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We all know that Superman changes in the phone booth. But where does he put his regular clothes while he's on a mission? He doesn't throw it out, because he changes back. But we don't see him carrying a bag of dirty laundry while he's on a mission.

("In his right hand, Superman has Lois Lane, and in his left hand he seems to be holding... boxers??)

And I can't imagine he leaves it in the phone booth.

So where does Superman leave his regular clothes after he changes?

Edlothiad
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TheAsh
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    I cannot cite a specific example, but logical can guide us. If a human can keister certain items for concealment, & since Superman is a super man (greatly amplified human abilities), then I would conclude he has super-keistering in his repertoire of abilities. It's obscene to depict him jambing his clothes in his de facto carry compartment (I'd assume it would open up like a kangaroo pouch in extreme situations...), so it's merely left implied. –  May 03 '18 at 17:35
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    IIRC, at one point he put his civvies in a pouch on the "in" side of his cape. No citation, though (it's been many decades since I read it). – RonJohn May 03 '18 at 18:53
  • I'm at a loss why Rand has mod-hammered this dupe back open when the other is wider in scope. – Valorum May 03 '18 at 20:48
  • Dupe of https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/12025/why-didnt-the-reporters-at-the-daily-planet-figure-out-clark-kent-was-superman?noredirect=1&lq=1 – Valorum May 03 '18 at 20:48
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    @Valorum maybe because my answer is better? Also unsure how you determine which scope is wider – TheAsh May 03 '18 at 21:24
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    How is the other one wider in scope? This is a general question about what he does with his regular clothes, while the other one focuses specifically on reporters' reactions to his discarded regular clothes. The answer to this one is also more complete than the answers to the older question. – Rand al'Thor May 03 '18 at 21:25
  • @Randal'Thor any way to combine the questions so all answers show up in one place? – TheAsh May 03 '18 at 21:26
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    @TheAsh Yes, there's a mod tool for doing that. But it's irreversible, and it would mean leaving Tango's higher-scored answer above your (IMO far better) answer. – Rand al'Thor May 03 '18 at 21:27
  • He puts them on under his Superman costume of course. – Xantec May 03 '18 at 22:41
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    @RonJohn, I distinctly remember a "Q&A with Superman"-type Sunday comic strip where that explanation was introduced, and I can see in my mind the panel with the cape and a dotted square where the "pocket" would be. It stuck in my head because as a young kid it was the first time I had my suspension of disbelief burst to pieces by a comic - I remember thinking "that explanation is absolute *#%$" – Euro Micelli May 04 '18 at 02:56
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    "We all know that Superman changes in the phone booth." ...Are phone booths still a thing in Metropolis? – jamesdlin May 04 '18 at 05:56

1 Answers1

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He used to hide it nearby:

enter image description here

Later on he shrunk it, and put it in his pocket: enter image description here

The modern era has it as a self-changing supersuit: enter image description here

Thanks to Li hei Bao on Quora for referencing this for a different question. (First time I ever found an answer on Quora that wasn't here.)

TheAsh
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    So there is definite proof that humanity got more stupid over time? +1 – Raditz_35 May 03 '18 at 11:52
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    That second comic page is familiar from the answer https://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/22731/4918 "How did Martha Kent modify the Kryptonian blanket that became Superman's costume?" – b_jonas May 03 '18 at 12:02
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    Another facet of the story - in the Silver age, it was said that Clark's suits were treated with chemicals so they were both compressible without wrinkling (so they'd fit in that cape-pouch) as well as somewhat heat-resistant, should he need to fly or travel at speed without changing. The chemical was blue, so that was why Clark always wore blue suits. – VBartilucci May 03 '18 at 20:42
  • The last panel is no longer the latest iteration; it is two iterations ago. – Politank-Z May 03 '18 at 23:13
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    In the first panel, what is the concrete thing? A WAEK? WACK? WALL would make sense, but it really doesn't look like that's the word... – 1006a May 04 '18 at 01:11
  • @Politank-Z TY for pointing that out. Fixed. – TheAsh May 04 '18 at 01:20
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    @1006a, I believe it's WALK, short for sidewalk. There's smudging of some sort on the L. – Kyralessa May 04 '18 at 05:01
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    Oh my the old comic is soo much more captivating. – Prof. Falken May 04 '18 at 11:15
  • Ah, that makes sense, thanks, @Kyralessa. – 1006a May 04 '18 at 14:04