Editing 1394: Superm*n
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|General expansion/cleanup needed.}} | |
− | + | This comic was posted one day after a {{w|supermoon}}, an informal astronomical event where a full moon occurs close to the Moon's perigee (i.e. the point where it's closest to Earth), causing the moon to appear larger and brighter. 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 days, and the loose definition of the term means that there are usually two or three "supermoons" per perigee (the next full moon on August 10 will also qualify as a supermoon). | |
− | + | While this event is often considered beautiful to behold, it is hardly remarkable. The event is frequent, as it occurs approximately every 13.5 months. Furthermore, the moon's apparent increase in size is only marginal -- the June 2013 supermoon, for example, was only about 7% larger than the average full moon.<ref>http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/the-myth-of-the-supermoon/</ref> | |
− | + | Randall points out in this comic, by depicting how unimpressive the superhero {{w|Superman}} would be if he had similarly proportional increases in physical capacity relative to normal humans, that the use of the prefix "Super-" in Supermoon is hyperbolic. | |
− | The title text | + | The comic's title makes use of a wildcard, which indicates any possible text string, making it useful for searching for all text containing certain letters or words. Such usage is common in {{w|Unix shell}} and Microsoft {{w|MS-DOS}}/{{w|Command Prompt}} and could capture "Supermoon" and/or "Superman" in a text sample or among a collection of files. |
− | + | The title text refers to {{w|Spider-Man}}, another comic book hero who, having been bitten by a radioactive spider, has spider-like abilities. He is capable of firing synthetic webbing from devices he wears on his wrists, enabling him to swing from buildings by long strands of "web" or to cover large areas with webbing. He also can cling to surfaces with superhuman gripping abilities, and has a "spider sense," a so-called sixth 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. | |
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+ | Supermoon has been mentioned previously in [[1080: Visual Field]] and [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]]. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | [Cueball is reaching for an item on a high shelf. Superman is rushing towards him] | |
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+ | Superman: I'll get it! I'm 5 inches taller and 7% stronger than the average man! | ||
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+ | Caption: The new supermoon-inspired Superman reboot | ||
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+ | ==References== | ||
+ | <references /> | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
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