EPT
The Metropolitan Man
This is what I've been reading recently, and I highly recommend it: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10360716/1/The-Metropolitan-Man
The Metropolitan Man is a Superman Fanfic, set in the 1930s. Superman has all the classic Superman powers. The universe and earth appear to be pretty much exactly like our own (no green lanterns or time travel or whatever), with the following changes: Chicago is named Gotham and New York City is named Metropolis. Superman, Lois Lane, and Luthor exist, as well as the companies they work for / own.
The story focused on Luthor, portrayed as a brilliant scientist/businessman, and Lois, portrayed as a radical feminist in an era when women had the right to vote but little else. Luthor doesn't seem to have any sort of super technology, he's just very smart and ambitious. He used his knowledge and smarts to develop a new kind of industrial lubricant that makes factories run better, and made his fortune on that. The story paints a very believable 1930s world for Superman to appear in. It's a fanfic, but only technically. It's a good deconstruction of Superman. Nobody in the story is the bad guy. It makes you think.
It updates once a week. A snapshot:
It's only a minor deception," said Lex with a friendly smile. "I really am building an orphanage in Suicide Slums, and I really do think that there's a story in it. I have my own burning curiosities about Superman, and would like more information than can be found in the paper, but strictly speaking I haven't lied to you. Building an orphanage to get a chance to talk with you is hardly the worst thing in the world."
"All the same, I see no reason to continue this line of conversation," said Lois. "A journalist is only as good as their reputation, even without the watchful eyes of the big guy." She looked towards the ceiling, where Lex could easily imagine Superman was looking down on them
"I'm not asking for you to reveal any implicit or explicit secrets that Superman might have shared with you. Nothing that was off the record." Lex waved his hand. "All I want are the small details that you might not have considered interesting enough to print."
"No," said Lois with a sharp smile. "I can't be bought." All the same, she hadn't moved.
"Miss Lane, it's been my experience that people who say that underestimate what money can buy," said Lex. He watched her carefully, as though measuring her, but he'd done some research of his own, and already knew what to offer her. "I can get the Equal Rights Amendment passed."
Lois showed not even the slightest reaction, which in itself was telling. "It's been dead for a decade."
"Introduced every session and bottled up in committee," said Lex with a nod. "I can get it to the floor, and I can help to ensure it has the votes. I have the ear of powerful men."
"You're talking about bribes," said Lois. She glanced towards the ceiling, and Lex couldn't help but smile. Finally, here was another person who saw what Superman's abilities really meant. No conversation could be presumed private.
"Not bribes Miss Lane, influence. If I were to mention to the right men that my companies would be preferentially hiring women, and that I would make election day a paid holiday throughout my workforce, do you think they could ignore that? Do you imagine that a man who won his seat with a margin of half a percent could afford not to change his stance in response?" Lex smiled. "No bribes. No money changing hands. When you're responsible for the employment of a quarter of a million people, politicians listen."
"All that for what amounts to scraps of information from me?" asked Lois.
"I won't pretend that our political interests are unaligned," said Lex. "I've often considered myself something of a feminist. The world is set to undergo a transition away from manual labor, and everything I've read indicates that women are just as capable as men in the intellectual fields, limited only by a lack of education imposed by the existing social structures."
That language could have been lifted straight from one of Lois Lane's inflammatory articles on equal rights. Lex watched her carefully to make sure that he hadn't said things too perfectly.
"All the same, I see no reason to continue this line of conversation," said Lois. "A journalist is only as good as their reputation, even without the watchful eyes of the big guy." She looked towards the ceiling, where Lex could easily imagine Superman was looking down on them
"I'm not asking for you to reveal any implicit or explicit secrets that Superman might have shared with you. Nothing that was off the record." Lex waved his hand. "All I want are the small details that you might not have considered interesting enough to print."
"No," said Lois with a sharp smile. "I can't be bought." All the same, she hadn't moved.
"Miss Lane, it's been my experience that people who say that underestimate what money can buy," said Lex. He watched her carefully, as though measuring her, but he'd done some research of his own, and already knew what to offer her. "I can get the Equal Rights Amendment passed."
Lois showed not even the slightest reaction, which in itself was telling. "It's been dead for a decade."
"Introduced every session and bottled up in committee," said Lex with a nod. "I can get it to the floor, and I can help to ensure it has the votes. I have the ear of powerful men."
"You're talking about bribes," said Lois. She glanced towards the ceiling, and Lex couldn't help but smile. Finally, here was another person who saw what Superman's abilities really meant. No conversation could be presumed private.
"Not bribes Miss Lane, influence. If I were to mention to the right men that my companies would be preferentially hiring women, and that I would make election day a paid holiday throughout my workforce, do you think they could ignore that? Do you imagine that a man who won his seat with a margin of half a percent could afford not to change his stance in response?" Lex smiled. "No bribes. No money changing hands. When you're responsible for the employment of a quarter of a million people, politicians listen."
"All that for what amounts to scraps of information from me?" asked Lois.
"I won't pretend that our political interests are unaligned," said Lex. "I've often considered myself something of a feminist. The world is set to undergo a transition away from manual labor, and everything I've read indicates that women are just as capable as men in the intellectual fields, limited only by a lack of education imposed by the existing social structures."
That language could have been lifted straight from one of Lois Lane's inflammatory articles on equal rights. Lex watched her carefully to make sure that he hadn't said things too perfectly.
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