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DrWho42

Off the Beaten Path: Superman's Hobo Signs

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For those of you who haven't been keeping up with J. Michael Straczynski and Eddy Barrows' run on "Superman," the story is following the Man of Steel as he walks across the country, helping folks out and working for meals.

 

So essentially, Superman has become a hobo.

 

Unfortunately, he hasn't tied his cape into an indestructible bindle or hopped a space train yet, but there is one article of hoboery that might show up: The lost art of the Hobo Signs. Originally created as a way for Gentlemen of the Road to communicate with each other as they moved around the country, this series of coded symbols scratched onto signposts and fences could be incredibly useful for Superman as he walks from town to town in search of the Big Rock Candy Fortress of Solitude, although his super-powers put him in a pretty unique situation that the original signs don't allow for.

 

That's why I've come up with a series of new hobo signs that fit his particulars a little better than just knowing where to find a doctor or a rich lady. These could not only guide Superman, but help other heroes that decide to blow off the never-ending battle against evil in order to wander around for a year!

 

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Source: Off the Beaten Path: Superman's Hobo Signs

The writer references John Hodgman who writes A LOT on hoboes and fake trivia (I think they might overlap too...). For more information on that, check out his book "The Areas of My Expertise".

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Or watch this clip on "Hobo Matters" from This American Life:

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