SUPER

What one would have done for one of these back in the day. To die for! B/W serial colour would not have mattered. In the States the range might have been around right from the start, the early 50s was it? growing out of the war or even earlier. Man of steel. Leaps tall buildings. Commercial aviation still getting off the ground. Had they appeared at all on Melbourne streets five years ago? One forgets. Here throw a rope around thirty people in any quarter of the island you are bound to capture at least a pair—kiddie, middle or ancient, either gender. At KV today for lunch a badly faded blue & red opposite unreasonably irritated; possibly the first within the walls of that bastion. In Singapore any kind of faded tee is rare, rare as can be, at least out on the streets. With all the China apparel stores even chaps on sub-zero wages can afford Nike or Adidas. Abercrombie & Fitch must be going cheap. Denizen, Hush Puppies, I Heart SG (which was of course government promo in the lead-up to the election), Reebok, Levis, Wrangler, Lee Cooper, the EPL range, Giordano. Mr. Lee here famously bent and opened wide for all the corporations when U.S. imperialism was on the nose in the region, and boy oh boy did they ever answer his call. For non-branded you needed to search high and low. It was the first thing noticeable on the returns from Jogja. With One KM Mall now in the neighbourhood we have a Superheroes store conveniently located on the ground floor beside the escalators adjacent Starbs. Batman, Spider and Super in unexpected vibrant colours on all the racks. Outside the entryway the Chrissy decorations have served Thaipusam and CNY—giant bell, ribbons, baubles and streamers. With the water spouts fixed the loose and cracked tiling needs weekly attention. In Watt Street back in the day with one of the SSSSSs on the chest leaping from the trees and parapet wall would have soon had one up in the clouds.

NB. A new one never sighted previously on this or any other shore. Fattie Girl Friday type poor dear, plugged at the Bugis Street bus-stop in her athletic gear. Girrrrl power. And you never knew where you might strike a prospective employer on the prowl for a candidate who walked the talk. FANTASTIC CAPABLE. No need whip cracking there, lass would self-flagellate a treat.

         It must be a week since OSAKA last appeared. Many more London and Eiffel towers. Come to think of it, I Heart SG had had a lean run the last long while. A couple of foreign workers all that can be recalled; freebies gone off the boil. LONSDALE has been omitted—a mystery what that tag could suggest to the folk. The dream razzle-dazzle of NY and NYC and NY Style of course.