Supermen Emergency Squad
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| − | An elite corps of "tiny Supermen," | + | An elite corps of "tiny Supermen" (Act No. 291, Aug 1962: "The New Superman!")—Kandorian men clad in red-and-blue costumes identical to [[Superman]]'s—who monitor Superman's activities constantly by means of sophisticated "Earth monitor screens" in the bottle city of [[Kandor]] (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; and others) and periodically leave their bottle city to come to the aid of Superman in special emergencies. Because, like all Kandorians, they acquire super-powers identical to Superman's immediately upon departing the confines of their bottle city, where atmospheric conditions identical to those of their native planet Krypton prevail, they are a formidable fighting force, described in one text as "an intrepid army of super-powered, lilliputian Men of Steel" (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!") and in another as "the tiny Supermen of Kandor" (S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"). |
| − | + | The Supermen Emergency Squad is also referred to as the Super''man'' Emergency Squad (Act No. 291, Aug 1962: "The New Superman!"; and others) or, simply, as the Emergency Squad (Act No. 303, Aug 1963: "The Monster from Krypton!"; S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"). | |
| − | The captain of the Supermen Emergency Squad is named [[Don-El]]. [[Van-Zee]] is one of the Squad's members. | + | The "captain" of the Supermen Emergency Squad is named [[Don-El]] (SA No. 5, Sum 1962). [[Van-Zee]] is one of the Squad's members (S No. 148/2, Oct 1961: "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Super-Mischief!"). Like all Kandorians (S No. 179/2, Aug 1965: "The Menace of Gold Kryptonite!"), the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad are fully aware that Clark Kent is secretly Superman (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"). |
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| − | + | In their earliest textual appearances, the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad are described as having been specially selected for Squad membership on the basis of their close physical resemblance to Superman (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; S No. 148/2, Oct 1961: "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Super-Mischief!"), but this particular concept is soon discarded in favor of a Squad characterized by a more varied appearance (S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"; and many others). The Supermen Emergency Squad is not to be confused with the Kandorian [[Look-Alike Squad]]. | |
| − | + | Seated at their monitor screens in the bottle city of Kandor, the Squad's "watchers" maintain a constant vigil over Superman's activities (S No. 167, Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"; and others). In emergencies, they are empowered to activate the Superman robots in the [[Fortress of Solitude]] (Act No. 292, Sep 1962: "When Superman Defended His Arch-Enemy!"). Among their ongoing assignments is that of safeguarding the Fortress against intruders (S No. 160/1, Apr 1963: pts. I-II—"The Mortal Superman!"; "The Cage of Doom!"). | |
| − | + | Their primary mission, however, is to fly into action the moment Superman summons them or to rush to his aid when they see him in jeopardy. When the watchers observe that Superman needs the Squad's assistance, they sound the emergency "siren-alert" that summons the Squad members into action. Hastily boarding a Kandorian rocket ship, the Squad members soar to the top of the bottle, to the place where the giant cork seals shut the entrance to the city. Exiting from the rocket ship, they cling to the smooth glass wall of the bottle by means of special suction cups affixed to their hands and feet while the rocket's pilot sprays them with a rare "enlarging gas," developed by a Kandorian scientist, which temporarily enlarges them from their customary microscopic size to "a few inches" in height. | |
| − | By August 1965 | + | Then, aided by their increased size and strength, the Squad members strain their backs against one side of the giant cork, prying it up just enough to enable them to crawl through the tiny gap into the [[Fortress of Solitude]], where, freed from Kandor's Kryptonian atmosphere, they instantaneously |
| + | acquire super-powers identical to Superman's and soar into the outside world through the gigantic keyhole in the Fortress of Solitude's massive front door (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; and others). By August 1965 a special doorway has been installed in the giant cork to facilitate "easier exit from the bottle" (S No. 179/2: "The Menace of Gold Kryptonite!"). | ||
In the vast majority of the texts in which they appear, the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad wear red-and-blue costumes identical to Superman's. On occasion, however, they have worn either costumes similar to Superman's, but lacking capes, or distinctive purple-and-red Kandorian costumes. | In the vast majority of the texts in which they appear, the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad wear red-and-blue costumes identical to Superman's. On occasion, however, they have worn either costumes similar to Superman's, but lacking capes, or distinctive purple-and-red Kandorian costumes. | ||
Revision as of 11:11, 28 February 2005
An elite corps of "tiny Supermen" (Act No. 291, Aug 1962: "The New Superman!")—Kandorian men clad in red-and-blue costumes identical to Superman's—who monitor Superman's activities constantly by means of sophisticated "Earth monitor screens" in the bottle city of Kandor (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; and others) and periodically leave their bottle city to come to the aid of Superman in special emergencies. Because, like all Kandorians, they acquire super-powers identical to Superman's immediately upon departing the confines of their bottle city, where atmospheric conditions identical to those of their native planet Krypton prevail, they are a formidable fighting force, described in one text as "an intrepid army of super-powered, lilliputian Men of Steel" (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!") and in another as "the tiny Supermen of Kandor" (S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!").
The Supermen Emergency Squad is also referred to as the Superman Emergency Squad (Act No. 291, Aug 1962: "The New Superman!"; and others) or, simply, as the Emergency Squad (Act No. 303, Aug 1963: "The Monster from Krypton!"; S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!").
The "captain" of the Supermen Emergency Squad is named Don-El (SA No. 5, Sum 1962). Van-Zee is one of the Squad's members (S No. 148/2, Oct 1961: "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Super-Mischief!"). Like all Kandorians (S No. 179/2, Aug 1965: "The Menace of Gold Kryptonite!"), the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad are fully aware that Clark Kent is secretly Superman (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!").
In their earliest textual appearances, the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad are described as having been specially selected for Squad membership on the basis of their close physical resemblance to Superman (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; S No. 148/2, Oct 1961: "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Super-Mischief!"), but this particular concept is soon discarded in favor of a Squad characterized by a more varied appearance (S No. 167 , Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"; and many others). The Supermen Emergency Squad is not to be confused with the Kandorian Look-Alike Squad.
Seated at their monitor screens in the bottle city of Kandor, the Squad's "watchers" maintain a constant vigil over Superman's activities (S No. 167, Feb 1964: "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac!" pts. I-III—"The Deadly Duo!"; "The Downfall of Superman!"; "The Hour of Kandor's Vengeance!"; and others). In emergencies, they are empowered to activate the Superman robots in the Fortress of Solitude (Act No. 292, Sep 1962: "When Superman Defended His Arch-Enemy!"). Among their ongoing assignments is that of safeguarding the Fortress against intruders (S No. 160/1, Apr 1963: pts. I-II—"The Mortal Superman!"; "The Cage of Doom!").
Their primary mission, however, is to fly into action the moment Superman summons them or to rush to his aid when they see him in jeopardy. When the watchers observe that Superman needs the Squad's assistance, they sound the emergency "siren-alert" that summons the Squad members into action. Hastily boarding a Kandorian rocket ship, the Squad members soar to the top of the bottle, to the place where the giant cork seals shut the entrance to the city. Exiting from the rocket ship, they cling to the smooth glass wall of the bottle by means of special suction cups affixed to their hands and feet while the rocket's pilot sprays them with a rare "enlarging gas," developed by a Kandorian scientist, which temporarily enlarges them from their customary microscopic size to "a few inches" in height.
Then, aided by their increased size and strength, the Squad members strain their backs against one side of the giant cork, prying it up just enough to enable them to crawl through the tiny gap into the Fortress of Solitude, where, freed from Kandor's Kryptonian atmosphere, they instantaneously acquire super-powers identical to Superman's and soar into the outside world through the gigantic keyhole in the Fortress of Solitude's massive front door (Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"; and others). By August 1965 a special doorway has been installed in the giant cork to facilitate "easier exit from the bottle" (S No. 179/2: "The Menace of Gold Kryptonite!").
In the vast majority of the texts in which they appear, the members of the Supermen Emergency Squad wear red-and-blue costumes identical to Superman's. On occasion, however, they have worn either costumes similar to Superman's, but lacking capes, or distinctive purple-and-red Kandorian costumes.
(TGSB)
