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IN THE EYES by Jesse Glass, Jr.
If you want to kill Superman, aim for the eye s ! I
am ready for him. The club has it all arranged. We are
going to kill the old bastard. We are quite sick of him.
The planet has been made safe for truth, justice and the
American way but we have t.he shi ts of it. Fifty years!
Old ladies are becoming pushy now. Cripples are striding up
and down in the ghettoes daring anyone t.o jump them. The
world is overrun by wholesomeness.
Superman keeps the world in a freeze. Presidents have
tried to assassinate him several t.i.mes. It's all coming
out in the transcripts. Journalist.s are having a hayday.
One plot involved a synthetic form of kryp t.onf te, sprayed
in a fine mist from speakers high above the audience. I
saw it all T.V. Superman was giving a speech, recalling
r~s early days as Clark Kent, his unrequited love for Lois.
Suddenly he pi t.ched forward. We thought he was having a
heart attack. But he managed to roll under the massive
podium and tu.11nel his way beneath the grandstands to the
other side. Wnen Superman staggered out into the middle
of the audience people started to applaud. It was heart-
warming. Of course he was okay. Of course the President
knew nothing about it. Another plot involved cement over-
shoes and a trip to the east. river. We all know what
happened. Superman cleaned up the last of the underworld.
Knocked the heads of the two Big Ones together like they
were little kids. Just like the good old days. The
President it. seerrs, had it all figured out..
So what am I doing waiting for a goddam Man of Steel
t.o bust through t.ha t cement wall and probably push my
face in? Well surprise! I'm John Smith. r go by t.hat name.
I'm the son of someone very famous. I would surprise you
if I told you my real name. I hooked school to do this. I
am a college student. That explains i t--an idealist. Only
since Superman's been patroling the world the idealism of
youth has turned a back flip. Let's say I'm a degenerat.e
in my third year at the l-1etropolis Dniversi ty. So here I
am strangling old man Olson. Bit by bit. Superman has
telepathic lin.ks with Ji.:m:myand Lc.i s , You know, I had a
f~1tasy once about raping Lois. I would just rape her and
t.hen .laugh at Superman because I had her and he never did.
Drily she's seventy-six years old. Pah! I told you 1 was