Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Batman, dc comics, superman, The Joker

A New Origin For Superman's "Faster Than A Speeding Bullet"

Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 gives us a new in-continuity origin for Superman's "Faster Than A Speeding Bullet, More Powerful Than A Locomotive."

The Adventures of Superman's famous radio adaptation opening from 1940, which was turned into the comic book mantra, went as follows:

"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman—strange visitor from the planet Krypton who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great Metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice."

In today's Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo #4 by Marc Silvestri, with scripting from Matt Hawkins, we are introduced to something that combines both those first two sentences. "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive!" By way of The Gotham Bullet, a steam train that travels between Batman's Gotham and Superman's Metropolis. And labelled as the "fastest steam locomotive ever built."

And a speed of 140 mph, a world record. It is, rather. The Mallard, an A4 class locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, who also designed The Flying Scotsman, in the 1930s. The Mallard had a speed record of 126 mph. But apparently, the Gotham Bullet beat even that.

BATMAN & THE JOKER THE DEADLY DUO #4 (OF 7) CVR A MARC SILVESTRI (MR)
(W/A/CA) Marc Silvestri
TRAINing day! Batman and The Joker's ability to function as a team is put to the biggest test yet as they are dropped out of the sky and into a moving train! Will their alliance hold together, even if the speeding locomotive does not? Meanwhile, the Dark Knight has enlisted the help of Nightwing and Catwoman to help with his investigation, but with more pieces of Gordon being shipped to GCPD headquarters, by the time they find any clues, will there even be enough of the commissioner left to save? Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 02/07/2023

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