This is "Provide Some Answers," which is a feature where long unresolved plot points are eventually resolved.

Reader Amy R. asked if Perry White ever used his third and final "super-cigar" from "Perry White's Super-Cigars." Well, let's find out, Amy (hint - the column is about plots being resolved after a long stretch, so odds are "yes")!

Superman continuity was an interesting thing. For years, there was none at all outside of the very basic "Clark works at Daily Planet with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White." Slowly but surely, though, more facets to Superman's life were added that readers had to keep track of in the comics. However, again, we are just talking general status quo stuff, like "There is a Bottled City of Kandor. Superman's cousin, Supergirl, is alive and living in an orphanage keeping her existence a secret from the world based on Superman's capriciousness - oh, wait, now everyone knows of her existence because Superman's capriciousness went the other way." Rarely, though, did you ever have to know the plot of an earlier comic to fully appreciate a new comic book.

Then Julius Schwartz took over the Superman titles and the first thing he did was have new writer Denny O'Neil tell a long plotline that involved Superman losing half of his powers to a creature made out of sand. This was an attempt to de-power Superman to make him more appealing to modern audiences. O'Neil left the book not that long after and the power stuff was mostly dropped. This, though, did establish a modicum of continuity into the series. A lot of times, it was mostly writer dependent. You know, Cary Bates would tie in stuff from older Cary Bates stories. Elliot S! Maggin would do the same. So there was definitely some real continuity in the comics, but it was sort of on a case-by-case basis.

It was Maggin referencing his own continuity that led to "Perry White's Super-Cigars" in 1974's Action Comics #436 (art by Curt Swan and Vince Colletta), as in a previous (very well-received at the time) story, Superman and Perry White had helped out some mutant children who were being manipulated by a scientist to take over the world. At the end of the story, they teleported away to find another planet to live on, as they were too powerful to remain on Earth.

Less than a year later, we see that Perry White has won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the incident...

On the flight over, though, disaster strikes and Perry somehow is the man for the job...

After a number of other super-feats, Perry becomes curious and learns how he got his powers. His mutant friends made him some special super-cigars as a gift for helping them...

He only had one left, so he put it away for an emergency...

This is the sort of story that I just figure that the writer leaves open-ending as in, "Eh, who knows?" so when Amy asked if he ever used the third cigar, I assumed that the answer was no, but guess what, it was actually yes!

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Eight years later, in Superman #376 (by Maggin, Swan and Dan Adkins), Perry White is attacked by a new villain...

As he's slowly dying, he calls Superman for help and asks him to get the hidden cigar...

He's temporarily cured and he helps Superman go track down the guy who almost killed him...

When the effects of the cigar wear off, however, he seems like he might go right back to dying, but it turns out that the cigar gave his body time to heal, so he lives!

So there ya go, Amy! Eight years after the fact, but it WAS resolved!

If anyone else has a suggestion for a plot that was resolved after a number of years, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!