Clark Kent's SSN

Here's a little bit o' Super-Trivia for you. The August 1966 issue of Action, #340, had several interesting features. There was Swanderful cover art, the cover story introducing The Parasite (with so-so Al Plastino art), a Supergirl story ("The Supergirl Identity Hunt!", a centerfold pin-up of Superman, signed "with Best Wishesfrom your Super-Pal -- Superman" -- and that wonderful thing that comic books USED to have,

the Letter Column.

This was where fans could write in with insightful, worrisome, dumb, or "trick" questions.

Well, in this issue the editors (probably good ol' E. Nelson Bridwell, originally from Oklahoma City) laid Clark Kent WIDE OPEN to identity theft by publishing his Social Security number! (see detail)

Paint Superman Yourself!

I found this somewhere at (where else) a thrift store. Evidently you can buy these little figurines or statues and paint them yourself. This isn't one of those big ol' "figure collector" type things, it's only about four inches tall.

As you can partly see by the lettering on the back, this little guy is "TM and © DC Comics Inc. 1978".

The lettering is very un-level, as you can see. But what would you expect? I'm just amazed they were able to get the thing into a typewriter!

Non-Spoiler Review: Superman - Doomsday

Well, I just finished watching the first time through. The guys were *pretty darned* creative, I'll say. In this storyline, there ain't nobody else, superhero-wise, on the planet. At least not mentioned at all in this story!

Superman keeps his moral code intact in the end, except the part about keeping his pants zipped before marriage. Of course, we have Superman: The Movie as a precedent!

Actually, several incidents and "camera angles" are deliberate homages to that film.

I did notice, on the very first viewing, ONE BLOOPER.

During the big fight between Doomsday and Superman in Metropolis, after a while they take it underground, as in onto the subway tracks. At about 23:40 into the film, Doomsday knocks Superman up from the subway, through the street, and into the side of a building. Superman hits the building horizontally and rolls toward us. The blooper is, the“S”-shield on his chest is mirror-reversed as he rolls toward the viewer.

This is a quick faked-up shot to show you what I mean.

Anyway, it's pretty good overall. However, I wonder why Perry White can talk about Superman being there to save Lois's "ass," while LuthorCorp can only stick up probe up Satan's "rectum."

Anyway, it's pretty creative and pretty darned good. You can see in advance what "has to happen" storyline-wise in a place or two, but that's just the way it is with serial fiction, folks!

More (Sincere) Imitations

"Ida Freeman" is the name of an elementary school in Edmond, OK. I bet that's where this plastic mug came from.

Of course, in my opinion, that kid looks A LOT like Alfred E. Neumann.

Now you can compare the previous few days' pants-up-holders with a very intentional but-not-quite-infringing design, copyright-wise, shown below.

Note how the buckle even says, "FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET."

Just to the right of the buckle is a striped image that is a freight train being outrun by Mr. Anonymous. You can see a bit of him between the belt cinch and the buckle assembly.

Next (to the right) we see Mr. You-Know-Who breaking a rod in half at waist-height.

Next you will see a Metropolitan skyline (wink, wink).

The last image you see to the right is a telephone booth. Hmm, I wonder. Who might need to use a phone booth?

As you can see, the firm that produced this belt was willing to go to almost any length to produce a kids' Superman belt -- except get the licensing rights!

See you next time, and don't forget to write!

Remember STAR TREK V?

Bill Shatner, as Jim Kirk, had at least one great line in STAR TREK V.

Even if you think the film was silly, you'd have to agree with him when he asked, "What does God need with a starship?"

Similarly, you might ask, "What does Superman need with a parachute?"

Why, to enter Kandor, of course!

This non-authorized Superman parachute guy from the 1970s is actually kind of a foreshadowing of all those "variant" action figures for sale nowadays. For example, you don't just have a STAR TREK "Captain Kirk" action figure, you have a "Captain Kirk as a Romulan" action figure, or "Captain Kirk sitting on a Tribble" action figure, or whatever.

Similarly, you can buy a "Kingdom Come" Superman, or a "Superman forgot to shave with his heat vision" Superman, or what-have-you.

In the Swanderful Superman tale containing these comics panels, Superman takes Jimmy Olsen into Kandor to find out why super-powered Kryptonians are ripping off high-tech equipment on Earth. Since these super-powered Kryptonians are obviously Kandorians, Supes and his pal go right to the source, via Brainiac's shrinking ray.

Of course, this "great three-part novel" is from Superman 158, cover-dated January 1963.

It's also the comic that I'm holding up in my Blogger Profile photo. Of course, I was a lot younger then.

How about you?

In the Interests of Fair Play ...

Of course, Superman isn't the only hero to hold up your pants.Forthwith we present two more character belts featuring good guys who are a cinch to hold you up! (It's a pun -- go look up the definition of "cinch").They even needed belts in the Old West! Also note that brave Indian companion Tonto gets equal representation, as well he should.

Have a belt on me!

Superman Has Atlas Beat!

In the most recent issue (#8) of The Trials of Shazam!, we learn that the titan Atlas upholds the world through a network of computers and psychic nudges. Of course, how he did that thousands of years ago when there were no computers or video screens is a part of the story that I missed.

Anyway, Atlas may hold up the world, but -- as you can see here -- Superman holds up your pants, and that has GOT to be more important!

At least to your mom when you bend over!

SPOON! (as the Tick might say)

Yep, here's a SPOON! I suspect it's a little bit old by such observations as the fact that Superman is just standing there, not flying or anything.

Also the Artie Deco (that's a Hardware Wars reference) style of the lettering.

And that's all for this visit, friends ...

SPOON!

I Saw the Lights!

Yep, roughly fifteen years ago (around 1992) I was shopping in "the W place" when I saw the flashlight set you see here.

I read the package, where it says, "Buy one get one free." So I took two of these packages to the register. I paid for one carded set, and tghe nice cashier girl gave me the other one, just as we both agreed the label must mean.

It was years later when I realized that the packaging means, buy one (on the card) and the other one (on the same card) was the free one.

So I guess that means I stole one of the pairs. I didn't mean it, honest Injun!

Have a Drink on Superman!

Or is that "have a drink in Superman"?

At the (Norman, OK) Medieval Fair a few years ago, I came across a merchant selling a tankard that was right up my alley!

The part you see here is all leather. The bottom is stitched on with vinyl lacing. The thing you see sticking up in back is the mug-like handle. It sticks up, and the tankard face seems flattened slightly, because it was facedown on my scanner!

The part you drink from is a plastic insert that slides in from the top and settles in to perfectly fit the top opening. This is so your drink doesn't taste like cowhide while leaking out the bottom through the laces. Also so that you don't have to put the thing into the dishwasher (it might shrink or something).

See you next time, and don't forget to write!

Possibly Available at a Store Near You!

These treasures were found at a local Family Dollar store.

So far the 4-year-old has yet to talk me into playing with them. I mean, she hasn't talked me into letting her play with them. or something.

Great Art, on a Super Apron!

Back before I started living at a thrift store (running one that is), I used to haunt them to shop for nifty stuff.

One such nifty thing is this great arts-and-crafts-type Superman Apron. It's like a smock or a toga, covers front and back, and it's made of vinyl.

Across the front center we see Neal Adams' great rendering of Supes from the cover of Superman #233, when Kryptonite was made no more.

At the bottom left we have Curt Swan's Swanderful version of Superman in fllight; to the right we have an early Wayne Boring depiction of every kid's wished-for super-uncle.

The white strip across the front shows where there's a pouch or pockets across the bottom; the thin vertical white lines delineate stitching that separates the pouch into three pockets.

C'mon now -- cool, or what?

Another Article from 1992: The Death Announcement!

"Never say we won't kill Superman, never say we won't bring him back." And there you have it folks!

Superman Met His Doom (in 1992)

Here's an article from November, 1992. I was there later in the day to pick up my copies (I had 4 on reserve of each instalment), so I'm not in the photo.

At a ThunderCon I was able to sell one set of the whole "Death-of-Superman " schmear to a guy for $60.

And where were YOU when Supes and Doomsday laid the ultimate smackdown on each other?

Remembering a Wedding a Decade Ago

The first article is from September 18, 1996.

The second one, reporting the actual wedding, is from October 10.

More next time. Can't stay to chat, I have too many library books to finish!

Some Super Drawings

When Melissa, our youngest, was eight, she drew a couple of superheroines for me. And, now, for you!
PS on Monday she turns 17.

In Honor of the Upcoming Watchmen Movie ...

You'll recall that the scent "Nostalgia" was one of Adrian Veidt's heavily advertised products.

Did you know that "Nostalgia" was a REAL fragrance? Here's a magazine ad from 1956.

Somewhere in my wanderings across the Earth, and my going to and fro upon it, I came upon a box that once held a canister of Nostalgia dusting powder (and doubtless a "powder puff" too).

Well, to satisfy all you fanatical types (almost as fanatical as me) ... here's YOUR OWN Nostalgia box to make and show off!

The real thing is just past 5 1/2 inches square. Cut out, fold, and glue, using the tabs shown by the grey lines.

Et voila, you too can have the right decorative item to sing Billie Holliday's "You're My Thrill" to that special someone.

It's Still a Neat Plate

After moving stuff into the "Fortress of Markitude" in fall 2004, all of a sudden one night a plate shelf dropped off the wall.

Among the casualties was this plate, which you see here in its reassembled state. Superglue has its uses!

A Page of Swan Pencils

This is a pencilled page from a 70s-era (I think) Wonder Woman, by the unparalleled Curt Swan.

I think the top center panel is pretty neat, catching Dianna/WW in midtransformation.

Up-to-the-Date News (from 2000 that is)

Well, I don't know all the current ins and outs of the Superman Rights battle. The last I heard, Jerry Siegel's heirs had been awarded rights to "Superboy."

This article talks about a court decision awarding rights to the Siegels & the Shusters.

No matter what else may be perceived to be true, nobody can deny that at least a few penny counters at DC were probably VERY thrilled to rake in millions of dollars in licensing fees every year, and not have to pay Supes's creators anything.

Ah well, justice on this Earth is partial at best.

Bizarro Am Terrible Guy!

Don't read this newspaper article. It am terrible feature on old book not about Bizarros. It am here so you can not admire backwards Bizarro talk.

See you last time!

So, I Guess Somebody Thought Patrick Duffy Looked Dreamy in Swim Trunks

I never watched the TV series "The Man from Atlantis" because A) Patrick Duffy never interested me, no matter what he wore, and B) everybody knows that the only 'man from Atlantis" who's a hero and talks to animals, is Aquaman!

Anyway, I found this at the same store as Operation Nuke (yesterday's post).

Do YOU think Duffy is dreamy?

I do notice that he must use waterproof hair gel. Look at that coif!

TV Tie-Ins Galore!

A month or two ago I mentioned some Get Smart tie-in paperbacks. Well, I have found a few more, courtesy of a local thrift store (no, not mine).

Now, when it came out in "1960-whenever," I read Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg, which a few years later was TV-formatted (that is, dumbed-down) to become The Six Million Dollar Man.

Believe me, the original novel wasn't 60s-pulp-TV-grade material. Of, yes, it was a fast-paced thriller, but not necessarily directly translatable to TV.

I don't remember much about it -- the bare-bones "in just $6 million bucks I can make you a man" (apologies to Rocky Horror) is there in the original book, it's just .. a little .. more intense and realistic on paper than on the TV screen.

The part of the book's plot that sticks with my memory is, I think, close to the end of the novel. Steve Austin (now remade as a cyborg -- take that, DC!) is traveling in a plane over the desert with a lovely maiden. He has rescued her, or maybe she's a reporter or maybe a scientist, I don't remember.

What I remember is that their plane crashes in the middle of the desert, and these two are the only survivors. Their travails involve trying to capture condensation on a tarp, and conserving body moisture by drinking their own urine (try that on TV).

What saves them is his bionic parts. They are described (I think) as emerging from the desert only dimly conscious. His bionic legs keep on pumping out the miles while she looks like a dried-out mummy (he's carried her in his one bionic arm) and he looks like a rusty robot with flesh flaking off.

Now that's a thriller that may be not ready for prime time!

Sometime I will read this 2nd Cyborg book, also by Caidin, and see if it was writtin in the original's style, or in TV-tie-in style.

Be seeing you!

Raising a Super Kid

Well, Melissa is a few weeks away from her 17th birthday. But almost ten yhears ago, in Mr. Richardson's 2nd grade class at Arthur Elementary in good ol' OKC, she did a "book report" on one of DC's little-kiddy-type Superman books.

As you can see from the the flight of Superbaby, this is the REAL Super-Deal, the "pre-crisis" Superman.
Here's her book report.
When she says her favorite part of the book is "when the ball ran into Clark and got knocked out," look closer!
It's "bull," not "ball." Yep, when toddler Clark had his back turned ripping up a tree stump from the ground, Pa Kent's prize bull took a run at him.
To quote the book, "The poor bull never knew what hit him." This is accompanied by the drawing of stars and moons above the goofy, cross-eyed bull's head.
"And that evening the Kent family ate the best steaks ever, thanks to little Clark's heat vision. The poor bull never knew what hit him."
NOT REALLY! I made that last part up.
But, Melissa DID get a star for her book report, as you can see.
More next time!

A Short One for Today

Here's a little panel of Herman from January 4, 1990.





Personally, I wore a towel around my neck when I used to try this ...

All You Need Is the Game!

Or, perhaps, you could call this post "I never played the game."

Nope, never had an Atari game system.

But I found the rules to this game, and check it out!

Note the state-of-the-art graphics in the "screen caps" of the various scenarios.

Also,. note the GRREAT Curt Swan art on the cover, and also in the interior.

Boy, on the front cover of the game rules, ol' Supes looks pretty darned sad, don't he?

This kind of reflects the Silver Age sensibilities, in which Lost Krypton was the forever-lost Golden Age of existence, to which the Man of Steel continually hearkened in flashbacks, time journeys, and "Imaginary Stories" which might never happen, but then again, just might!

See ya!

I Know How Sarge Feels!

OK, so I didn't win any prizes at the SoonerCon 2007 costume contest in my Bizarro No. 1 outfit. Still, it was interesting that several under-10s kept calling me "Superman." I guess we have a lot of Bizarro-education to do among the preschool set.

Anyway, here's another comic from the 1990 stash.
Wait a minute! I just realized something! If those kids acted like they DIDN'T recognize me as Bizarro #1, that meant they really DID recognize me, and were paying me a Bizarro compliment by pretending to NOT KNOW who I was supposed to be!
Yeah!
Right?

And You Thought He Was Only Interested in Bats!

Here we have a cute little blurb about Robert Wuhl, the obnoxious reporter with designs on Vicki Vale in the first Batman movie, looking all Super-Mensch-ish.

Oh. He had an HBO special, he MUST be funny.

See you next time!

Those Allman Brothers, Always Getting into Trouble!

At first I thought this was from Video Review magazine, but I would bet about ten Gold Kryptonite pieces that Video Review magazine, in 1990, was NOT on its "Volume 34."

Anyway, since only the first season of Superboy: the Series has come out on DVD, it'll be awhile before we can watch the episode in question.

More Super-Ephemera next time, campers!

Broom Hilda Meets ... Superman's Mama?!?

In this strip from Sunday, May 27, 1990, Broom Hilda finds out who has to clean up all those phone booths ...

More funnies next time!

Super Effort

The year 1990, besides -- or perhaps BECAUSE OF -- Superman's narriage to Lois, saw lots of re-appearances of Super-Stuff in the public eye.

Back in 1990, I seem to have either noticed more of it than today, or it really WAS all over the place. These items are just the ones I HAPPENED TO NOTICE.

Here is an appearance of DC and Marvel folks for a United Way fundraising campaign.

More fun stuff soon!

Erma Bombeck Didn't Think the Super-Marriage Would Last

Well, I came across my stash of Super-Ephemera.

When Lois Lane and Clark Kent announced their wedding plans, there were all kinds of reactions from media types of all kinds. Here is Erma Bombeck's humorous/satirical column from 1990.

Lemme know what you think!