There's this picture that came from somewhere, drawn by Adam Hughes, of the major players in the Daily Planet newsroom, with little bios accompanying each character. Under Clark Kent's, it mentions, for example, that he's thought to be absent-minded, but it's really just that he's using his super-senses to monitor what's going on out in the city. It also says that he uses a typewriter because his powers sometimes interfere with computers.
How does that work? Superman's powers are based on solar energy. I know solar flares can emit X-rays or UV radiation that interferes with satellites, so if he was absorbing that, then I could him maybe giving off a low level of those and causing electrical malfunctions. Except that would make him hazardous to people as well, if he was around them frequently, for extended periods of time, which would seem a larger concern than a few damaged computers. Plus, I kind of figured he got charged up by visible light energy, hence why it was kind of critical for him to be around yellow suns, as opposed to red.
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5 comments:
This is my first time visiting your site. Interesting points about Superman. I long gave up trying to make sense of Superman's powers--it's easier (or rather, less frustrating) to just accept them as they are.
Every time he sees a flamewar or a lolcat, he unconsciously ends up slagging the monitor with heat vision. The poor guy can't help himself.
Maybe he sometimes finds himself typing too fast for the keyboard to register?
Seems like that would bust a typewriter too but what do I know about Kryptonian typing techniques.
If I'm not mistaken it has to do with the electro-magnetic field that's said to be around Superman. That's supposedly what prevents his costume from getting torn or burned. The field is basically "skin-tight" and can resist all but the most powerful blows (which is why when he fights guys like Doomsday or Darkseid his costume does get ripped).
james: Thanks for visiting (and commenting)!
matthew: And suddenly, I find myself better able to relate to Superman than I ever could before.
seangreyson: I thought maybe he might hit the keys too hard, but a typewriter would still have the same problems, wouldn't it?
diamondrock: Is that how the costume avoids damage? I remember he mentioned there being a protective aura around his costume in an issue Byrne wrote and drew back in the '80s (so I wasn't even sure if it still applied at this point). I didn't realize it was electromagnetic. That would account for it, I imagine.
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