Most ridiculous secret identities?

[manduck37]

Well Vicki Vale did if I remember correctly and a few others.

Yeah, Vicki Vale did I belive. Every hero has a few people who eventually figure it out. Lana figured out Clark was Superman. Vicki, The Riddler, and Ra's figured out Bruce was Batman. It does come up from time to time. Though really, everyone in Gotham should pretty easily put together that Bruce is Batman.

[Dizzy D]

I always liked Grant Morrison's explanation: one issue of his JLA had a loud mouthed blonde man with a van dyke tell off the Justice League (this was while Ollie was dead) because Star City just happens to be filled with blonde loud mouths with odd facial hair.

Or maybe a lot of people in Star City just have that look, because they like and immitate Green Arrow.

[Mat001]

I never had a problem with the public not figuring out that Clark and Superman were one and the same. Superman's a public figure, whereas Clark isn't so no one would put the two together. It shouldn't take long for people to figure it out that are closest to the hero. Lois, Jimmy, and Perry should have figured it out. Glasses, acting, and slouching is not a disguise to people that regularly interact with both identities.

Well, it did work. That's why none of them figured it out. When Jimmy Olsen takes a picture of Superman and Clark Kent together, no one is going to think that they're the same dude.

Yeah, Vicki Vale did I belive. Every hero has a few people who eventually figure it out. Lana figured out Clark was Superman. Vicki, The Riddler, and Ra's figured out Bruce was Batman. It does come up from time to time. Though really, everyone in Gotham should pretty easily put together that Bruce is Batman.

Vicki figured it out because of actions taken by Tommy Elliot while he was pretending to be Bruce Wayne, during the time when Bruce was missing. Ra's figured out that Bruce was Batman because he actually made a point to figure it out. He investigated all potential suspects based on Batman's equipment, which allowed him to sort through the red tape. The Riddler found out because he used one of the Lazarus Pits which resulted in his absorbing the memories through osmosis, coming from Ra's himself. The rest of Gotham doesn't know because Bruce has had Dick help by dressing as Batman while Bruce was seen publicly. It also helped that Bruce paid off a number of people to plant false stories about where he was during the years he was gone, training to become Batman. And later on, others were used to create alibis for Bruce while he was out and about.

Lana's learning had changed. In MOS, it was Clark who told Lana that he had powers, the same night that Jonathan showed him the Birthing Matrix. Under control of the Manhunters, she followed Clark during the seven years he was traveling the world before his public debut. In "Secret Origin", Clark saved Lana from being injured by Ben Hubbard's thresher and that was how she learned he was not normal. Later, he did it again when he saved her from a tornado. She was aware that the flying Super-Boy was Clark, when the gossip spread around town about his appearances.

[MajorHoy]

I never had a problem with the public not figuring out that Clark and Superman were one and the same. Superman's a public figure, whereas Clark isn't so no one would put the two together. It shouldn't take long for people to figure it out that are closest to the hero. Lois, Jimmy, and Perry should have figured it out. Glasses, acting, and slouching is not a disguise to people that regularly interact with both identities.

Well, it did work. That's why none of them figured it out. When Jimmy Olsen takes a picture of Superman and Clark Kent together, no one is going to think that they're the same dude.

And then there were also Superman's "special glasses" . . .

[Mat001]

Which was never referred to again through the rest of the Bronze Age and totally out of continuity from 1986 on. And thank god for that.

[dupersuper]

Lana figured out Clark was Superman.

Clark made it pretty easy when he took her flying...

[stk]

Yeah, Vicki Vale did I belive. Every hero has a few people who eventually figure it out. Lana figured out Clark was Superman.

in MoS, Clark flat-out told her. Pre-Crisis, she never did find out. It was Pete who discovered it.

And then there were also Superman's "special glasses" . . .

Oooo... I have not read that one. Who wrote it? Must find it...

[R0NIN]

Green Arrow's was by far the worst. Domino mask and very distinct build and features. Oh yeah and he's the mayor so everyone see him.
You could argue that the glasses thing is ridiculous, but honestly how many people even knew who Clark Kent was just by looking at him. So even if you pieced it together in a look chances are you don't know who he is. I mean does the average person know how specific reporters look? As that JLU episode with Lex and Wally switching bodies show, even when Lex pulls off the mask he's like i have no idea who this is.

Ollie however was a very public person. He was the mayor. He has a very distinct look. It's ridiculous when they unmask him that the police chief is super surprised.

[sunofdarkchild]

Green Arrow's was by far the worst. Domino mask and very distinct build and features. Oh yeah and he's the mayor so everyone see him.
You could argue that the glasses thing is ridiculous, but honestly how many people even knew who Clark Kent was just by looking at him. So even if you pieced it together in a look chances are you don't know who he is. I mean does the average person know how specific reporters look? As that JLU episode with Lex and Wally switching bodies show, even when Lex pulls off the mask he's like i have no idea who this is.

Ollie however was a very public person. He was the mayor. He has a very distinct look. It's ridiculous when they unmask him that the police chief is super surprised.

He did achieve some fame as a pulitzer prize winner and as an author. In one comic he got a shock when a woman yelled "I know who you are!" but then asked him to sign a copy of a book he had written.

The thing with Lex is interesting because it shows the difference between his thinking at Batman's. Lex doesn't care enough about Flash to go out of his way to learn his identity. He only thought of it because it could have been the one potential good to come out of that situation. Flash is beneath his notice. Batman, on the other hand, thought it important enough to find out that he went far enough to connect Flash with a nobody like Wally West.

[MajorHoy]

And then there were also Superman's "special glasses" . . .

Oooo... I have not read that one. Who wrote it? Must find it...

Writer: Martin Pasko (based on a story concept by Al Schroeder III)
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte

And, if you want a review / spoilers, . . . http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comi...view-pc-sup330

[glennsim]

Writer: Martin Pasko (based on a story concept by Al Schroeder III)
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte

And, if you want a review / spoilers, . . . http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comi...view-pc-sup330

And Al was a fan and frequent letter-writer. So they basically took his idea and wrote a story around it. Can you imagine them doing that today?

[maniacthw]

The Robins in a domino mask, especially Tim. They're adopted sons of a billionaire in Gotham City. They're very popular. Then, out of the blue, they come out wearing costumes... With domino masks. Tim is even more ridiculous because he wore a cowl to protect his head from explosions.

[Mat001]

He did achieve some fame as a pulitzer prize winner and as an author. In one comic he got a shock when a woman yelled "I know who you are!" but then asked him to sign a copy of a book he had written.

Yes, that was Post Crisis.

The thing with Lex is interesting because it shows the difference between his thinking at Batman's. Lex doesn't care enough about Flash to go out of his way to learn his identity. He only thought of it because it could have been the one potential good to come out of that situation. Flash is beneath his notice. Batman, on the other hand, thought it important enough to find out that he went far enough to connect Flash with a nobody like Wally West.

Lex only did that because he was in Wally's body and vice versa.

[stk]

Writer: Martin Pasko (based on a story concept by Al Schroeder III)
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte

And, if you want a review / spoilers, . . . http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comi...view-pc-sup330

I'll have to track the issue down to judge. But from the synopsis, I... actually don't hate it. It does seem to be the unnecessary kind of continuity porn that does not appeal to me -- the kind of over-elaborate explanation for things better left unexplained that fans love to come up with. But at the same time, it sounds like it has a kind of goofy charm to it, like a lot of the Bronze Age.

Plus, I love that cover and how angry Superman looks. He looks like he's about to call Lana a dumb cow or something, which I imagine is about five billion times more angry than he ever actually appears in the comic story itself.

[RockyBanks]

I get a kick out of Carol's line from the Green Lantern film:

"You don't think I would recognize you because I can't see your cheekbones?"