2002 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives
October 13, 2002: Superman Poem Call me Clark!
Fred Johnson, a middle school teacher and avid comic reader, with Superman as his personal hero, wrote the following poem which he has submitted to the Superman Homepage for your reading pleasure.Fred plans to turn this poem into a free internet based graphic novel, but is interested in feedback from other Superman fans. Send Fred your thoughts on his poem by clicking on his email address at the end of the poem...
...
Call me Clark!
By Fred Johnson
[Prolog]
It's a beautiful bright spring day and a new baby boy is brought into this world. For this boy the sun may have been shining, but he never seemed to escape the darkness of the shadows. His sixteen-year-old mother never had the chance to see her newly born baby, or hear the first time he called out for "Mommy". Complications of the premature birth took the life of his mother and left him in an incubator, which would happen to be the best home he would ever have. "Where is dad you say?" He wasn't there that day. Claimed the boy wasn't his and all responsibility he neglected. Even after blood tests the boy was still rejected. The state demanded that with his father the boy must live.
[End Prolog]
Ten years of age on fingers was easy to count,
but empty beer cans and roaches didn't fit so he never knew the amount.
Isolated in a one-room apartment next to others the same,
too dirty to live in, sat this boy who never knew his proper name.
The lady next door whom he liked a bunch,
taught him to read and gave him crackers to munch.
Education to his father
was seen as a waste and a bother.
Dad drank all day only taking breaks to smoke. Not like you or I,
he no longer could tell the difference whether or not his dad was high.
This little boy had a horrible life,
scared of his drunken father who always yelled while holding a knife.
An escape was what he needed,
the heroes in comic books he whole-heartedly greeted.
Every day a trip to the corner store he took,
to sit and read the newest comic book.
Men who were good and saved the day,
filled his imagination and dreams in every way.
He new that life should not be this bad,
and people like him shouldn't be so sad.
In his mind a difference he would make,
a costume and persona he would have to take.
It would be blue and yellow with an "S" and a big giant cape.
He took an old shirt, dirty and blue, with an "S" made out of masking tape.
Everyday, this shirt, he would wear
no matter what time of year.
One chilly fall day something happened in his favorite store,
while he was reading a comic book and sitting on the floor.
A loud 'bang' he heard,
so up he stood.
By the counter laid the owner a nice old man,
from whose head a warm river of red ran.
Over the body stood a man hidden in a mask
not noticing the boy but instead, focusing on his task.
In his pockets he placed the cash
then left the store in a mad dash.
Outside the police were already there,
so the robber grabbed an old lady by the hair.
The man yelled that if they didn't let him go the lady would die.
The lil boy wanted to save the day and desperately wished he could fly.
Instead he ran faster than ever,
grabbing the robber by the bottom of his sweater.
The little boy startled the robber and the lady fell to the ground.
That's when the unnamed boy heard the "bang" sound.
Many more shots from a distance were fired.
The boy laid on the ground it was getting dark, and he was real tired.
The old lady carefully held him in her arms crying.
He had no idea that he was dying.
A smile he wore like a mask happy because he had saved the day.
Then the lady asked, "May I know the name of the HERO who saved me today?"
Everything around the little boy was starting to get dark
as he said,
"Don't tell anyone my secret, but you can call me Clark!"
...
Fred Johnson
mrj@mrjworld.com
2002 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News
Listed below are all the Merchandise & Miscellaneous News items archived for 2002.- January 3, 2002: Belgium/France Restaurant Figures - Update!
- January 6, 2002: Superman's New Shield in Afghanistan
- January 9, 2002: Smallville Action Figures
- January 20, 2002: Smallville Season One Trading Cards
- January 23, 2002: Pre-Order Your Animated Justice League and Superman DVDs
- January 23, 2002: New Superman Roller Coaster
- January 29, 2002: Superman Poetry wins Paris Review Prize!
- January 31, 2002: Super Valentines Ideas!
- February 3, 2002: Superman Radio Episodes on the Web
- February 10, 2002: 2002 Superman Celebration
- February 13, 2002: Exclusive Jim Hambrick Interview
- February 13, 2002: Superman PS2 Game - Launch Date Announced!
- February 14, 2002: More on the PS2 Superman Game
- February 14, 2002: New Smallville and Superman Action Figures! (Update)
- February 18, 2002: Superman: Man of Steel Xbox Game
- February 19, 2002: More on the Superman Xbox Game
- February 22, 2002: Christopher Reeve's New Book
- February 25, 2002: Exclusive David Olsen Interview
- February 28, 2002: New PS2 Superman Game Screenshots
- February 28, 2002: Vanity Fair Superman Article
- March 2, 2002: New Look for Multipath Adventures of Superman
- March 5, 2002: Superman Homepage Featured in Australian Newspaper
- March 7, 2002: Circus Freak Develop Superman Game
- March 20, 2002: Fans Looking to Create Superman Game
- March 21, 2002: PLAY Magazine Feature on PS2 Superman Game
- March 27, 2002: Justice League Novels
- March 27, 2002: Superman Artist Needed!
- March 28, 2002: PS2 Superman Game Movie Files
- March 29, 2002: Smallville Novels On The Way
- April 1, 2002: 2003 - A Super Year for Calendars
- April 2, 2002: That Was Then, This Is Now
- April 2, 2002: Kryptonian Cybernet Archive
- April 3, 2002: Subway and Justice League Join Forces
- April 4, 2002: Superman on Trial in the Real World
- April 6, 2002: Superman at Movie World Madrid
- April 7, 2002: Smallville Merchandise on Sale!
- April 8, 2002: Superman on Game Boy Advance
- April 9, 2002: More Smallville Merchandise On Sale!
- April 11, 2002: Superman Game in Official xBox Magazine
- April 12, 2002: Superman: The Ultimate Guide Hardcover Book
- April 12, 2002: New JLA Monopoly Game on Sale!
- April 12, 2002: Superman - Unreal Tournament
- April 13, 2002: Experience Superman: Ultimate Flight Ride
- April 22, 2002: Justice League DVD Website Launched
- April 24, 2002: Justice League Fruit Snacks
- April 29, 2002: Justice League Video Game!
- April 29, 2002: Andy Warhol's Superman Auction
- May 4, 2002: Smallville Preview Trading Card Set
- May 4, 2002: Special Edition Comics Heroes Magazine
- May 7, 2002: St. Cloud's Superman
- May 12, 2002: Pre-Order Your Smallville Novels Now!
- May 26, 2002: Warhol's Million Dollar Superman
- May 26, 2002: Up-Coming Fossil Superman Watch
- May 30, 2002: Pre-Order Your Smallville Novels and Action Figures
- June 13, 2002: Borders Superman Gift Cards
- June 17, 2002: Help Celebrate Superman's Birthday!
- June 21, 2002: Sneak Peek - Superman: The Ultimate Guide
- June 21, 2002: Share Your Ideas with DC Direct
- July 10, 2002: Warner Bros. Gives Mattel Rights
- July 11, 2002: Smallville Preview Trading Card Set
- July 21, 2002: Women Vote for Superman Over Batman!
- July 22, 2002: Superman Gameboy Advance Details
- August 5, 2002: Details on New Smallville Dragon Novel
- August 6, 2002: Up-Coming Merchandise From DC Direct
- August 11, 2002: DC HeroClix from WizKidsGames
- August 15, 2002: Roger Stern Talks Strange Visitors
- August 21, 2002: New Smallville Novel - Hauntings
- August 26, 2002: Smallville High School Merchandise
- August 29, 2002: Roger Stern on Smallville: Strange Visitors
- September 1, 2002: Smallville: Season One Trading Cards
- September 8, 2002: Signed Smallville Trading Cards
- September 16, 2002: DC HeroClix Our Worlds at War Superman
- September 25, 2002: Jerry Seinfeld's Halloween Book
- September 26, 2002: Superman Fan Making a Difference
- September 29, 2002: Superman PS2 Game Reviews
- October 13, 2002: Superman Poem Call me Clark!
- October 23, 2002: Superman-Ultimate Flight Coming to New Jersey
- October 29, 2002: Superman PS2 Movie Trailer
- November 3, 2002: Superman xBox Movie Trailer
- November 12, 2002: Smallville: Season One Trading Cards
- November 14, 2002: Superfriends DVD Release Date
- November 17, 2002: Justice League on Game Boy Advance
- November 17, 2002: Atari Ships Superman: The Man of Steel for Xbox
- November 21, 2002: Six Flags Announce Superman Tower of Power
- December 4, 2002: Save the Metropolis Water Tower
- December 4, 2002: Kingdom Come Action Figures
- December 8, 2002: Superman vs Spider-Man?
- December 18, 2002: Christopher Reeve to Trigger New Year's Countdown
- December 18, 2002: Superman in the News
- December 22, 2002: Superman Homepage Awarded Wizard's Site of the Month!
- December 31, 2002: Superman Needed Now More Than Ever
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