Questions I am asked at the store.
So I had a phone call from one of regular customers, who asked “which side of Composite Superman is the Superman side?” I wasn’t able to get on the computer and check at the time (and I didn’t ask why he didn’t Google it up), but, well, I had to think about it for just a second. We all know half of Composite Superman looks like Superman, and the other half looks like Batman…but after not having read a Composite Superman story in a while, and not having looked at a Composite Superman action figure lately either, I wasn’t able to answer the gentleman with 100% confidence.
I did give him a reasonably-certain “his right side” and, when I got a chance to hop onto the internettings, I discovered I was correct:
…And the return appearances of the Composite Superman in the ’60s and ’80s, despite being a different Composite Superman at least one of those times, retained the same arrangement:
However, my goo-goo-Googling-about revealed images of a Compy Supey (as his pals call him) with the sides reversed, and that appears to be from Superman/Batman Annual #3:
…which of course resulted in that one episode of Star Trek where Kirk landed on a planet of Composite Supermen, and just could not figure out why some of the Composite Supermen hated each other so much.
Anyway, I’m glad I was able to come through with the more-or-less correct answer for that customer.
Here’s a question another customer asked:
“How come there aren’t any Miracleman trades out?”
My response: “rights issues.” …For this particular query, sometimes that’s a better response than getting into all this hoohar.
Now that the question’s been asked, it seems like we need to see Composite Superman face off against Reverse Composite Superman? I wonder if it can be done without invoking the idea that “the left side is sinister”?
Didn’t Star Trek teach us that there is no real difference between a creature that is Batman on the left and Superman on the right and one that is the other way around, and that they should live in peace?
No one has ever asked if the Composite Superman/Batman have and asymmetrical anus or reproductive organs? I was asked that twice in six months when I worked in a comic book store.
Why is he called Composite “Superman” only? And not something more inclusive like Composite “Super-Batman”? Is the Batman half not worth mentioning?
Have you ever been asked what flavor “Superman Ice Cream” is? (And what is it?)
And why is his skin green? Has that question ever been answered as well? Something to do with Brainiac 5 I assume.
Heroclix recently released a Composite Superman figure. It has Superman on the left side and had stitching holding them together like some riff on Brother Power. I and I had assumed it was just a fluke of producing miniatures. But I see now it was the stitched-up pair from that Superman/Batman Annual. Now I know. And knowing is, ahem, half the battle.