Is Lex Luthor's 40-cake theft canonical?

Question

In The Super Dictionary, Lex Luthor took 40 cakes (as many as four tens).

I couldn't find any information specifying if that dictionary has a designated universe, or if it was considered canon at all.

So as terrible as it was, was Lex Luthor's cake theft canonical in any universe, and if so, which one?

So when you asked this question did you have any indication that this could be within canon? Otherwise why did you pick this particular event from the dictionary? — OganM, Jan 02 '19 at 21:56
That particular image is pretty well-known across the Internet. Given that the dictionary is fairly obscure I expect there are a lot more people that had seen it than who knew about where it came from. — , Jan 02 '19 at 23:55
They made Lobo's deal with Heaven and Hell canonical, so why not LL stealing cakes (#salty). — Mindwin Remember Monica, Jan 03 '19 at 12:08
The most terrible thing in that picture is LL's costume. I hope it is not canonical — Taladris, Jan 03 '19 at 14:38
Given that one cake has fallen off the cart, it's clear that Lex Luthor only stole 39 cakes. That's not so evil after all. — aroth, Jan 04 '19 at 02:41
+1 For Lex Luthor stealing 40 cakes https://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/07/writing-funny.html — TK-421, Jan 04 '19 at 15:25
@Taladris: From the waist up, it's certainly appeared in other media. From the waist down, your guess is as good as mine. — Kevin, Apr 10 '19 at 01:34
Was it terrible that there were forty cakes or that they were stolen? — SDH, Feb 08 '23 at 05:09

Valorum · Accepted Answer · 2019-01-02T17:14:54.907

105

Yes, for reasons known only to the author of Superman #709 this event has now been placed into DC's official canon.

Note that The Super Dictionary you're describing contains a series of nonsense events that don't occur within the DC main universe, for example Green Lantern stealing a duck or The Penguin fighting a giraffe.

edited Jan 02 '19 at 17:14

answered Jan 02 '19 at 17:09

Valorum

689,072
162
4,636
4,873

101

We don't know he STOLE the duck. He could be rescuing it from an angry mob, who thought that since it weighed the same as a duck, it must be a witch. – starpilotsix Jan 02 '19 at 17:33
42

And That's Terrible. – VBartilucci Jan 02 '19 at 19:36
30

DC should make every event in that book canonical, with extra credit if it happens in a movie. – Rob Crawford Jan 02 '19 at 19:49
25

@RobCrawford I would much sooner watch The Super Dictionary movie than Justice League again. Imagine if they could get deVito, Reynolds, Spacey, and Kevin Costner to recreate these panels. – kaine Jan 02 '19 at 19:54
16

I strongly suspect the DC character artwork shown here is repurposed from actual comics panels. Luthor definitely looks like he was drawn by Irv Novick, but the pie cart doesn't look like it was done by the same hand. Certainly, the GL artwork makes more sense if you assume that was an image of him floating in the air, moved to the ground and with a duck put under his arm.... – RDFozz Jan 02 '19 at 22:42
3

Note that this clearly happens at an earlier point in Lex's history than the Super Dictionary activity would indicate. Pre-Flashpoint, Lex didn't completely lose his hair until he was a well-established businessman (see the 1986 Man of Steel mini-series). FYI: That particular outfit was the official Luthor costume in the 1970s and early 1980s; I don't think it's been used in continuity since before Crisis on Infinite Earths. Clearly, this is a "callback" to the Dictionary, but not the exact same event. – RDFozz Jan 02 '19 at 22:51
5

@RDFozz: I don’t agree. I suspect that the dictionary merely used a popular and recognizable depiction of Lex Luther, over depicting him as a child when he stole the cakes, to increase recognizability for the children reading the book. The dictionary’s use of artistic license to keep heroes recognizable is noticeable on several pages, and this is no exception. – Daniel B Jan 02 '19 at 23:04
3

@kaine I'm sure Reynolds would be thrilled to, but Green Arrow would be saying "Duck, Deadpool! lower your head..." – Harper - Reinstate Monica Jan 02 '19 at 23:38
1

@Harper id already cast robin hood to play green arrow. Im sure deadpool finding a ring would have a similiar tone. – kaine Jan 02 '19 at 23:45

Is Lex Luthor's 40-cake theft canonical?

1 Answers1