# Silly but logical questions about comic characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256 "2009-11-12T01:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/121 "2009-11-20T13:52:59Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Smallville is in Kansas; Metropolis, in Delaware. Delaware? When was this established? I’m from Delaware. I grew up in Delaware. I never once saw Superman. And believe me, I called him a few times in my youth. Where was he that time I was getting the bejeezes kicked out of me by 3 drunken frat boys? Or when my house caught on fire? Next time I’m just going to call on Green Lantern. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/122 "2009-11-20T15:07:00Z")
Metropolis is in Delaware? When did they move it? In the 70’s when I was an active reader and collector, it was generally understood that Metropolis was supposed to be Chicago and Gotham City was supposed to be New York. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/123 "2009-11-20T15:18:49Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Metropolis is in Delaware? When did they move it? In the 70’s when I was an active reader and collector, it was generally understood that Metropolis was supposed to be Chicago and Gotham City was supposed to be New York. Metropolis and Gotham have moved around _frequently_. They’re the fucking flying cities, I tell you. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/124 "2009-11-20T15:23:52Z")
Canon is that Metropolis and Gothem are whereever the hell they need to be for the purpose of the story in this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/125 "2009-11-20T15:27:40Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Canon is that Metropolis and Gothem are whereever the hell they need to be for the purpose of the story in this issue. Except that like Springfield they have a few immutable features that suggest some limitation on their possible location. In the case of Metropolis and Gotham, they are both port cities on the East coast, far enough north that it snows in the winter. Take it from there. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/126 "2009-11-20T17:13:29Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Except that like Springfield they have a few immutable features that suggest some limitation on their possible location. In the case of Metropolis and Gotham, they are both port cities on the East coast, far enough north that it snows in the winter. Take it from there. Maybe Gotham, Metropolis, AND Springfield are the SAME CITY! Best. City. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/127 "2009-11-20T17:23:01Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Except that like Springfield they have a few immutable features that suggest some limitation on their possible location. In the case of Metropolis and Gotham, they are both port cities on the East coast, far enough north that it snows in the winter. Take it from there. Metropolis has been in Kansas in the past. They’ve also both been shown as port cities. They’ve also both been featured as west coast cities, at various points throughout their history. Flying cities, I tells yah. flying. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/128 "2009-11-20T18:13:38Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > Delaware? When was this established? I’m from Delaware. I grew up in Delaware. I never once saw Superman. And believe me, I called him a few times in my youth. Where was he that time I was getting the bejeezes kicked out of me by 3 drunken frat boys? Or when my house caught on fire? > > Next time I’m just going to call on Green Lantern. You need an [ultrasonic signal watch](http://theages.superman.nu/encyc/signal-watch.php) - then you can [call him for any random crap](http://supermanica.superman.nu/wiki/images/0/0c/Signal_Watch_Summons.gif) you want. (Oh, Superman, I need to open this jar of pickles). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/129 "2009-11-20T18:37:28Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Canon is that Metropolis and Gothem are whereever the hell they need to be for the purpose of the story in this issue. Gotham is officially in New Jersey. It’s a bit south of Atlantic City, based on a relative location given in Birds of Prey - either early Simone, or late Dixon. (It’s 100 miles away from NYC, which, even if two separate books hadn’t explicitly placed it in NJ, would restrict it to eastern Rhode Island, or southern New Jersey, due to being a coastal city.) Metropolis isn’t set, though it has limited possible locations - as already mentioned above - and, while not official canon, Delaware fits, as well as being mentioned in the Mayfair DC Heroes RPG sourcebook. (Which also makes DC and Gotham equidistant to Metropolis, and Metropolis and NYC equidistant to Gotham.) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256/130 "2009-11-20T23:23:48Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Dr. Henry Pym was, at various times, Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and, most recently, a male version of the Wasp. And don’t forget when he was [Dr. Pym](http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/11352/320600-61150-hank-pym_super.jpg), master of shrinking things and keeping them in his pockets. > [@DocCathode](#): > > I have to disagree. In the 2099 universe. Miguel Ohara (Spiderman 2099) makes his super outfit from an Unstable Molecule fabric Day Of The Dead costume. He remarks that UM fabric is very expensive- presumably more so than current firefighter gear. He also mentions how hard it is to damage or destroy. Right. It does conform to the wearer’s powers, but even beside that, it’s ["incredibly resilient to drastic changes in heat, cold, pressure, density, etc. "](http://marvel.wikia.com/Unstable_Molecules) I recall at least one story where such a uniform was shown to be bulletproof. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-but-logical-questions-about-comic-characters/517256.md?page=6)