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Author Topic: "TRAPPED in IMP-TV!"  (Read 11364 times)
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Great Rao
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« on: December 09, 2004, 05:42:15 PM »

Here's our very first Mxyzptlk story,

"TRAPPED in IMP-TV!"

I think it may have been the last Mxyzptlk story ever published.

S!
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« Reply #1 on: December 10, 2004, 03:14:01 AM »

I just finished reading the story. I thought it was really good.

I especially liked the "New Wave" outfits Lana and Lois were wearing.  :love:
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« Reply #2 on: December 10, 2004, 05:22:35 AM »

That was a really creepy story (see above). :roll:
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« Reply #3 on: December 10, 2004, 07:13:01 PM »

Quote from: "Klar Ken T5477"
That was a really creepy story (see above). :roll:

It was certainly a very "eighties" Superman issue.
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Many people want others to accept their opinions as fact. If enough people accept them as fact then it gives the initial person or persons a feeling of power. This is why people will constantly talk about something they hate—they want others to feel the same way. It matters to them that others perceive things the same way that they do.
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« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2004, 01:12:00 PM »

Stories that take place in another reality, especially against magic like Mxy's, are so hard to write, I think:  "We're 5th dimensional rebels, so we dress like suburban rich-kid newwave/punks!"

This is an interesting story only when compared to Alan Moore's last Superman story, where Mxy turns out to be an evil killer like his "cousin" here.

I wish the Supergirl story won instead. :cry:
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« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2004, 04:54:07 PM »

WARNING:  HERE THERE BE SPOILERS...









Telle, I have that Supergirl story in my collection, and I intensely dislike it.  Almost immeidately after DC killed off Kara Zor-El, they "revealed" a secret marriage to an alien hero named Salkor that we've never heard of before (and never would again).  And the circumstances are totally ludicrous -- Kara falls in love after suffering amnesia, then leaves her husband's bedside when her earlier memories return (conveniently now forgetting her romance and marriage).  Then sometime before Crisis #7 her full memories are restored, and with a premonition of her impending death she leaves a farewell message to both Supes and Salkor.  

Ugh.  You cannot IMAGINE the bitter aftertaste this story left in my mouth while I was still grieving for Supergirl.  It was like a supermarket tabloid story released after a beloved celebrity's death that besmirches the departed's reputation.  Why did DC do this?  Just to show heartbroken fans that the perpetually unlucky at love Supergirl actually had ONE moment of domestic bliss?  Just so Kara could have one last (previously recorded) farewell?  I'd rather remember her final words to Superman in Crisis #7, or her closing remarks in Legends of the DC Universe #1:  Crisis on Infinite Earths.  

But instead we have this "slap in the face" to remember her by.  Certainly if Kara was amnesiac, a marriage might not be held binding, and if she woke up in a bed next to a stranger I can understand Supergirl fleeing before asking questions.  BUT the overall impression (especially since she apparently never bothered to look for her beloved spouse when full memories returned) is that Supergirl dumped her hubby and took off.  THAT was totally out of character and conduct unbecoming a Supergirl.  

Yes, I can imagine Supergirl marrying an alien hero, though her easy acceptance of having lost memories slightly concerns me -- consciencious Kara would have tried harder to see if she didn't leave anyone or anything important behind in her "prior life" (maybe the absence of an engagement ring or wedding band on her hand was enough to convince Supergirl that she was still "available"?).  But keeping this marriage a secret even from her cousin and leaving behind a recorded hologram just doesn't ring true.  Despite the emotional distress, Kara would have faced up to her past actions (as she did before after red kryptonite exposures, and even when confronted by faked recordings of her committing crimes) and accepted the consequences.  Confiding in Superman and then seeking out Salkor to provide an explanation (rather than having him spend years in search of her) would have been a better resolution.  Certainly Salkor was understanding enough to consider an anullment (and DC would have glossed over what obviously happened in the bedroom).  ;-)

Considering that this one-off story was hastilly tacked on after Supergirl's death and had no further effects (the Byrne reboot would see to that), I have difficulty accepting "Supergirl's Secret Marriage!" as canon, even though nothing proves otherwise.  I suppose this is yet another Supergirl tale that fans WISH was really an "Imaginary Story"...
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« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2004, 05:12:58 PM »

Whew!  I was so worked up about that Supergirl tale that I forgot to comment about "Trapped in IMP-TV!"  (And yes, I did vote for that sotry rather than the Supergirl marriage.)

WARNING:  HERE THERE BE SPOILERS







My first impression was -- WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!   :shock:

Also, wouldn't TV viewers realize that if Mxyzptlk and his deranged cousin couldn't tell "Clark Kent" was actually Superman, then...   :wink:

Looks like the Clark Kent secret identity isn't so secret in the Fifth Dimension.  Rather disconcerting, that.

I also wondered if the "evil Mxyzptlk" seen in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" was in any way inspired by this story -- or was it vice-versa?

In any case, THANK YOU for posting this wild and wacky tale.  It was definitely a mind trip seeing "Jimmy", "Lana", "Lois", "Perry" and "Clark" in those punk get-ups -- but HOW did DC get "Dominatrix Lana" and "Doggie Mxyzptlk" on a leash past the Comics Code Authority?   :shock:
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« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2004, 06:56:25 PM »

Quote from: "TELLE"
This is an interesting story only when compared to Alan Moore's last Superman story, where Mxy turns out to be an evil killer like his "cousin" here.

I think it's a good thing that Alan Moore's story is imaginary.  I actually much prefer Cary Bates' "Trapped in Imp TV" as the final Mxyzptlk story, where we see Superman and Mxy end their decades of conflict with a friendly handshake, rather than by blasting each other into oblivion.

Quote from: "dto"
Looks like the Clark Kent secret identity isn't so secret in the Fifth Dimension. Rather disconcerting, that.

Hmm.  My take on the whole Superman-disguised-as-Clark trick was that even after such a blatant give away, still no one caught on -- not even Mxy nor his cousin -- just like in all those old Silver Age tales.  That was hilarious!  And, I suspect, intentional on Bates' part.
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