It's June 2021, which means it's also the 15th annual Wriphe.com Superman Month!

Since the 1970s, June is also Pride Month. If only there was a comic book from yesteryear that in ironic hindsight put the two things together....

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #3, July-August 1958

Silver Age comic books are renowned for their silly nonsense stories, and this is no exception. Don't worry, though. It has a happy ending when Superman finds a way for everyone to get in on the Pride action.

Superman is everyone's ally!

Comments (0) | Leave a Comment | Tags: comic books gay city superman

Mom dragged me out of bed Sunday to attend the 86th Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Georgia. I was not enthusiastic about this.

Gay's twice-a-year Meriwether County "fair" is very similar to what Coweta County's Powers Crossroads Festival used to be, with arts and crafts vendors vying for attention and dollars. The Cotton Pickin' Fair supplements this with some antique dealers and a touch of history and civic pride. Bully for Gay! However, I wouldn't put it on my list of reasons to wake up early.

I've lived to be 41 years old without ever attending this semi-famous event. I wasn't interested in breaking that streak, but mothers never care about personal-best records. So one hour later, I was standing in front of a stage watching the Sole Momentum Cloggers and Rachel's Line Dancers amid the smells of cotton candy and barbecue.

We strolled through the fair for a few hours in perfect (unseasonably cool) weather. Mom bought a pair of carpenter bee traps, a $3 sausage biscuit, and a collar tag for Audrey's harness. I had a $5 helping of boiled peanuts from the Greenville Lions Club and a good time. Thanks, Mom!

In the end, the Cotton Pickin' Fair turned out to be way more fun than Mom's Saturday surprise: the "opportunity" to help pick-up and deliver two overstuffed sofas that she purchased at an estate sale. (The next person who tells me that I have it easy living in my mother's basement gets a punch in the teeth. Assuming I can raise my arms again by then.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to catch up on some sleep.

Comments (0) | Leave a Comment | Tags: dear diary family gay city georgia mom

I'm not the only one who seems to be celebrating Superman on his blog this month. The following images came from posts at other blogs I regularly visit.

The first panel comes from DC Comics Presents #61 (1983) by way of Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin. It really does sum up everything else I love about Superman.

Meanwhile, Siskoid's Blog of Geekery shows the other side of Superman, Superman #109 (1956), which I also love.

That's right, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are out for dinner at the Gay Metropolis Supper Club. (I've discussed my affinity for Superman's adventures at Gay places before.) The Silver Age was a different time.

Comments (0) | Leave a Comment | Tags: comic books gay city seduction of the innocent superman

Today, on "Comics Out Of Context," I present to you 1940's Superman #7. The following panels are unaltered and are presented in the order that they originally appeared. (Though there may have been some other panels in between.)

Granted, the word "gay" didn't gain widespread usage as a euphemism for homosexuality until the 1960s, but did they really have to refer to "Gay City" quite so liberally? This story was originally published with no title, but it has since been republished as "The Exploding Citizens" and "The Gay City Plague." Someone at DC Comics has a great sense of humor.

If the "uncanny menace" of Gay City is so dire, why do they even let planes land at the airport allowing her to take her life into her own hands? I know you won't believe me, but the rest of Lois' action in this story is limited to her chewing gum, sitting very still, and sleeping. (Would I lie to you?) In comparison, Superman "whizzes" once and "streaks" three times in this story, including...

Ah, Superman, the only person able to defend the gallant citizens of Gay City from the systematic oppresion of their corrupt leaders. He single-handedly makes the villains confess their evil deeds to the police. How, you ask? By flying them there. Stanley, the corrupt Gay City Commissioner and Kotzoff, the Mad Gay City Scientist (who Superman is "horrified" to discover has no tongue -- don't ask how) are apparently much more afraid of heights than the wrath of the angered Gay City Citizens. Thank you, Superman! I suppose all's well that ends, well, gay.

Comments (0) | Leave a Comment | Tags: comic books gay city seduction of the innocent superman