Monday, May 20, 2002

Happy Miracle Monday, everybody! Whether you're in the kitchen preparing a traditional Miracle Monday feast, plopped down in front of the tube watching the parades and holiday specials, or heading out to the stores for all the Miracle Monday sales, don't forget to take a brief moment to stop and contemplate the true meaning of Miracle Monday.

Hmmmm... from the puzzled looks I'm seeing on your faces, I'm guessing most of you have no idea what I'm talking about. I'll explain.

Superman: Miracle Monday is a long out-of-print book written by a wonderful author named Elliot S! Maggin. It's one of two original novels he wrote about Superman which were released concurrently with Superman: The Movie and Superman II. The first book, Superman: Last Son of Krypton, is the first book I ever read.

In Miracle Monday, a woman from the far future travels back in time to the late Twentieth Century to unravel the mystery of the titular holiday, which is celebrated on the third Monday in May. It is known that on that first Miracle Monday, Superman saved humanity from an unspeakable fate. The only problem is, no one knows what that fate was or what Supes did to forestall the disaster.*

The story, while most enjoyable, takes a back seat to what Maggin does with the characters of the Superman mythos. In both books, he breathes vitality into them and presents them as believable, three-dimensional people. Clark, Lois, Jimmy, the Kents, Lex Luthor, the whole crew: they're all rendered realistically and with great care.

Best of all, Maggin illuminates the relationship between Superman and Lex better than anyone else ever has (although Smallville comes very, very close). It's the tragic, bittersweet tale of two men who should be the greatest of friends, but are barred from that by the choices they make.

For a taste of what I'm talking about, check out Maggin's unpublished short story, "Luthor's Gift." You'll be glad you did.

Oh, and set a place for the Big Blue Boy Scout at dinner tonight. You never know whose house he'll grace with a Miracle Monday visit.

*To see what the danger was, and how it all turns out, buy one of the used copies available on Amazon. It'll be well worth the couple of bucks you'll shell out.

Posted @ 3:54 PM

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