Kryptonite
Posted April 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm
By Douglas Platt, Museum CuratorWe all probably have a weakness, a soft-spot or Achilles’ heel; something that renders us vulnerable ….it’s our kryptonite. Even Superman, who could change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel in his bare hands, has his….well, kryptonite.
The Museum’s collection contains “The Super-Panhandler of Metropolis” (Action Comics No. 396 -1971) which has a futuristic “1990s” storyline that features Superman/Clark Kent “powerless in a wheelchair” and hounded by gawkers.
Action Comics No. 397 “The Secret of the Wheel-Chair Superman” continues the story line. When the Caped Crusader is asked by old friend Jimmy Olsen what has happened, he reveals he lost his powers as a result of feeling useless; advances in technology had rendered him obsolete.
Jimmy convinces Superman to seek help from a therapist. The therapist discovers that Superman has an “emotional block” that has rendered him powerless. He regains his powers by helping some friends who are literally “lepers” escape a fire.
In 1987s Superman No. 12, “Lost Love” a college-age Clark Kent rescues Lori Lemaris, a co-ed in a runaway wheelchair. He soon falls in love with this “brave, crippled girl fighting to overcome her handicap.”
It turns out that the object of his affection has an interesting reason for using a wheelchair. Clark uses his super powers to spy on Lori and discovers she is a mermaid, hence, no legs for walking around on land. And Lori, like all mer-folk, is a telepath, and tells Clark, “It was more pity than love that drew you to me” and “it touched your heart, and you mistook it for love.” After a series of exciting and unfortunate events Lori falls in love with a merman ( a Doctor, no less) and Superman finds himself alone and heart-broken.
I suppose the lesson here for superhero and mere mortal alike is that self-pity, pity, and distrust of people who appear to be different is disabling , it’s like, well…kryptonite.
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