Stogies

[Mia]

Quick question, I've seen a couple of books which shows Clark Kent smoking cigars. The first one was a JLA issue and the other one was Superman/Batman. Does Clark like to indulge in the occassional Monte Cristo?

[MaxofSteel]

Do you happen to know which S/B issue? I don't remember seeing anything like that.

[Mia]

I believe it was #14.

[Sean Whitmore]

I believe it was #14.

Ah, that sounds like it would be smack-dab in the middle of the "Absolute Power" arc. Super villains traveled back in time and raised Clark and Bruce to be evil. Regularly, Clark strikes me as someone who'd be quite against smoking in any form.


SEAN

[Mia]

Ah, that sounds like it would be smack-dab in the middle of the "Absolute Power" arc. Super villains traveled back in time and raised Clark and Bruce to be evil. Regularly, Clark strikes me as someone who'd be quite against smoking in any form.


SEAN

In JLA#66 (Obsidian Age book 1) Superman is lying on the couch smoking a bit fat cigar. I was just curious to know how prevelant this was.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

As far as I know, the "in-character" Superman has never smoked and has often spoken out against it, most famously in the original Superman movie.

It doesn't fit the character at all.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

In JLA#66 (Obsidian Age book 1) Superman is lying on the couch smoking a bit fat cigar. I was just curious to know how prevelant this was.

This was after I dropped the book. Joe Kelly's JLA was not my thang. A cigar smoking Clark is idiotic, unless it's Ultraman or Bizarro or some other out of character version of him.

A cigar smoking Perry White fits just fine, as does a cigar smoking Luthor.

The pipe that Pa Kent had struck me as wierd though. He doesn't strike me as a pipe smoker. Unless it wasn't tobacco. That kinda works with the new younger hipper Kents. Groovy folks those Kents. Good times at the Kent Farm. But I can't see Pa Kent smoking a pipe at his age now. He's had too many health problems.

Since they brought Pa back, they've been threatening to kill him off like Aunt May every few years. Maybe they'll tease killing him off with lung cancer this time.

[Mia]

A cigar smoking Clark is idiotic, unless it's Ultraman or Bizarro or some other out of character version of him.

Thanks for the info. Though I really don't like tobacco. I just found the notion of a Clark Kent who indulged in the occassional and very expensive Cohiba or Monte Cristo cigar to relax, to be interesting. It showed that he had a vice, and was not completely 'white bread'.

[Sean Whitmore]

In JLA#66 (Obsidian Age book 1) Superman is lying on the couch smoking a bit fat cigar. I was just curious to know how prevelant this was.

I was curious about this, so I dug out my JLA #66 and it confirmed my suspicion:

Dream sequence.

Specifically, Kyle's dream. And a weird one, with Batman wearing his cape and cowl over a leisure suit, an enthusiastic J'onn doodling cartoons, Diana and Bruce giggling over the aspect of a sexy wrestling match, and a hairy-armed, short-sleeved Superman chomping on a Havana.


SEAN

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Thanks for the info. Though I really don't like tobacco. I just found the notion of a Clark Kent who indulged in the occassional and very expensive Cohiba or Monte Cristo cigar to relax, to be interesting. It showed that he had a vice, and was not completely 'white bread'.

Sorry, you don't get much more whitebread than Superman. He's Mr.Clean.

Over the years, various creators have tried to graft various vices and personality flaws onto him, but none of them really stick. At his core, Superman is meant to represent the very best of humanity, yet be forever set apart from it by his otherworldly heritage.

Things like smoking, drinking or even cursing just seem beneath a character like Superman. That may make him boring to a lot of readers, but that is who the character is. He's the ultimate boy scout.

[MaxofSteel]

Sorry, you don't get much more whitebread than Superman. He's Mr.Clean.

Over the years, various creators have tried to graft various vices and personality flaws onto him, but none of them really stick. At his core, Superman is meant to represent the very best of humanity, yet be forever set apart from it by his otherworldly heritage.

Things like smoking, drinking or even cursing just seem beneath a character like Superman. That may make him boring to a lot of readers, but that is who the character is. He's the ultimate boy scout.

Couldn't have said it better myself:)

[Sijo]

A cigar smoking Perry White fits just fine, as does a cigar smoking Luthor.

That reminds me of one of the weirdest, most obscure yet canonical part of the Superman Mythos:

Perry's cigars gave him super-powers.

Really. And no, it wasn't in an issue of the Silver Age Jimmy Olsen series. It was in a few 70's stories. The cigars were a gift from a group of young super-powered mutants (DC has mutants!? ) for having helped Superman free them from a madman named Calixto. The funny thing was, Perry didn't realize where the powers came from until he had only one 'super-stoogie' left. He saved it for a later emergency.

Talk about a Non-PC message, eh? "Smoke cigars and you'll have super-powers!" :rolleyes:

BTW I doubt this applies post-Crisis.

[Mia]

Thanks for the responses.