Date: 13 Feb 2004 
From: Anthony Durrant
To: Metropolis Mailbag

I was just looking at the old library copy of THE GREAT SUPERMAN BOOK and reading an entry entitled ANNISTER (Mr.).  The entry reads as follows:

ANNISTER (MR.).  The unscrupulous attorney for elderly blind millionaire John Barnett, and the leader of a gang of criminals who, unbeknownst to Barnett, have been using his estate as the headquarters for a hijacking racket involving the theft of gun shipments en route from arms factories.  By November 1943 Annister and his henchmen have concocted an elaborate scheme to bilk Barnett out of the $1,000,000 reward he has been offering for the return of a long-lost grandson - and ultimately, through inheritance, to seize control of Barnett's entire estate - by passing off an orphaned youngster, unrelated to Barnett, as Barnett's missing grandson.  SUPERMAN thwarts the scheme and apprehends the criminals, although the warm-hearted Barnett decides unltimately to adopt the bogus grandson anyway (Act No. 66: "The Boy Who Came Back!").

From the above summary, I could see that it is very similar to a Perry Mason episode from the 1950s, over ten years after the Superman story came out.  In the Perry Mason version, the boy is the son of the victim whom Perry's client is on trial for killing, the murderer dies before the client is set free, and the Barnett character never learns that the boy is not his grandson.  I wonder, though - could the Perry Mason story still have been plagiarized from the original Superman version?

Date: 13 Feb 2004 
From: Stanley <Tal50k at aol dot com>
To: Metropolis Mailbag

Are there any plans to do a PRE-KRYPTON story about the man and woman who were the first people to land on krypton, based on the idea presented that people didn't evolve on the planet?

Date: 27 Jan 2004 
From: Anthony Durrant
To: Metropolis Mailbag

When I was re-reading the old "Wonder Man" story from 1963 a few minutes ago, I realized that Wonder Man looks familiar!  Could you please tell me which celebrity his appearance was based on?

Date: 15 Jan 2004 
From: Christoph Melchert
To: Metropolis Mailbag

The Classic Comics Reading Room link takes us to some e-bay auctions but not, so far as I can tell, `Superman Under a Green Sun' or any other stories.  What a disappointment.  That was the first Superman story I remember reading myself, every word, without asking for help.  I have not seen it in many years.  It was mentioned as a candidate for reprinting in one of the Weisinger 80-page giants but I don't know that National/DC ever got around to it.  Well, I have much enjoyed the stories you have put online here, especially those drawn by Curt Swan & Wayne Boring (George Papp & John Forte seem much less interesting, and I shouldn't mind if I never saw another story by Al Plastino).  The story of Jimmy's entering the Phantom Zone as Elastic Lad & refusing to learn Superman's secret identity was touching as classic Weisinger stories so often were--also illogical, as he should have been able to read the other prisoners' minds.

CM

Date: 7 Jan 2004 
From: kaleb darrin
To: Metropolis Mailbag

I would like to know when Mr. Maggin is going to write a graphic novel version of "Miracle Monday"?  With the right artwork it would be incredible.  We're waiting.

Date: 4 Jan 2004 
From: Francisco León
To: Metropolis Mailbag

I like congratulate for all.

I read the first adventure action comics 1 the year before and I read the Luthor/Superboy first encounter and the Luthor sunday Superman strips very recently.

Is very curiously to me the changes that Luthor suffer at the run of time in comics.

In his first 1938 apparition Superman no fly really but in the sunday 1941 strip Superman posses x-ray vision and sharp hearing if not a real super ears. I think was the Superboy existence that forced the changes in superman stories but I like because that.

The radical change after Crisis by Byrne pettition dislike me. I think Supes need then a change but... That change?

Here in Peru only I can read Novaro translatios comics, and one that other comics in english that I find. And actually at now I am lost about the new comics and only know to respect thanks to the internet.

Sorry if I elongated much.

Atte.

F. León.