WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Superman and the Authority #2, on sale now from DC.

The Man of Steel readers see in Superman and the Authority isn't the all-powerful being he usually is. Old age is taking its toll on the Man of Tomorrow, with Superman's powers getting weaker by the day. In the first issue, he even revealed that he's losing the power of flight, levitating three inches off the ground six times a day just to keep himself active. The latest issue sees him testing his newfound limits, even working up a sweat from what used to be simple. As he loses his mobility, he needs something to make up the difference. Something that can do the things he no longer can - something which turns out to be one of DC's most useless vehicles.

The vehicle in question comes as a surprise to longtime nemesis-turned-teammate Manchester Black in Superman and the Authority #2 by Grant Morrison, Mikel Janín, Fico Ossio, Evan Cagle, Travel Foreman, Jordie Bellaire. Sebastian Cheng, Dave Stewart, Alex Sinclair and Steve Wands. With the two setting out to assemble their new team, they need a way to get to them, since Superman's powers are no longer an option. However, he has just the thing, as he reveals their method of transport - the Supermobile.

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The Supermobile is an odd invention which, as Black points out, is essentially Superman's own version of the Batmobile. Though it seems like the sort of strange space-aged item that would have its origins in the weird and wild Silver Age of comics, it came much later than that. Its first appearance, surprisingly, was in 1978 in Action Comics #481, by Cary Bates and Kurt Swan.

In that story, Superman was left powerless by a wave of red solar radiation that bombarded Earth. Having to fight the adaptive android Amazo alone, powerless and without the aid of the Justice League, Superman created the Supermobile. It can do everything that Superman can do, even possessing his invulnerability. It's made of the fictional metal "Supermanium" which is so strong that only Superman has the power to shape it. In reality, the Supermobile was created as a tie-in with Corgi Toys, which explains why Superman, the character least in need of a vehicle, suddenly came to have one.

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Supermobile

This is far from the first time a comic from writer Grant Morrison has dug up some of the stranger more obscure elements of DC history and made them relevant for modern comics. This was a big part of their work on Batman. The entire concept of Batman Inc. series came from The International Club of Heroes, a forgotten team of worldwide Batmen from the Silver Age. Morrison also drew from the Silver Age during Batman R.I.P. with the alien Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, who, in that story, was a backup personality for the Dark Knight. Even current Robin Damian Wayne comes from the oft-forgotten 80s comic Batman: Son of the Demon.

So the Supermobile's return isn't as odd as it might seem, nor is the fact it now serves an important purpose. To keep up with his powerhouse team, Superman's most useless vehicle actually has a very important use after all.

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