Van-El's Technical Writer's Notes: Kryptonite 101
Well, you guys seems to like the (somewhat dorky/geeky) technical information I throw out, so I thought I'd show you a sample of stuff from my writer's notepad... at least to show you I haven't been lax. I am writing the next chapter of "The Son Becomes the Father" and planning both oneshots and sequel arcs with the help of ( Read more... )
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In the silver age (when they were most common and silly) there were fifteen different naturally occuring variations of kryptonite, each with various different effects. They're all listed on Wikipedia here, though other versions exist.
As for the carcinogenic effects, Lex Luthor wore a kryptonite signet ring to keep Superman at bay for about five years. The effect was that he contracted leukemia and developed cancerous tumors in his left hand - to the point it required amputation (a future hinted at in Smallville in the episode with the lady who could see peoples' futures). I wonder if this is what you had in mind.
Van-El II
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I'm not a contributor myself, but being a fan of the Superman comics since about 1991, a lot of this stuff is ingrained in me through my fandom.
I've never regarded myself as a "Superman Expert" though, I just happen to be knee-deep in all the prior canon and continuity - and the only continuity I know hardly anything about is the Radio Play!
You can still write Lex suffering from the use of Green Kryptonite in the movie-verse, but you may not want to go down the track used in the comics to keep him alive. He had a healthy body cloned for himself into which they stuck his brain and they got rid of the original, cancer ridden corpse in a manufactured plane crash. Pretending to be his own son, he claimed his estate through a will he'd carefully prepared when he started out on this plan - making it easy for him to trick everyone into thinking he was one of the good guys and still keep LexCorp.
Van-El II
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Glad to know I was of help to you. For the record though, the first iteration of this document took me about 15 minutes to write from memory, and a further 5 minutes to improve the technical language and explanation with scientific terms and examples.
This is a good and a bad thing about writing in a "hard science fiction" style, which in essence is what the modern, Post-"Infinite Crisis" New Earth/Movieverse Superman is. You constantly have to remember all the hard facts about your world when working out the details from your plot outline as you want people to feel what it would be like to have Superman really be capable of these things in "our" world and the physical effects of such, as they read your story. The work I've done like this will probably help people more with the dreaded "Action Scene" though, as most people have the relationships and dialogue down.
That said, all the world-building in the world (pun not intended) can't make your story believable if your characters and your story don't also ring true and work well.
Van-El ( ... )
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Yes and no…
The "memory kiss" is actually based on a combination of two powers that have only been used once each in comicbook canon back in the very-late Golden Age to very-early Silver Age of comics (thus no longer technically canon).
The first was the once used "Super Hypnosis" power, an extension (apparently) of his enhanced mental abilities. Superman has an eidetic memory and is capable of extreme multi-tasking with clear thinking at speed. Back in early 1941 Superman cures Lois Lane of her amnesia by means of a regressive memory suggestion and in the following issue he hypnotizes her into lose all memory of him rescuing her from a burning building as Clark Kent with full use of his powers. This power never got used again.
While not strictly a power, Action Comics #306 (December 1961) implied that Clark would be capable of feats of... err... wooing and "more" (aka. smut). This manifested itself at the Daily Planet Christmas party that year, when Clark ended up under the mistletoe with Lois Lane and he cheekily decides it'll be ( ... )
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Heh, have fun playing with it, even though these things essentially "never happened anymore."
Van-El II
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Here's the location of both Metropolis and Smallville by continuity/universe :-
"Modern Age"/"Iron Age" comics, Current comics (post-Infinite Crisis & 52) & Movies:
Metropolis, New York & Smallville, KansasElliot S! Maggin novels, Animated Universes, Lois & Clark TV, "Bronze Age" Post-Crisis comics:
Metropolis, Delaware & Smallville, Kansas"Silver Age" Pre-Crisis comics & Adventures of Superman (60s B&W) TV:
"New York City above 14th Street on a glorious spring day" - fictional location 1 hour's drive away from Smallville & Smallville, Maryland"It's Superman!"/Tom de Haven novel:
New York City, NY & Smallville, Kansas"Golden Age" comics & Radio-play:
Unstated for both - see Misc. locationsSmallville TV series:
Metropolis, Kansas & Smallville, KansasMisc. Metropolis locations (unconfirmed/unofficial/inspiration for):
Toronto, Ontario
Cleveland, Ohio
"Metropolis", New Jersey
"Metropolis", "New Troy"
Chicago, Illinois
"Metropolis", Indiana
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How's the writing coming?
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I understand the whole distraction stuff, don't worry about it - and as for the writing, my latest post explains...
Van-El II
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