Let's take a look at Superman #270 for another episode of Cops: Metropolis
If they ever give Patrolman Mike his own series, I'm going to subscribe. You're packing a flaming sword? He doesn't care. You can smash through concrete? That's not even worth taking his taser out of the holster. Don't cross Patrolman Mike.
Onto the next issue, we see Superman fighting Brainiac:
I had started to use The Google on calling someone "Old Cigarette Smoke" to see if that was ever a thing, but then I read this:
Apparently, the plan is indeed for Brainiac to call Superham nonsense names all day. Thusly:
So, why was he doing this? It was never explained. And I'm starting to see a pattern in this era of Superman: They don't explain nothin'. How does a power work? You're on a need to know basis and you don't need to know. What happened to a subplot that just disappears for no reason? Don't worry your pretty little head about it. Stuff just kinda happens in this run of Superman, and you just kind of have to roll with it.
It should bother the heck out of me. I don't know what it doesn't.
See you tomorrow!
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5 comments:
There is a pattern to Brainiac's name-calling, though. The 'father of modern gardening' was William Kent. Kent is also a county in s.e. England, and an old Duke. Plus there was a cigarette brand called Kent. The rest probably follow suit. So either Brainiac was letting Supes know he knew his secret identity, or Maggin was just goofing around.
Good point, Joseph Cavanaugh! I actually thought of Ken cigarettes right away, but that was just my brain and random images. Maggin was pretty good at screwing around like that.1
Joseph, you cracked the code! AWESOMESAUCE!!!!
Perhaps the idea was that Brainiac somehow got *close* to cracking Superman's secret ID, but couldn't get that last decimal place to drop... Hence the 'nonsense' terms.
I stopped reading Superman shortly after this but wondered form time to time what became of Brainiac knowing Superman's identity (that's why I googled '"old cigarette smoke" Superman'). If nothing, then I like Bygrinstow's explanation though I doubt old ES!M had such an idea. One would think Supes's super brain would figure it out immediately.
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