Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with superman

Yeah, Simpsons Did It.

mge — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:27:12 -0800

If a super villain blocked out Earth's yellow sun, how long would Superman retain his powers? Let's assume that a super villain was able to block out the sun so it was perpetual night. How long would it take for Superman to lose his super powers? He seems to function all right during the night, so it must be longer than that.

Wikipedia hinted that this was actually going to be a plot point in one of the unreleased Superman movies, I'm wondering how long you'd have to wait before he lost all his powers. If you didn't wait long enough couldn't he just fly up to the sun to get a recharge?

Is this addressed in the comics or Superman universe at all?

Holy Hand-out Help, Batman!

np312 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:31:19 -0800

I'm looking for a high-quality scan of a single page out of any Batman or Superman comic book or graphic novel that I can print out off of the internet. My google-fu is apparently not up to snuff. Black and white would probably be preferable to color since I'm looking for something I can print out and photocopy as part of a high-school hand-out for writing action scenes in film. But it needs to be legible and print-outable for free. I only need one page, but it has to be decent quality.

The optimal page would be from an action sequence with both pictures and words.

Thank you for your help!

Batman's Boner

snap_dragon — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:45:19 -0800

There exists a website that features an array of strange comic covers and interiors such as Jimmy Olsen dressing in drag; Superboy getting paddled; Batman and Joker talking about boners and pulling boners....apologies for the sophomoric humor...It was/is a pretty popular and known site but i am not finding it. Any ideas?

What was the comic where DC superheroes appeared as babies?

joshnunn — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:06:18 -0800

I remember reading as a young kid - in about 1985/6 - a comic book starring the cast of the Justice League of America as babies or toddlers. I'm not sure of the specifics, like if it was actually the JLA, but it definitely had cute little baby versions of all the favourite DC staples: Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman and the Flash. Does anyone else remember this? Am I imagining the whole thing? What was it called and where can I find a copy? I don't recall much more, but I'm fairly sure that they were alternate baby versions of themselves, not shrunk by a baby ray or anything. That is, the plot didn't make them babies, they just were. They also weren't 'younger' versions of themselves, just 'baby' versions. I realise that distinction might not be clear, but I think you'd know what I mean if you'd seen it.

Please help me track down this tiny piece of my childhood. This is my first Ask Metafilter question, so I wanted it to be important.

The Dog Ate Superman

anastasiav — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:06:51 -0800

Can you help us find another copy of the Superman Action Figure in this photo and make a little boy very happy? Its the very favorite toy of a co-workers 22-month old son, and this morning she got home from shopping to discover that their new dog had chewed it up, leaving it in the condition you see in the photo. We're trying to ID it and (hopefully) purchase another one to replace it. She originally bought it at Goodwill, though, so we don't know much about it.....

With the head and feet it was probably about 5-6 inches tall. The cape is a soft rubbery type material that can be easily squished and moved.

Its unmarked except that it says TM&C DC Comics s03 on the back of one leg, and CHINA on the back of the other leg. Also, his costume is a weird silvery-grey color, pretty accurately shown in the photo. Neither his knees or his elbows bend.

Thanks!

Help me build my ADD fortress of solitude!

jlowen — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:46:00 -0800

Screw doctors, I have diagnosed myself with adult attention deficit disorder. I can keep it in control by limiting my exposure to distracting stimuli, but occasionally I need a place to retreat. My two bedroom house is too small sometimes to escape the ambient household noises of the wife or toddler kid. The only time it is really a problem is when my wife wants to watch TV. (Only ER and Gilmore girls luckily). For some reason when that damn tv turns on, my senses are assaulted, I get distracted, can't concentrate, and I feel like a cornered animal that needs a place to escape to. Apparently I also become an unbearable ass and am easily upset. But its only when the ambient noise/activity/? surpasses a certain threshold.

Just going to another room of the house has not worked, so in last week's scheduled sensory assault, I started thinking about how when I was a kid, my dad, his dad, and his dad all had their "workshops" that they would occasionally disappear into. Unfortunately I neither have the talent nor the inclination to have a "workshop". There must be some way to construct my own special fortress of solitude that I can use as a haven in just these times.

So Mefites, I need your advice. Here are the major criteria / observations.
#1 Cost of this project can not exceed $500
#2 My car cant fit in my tiny garage, so that a possible space to use, but as I will be selling my house in under 5 years I do not want to modify it in any permanent way. I would like it to remain a usable garage.
#3 It gets cold in Kansas in the winter, and the garage is not heated.
#4 I have a HUGE backyard, so an outdoor structure is feasible I guess, but see above.
#5 Aesthetics are not priority, but I would like to create some ambiance.

My only real idea so far is to find/buy a big old freestanding heavy canvas tent (army surplus) and set it up INSIDE the garage. In the tent, I could string paper garden lanterns for light, and pull in a small electric space heater to keep me warm in winter. My best reasoning says that this would mask the illusion of just sitting in the garage, and that the double insulation of heavy canvas inside of the garage itself could be easy enough to stay moderately warm. A comfy old recliner, and several books, posters, and other creature comforts would complete the effect.

But before I tackle this project I want to see if any of you have good ideas. So, do you?

Why Does Superman Hide Kandor?

interrobang — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 08:53:00 -0800

A question about the Alan Moore Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything..." At the end of the story, Wonder Woman gives Superman a present: a model of the shrunken city Kandor. Superman thanks her for it, then "steps away" at super-speed to hide the one he has already, in another part of the Fortress of Solitude. Why?

Is it because the one he already has is also a model? Or is it the real city, and Superman has (at this point) failed to re-enlarge the city?

How does Superman cut his hair and nails?

mikemonteiro — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:36:22 -0800

How does Superman cut his hair and nails?

Need Ending Spoiled, Please

not that girl — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 12:45:25 -0800

How does "Superman Returns" end? I was out doing errands this afternoon and spontaneously decided to go see "Superman Returns." I had no idea it was so long, and I ended up having to walk out before the end to get home to relieve my babysitter. The last scene I saw was Lois and her son visiting Superman in the hospital; I walked out of the theater as they left the room.

I didn't like the movie well enough to see it again just to find out how it ends, especially since I have to add $8/hour in babysitting to the cost of the ticket. So, please, somebody, a quick roundup of the ending of the movie for me.

Where can I get the cartoon of Dr. Manhattan blowing Superman's head off?

rwhe — Thu, 04 May 2006 02:20:09 -0800

Back in CT in the 80s, while the comic series Watchmen was coming out, I saw a masterpiece of fan art on the wall of a friend's dorm. It was a postcard captioned "Superman vs. Dr. Manhattan" (roughly) and showed Superman pulling his fist back to deliver a mighty blow to Dr. Manhattan, who calmly pointed a finger at Superman's head, blowing his head off and spattering his brains in every direction. The overall anticlimactic effect was similar to the famous scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where a bunch of guys elaborately menace Indy with swords and he calmly pulls out a gun -- oh, you know the one. I'll give anyone who can tell me where I can find this cartoon, especially on the web, a million billion dollars.

Super Question

jpburns — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 06:31:10 -0800

I have a strange question, and maybe an answer, and am questioning whether I made the answer up, or actually read it somewhere... What does Superman do with his "street clothes" according to the cannon? I have a weird memory, but I may be totally making it up... My memory is this:

He compresses them to the size of a pea, and stores it in a pouch in his cape.

That begs the question.... what does he do with his glasses?

Not earth-shattering stuff here, but I need to know if I made this up, or actually read/heard it somewhere. I'm old enough that I may have heard it on the old (George Reeves) Superman television show...

Thanks in advance.

Lex Luther vs. the San Andreas fault-line

0bvious — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 17:23:48 -0800

In the original 1978 Superman movie Lex Luther plans to split apart the San Andreas fault-line using Nuclear armaments - the resulting explosion destined to send the entire Californian coastline and its inhabitants to murky ocean depths.

How much explosive force would be needed to cause any such kind of earthquake? And, using the San Andreas fault as a model, could Lex Luther's diabolic plan have any degree of success? This is a response to the increasing interest in next summer's Superman Returns epic. I hope the question sparks some interesting debate...

Best way to sell comic books?

blue_beetle — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 13:03:29 -0800

How to sell comic books I have a large collection (1200) comics books, mainly early 90's DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Justice League) in mint condition. I want to find the simplest way to get rid of them (and maximze profits, of course). Is ebay the best way, or should I take them to a local comicbook store? Is it worth trying to sell them individually, or just as a set? Does anyone have any experience with this? As a side note, I have had no experience (buying/Selling) in the comic book industry in more than 10 years.

Identify this superhero team

gentle — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 13:00:54 -0800

Please identify this superhero team and/or story that I read when I was a kid. I believe the story appeared as a guest story in a (non-US) Superman issue, 1985 or earlier. I don't think it was a Superman story.

It concerned a team of superheroes of the Fantastic Four variety, but I remember only one member: a gentle blue-clad guy who could grow to enormous, skyscraper-size proportions. As far as I remember, he wasn't the main guy; rather, he was a minor character.

As I recall, his spandex-style costume was a combination of blue, red, and yellow, and while his head was covered, his whole face was exposed in a rectangular opening. I remember the head design being reminiscent of a crown.

I may be conflating memories here, but I believe that in the same story, one of the characters -- it might have been the same guy -- "explodes" or ruptures: his torso beams out stuff -- quite possibly sand -- in every direction, and eventually there's just the empty shell of a torso and pools of sand stuff lying around.

I believe the story appeared in an issue of Superman which had a front cover picture of Superman encased in a rough shape of ice, floating in the black of space. Also, could anyone identify this issue?

Question number 14862

turbanhead — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 07:47:38 -0800

Where can I find this film on video (link inside)?

Question number 9503

skoosh — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 06:52:36 -0800

Inspired by this thread in the blue: There's a version of Superman III I saw on Indian television last summer when I was in Pakistan. It had English subtitles, for some reason (it still had the original English-language soundtrack), but the subtitles had only the most tendentious relationship to the actual movie. In the subtitles' universe, for example, Richard Pryor's character was named Clark Kent. Superman's alter ego? Harry Kent. And it just got more and more absurd from there. Has anyone else seen/heard of this? Does anyone know where someone in America (like me) could get a copy?