Thursday, November 12, 2009

Phone Home, Clark Kent


Superman, aka Kal-El, from the planet Krypton, was jettisoned to Earth by his father, Jor-El, just moments before its destruction. He was found by a childless, Kansas couple who adopted and raised him under the name of Clark Kent. They passed on to Clark the moral values of human kind. His superhuman abilities began to show at an early age. When he matured, he took on the role of protector of humanity.

A mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet and on again-off again, love interest of co-worker, Lois Lane, Kent became supportive of the underdog. Stepping into telephone booths to change from his work suit into his primary colored, super crime fighting costume, he protected the weak and the righteous. And, although, he could blurringly spin villainous predators into silly putty, being an alien endowed with the magnificent power of finality and all, he chose to uphold human moral and social codes.

And the day became as if it were night. A chill noir fell over the western world and spread, like fog, from California to Miami. Hades, Lord of the Underworld, lurked under the crusty skirt of Mother Earth. He sucked, like a gopher in a garden filled with tasty, tender greens, telephone booths from her surface. A grim realization settled in among mortal top dwellers. Super Power, absolute, was scurrilously being stolen by inhabitants of lower realms, the Netherworld.

www.supermanhomepage.com/other/other.php?topic=phonebooth

The last of the telephone booths rapidly disappeared from existence. The codexes of information they once held, known as telephone books, became even rarer. Superman was rendered impotent by the demise of his Bell tower of power. He was no longer able to shed his wool, wide-lapeled, Zoot suit jacket in favor of his flying cape, magic Speedo and jumping tights. His dabber downed, he joined the ranks of mortals.

In this world, man, forever changed, must now take responsibility for his own future. No more relying on immortal, super beings to right grievous wrongs. The great shift came, one subterranean-sucked telephone booth at a time. One mortal at a time, the era of the Power of Man began.

http://www.basketballwallpapers.com/ (from Photobucket.com)

44 comments:

Baino said...

Fantastic. What a wonderful take. How would Clark Kent get changed these days? Some dark alley and be accused of some sordid expose? Ahh .. we should have hung onto phone booths, the Brits do! Lovely post. (I think my word of the week is 'lovely' seem to have been writing it a lot)

Mike said...

Very unique take! You started talking about Superman being endowed and I thought you were going in a different direction! LOL!

Brian Miller said...

ha. loved it, but you knew i would, right? such a nostalgia of him changing in the phone booths...perhaps we are better off with superheros more like us...of course i am a batman fan so...

Tom said...

so now clark kent is just some unemployed old newspaper hack? Or does he have some cool news blog? anyway, it's embarrassing to run around in your underwear. Love the gopher that sucks!

Tess Kincaid said...

Gosh, I guess he'd have to change in the restroom of Mickey Dee's these days.

Alan Burnett said...

What a great post. I recognise your fears, but we may still be safe and protected by Superman. I think he has changed from analogue to digital and therefore can now change costumes at will by calling up a few bits of binary coding. Happy TT Ronda.

Mrsupole said...

I really liked, "Super Power, absolute, was scurrilously being stolen by inhabitants of lower realms, the Netherworld." Just something about scurrilously. And Superman in a speedo, I am not sure if I should like it, or say, ewwwwwww, good thing he always wore tights.

I wonder how many people even realize that the telephone booths are disappearing and soon will be no more. It will be the end of an era.

Come to think of it, aren't we do for a Superman remake soon?

God bless.

JGH said...

Ya gotta admit that sucking down the phonebooths was pretty clever of Hades!

Still, we gotta find some new techno gadget for Clark Kent that will enable him to change! Maybe an iphone app?

Betsy Brock said...

Maybe he'd have to change in a Porta Jon...oh dear!

Candie said...

wow!That was a great post Ronda!:)

CiCi said...

You are right, the telephone booths are disappearing. The postal boxes are also becoming extinct. Home land line phones are no longer needed. Change is inevitable.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

clever approach to tt!!

Ze O said...

Bell tower of power!! *Squeak* Another great one! :D

I saw Superman the other day. He was on a sugar high and screamed at me "Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat, TRICK OR TREEEEEEEEAAT". He seems quite unwell these days...

I too preferred Batman all along.

e said...

This was clever, Ronda. I can't quite see him changing at McDoo's though...

Gladys said...

I love in the "New" Superman how he runs for a phone booth only to find it one of those half jobbers. So where does he change now?

RLM Cooper said...

Without phone booths, whatever would Superman do?

Ronda Laveen said...

Baino: A naked Clark in a naked alley = arrest. Yes, the Brit's held on to their telephone booths and, now, whenever I see them in movies it makes me realize how many we don't have. Theirs are a wonderful, bright color an architectural feature. "Love" your word of the day.

Otin: Until you mentioned it, I never thought about Superman's "endowment." But, now I can't stop. Was he stuffing that Speedo or not?

Brian: Yes, I did know you would like this comic related post (and sports with the Shaq/Superman photo at bottom). I also think super heroes that are more human are easier to relate to but people today want their heroes to have massive fire power. I, too, am a Batman fan. Hmmm, guess I could have gone with the "Bat Phone." Dang! Next time!

Tom: I prefer to think of Clark Kent as Super Blogger than as an unemployed hack. In fact, I think I'm going to search for him now. Glad you liked the gopher. My neighbor didn't. That little critter bagged his garden all summer long. I had to memorialize him here. He was a Super Gopher.

Ronda Laveen said...

Willow: OMG! Can you imagine some little kid cathing him the the restroom? Demoralizing to the Super man. But he would look good under those big yellow arches in his suit.

Alan: My man! I knew you could bring him into the new millenium. I love the idea that he changed for analog to digital and can just call on his costume with binary coding. Way cool! I wish I could get dressed this way.

Sherry: I loved the word "scurrilous" too! It sounds so "skulky." And, I agree, to think of him in that costume without tights is unsettling atleast. We probably do for a remake soon.

JGH: Ya gotta watch that Hades every minute. Even Zeus couldn't stay up with him. I love the iPhone app idea for changing as much as Alan's digital, instant binary code clothing (see above.)

Betsy: Porta Jon? Poor Clark! Pee-U, he has fallen from on high hasn't he?

Ronda Laveen said...

Candie: Ty

TechnoBabe: Wow! Now that you mention postal boxes, I guess they are disappearing too! Along with the land lines. Most of the young families don't even have them any more. Sheesh! Look how much has changed in just a few years.

Mouse: Thanks, it was the first thing that popped into my head.

Christina: The Bell tower of power was just for you. Glad you liked it. Seeing your Operator graphic made me change what I had originally written. Oh, my! I laughed so hard at your encounter with Superman the other night. He does seem quite unwell. It's all that sugar, you know. Sugar is the new Kryptonite. I, too, am a long time Batman fan.

e: Thanks. Yep, changing at Mickey Doo's would be on the dicey side, to say the least.

Gladys: I know exactly what you are talking about when the "S-man" finds the 1/2 booth and is conflicted. Can you imagine the anxiety?

AngelMay: Criminals would have had their way with us, I guess.

Wings1295 said...

Hah - Fun post! I actually saw a real, live PHONE BOOTH the other day, and I was shocked! Thought they had all gone the way of the dino!

Kat Mortensen said...

I used to love the old b & w Superman program. I think we could use him around here in our cold, calculating world.

Ronda Laveen said...

Wings: Where? WHERE? Hold the phone, blog pals. We have an actual phone booth sighting!

Kat: You are right. The big guy would certainly keep us on the straight and narrow while understanding our weaknesses.

JeffScape said...

You had me at Superman. ;)

Ronda Laveen said...

JeffScape: My momma didn't raise no dummy. I just had to think long and hard about how to entice you over here.

Reya Mellicker said...

Poor Superman! What's a superhero to do??

There are still phone booths at Union Station in DC ... though ... that's kind of out of the way for him, isn't it?

Did you see that Hammer ended his blog?

Megan said...

I never thought of Superman! You're right, the phone booths are going fast. Hades is diabolical, isn't he?

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

OH Ronda! Please do NOT tell me that with the extinction of telephone booths we must say goodbye to our SUPER HEROES!?!?!?

Exellent TT!

Colette Amelia said...

Who would have thunk it? Yes of course we need the booths! What have we done...oh what have we done?

Ronda Laveen said...

Reya: I'll make sure S-man knows about those DC booths. I don't think it's much out of the way. He's so quick, you know!

Yes, I saw that Hammer ended his blog. Sad for us but, good for him.(Moment of Silence for a fallen blog).

Megan: You are right, dat Hades is damn diabolical.

Jill: I hope we don't lose our super heroes. Alan Burnett and JGH had some good possible alternatives in them comments above:-)

Ronda Laveen said...

Colette: I know! Sometimes you just don't realize you've gone too far until it is too late.

The Silver Fox said...

Absolutely amazing post! I'm almost ashamed that a long-time comic geek like m'self didn't think of it! What kind of dummy would want to change clothes in something with that many windows? And add my name to the list of those who prefer Batman to Superman. We waited years to see this shot... and this one.

Ooh! Word verification is "drood." Shouldn't that be "druid?"

Michael said...

YEs the anti hero is all the rage now. Really, I always told my kids, except for Kryptonite, no one was more invisible and better able than Superman but he was too powerful. Now we ahve Will Smith's superhero and it offers a far more compelling outlook.

Nice TT take, btw.

Dorraine said...

Nice spin! But then you do like to trick things up.:)

Ronda Laveen said...

SF: I thought for sure that with you fanboy, comic geeks like you, Brian, Subby, Otin, that there would be a number of Superman=Telephone posts. But...the fangirl had to make the connection. Thanks for the links to Bman taking down Sman. The second one didn't work but, if it was anything like the first one, it would have been awesome. Druid! Yeah.

...mmm...: Yes, the anti-hero or as my friend, Reya, would say, the wounded hero is all the rage. It is a new archetype that many people can relate to.

Dorraine: Oh, yeah, Dorraine! I do love trickn' things up. It is a passion! Uhh, you do to as I recall.

lettuce said...

excellent post!

he'll just have to move to the UK

Tom said...

i think you have a great idea there for future posts, Ronda...Super Gopher! & his faithful sidekick Ladybug. Digging up gardens in the name of truth, justice and the American way. etc.

California Girl said...

I'm just now getting around to TT posts! I think you have the most comments so far and I see why! Everyone loves Superman (me too) and it is funny to muse on what the heck he'd do in today's world. You have some interesting suggestions from your readers.

Kate Hanley said...

What a great take on Theme Thursday. I had forgotten poor Superman and his changing booth. Wonderful!

Ronda Laveen said...

Lettuce: Most excellent idea, moving S-man to the UK. Lots of booths still reside there.

Tom: Oh, man, I love your style. Super Gopher and Lady Bug. I can see them!!!

California Girl: Yes, the readers have come up with some very inventive ideas or New Age Superman. I love how creativity flows when many minds work on a common theme. I'm a Cali Girl too!

Kate: Thanks. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard the theme. Now I'm thinking about how many other super heroes could have been attached to telephone.

Dot-Com said...

Wonderful twist to the theme - Superman to the rescue :)

Ronda Laveen said...

Dot-Com: Thanks!

Dreamhaven said...

Superman, (sigh), I should have thought of that. By the way, my post was for and about Silver Fox. He's had a hate/hate relationship for years with the phone,lol.

Michael said...

Well Rhonda, as far as the tea goes, just check in later in the day on te 1st and bring your creative imagination for a gourmet feast and hobbnobbing with others on the blogosphere. It;'s virtual tea party so who knows. All the cakes and none of the guilt.

Ronda Laveen said...

Dreamhaven: Thanks for the liner notes on your post! It was wonderfully done and to know that it was by and about a fellow blogger was certainly special.

...mmm...: Okay, I'll be there. It sounds like so much fun. And, you're right, all the cakes and none of the guilt.