Strange Visitors From Other Planets

Intellectual Dinosaur: I came to a realization last week of something, something kind of cool yet wholly mundane: I’m talking to an alien.

Superman: Yeah.

ID: I remember that sense of, of wonder, watching things like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.. This is… you know, we take it for granted, today, but it’s something special. I think one reason it’s become so much less, um, fantastical, I guess, is how every day it is, now. I mean, it isn’t just you, but a whole heaping helping of other heroes are aliens, too. Um, I hope I’m not spilling any unopened beans, here, but there’s the obvious ones, like Martian Manhunter and Starfire. There’s the slightly less obvious ones (at least once you realize that their wings are actually just strapped onto their backs) Hawks. Then there’s the “I’m not sure it’s not just another Look at Me stunt” variety, like Guy Gardner.

S: Yeah, that was an odd thing to find out. But… and I shouldn’t say this, but his part-alien heritage apparently didn’t give him the ability to withstand one punch from Batman.

ID: I thought that was an urban legend.

S: Nope. And sad to say, it was not the last time Bruce put Guy out with one punch.

ID: And the New Gods- I always forget that. I mean Barda, well, for an alien, she really looked quite good in those charity calendars that came out a few years ago. I mean, that bathing suit left little to the imagination, and from what I could see, there aren’t any noticeable differences in New God physiology.

S: I’ll assume you meant that as a combination compliment and gushing, “Gee we’re not so different” sentiment, and not the creepy, creepy thing it became.

But yes, point taken. There’s a bit less variety in the explored universe than many would have guessed. A less skeptic person might see a designer’s hand behind that, but I prefer to think that even entropy is entropic- that sometimes chaos despite its chaotic nature assembles things in a way that seems ordered.

ID: Sure. But then there’s the flipside, of course, that for every beneficial alien we have in our midst, we’ve got a dozen White Martians, an army of Parademons, and the sometimes hostile Rannian and Thanagarian races. And then you’ve got some of the really seriously Big Bads, like Doomsday, Darksied, Mongul, and Mageddon. I mean, we’re talking ever one in four, giving you the benefit of the doubt, is beneficial. So why do you think the public warmed so quickly to having aliens in our midst?

S: Hmm. That’s a fair question. I think, and I could be wrong, because you’re kind of asking me to read everyone’s minds, but I think that it has a lot of factors. But first and foremost, I think it had to do with our timing. I didn’t just show up one day proclaiming to be “SuperAlien” here to save mankind from its troubles. It was a while, in fact, before Lex Luthor tried to “out” me as an alien. By that point, people had taken a shine to me, and they really gave me the benefit of the doubt as you put it. Still, had Lois not been willing to lend me her reporting credibility, and give me that chance to set the record straight, I think Lex’s xenophobic ploy might well have worked.

ID: So you think, in your case, at least, it had to do with being candid with the public, building on the good will you’d already amassed. But what about some others, other people you know who’ve faced some hardships or even faced the opposite.

S: J’onn comes most readily to mind. He’s actually been on Earth longer than I have, but he initially used his shapeshifting abilities to hide his green skin, and to appear more human. I think that was probably smart; especially at the time, when race relations were so volatile, I think being a green man would have made life unbearable for him. But that doesn’t mean J’onn was hiding- because I don’t think he ever was. I think J’onn is exactly who he’s always been, and that that’s why when he got here he got a job as a detective- he wanted to be as helpful as he could. I think J’onn did what he did as much to ease our minds as to fit in.

ID: But you think fitting in played a role?

S: Of course. The main reason J’onn came here was that there were no Green Martians left. His family had been killed in the civil war- and while there were still White Martians, those that survived were war criminals in suspended animation- not exactly start a new civilization material. J’onn was looking to belong, absolutely, but he was also looking to contribute, to be a part of something larger than just himself- maybe to recreate a little bit of that family he’d lost.

ID: How about in Starfire’s case?

S: Well, she’s a Tammaranean princess with a zest for life

ID: And a skimpy costume.

S: Yes. And one of her first contacts on planet was the Titans. The combination means that she seemed fun and exciting, while still being in the company of established and trusted people. I can’t speak specifically for her experiences, but from what I’ve heard, she’s mostly experienced the better side of humanity.

ID: I think it might have helped, too, in her case, that she was here by choice. It wasn’t her and her entourage, or worse, a large contingent from her planet, just her, visiting. Kind of an interstellar tourist on a long-term visa. You and J’onn, your stories are a bit more unique, because you’re both the last of your respective races, or at least were, for all intents and purposes, when you arrived. So that has an iconic feel to it, harkening back to America the refuge of the huddled masses yearning to breath free. I think there’s something very American about that- and I don’t mean that in a way that’s at all cynical, my usually cynical nature to the contrary.

S: Yeah, that’s something I’ve always been aware of. It’s a part of why I love this country- because there’s a camaraderie in all of us being immigrants.

We’ll be trying to bring you a new section of the interview every Tuesday. Some of the questions have already been prepared by the interviewer, but to ask Superman a question, leave a comment or send an email to DeathofSuperman@gmail.com.