It's interesting how various myths and legends got started.
For example, in the very first
Atom story involving
Professor Hyatt's "
Time Pool,"
Ray Palmer proves that he's ridiculously reckless for a reputable scientist...
So of course, he ends up in
Ye Olde Arabia, pursued by a falcon...
...and,
of course, the bird drops the lamp into the hands of its rightful owner,
Sinbad's grandson (!)...
..so,
of course the boy will rub the lamp...
And after a series of adventures with an evil thief and a lost cave full of Sinbad's treasure and other tomfoolery, Atom returns home, and...
Sorry, no, I'm putting my foot down. No,
no,
no.
Just no.
From The Atom #2 (1962). Did you ever notice that, for a hero whose shtick is shrinking, Atom spends an awful lot his stories time traveling or facing time-based villains? What's up with that?
The only word in Arabic that Ray Palmer knows is the word for "The"?
ReplyDeleteOh...Ray.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's a fair question, Bill. But as it's unlikely an Arabian child in 850 AD could speak modern English, we have to assume Ray could speak Arabic. And indeed, another panel in the story tells us that Ray took a course in Arabic at college.
ReplyDeleteSo let's just assume it was the 20th century editor presenting it that way. so as the make the pun at the end work.