General Superverse Questions and Answers

[daBronzeBomma]

Consider this thread like one of those anthology titles: it's intended for any questions about the Superverse you might have that has an objective answer (and won't lead to an unwinding discussion).

You got a question about the Superverse that you know has an answer but Google ain't being helpful enough right now, someone here might know the answer and help you out.

I'll go first.

There is an official Superman 85th Anniversary magazine coming out this year (oddly enough, its cover is a modified Superman IV promotional image from 1987).



when is it coming out?

[etrumble]

Consider this thread like one of those anthology titles: it's intended for any questions about the Superverse you might have that has an objective answer (and won't lead to an unwinding discussion).

You got a question about the Superverse that you know has an answer but Google ain't being helpful enough right now, someone here might know the answer and help you out.

I'll go first.

There is an official Superman 85th Anniversary magazine coming out this year (oddly enough, its cover is a modified Superman IV promotional image from 1987).



when is it coming out?

https://www.supermanhomepage.com/the...s-of-superman/

It came out last month(March 14, 2023). E-bay, Amazon, etc have copies.

[daBronzeBomma]

https://www.supermanhomepage.com/the...s-of-superman/

It came out last month(March 14, 2023). E-bay, Amazon, etc have copies.

Much obliged. I went on Amazon earlier to look for it and couldn't find it. But found it now there. Ordered and should have it by next week. Thanks!


Next question:

How many years older than Lucy is Lois currently?

[Kuwagaton]

I've seen that book at supermarkets.

Lucy ... just a guess because the current timeline isn't nailed to another continuity. Originally Superman was about 29 or 30 when he died. Let's shave that down to 27 and say he married Lois at 28. That gives about 13 years to reach the current Jon. Let's take a year off for the age of Lois, and let's knock another three years down for Lucy. So I'd say 36-37

[bat39]

I've seen that book at supermarkets.

Lucy ... just a guess because the current timeline isn't nailed to another continuity. Originally Superman was about 29 or 30 when he died. Let's shave that down to 27 and say he married Lois at 28. That gives about 13 years to reach the current Jon. Let's take a year off for the age of Lois, and let's knock another three years down for Lucy. So I'd say 36-37

Dunno much about Lucy, but Superman was definitely a lot older than 30 when he originally died. I seem to recall his age established as being 34 when he died somewhere (but I don't recall where).

Anyway, the Death of Superman occurred some time after Tim became Robin. So definitely can't just be a mere 4-5 years into Superman's career.

[Kuwagaton]

Dunno much about Lucy, but Superman was definitely a lot older than 30 when he originally died. I seem to recall his age established as being 34 when he died somewhere (but I don't recall where).

Anyway, the Death of Superman occurred some time after Tim became Robin. So definitely can't just be a mere 4-5 years into Superman's career.

If that's "a lot" older then I'm depressed.

But anyway, he's 28 in Superman #1 so two or three years until #75 is my fair guess. Comics of course are wonky with time for many reasons but the problem is far, far worse if you're using a non Superman title to determine time in Superman titles.

And right after Death and Return we had Zero Hour, where I think he could have been 35. But I seem to remember them starting his career younger then. So I'd put him at the "beginning" of his 30s and retcon just a bit younger for the later reboots to work.

[Jon Clark]

I thought I remembered the newsmagazine DC put out around Superman's death included a mention of Clark Kent who was MIA being 34.

[Kuwagaton]

Yeah at some point they mentioned Clark being "34." And I have a loose copy of Newstime somewhere around here actually, maybe I should look lol.

But the most I can pin down: Clark leaves Smallville at 18, spends seven years away. Lois mentions having wanted to kiss Superman for five years, but then he's 28 at the beginning of the ongoing comics. Zero Hour expands his career BUT actually makes him younger in the process: it says his rocket landed 33 years ago (which would really make him 32) and that he's been a superhero for ten years (which means starting around 22-23). If we don't just accept it as inconsistent, we can smudge the dates and possibly say that the reported age of Clark doesn't match what we're told by the story itself.

Getting back to Lucy, at the time Lois had mentioned "five years" (which I guess relates to having observed some of the mystery man happenings, if I'm gonna be taking inconsistency in stride) Lucy had recently been a flight attendant. So she wasn't super young, let's say 21. If Death was something like four years later to be generous, then she'd be close to her late 30s anyway by the time Jon had become Superboy. I would knock off a few ages to be generous but I don't see how younger than 34 was possible unless this modern era revolves around her being a peer to Jimmy and ignores anything after the 70s.

[DABellWrites]

When I read Man of Steel (1986), I had thought the story took place over the course of a decade. Until I learned otherwise. If I had to pin-point Clark's age, I'd put him at late-30s or early forties at this point. You get room for the marriage and Jon's birth, becoming Superboy, and eventually his aging up.

[superduperman]

If Jon wasn't even born when he died, how old does that make Conner?

[superduperman]

When I read Man of Steel (1986), I had thought the story took place over the course of a decade. Until I learned otherwise. If I had to pin-point Clark's age, I'd put him at late-30s or early forties at this point. You get room for the marriage and Jon's birth, becoming Superman, and eventually his aging up.

I think it takes place over about five years. Based on a statement by Lois in the Bizzaro issue.

[SuperX]

If Jon wasn't even born when he died, how old does that make Conner?

Way older than they protray him

[bat39]

When I read Man of Steel (1986), I had thought the story took place over the course of a decade. Until I learned otherwise. If I had to pin-point Clark's age, I'd put him at late-30s or early forties at this point. You get room for the marriage and Jon's birth, becoming Superboy, and eventually his aging up.

MOS is set over the course of around 3 years. The timeline is a bit wonky though, since by the end of the mini he's supposed to be 'synced up' with the present-day DCU, where logically the modern heroic age would have started a decade ago.

If Jon wasn't even born when he died, how old does that make Conner?

Logically, somewhere in his early to mid 20's. Same with Tim and the rest of that generation. Of course, I guess since Conner is a clone anyway, and since he was in some kind of Limbo for a while, he could appear as any age they want him to be, but chronologically it should be 11-12 years since Conner first appeared as Superboy in-universe.

I think it takes place over about five years. Based on a statement by Lois in the Bizzaro issue.

That statement is a bit of a continuity error (or Lois was simply rounding up), since the internal chronology of MOS is actually pretty tight, and its set over the course of around 3-4 years.

Issue 1: Clark is 18 when he learns about the rocketship and leaves Smallville, flash-forward 7 years and he's 25 when he makes his debut as Superman

Issue 2: Clark is 25 during his first few days/weeks as Superman, and when he joins the Daily Planet

Issue 3: Clark is 25 or 26, around 8 months into his career as Superman, when he first encounters Batman (who also appears to be early in his career, though it's a bit ambiguous)

Issue 4: Clark is 26, around 18 months into his career as Superman, when he first encounters Lex Luthor

Issue 5: Clark is 28, around 2 years after his first encounter with Luthor (and 3.5 years into his career as Superman), when he has his first battle with Bizzaro

Issue 6: Clark is 28, 10 years after he left Smallville (and over 3.5 years into his career as Superman), when he discovers his Kryptonian heritage

[daBronzeBomma]

How old are Clark and Lois right now? (Like as of Superman vol 6 #3)?

I'd say 40s for both: if I had to guess at pinpointing, Clark is 42 (half of 85), Lois is 43 (she always strikes me as being slightly older).

[Adekis]

I feel like any time we wonder about Superman's age, the best solution is just to look at how he's drawn in that specific issue, and go off of vibes.

That said, I've also heard an idea alleged which is very intriguing to me: that Mort Weisinger, in his drive to keep Superman mortal, implemented a timeline wherein comics took place roughly in real time according to publication date, from 1938 onward! Superboy comics were set before this, and there are a few examples I can name off the top of my head to confirm that, like Adventure Comics # 278 (1960), where Supergirl comes back in time to Smallville and has to hide her knowledge of TV, which she claims hasn't been invented yet, so it must be set before 1927.

The problem with this timeline is, while it's possible to imagine Superman being 50 years old or so in 1970 (the last year Weisinger was editor), you really can't imagine age and time affecting Jimmy, Lois, Lana, and Perry the same way. Curt Swan might have drawn lines on Clark's face, but Lois still looks young and glamorous! But then, Weisinger didn't have a hang-up about making all cartoon characters mortal and human. Just Superman himself.

So my question is: Is there any source, any interview or anything, where Weisinger, or writers or artists who worked under him, specifically talk about this alleged timeline he supposedly enforced during the 50s and 60s?