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in: Rich Buckler/Cover Artist, Bob Oksner/Cover Artist, Martin Pasko/Writer,
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Superman Vol 1 319

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"How to Make a Marshland Monster!": Outside the U.N. in a dumpster, the Parasite begins reforming himself. In Metropolis, Morgan Edge reads Clark Kent's story on the alleged monster in the se

Quote1 Up until now there were only two or three things that could hit me that hard -- and a "monster" from a sewer wasn't one of them! Obviously, he's no mere monster! Quote2
— Superman

Superman #319 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1978.

Synopsis for "How to Make a Marshland Monster!"

Outside the U.N. in a dumpster, the Parasite begins reforming himself. In Metropolis, Morgan Edge reads Clark Kent's story on the alleged monster in the sewers, and grows angry, telling his secretary to find Kent. Elsewhere, two military generals warn Superman that a government-owned lighthouse will get attacked on Mooney Island tomorrow morning. Superman tells them that unless they give him more information, he cannot promise that he will do more than look into it. As he flies off, the generals agree that his curiosity will get the better of him, and that once he sees "the creature" attack the lighthouse, he will go into action for sure.

Lois Lane and Lana Lang are sitting in a cab, discussing Lois' relationship with Clark. Lois recounts to Lana how she ended her relationship with Clark, how he proposed to her, and how she had agreed to it only if he admitted that he was Superman. Lana asks if she still believes that Clark and Superman are the same person, but Lois admits that she does not believe that any more. Lana says that she should probably apologize to Clark, but before she can continue, Lois exclaims that their cab is moving straight up. Indeed it is, as a giant, pale and muddy hand emerges from a manhole under them, pushing their taxi cab into the air. Superman flies right by the WGBS News building, and notices the commotion in the street. He decides to look into it, and as he flies down, he finally sees the muddy, swamp creature holding the car over his head. Superman engages the monster, who knocks him away with his free hand. Stunned at how hard that the monster was able to hit him, the Man of Steel concludes that this is no ordinary monster.

Using his super-speed, Superman pops the gas cap off of the car, and uses his super-speed to pull the gasoline out of the car, and begins circling the gas all around the monster. He then uses his heat-vision on the gas, creating a ring of fire around the monster. While it is distracted, Superman grabs the car out of the creature's grasp, and flies over the creature's head, narrowly dodging the monster's fist. Still holding the car, Superman flies downward, and kicks the creature into a nearby water fountain. Superman safely sets the car down, and Lana and Lois get out and alert Superman to the creature. He turns, and sees the creature get out of the fountain, but he is astonished, because the creature looks exactly like Solomon Grundy. Superman remembers the original Grundy's origin, but doesn't understand how this Grundy could have been born in Metropolis, since no swamp is around, and he does not understand how the same freak accident that created Grundy could have happened on two separate Earths.

The new Grundy interrupts his train of thought, and he narrowly dodges another crushing blow from the monster. Superman notices the creature's increased strength, and he notices the fact that the creature also calls himself Solomon Grundy, suggesting a connection between the two, but he cannot figure out what it is. Superman responds with a swift punch to the creature's face, but Grundy grabs him by the cape, and angrily slams him into the street, declaring that he does not know why Superman wants to hurt him, but that he intends to fix it so that Superman will never hurt him again. Grundy prepares to punch the dazed Superman again, but Superman swings both his feet upward, delivering a hard double-kick to the monster's face. Grundy reels from the blow, and begins swinging Superman around by his cape again. Superman blasts Grundy's hand with heat vision, making the zombie let go of Superman's cape. Grundy lets go, flinging Superman into a nearby building, but Superman stops himself just before he smashes into it. He notices that Grundy retreated into the sewers, but decides not to follow him, since he needs to be at the Galaxy Communications Building as Clark Kent.

Clark changes into his suit and meets Morgan Edge, Lana and Lois in the building. Lois is just about to ask Clark to go to lunch, but Clark makes a point of taking Lana to lunch instead, obviously trying to snub Lois. This has the opposite effect, only making Lois more angry at him. That night, Grundy travels through the sewers, and remembers the Earth-Two Grundy's fight with Superman, somehow having gained the memories of his predecessor. He remembers that his Earth-Two counterpart could not beat the Man of Steel, and this Grundy decides that he knows how to beat Superman. Declaring that he wants to be like the original Grundy, he climbs out of the sewers to get some clothes. Superman sees him, and approaches Grundy immediately after the zombie rips the door off of a clothing store, finding clothes that match the ones that the original Grundy wore. Superman begins flying around Grundy with super-speed, and Grundy realizes that he cannot hit Superman.

Superman, noticing that this Grundy is aware of the original Grundy's existence, decides to pursue a theory. He asks Grundy why he lives in the sewers, wondering if Grundy is afraid of him. Grundy denies this, saying that he lives in the sewers, because it is like the original Grundy's swamp. Realizing that the old Grundy may have been this one's father, he realizes that they both have the same instincts, and that this Grundy lives in the sewers because there is no natural swamp around. He remembers how Metropolis' streets were turned into a swamp by matter from the old Grundy's body when they fought, and concludes that this Grundy was born in the sewers from the protoplasm contained in the Slaughter Swamp blight from the old Grundy. Superman slams into Grundy, but he only bounces off the creature, who has grown stronger since their first encounter. Superman notices the time and, using his X-ray vision, discovers that the lighthouse on Mooney Island is being attacked right now.

Elsewhere, on a rooftop, the Parasite watches the two grapple with each other, recounting how he used his Power Prism to deflect a shaft of sunlight into a manhole, creating the new Grundy. He has slowly been increasing the new Grundy's strength so that it will destroy Superman for him.

Appearing in "How to Make a Marshland Monster!"

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Notes

  • A flashback and continuation of events from the story in Superman #301. The Parasite's circumstances at the beginning of this issue follow forth from the series of events in World's Finest #247.



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