo, is dressed in a uniform, and then steals Kal-El's super-playsuit, causing his ensuing mischief to be blamed on Kal-El.

At the end of the tale, the super-monkey flies into space, still wearing the playsuit! so, I guess that this means that Superboy's and Superman's outfit is the SECOND suit made by Ma Kent from the Kryptonian blankets also in the rockets. What a trivia question!

Beppo the Super-Monkey was given that name later on, in a later story.

Secret Origins of Super-Pets!

This GRRR-E-E-E-A-T-T-T !! Curt Swan cover is from Adventure 364, cover-dated January 1968. It shows four of the five members of the Legion of Super-Pets. Who's the fifth? Proty II, of course. Why he is "number two" is something for you to figure out. HINT: It involves lightning rods.
Anyway, in this story the Super-Pets feel unappreciated and go shopping for more appreciative masters. Along the way, they recap their origins, which I'll share with you.
First up, Comet the Super-Horse! After reading this recap, you will understand why some uncharitable souls have made the comment that it's creepy to think about Supergirl making out with her horse.

Yes, Comet's human form is called Bronco Bill, and as a rodeo star in Midvale, Supergirl's home town, he has dated and smooched up Linda Lee Danvers (this is in the Silver Age "real" world, of course).
And like Cinderella at midnight, Bronco Bill sometimes has to cut their dates short when the comet that's transformed him fades away.
Stay tuned for our next Super-Pet, another "faux" Super, Streaky the Super-Cat. He also is "owned" by Supergirl. who therefore has a 40% interest in the franchise name.

Sites to Have Fun With

One is "Let Them Sing It for You," at http://www.sr.se/p1/src/sing/index.htm# -- where you type in words and you hear your message sung word-by-word from various pop songs. Don't forget that if your word is too complicated, you can often achieve success by breaking it down phonetically. That is, "sooner"+"can" sounds remarkably close to "SoonerCon."

Another fun one is "#9", http://www.escape.com/~dario/beatles/number9/?NF=1 -- which lets you mix-n-match 12 different snippets from the Beatles' "Revolution 9" (from the White Album, of course!) to create your own version.

And don't forget "The Earth Is Not Moving," http://www.fixedearth.com/ -- guaranteed to set back the IQ of any Christian (or non) who reads it.

A wonderful site is "I Used to Believe," http://iusedtobelieve.com/ -- where folks from all over can share the silly (?) things we believed as children -- from the commonplace (inside the core of a golfball is an acid that will melt your body to mush) to the, umm-- odd: "When I was little I thought that videotapes worked by sending a signal to the actors who would then quick get ready and perform the movie for you. If you pressed pause, they would stand totally still, and if you pressed rewind they would do it all backward."

Me? I used to believe that by 25 I've have several successful albums. Poetry published. A TV show with Mark Barragar (aka Ranger Roger for you OKC types). I used to believe that the people who got angry with me would get over it, since I am personally incapable of carrying evil feelings or grudges around.

Now I believe that the only way I can help people who are mad at me is to try not to make them more crazy, by trying to leave 'em alone.

But, back to fun websites, "Ugly Christmas Lights" http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/ -- will put you in the Holiday mood, since tonight I just saw my first Christmas commercial (September 29, people!).

Have a swifty nifty weekend!

A Couple of Ruminations on the Disciple Peter

Several times I've read about brash, loudmouthed Peter, who loved Jesus but kept shooting his mouth off. I'm a lot like that too.

I've often also found it challenging to write in the rhyme scheme I stole from Emily Dickinson, the same kind of scheme as the hymn "Amazing Grace." I find that the restrictions of syllables and emphasis challenge me to try to pack a lot into the simple structure. So, here goes:

Peter
July 19, 1981

I lived with him for three long years --
Together -- dust and rain --
Yet at the crux -- I choked on fear --
I disavowed his name --

And yet when once again we met --
At dawn -- beside the sea --
His eyes no condemnation held --
He slew -- forgiving me --

+++++++

May 7, 1995

My master was so generous --
With Peter -- by the sea --
Against denials triplicate
He drew -- I love yous -- three--

And when he meets me -- face to face --
They say -- "beyond the veil" --
How many loves must I declare,

To balance out my scale --

Working on a New Design

I've spent most of today trying to learn Microsoft Front Page so that I can use it to redesign the STAR OKC website, which is at www.starokc.org. After I did what I thought I wanted, I asked My Son the Genius to help me "upload" it to my Cox space.

Whereupon he informed me that I was stupid and was doing it all wrong, and he had to fix it.

Well, between this and that we have SOMETHING there at www.starokc.org.

WHY, you ask? Basically because the domain name is paid-for for another year or two. And it doesn't need to chronicle the happenings of a defunct SF club. No, it can instead be used for SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE, I hope!

Here's my crazy dream: Use the site as a bulletin board for OKC fandom. Whether the Mirage, Jedi OKC, Serendipity, or whoever! Pretty soon I'll have more stuff up, but I want to have email addresses, links, and updates for area cons, stores, clubs, and any other interest group.

Why not?
So, any OKCers, please have folks send me info on any happenings, and we'll get it there. For now, send to them to blog@starokc.org. And I sure hope that folks can understand that there's room for everyone in the OKC fandom umbrella!
Thank you and good night!

The Left-Out Super-Power

Though it had its problems, Superman Returns was a pretty fun movie. The fanboy in me was tickled and thrilled to see him use Super-Breath to blow out a fire.

However, as I read through some of my Superman comics from the late 1950s, I see the Man of Steel often using a super-power that seems to be mostly ignored by today's comic writers...

The Super Head-Butt!
Check out these examples from just three issues! The boulder smash-up (art by Wayne Boring) and the cannon panel (also by Boring) are BOTH from Superman 126. The gong-shot (Kurt Schaffenberger) comes from Superman 128, and the helmet crunch (Al Plastino) is from Action 251.

Boy howdy! If more people knew about the Super Head-Butt, then the Ugly Superman might choose a different moniker to wrestle under.















Maybe it's time for a little Super-Aspirin!

Rejected Again!

Anybody else remember the magazine The Twilight Zone? It was a pretty good conglomeration of media-type stuff and fiction. At least once they had an amateur fiction contest, and I got six of seven of these in the mail over stories I submitted.

For some reason they were nice enough to send me two! (The original really is blank on the addressee side.)

You know, if they had accepted a few of my stories, they would have gotten enough readers to keep from going out of business. Right?

Another STAR TREK Plot

I think the people of Athens of 40 AD were a lot like American politicians and media types of the 21st century.
According to Acts 17:21, "For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing." (King James version)
Nowadays, we have whole TV channels (E!, CNN, FNC, MTV, etc) devoted to nothing else!
Now, in my storyline for ST:TNG, Riker, Troi, and Data would be leading an Evaluation Away Team on an undercover visit to a planet whose technological level is roughly half-way between ours, and Picard's Federation. The job of Riker's party is to surreptitiously evaluate the social development of the planet's (single) culture. The planet has had contact with the Federation over the past couple of centuries -- off and on -- but only to a small extent. The decision whether or not to offer Federation membership to these people will depend, to a large degree, on Riker's report.
Now, all this is background. The conflict is, somehow Riker & crew are discovered, unmasked, and it falls to the Continental Administrator to decide what to do with them. Local laws may be construed as to call for the Death Penalty. It's up to the ConAdmin to decide.
Picard, on the Enterprise, becomes mostly a spectator, arguing like a defense lawyer with the ConAdmin's staff that his ship (and Federation) have only good intentions in SPYING on the planet.
The problem is, this planet's society is TOO MUCH like Earth 21C (21st-Century Earth that is). Specifically, too much like the worst side of the Media/Politics interface of 21C America. The people of the planet have solved their material needs, so their worldwide economy is mostly driven by the vampirelike spectator audience at home. This planet's culture is the logical extension of 21C-America's Survivor-E! Entertainment News-CNN-Entertainment addiction. The entire culture and political system is built on watching, "waiting for the latest tidbit on mostly anything," as The Message's version of Acts 17:21 states. It's a nightmare combination of YouTube and Entertainment Tonight. George Clooney and Charlton Heston are running the planet! Metaphorically.
So we have a bunch of interplanetary spies -- Riker and crew -- being held captive, on trial for their lives, before a global audience. And the "judge" of this "really big show" is a career politician who is AFRAID TO MAKE A MOVE until he hears the latest polls and focus-group interviews (sound like some politicians we've heard of, yes?).
At the crux, some BIG BAD THING happens -- maybe an asteroid coming in to smite the planet-- and Riker very bluntly takes over the "show trial" as a bully pulpit to make suggestions (ACTUALLY MAKING DECISIONS) that somehow avert the disaster.
Riker's decisiveness impress so much of the worldwide audience that they vote that they would like a leader who actually will lead without asking permission first. They vote to drop the whole polling-goverment thing and take a moratorium on it.
At least, that's what Picard says in the debriefing of his released crew, back on the Enterprise. Also at the debriefing, Troi notes that earlier Federation estimates of this planet's citizens are right in line with what she observed: Very influenced by new ideas, and very imitative. They seemed to seize on Riker's quick man-of-action behavior as a new planetary ideal.
Picard observes, "Well, if they can make such well-implemented decisions as yours, Will, their planet will soon be eligible for Federation membership."
Data puts in, "I would imagine that any administrator could govern more efficiently if he weren't in the habit of sharing the decisions with his subordinates first."
The briefing room goes strangely silent. Data doesn't understnad what the others, and the TV audience, do -- that Picard's Captaincy style is, exactly, one of "sharing the decisions with his subordinates first."
FADE OUT, END OF SHOW.
In case you hadn't figured out, this episode would be a sequel (without saying so) to the ST:TOS episode, "A Piece of the Action," which ended with the inhabitants of Sigma Iotia II finding the communicator left behind accidentally by McCoy. Here we see that the Iotians used it to establish a worldwide communications network, whose instant communications led them to a govermment paralyzed with indecision as at "refreshed" its latest screen with the latest poll numbers.
Also, of course this was framed to make a caustic comment on 20C-21C American media frenzy-style politics, of course.

My Dad's Almost Younger Than Me

A few months ago, in June, my dad had a big ol' birthday. He turned 80!
And if not for the inattention and criminal negligence of some staff members at the Muskogee (OK) VA hospital, Dad would still be playing 9-18 holes of golf the way he did until about three years ago. It's a long story, and I won't go into it here, except to report that under VA treatment he went in for a colonoscopy and came out only after threats from our hometown physician. In the meanwhile, due to lousy care, he woke up all doped up, pulled out all his IVs, had at least one ministroke, and went FOR HOURS without being helped.
Not a good way to treat a WWII veteran, the son of a WWI veteran.
However, as I said, Dad turned 80, and when we drove up for the day and attended his party (organized by a bunch of old gold cronies), I wanted to come up with something "special." So I rewrote Irving Berlin's "Grand Old Flag." If it appeals to you, feel free to share it with your Grand Old Dad.

If I Could Change Some Systems

Sometimes, I wish I could "take over" and peremptorily change a few things. Keep in mind that some of these changes are impossible, given our current technological status. These are just pie-in-the-sky wishes! My main intent is to "force" personal responsibility on people -- a feat impossible in our free-will world!
FOOD AID RECIPIENTS: Anybody who was receiving "food stamps" or the equivalent would , as a condition of the program, submit to up to 12 UNSCHEDULED and UNANNOUNCED Surprise Checks during the year. These checks would test the receipient for traces of alcohol or tobacco consumption. If the recipient showed recent consumption of either (much less any illegal substances), they would be barred from the program for a specified time. RATIONALE: Since alcohol and tobacco must be purchased with cash, their presence in the recipient's system indicates that the person had cash with which to purchase these items. If they have cash to pay for cigarettes and alcohol, then they don't need MY MONEY paying for their food. They have some money, but they're spending it on alcohol or tobacco, not on food!
Similarly, "food stamps" or their equivalent should NOT BE ALLOWED to purchase any forms of "soda pop," or candy/snack items. These are luxury items (by my personal fiat, remember), and "food stamps" should not be used for luxuries.


SPEED LIMITS AND DRIVING: In this section I assume a lot of technology we don't have, so bear with me anyway.
Cars would automatically sense the speed limit (ESPECIALLY SCHOOL ZONES) for any street. They would be allowed to surpass that limit by up to 10 MPH for a total of one minute per hour (in case of needing to pass a slowpoke, etc). The next two further attempts would lead to a 30-second automatic triggering of the car's horn and all lights would flash for 30 seconds. The 3rd attempt would result in the vehicle being automatically locked at 2 miles below the speed limit for 5 miles.

Well, kiddies, that's all the evil, repressive ideas I have for tonight. Tune in next time for more "if I ran the world" ideas.

A Superman Crossword Puzzle

For everyone who didn't make it to SoonerCon 2007, here is the Superman Crossword Puzzle from the Program Book.
Try to solve it before I put up the solution in a day or so!

Yes, Virginia, There Once Were Comic-Book Letter Columns

Long ago, when the world was less gross and more green (from the late 1950s through the 1990s), comic books devoted a page of their precious page count to letters from comics fans. People might ask questions about a certain storyline, or why a character did "Y" in this story when he did "X" in a similar situation last year.
As a big fan of Superman, I remember reading letters from a guy named E. Nelson Bridwell, who grew up and moved to New York to become DC's resident brain trust. I remember Clark Kent's Social Security Number being given in ACTION #340 (092-09-6616).
In the 1990s, the Superman titles began, just for fun, to hand out a "Baldy" Award to one letter each month. It might be for nearly any reason -- indepth analysis, a subtle observation, a wry joke -- and part of the "fun" and "mystery" was that, unless you won a Baldy, you didn;t know what it was!
Well, since then, the penny-counters have decided that the goodwill of fans was worth less than another ad page. Besides, let 'em use the internet, right?
I believe the folks who made this decision were never fanboys who wrote to lettercols. There is NOTHING LIKE seeing your name in print, on paper, in a favorite comic book!
Anyway, *sigh*, those days are gone, for now.
But I CAN solve the mystery of the Baldy Award. I won three, and they are reproduced herewith. As walter brennan used to say on the old TV show The Real McCoys, "No brag, jest fact." Of course, I also agree with you that it's a pretty small achievement. Yet it was a joyh to receive the things in my mailbox.
And to quote another great philosopher (Robert Browning this time), "Every joy is Gain, and Gain is Gain, however small."

The last poems of this summer

We seem to finally have broken the back of summer's heat. In celebration of evenings that are finally cool enough to sit outside, here are a couple of summer poems to say GOOD RIDDANCE to this past miserable, hot, sweaty, sticky summer...

770

Nature by trade -- a singer is
Of minstrel songs -- by day --
Her lyrics often lose the ear --
But not her melody --

At eventide -- she croons alone
With only few to hear --
Her music -- flees from chimney towns --
Just visits -- at the stair --

The morning -- is her overture --
Bright noon -- her symphony --
A ballad soft -- the afternoon --
The night -- her lullaby --

Her rondeau is not silent -- now --
Her waltzes still appear --
But none will read her posted bills --
And who will pay -- to hear --



782

A cloud marched down one summer’s day --
She stopped above my room --
She called me to come play with her --
To splurge the afternoon --

I cannot come, I said to her --
I cannot leave my chair --
You should not spurn me, said the cloud --
And left me cheerless there --

She curtsied shyly to the sun --
Please Sir, she said, to play?
The gruff but kindly gentleman
Said, Not till end of day --

I walked outside at sunset time --
Tinged purple -- touched with red --
There sun and cloud, in western skies,
Stole softly down -- to bed --

An observation, in verse

A child is such an unformed soul --
Its world is bordered close
By limits that his parents set,
Not knowing that they chose

song, "A Perfect Place"

Have you ever dreamed of a perfect place (you could live)
A place where peace and gentleness were no disgrace (what would you give)
Well, everybody needs a place like that
But I say it isn’t a dream
A place where good times will never go flat
And friendship is all that it seems

Did you ever long for a perfect home (you could go)
A playroom that is bigger than the Astrodome (and fun could grow)
Want to find it? I can show you how
Yes you really can get there from here
The home you’re looking for is waiting now
Where welcome and joy cast out fear

If life is just a race for you
You’re running to nowhere
My father has a place for you
And you can join us there

My brother’s there -- he’s building you a room (to call your own)
And all your trials he’s weaving like a loom (to build your throne)
He’s got piercings and he did it for you
So you could graduate from this place
He’s using this song as a call for you
His love is something we can only call “grace”


Come join his caravan of life
You’ll find it quite exciting
Forget your worries, fears, and strife
He’ll find you where you’re hiding

And then you’ll go with me to that perfect place (I’ll see you there)
And you can’t help but have a joyful, smiling face (there’s joy to spare)
So take my hand upon the upward climb
We’ll hold each other up, so neither will fall
Don’t worry if you stumble, it is not a crime
And at the top the view pays for it all –
Now you won’t have to dream of a perfect place . . .

Ten Times as Big as a Man!

My three 1/2-year-old granddaughter, Jazra, has been educated well. When offered a choice between the original (1933) King Kong, the 1976 barfish remake, or Peter Jackson's stupid remake, she picks good ol' Obie's ape time after time.
The last time I was loading the disc, I was reminded of the King Kong that I grrew up with, a little cartoon by Rankin-Bass (I think) called King Kong, and based on the "high concept" pitch, "Let's redo Jonny Quest, only make Bandit be King Kong instead!"
Now, I don't know if it was pitched to ABC execs that way, but that's the concept in a nutshell. This boy, his scientist dad, and a friend travel the world, finding adventure, without leaving any discernable signs of piles of monkey poop.
My memories of the King Kong cartoon series consist of two parts. First, there was an episode set in Scotland, where Kong ended up wrestling the Loch Ness monster, which was a yellow-and-orange quadruped resembling none of the actual sightings of the beast.
Memory number two consists of the theme song, belted out by a guy whose singing voice was the gravelly equivalent of the speaking voice of Lurch on The Addams Family:
"King Kong, you know the name of
King Kong, you know the fame of
King Kong, ten times as big as a man!"

PS. Anybody remember Al Hirt? The 60s trumpet virtuoso? Well, he released an album called The Horn Meets the Hornet, where he covered various TV themes, such as Batman, Get Smart, and The Green Hornet (in fact the cover photo is of Hirt with Hornet star Van Johnson). One of the tracks on this LP is a thundering version of the King Kong theme.

The Final Part of "The Colors Out of Space"

Silver Kryptonite. The cover blurb for Jimmy Olsen #70 promises that "Nobody … but nobody … will guess … 'The Secret of Silver Kryptonite'!" Well, don’t tell Mort Weisinger's ghost, but … I did.
This story is a masterful study in induced paranoia. Jimmy Olsen runs around to the curator of the Superman Museum, mermaid Lori Lemaris, Supergirl, and Clark Kent, asking the same thing -- is there such a thing as Silver Kryptonite? what about Silver Kryptonite? After all this, Superman starts wondering too -- especially since he didn't think there was such a beast. He trails Jimmy to a special lead-lined lair staffed solely by Professor Potter. While all those secret things are going on that he can’t observe, the Man of Steel is going crazy with suspense, and maybe even a little fear. I mean, sure, Jimmy and Potter are his friends. But why are they so interested in Kryptonite -- especially this new, mysterious variety? Finally, though, all is revealed: "There is no substance as Silver Kryptonite! This is just a silver box containing statuettes of your closest friends on Earth!"
But why? Here's a clue: Jimmy Olsen #70 is the July, 1963 issue. It's the year of this issue that clinches things: "It's the 25th anniversary of the day you adopted Metropolis as your official home,. Superman," in June, 1938's Action #1. The only thing is, in those 25 years, nobody has aged much, have they?

But, wait -- there's more! Here are a few lesser, one-shot Kryptonite appearances:
Action #277 tells how Luthor generates a trap for Superman involving yard-wide floating globes of Kryptonite: "My machine can manufacture synthetic Kryptonite of any kind," he gloats, including "another one -- Yellow Kryptonite! If Superman ever got within range of its deadly radiations, who knows what bizarre effect it might have on him?" But it turns out that all the Kryptonite, even the Yellow kind, is fake -- all part of a hoax to scare and humiliate Superman.
The Supergirl tale in the same issue depicts the Maid of Might's arrival, accompanied by Krypto and Streaky, at an odd planetoid that generates strange things and creatures at random, much as on Star Trek's "Shore Leave" episode. It turns out that the place is the automated "Headquarters of the Interplanetary Multi-Dimensional Practical Jokers' Club." It can, among other things, grant wishes. So when Supergirl encounters a Green K fragment, she wishes. "Wishing Well, I wish the Green Kryptonite below to change into harmless False Kryptonite -- forever! My super-vision reveals the wish worked!"
Several times, artificial forms of Green K have been concocted. In Action #226, Luthor uses an atom smasher to develop a synthetic isotope of Kryptonite." And World's Finest #132 tells how, on an adventure in the past, a Batman imposter gets a medieval alchemist to brew up a bunch of synthetic Kryptonite. As they say, kids, don't try this at home!
Jimmy Olsen #92 tells how Truff, an invader from the planet Pyron, is paving the way for a full-scale invasion of Earth. One of his weapons is the dreaded Magno-Kryptonite: "Its magnetic properties make it cling with unbreakable force to anything that comes from Krypton." Boy! Talk about static cling!
Well, friends, thus runs the tale of the many forms of Kryptonite. I hope you learned something to impress your friends with. So, the next time you visit your old neighborhood and find that your favorite vacant lot or playground has been turned into a Walgreen's or a weight-loss clinic, remember that it could be worse. Be glad your whole block wasn't turned to Green Kryptonite!