More Superman silliness here, but this was one of the biggest things that turned me off to Silver Age Superman/boy.
Hoy
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More Superman silliness here, but this was one of the biggest things that turned me off to Silver Age Superman/boy.
Hoy
You need to be a member of Captain Comics to add comments!
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Everyone has got to watch "The Death and Return of Superman!" attached to the link! It's insane, sick and exactly what happened!
I blame the editors for that kind of idiocy, as they should realize the ramifications of having him do that, especially as it isn't critical, and it doesn't appear that it is in this case. The less we thought about how Superboy (or anyone) flew, changed direction and accelerated, the better off we were.
Flying is way too cool not to have him do it--especially once he went to TV. Seeing him hop around wasn't going to do it. By today, the notion that flying is too much of a super-power is quaint.
The rest of the ones mentioned come from throughout his history and the movies. And with that kind of range, I can probably list as many for Batman--a guy who the SA did not treat well.
Superboy was one of my favorite characters back then, because he was fun to relate to. But he was best when he had his basic powers and they were reined in. You like to see him struggle, not just work out how exactly he'll use all his powers to win.
-- MSA
I guess Hercules towing Manhattan back is not such a big deal.
Can we add Kulan Gath's enchanting the entire island of Manhattan as a time bubble back to his era?
Or for that matter, any enclosure of Manhattan in a bubble--- (are you listening Red Skull?)
This is why Superman was misplaced in the JLA. Why be in a team that just get in the way of his being able to do EVERYTHING? The Legion I get as it was more of a club.
By the way, does anyone know/remember what his Super-vision did? How did it differ from his telescopic, x-ray, heat, microscopic, etc etc visions?
I don't get it. Why is Superboy's "saving of countless billions of lives" a bad thing? It seems like Superboy/man gets far too many sneers when, in fact, he's one of the few guys out there consistently doing good deeds, round the clock, round the galaxy, in numerous eras. Peter Parker couldn't get his act together enough to balance his checkbook, despite having a fabulous babe on either arm, but poor Supie is derided for putting his superpowers to their best possible use. I say BRAVO to you, Superboy!
Dandy Forsdyke said:
Actually, I do know what his super-vision did, but when I can, I prefer to quote the cognizant authority. In this case, I am referring to one of the text pieces on Superman and Superboy that Mort Weisinger printed every so often. He ran these sporadically in Superman and Superboy, to inform the readers about certain aspects of the Man/Boy of Steel's life. (And, hopefully, cut down on the number of letters asking the same questions.)
In Giant Superman Annual # 2 (1961), Weisnger ran an article titled "Superman's Super Vision". (If you missed this issue, he ran it again in Superman 80 Page Giant Annual # 11 [Jun., 1965].) It's short, so I'll just go ahead and cite the whole thing:
"Superman's Super Vision"
X-RAY VISION---Enables Superman to see through stone, steel, wood, or any other solid material. However, X-rays cannot penetrate lead.
TELESCOPIC VISION---By which Superman can focus his eyes for long distances and see anywhere on Earth, or even scan other worlds. There is no limit to his range.
SUPER-VISION---This is the special name for a combination of both X-ray Vision and Telescopic Vision. Superman uses this when he must not only see far away, but must also see through something---the walls of a criminal hideout, for instance.
MICROSCOPIC VISION---With which Superman can magnify the tinest objects, such as bits of fine dust, microscopic creatures, or even atoms.
HEAT VISION---Allows Superman to heat anything by focusing infra-red heat waves from his eyes. He can melt any solid object, except lead.
RADAR VISION---Infra-red vision used at low power, enabling Superman to see in pitch darkness.
PHOTOGRAPHIC VISION---Enables Superman's eyes to function like a human camera so that he can memorize entire books with a single glance and recall every word at will.
Hope this helps.
I don't get it. Why is Superboy's "saving of countless billions of lives" a bad thing?
That's not the bad thing per se. It's that he's somehow chained together a dozen or so planets like popcorn on a string, and he's towing all those planets through space. Not only does that take one heckuva lot of strength and flying power, but putting planets that close together would make Neil DeGrasse Tyson's head explode. It's outrageously powerful and dumb at the same time.
It seems like Superboy/man gets far too many sneers when, in fact, he's one of the few guys out there consistently doing good deeds, round the clock, round the galaxy, in numerous eras.
I agree that he's sneered at a lot for not beating people up, but the "round the clock, round the galaxy, in numerous eras" part makes it hard for people to root for him. The SA acknowledged he had unimaginable power by making people kidnap his friends, hoax him or create puzzles for him to solve. He was going to beat them if he could figure out what was happening, nobody could possibly overwhelm him.
Peter Parker couldn't get his act together enough
That's why people, including me, liked him so much. Every day was a struggle, balancing his life with his responsibility to his aunt and to being Spidey, etc. He was just a guy trying to keep his head above water. That was what made him interesting.
They both had the best supporting cast in their lines, because each cast created all kinds of problems for the hero. Both used them to make them more human, but Supes' brought him down to Earth and Spidey's reminded us he was just a guy.
-- MSA
I remember the first time he ever exhibited "heat vision". Up until then IIRC he used his x-ray vision to warm things up.
The comment that he was relatable as Superboy doesn't fit my experience. He could do anything academically and athletically without trying. He could (literally) put his pants on TWO legs at a time. They showed it once. Moving planets around singly or in groups is just ridiculous.
It didn't occur to me when I was originally reading them, but how could Smallville be a sleepy little town when everyone in the world apparently knew the most powerful person on earth lived there?
One reason kryptonite became the most abundant mineral on earth is that Superman/boy is so powerful that no adversary or obstacle can stand up to him without it (or magic). Therefore every story would be two panels long without it.
I don’t think the TV show began his flying. The Fleischer cartoons (1941-43) had him both jumping and flying. I understand this is when the comic incorporated flying into his power set.
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