Tuesday 18 June 2013

Superman and the Loch Ness Monster

In recognition of the latest Superman blockbuster, "Man of Steel", it may interest readers to know that Nessie gets a mention in at least one Superman comic of old. It is Action Comics No. 497 published in July 1979. Ever wondered how to get the definitive proof for the Loch Ness Monster?

"This is a job for Superman!"


  




Now if you read the speech bubbles, you may have noted that Superman mentions the Loch Ness Monster, but this is actually the Loch Trevor Monster he has bagged! What on earth is the Loch Trevor Monster and who ever thought of that ridiculous name for a Scottish loch? Indeed, does it outdo the outrageous "Hoots Mon!" Scotsmen in the comic for laughability? Well, it may have something to do with this earlier Jimmy Olsen comic drawn by the late, great Jack Kirby.





And last but not least DC Comics' resident "Nessie" also made this appearance in May 1990. Well, at least Superman informed us that Nessie is not the survivor of alien experiments. Just in case any of you guys were toying with that idea! 

BTW, I enjoyed "Man of Steel" and though it was better than "Superman Returns" but that original Christopher Reeves "Superman" film still wins it for me!



5 comments:

  1. Chasing Leviathan18 June 2013 at 14:56

    No doubt Batman will turn up and smugly deduce the whole thing was just a standing wave... :)

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  2. My favorite line, "As long as it harmed no one, I let it go its own way -- Yet now I'm COMPELLED to capture it for Science!"

    There goes Science, making trouble at Loch Ness again :-)

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  3. EKM wrote me this:

    "I have these issues! "The Loch Trevor Monster" cracked me up as a kid. But it gets weirder...

    There was a SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN from the early 80s (gotta dig it out) where several of Peter Parker's classmates are watching an IN SEARCH OF-style news report on Spidey that segues into a special covering...

    ...wait for it...

    ...THE LOCH TREVOR MONSTER!

    The students laugh uproariously. "The Loch Trevor Monster? You gotta be killing me!"

    I will have to dig through my ridiculous comic book collection to discover this. I believe it was issue 57 with The Ringer, but I will have to confirm. Either way, it was strange to see a DCU "creation" referenced in a Marvel book. I wonder if Bill Mantlo (I believe) was having a laugh at the Distinguished Competition...?"

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  4. I went to look for these issues at my local comic book shop. However I discovered that it's actually Action Comics #497, not #479. But thank you for pointing these issues out!

    -Justin

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    1. Thanks, I will amend, and the date is July 1979.

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