Editing 1394: Superm*n

{{comic
| number    = 1394
| date      = July 14, 2014
| title     = Superm*n
| image     = superm_n.png
| titletext = See also: Spider-Man reboot in which he can produce several inches of web, doesn't need as much chalk powder on his hands when he goes rock climbing, and occasionally feels vaguely uneasy about situations.
}}

==Explanation==
By depicting how unimpressive the superhero {{w|Superman}} would be if his increase in powers, when compared to humans, were the same as the moon's increase in apparent size during a {{w|supermoon}}, Randall points that the use of the term supermoon is an exaggeration. This comic was released two days after such a supermoon and there was a hype in 2014 because there were [https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10jul_supermoons three supermoons in a row] as NASA said.

A supermoon is an informal astronomical event where a full moon occurs when it is closest to earth, causing the moon to appear 10% brighter and about 7% larger than the '''average''' full moon appears. This is due to the {{w|apsidal precession}} of moon's {{w|elliptic orbit}} which has an {{w|orbital eccentricity}} of about 0.0549. The conditions for a supermoon happen once every 411&nbsp;days, and the loose definition of the term means that the supermoon lasts for about two or three full moons.

Returning to the not-so-Superman, the average American adult man is 69&nbsp;inches tall, with a {{w|standard deviation}} of 2.9&nbsp;inches. Not-so-Superman, at an assumed 74&nbsp;inches (188&nbsp;cm) tall, is within the 94th percentile - certainly a tall man, but by no means phenomenal. Basketball players, by way of example, are often more than 80&nbsp;inches tall. "7% stronger" (most likely a reference to how the supermoon is 7% larger) is a bit harder to quantify, but it communicates "not actually impressive" to the reader all the same. For example, if an average man can lift 50&nbsp;kg, the not-so-Superman would lift 53.5&nbsp;kg.

The comic's title makes use of an asterisk that is being used as a wildcard. When using search queries an asterisk represents one or more characters. Therefore, Superm*n can represent the strings "Superman" and "Supermoon," as well as "Supermen," "Supermoan," and "Supermax prison".

The title text refers  makes this same comparison with {{w|Spider-Man}}. Spider man is capable of firing large amounts of webbing, can cling to surfaces with superhuman gripping abilities, and has a sixth sense, "spider sense", that warns him about impending danger. The title text describes trivially minimal versions of these powers, analogous to the trivial size and brightness difference between a "supermoon" and a normal full moon. This also shows a much more accurate depiction of an actual spider's abilities, where they can produce several inches of a thin web, not the unrealistic amounts depicted in use by Spider Man.

Supermoon is also referenced in [[1052: Every Major's Terrible#Verse 3|panel 25]] of [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]] and shortly thereafter in [[1080: Visual Field]]. In both cases displaying the same distaste for the formulation. Although not as clearly as here. Since then other comics have referred to the term, see this [[:Category:Supermoon|list]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is reaching for an item on a high shelf. Superman is rushing towards him.]
:Superman: I'll get it! I'm 5 inches taller and 7% stronger than the average man!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The new supermoon-inspired '''''Superman''''' reboot

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Supermoon]]