Waiting for Superman…

OK, I’m sure this has been addressed over the character’s long history. But wouldn’t about the worst part of his Clark Kent alter ego be plane flights? I mean, you’re sent by the Daily Planet to cover some Euro event in, oh, Brussels. How long of a flight is that, 14 hours or something? But since he’s on assignment for a newspaper, they’re buying his ticket, right? And if he didn’t show up for that flight, they’d hear about it, right?

So Superman’s basically as fast as the Flash, but no, he has to sit inside an airplane for 14 hours, and do a layover or two, so as not to blow his cover. Meanwhile, he could have flown over there and back on his own power like 500,000 times already. That’s gotta suck, right?

Or what if he’s sent overseas to cover a tsunami? You’re Superman, and you could fly over to Malaysia or whatever in like five seconds and be saving thousands and thousands of lives, but no, you have to sit in a business class seat for a solid day.

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jzimbert

I remember a comic from 6 or 7 years ago, where Clark was sitting on a plane, reading a novel. But he had prepared this novel special. The period at the end of each sentence was actually a microdot containing the complete text of some other book about history or philosophy or whatever, which he would read with this microscopic vision. So in the time it would take you or me to read two pages and turn to the next, he’d gone through 40 or 50 other entire books.
Ken_Begg

Ha, that’s pretty clever.
greenluthor

Wasn’t there a bit in Superman IV where the new eeee-vil owner of the Daily Planet asks Clark why he’s never filed a travel voucher the entire time he’s worked there? Or am I misremembering that? (Then, of course, they totally failed to follow up on the point, but that’s hardly the worst failing of Superman IV…)
Eric Hinkle

Yeah, that was when Kurt Busiek was writing for Superman. DC in its less than infinite wisdom has probably dropped that entire idea by now.
Greenhornet

You’re right. Luckily someone came in to announce that the president was making an announcement on TV, so it was passed over.
Great name, BTW!
Rock Baker

I always figured Superman relished his chances to be plain ol’ Clark Kent. I’d think those times he COULDN’T be Super would be like a well-deserved rest.
Cullen Waters

Look, I can’t say for sure about the post Crisis Superman or the New 52 Superman, but the real… excuse me, the classic Superman had a small army of robots who looked just like him. Depending on his mood, he could have had one ride coach as he soared about Andromeda 5 or some such place.
Ericb

Maybe he has the power to will himself into a super nap.
Jimmy

Maybe I’m overthinking it but who made these books for him? I don’t recall of Supes having that kind of technical know how and it would take ages to prepare.