Superwoman in "In a Flash"

Another Fleischer inspired Superwoman story. Please be kind, and enjoy!

"Up in the sky,look!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's Superwoman!"


Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall
buildings in a single bound! This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton! The Woman
of Steel: Superwoman! Posessing remarkable physical strength, Superwoman fights a never
ending battle for truth and justice! Disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter,
Clara Kent!


The black sedan screeched to a halt in front of Metropolis National Bank. Three masked men
all armed with Tommy guns emerged and ran inside. While one thug aimed the weapon right in
a terrified clerk's face, the other two forced the manager to take them to the vault. As
one gangster trained his gun on the shuddering overweight man, the other emptied the vault's
contents into a large sack. Upon finising there, the gunman threatening the manager took
out a blackjack and in one swift motion, brought the instrument of pain down on the frightened
man's head, sending him to the floor. The men rushed from the building back to the car,
speeding off just as a shrill alarm sounded.


On the front page of the Daily Planet, the headline read "Strong Bank Robbery Crime Wave
Hits Metropolis" Reporter Louis Lane turned to fellow reporter Clara Kent and asked her
in a proud voice "Read this yet, Clara? Some of my finest work, if I do say so myself!"
"Come now, Louis. Aren't you the least bit scared of these robbers? I mean, what if you were
in one of those banks when they rushed in?" Clara said with concern in her voice. "Well,
my fair Clarybelle, I think they'd be the ones who'd be scared." Louis said self assuredly.
"Oh, then how come you always turn into a nervous piece of jelly right before I rescue you?"
Clara thought to herself with a wry smile. Suddenly, the door to the duo's office opened,
and Jenny Olsen came walking in with her head held high, a camera in her hands. "Hello you
two! Notice anything different?" She asked with a broad grin, her eager freckled face
reflecting the sunlight coming in from the window. "Hmm, did you get a new haircut?" Louis
asked in a teasing manner. "Is that a new blouse?" Clara playfully joined in. "No, no, no!
Don't you see my camera? Don't you know what this means?" Jenny asked, before beaming at
the two and saying proudly "I've been promoted! I'm a photographer now!" "That's incredible
Jenny! I'm so happy for you!" Clara joyfully exclaimed. "Yeah, same here. I guess the Chief
isn't as cheap as we thought." Louis said as his compliment turned to a mutter. Ignoring
him, Clara rose to leave, taking her pad and pencil with her. "Well, I'd better get going
on my assignment. I'll talk to both of you later." She said. Clara took her hat, and
donned it, before opening the door, she said to the Planet's newest photographer "That's a
really nice camera, Jenny. I hope you take care of it, and take lots of nice pictures!"
She then opened the door, and stopped in her tracks, saying "You know, I need a photographer
for my assignment, why don't I talk to the chief and ask if I can use you?" with a smile.
Jenny' eyes lit up and she enthusicatically replied "You'd do that for me? Oh, thank you,
Miss Kent!" "No problem, Jenny. anything for a friend." Clara affectionately said.


Once outside the building, Clara hailed a taxi, and the women headed for Morris Avenue, when
suddenly, Clara spotted a group of men wielding Tommy guns entering Metropolis Savings and
Loan! "Stop the cab!" Clara ordered. The driver obeyed, and let the two out. "Get out of
here immediately! You're in danger!" The driver did as he was told, and left the area.
Clara knew that it was time for Superwoman to make an appearance and foil this robbery
scheme! On another corner not too far away, Clara spotted a phone booth, a little too exposed
for her tastes, but it would have to do, as she didn't see any alternative in this time
frame. "Jenny, stay out of sight, I'll call the Chief!" Clara commanded as she rushed off.
A confused Jenny just shrugged her shoulders. Just as she entered the booth, Clara heard the
bank's alarm go off! As Jenny saw the robbers come pouring out of the building, she aimed
her camera. Inside the booth, Clara hurridly took her jacket off, then opened her shirt to
reveal the Superwoman emblem on her chest, then suddenly, there came a bright flash that
momentarily caught her off guard. "Was that a camera flash?" Clara thought worridly. Had
she been caught transforming? Clara looked down the street, and sure enough, saw Jenny
Olsen changing the flashbulb in her camera! Had she seen anything? Clara then heard a gruff
voice saying furiously "Hey, that broad just took our picture!" "Well run her down!" another
angry voice replied. "Jenny!" Clara thought as she saw the sedan begin to speed in the
young woman's direction! She hurridly removed her shirt, pulled down her skirt, kicked off
her shoes, removed her glasses and let her hair down, before emerging as Superwoman, and
leaping in front of the car and quickly stopping it with one hand! The gangsters, who were
not buckled in, banged their heads on the roof and were out cold. Superwoman turned to
Jenny and asked "Are you all right, Miss?" Jenny blushed and looked nervously at the Woman
of Steel, and stammered "O-Oh, y-yes, S-Superwoman. Thank y-you for r-rescuing me!" "It's
no problem." The Maiden of Might said with a friendly smile before leaping into the air.
"Wow! She's amazing!" Jenny said with wonder in her voice, and then turned her attention to the
car full of unconcious gangsters, snapping a picture of them. While she was proccupied with
that, Superwoman discreetly returned to the phone booth to dress herself as Clara again,
before rejoining Jenny.


Tony Brunzio, a gray haired, pot bellied mob boss, dressed in a brown three piece suit,
relaxed on a couch in his cushy penthouse apartment, the acrid smoke from the Cuban cigar in
his mouth poured out of his nostrils as he exhaled, content that life was going his way.
Suddenly, a young lieutenant burst through his door exclaiming "Boss! Boss!" "What, whaddya
want?" Tony asked in an annoyed tone. "Boss, they say that Superwoman broad and some dame
photographer just put the drop on our boys while they was robbin' a bank! They's in custody
now!" the younger gangster said in a worried fashion. Brunzio furrowed his brow and growled
and bit down on his cigar so hard, that it snapped apart and fell to the floor! "I don't
believe it! All that hard work come to this! We can't touch that Super broad, but I want
that photographer eliminated at once!" Brunzio shouted, as he slammed his fist down on a
side table, where his glass of gin shuddered upon impact.


Clara was keeping her cool at her desk, but she was secretly worrying about the possible
future of her secret identity, when Jenny came in, holding her camera and smiling. "Louis!
You won't believe this, but while I was out with Clara, I saw some robbers leaving the
Savings and Loan, when I took a picture of them, they tried to run me over! But then,
suddenly, Superwoman swooped down and rescued me! I mean, s-she stopped the car with her
bare hand! Unfortunately, Clara missed everything." She said hurridly in an excited manner.
"That's okay, she usually does." Louis said, as he smirked in Clara's direction. Clara just
smiled back. "I've already told everyone on the floor below, it's the first time I've seen
her, so I'm still so excited!" Jenny said with giddyness still in her voice. "Well, did
you manage to get any pictures of her?" Louis asked. "No, she left so quickly, that I didn't
even have time to aim my camera at her. But I did get some pictures of the robbers' car."
Jenny answered. "Well, I'm going to lunch now, when I get back, I'll have those pictures
developed." Jenny said, before exiting the office. Clara sat back and thought to herself.
"Well, if she didn't tell anyone that she saw me changing, she must not have seen it. I
know Jenny, she's a good girl, she's honest, she wouldn't keep something like that to
herself." Nevertheless, she had to keep an eye on her. She then turned to her co-worker and
said "You know, Louis, lunch sounds pretty good, I think I'll grab a bite to eat as well."
"Okay, could you pick me up something, if you don't mind?" Louis asked. "I can't make any
promises." Clara said with a chuckle, before walking out the door.


As Clara walked two blocks down, she saw the small diner where Jenny was seated outside, on
a small patio, eating a sandwich. A sharp clicking sound caught Clara's attention. She looked
off on the veranda, and saw an unsavory looking character in a car, fiddling with a machine
gun! She adjusted her Super Hearing to make out what he was saying, and picked up his voice.
"So, I just let the red haired broad have it?" The thug said in an ice cold voice. "Yeah,
standered drive by affair. She's probably gonna publish those pictures soon, we need to send
a message." The driver replied. "Oh no! Jenny!" Clara exclaimed before changing her demeanor
to intense bravery, declaring "This looks like a job for Superwoman!" Clara then ducked into
a nearby alley and quickly stripped her outer clothing off, she removed her glasses and let
her hair down, and emerged from the alley as Superwoman! Jenny was about to get up and leave,
when the car sped towards her, the gunman leaning out the passenger side window aiming at
her! Suddenly, as he began to fire, Superwoman jumped in front of Jenny and shielded her,
the bullets bouncing off her magnificently toned body! Both of the men's faces were flushed
with terror upon seeing this, and they tried to make a quick getaway. Jenny's heart began to
beat as fast as the machine gun fire as Superwoman scooped her up in the crook of her arm,
and took to the air! "I can't believe it! I'm flying with Superwoman! Oh, if only I had
brought my camera!" Jenny thought excitedly. Superwoman descended rapidly from the air, to
the speeding vehicle's bumper! With a mighty yank, Superwoman pulled the vehicle up off the
ground. The impact sent both crooks' heads' against the windshield, incapacitating them!
Superwoman then put the entire weight of the car into her free hand, and flew off to the
police station, once there, she gently set both Jenny and the car down, and walked over
to the unconcious gunman. She took his weapon, and effortlessly bent it, and wrapped it
around his wrists like a makeshift pair of handcuffs! As Jenny approached Superwoman to
thank her, The Woman of Steel took to the sky again as a team of officers poured out of the
station.


In the Planet's darkroom, Clara watched the picture develop. She insisted on going in with
Jenny, because she wanted to explain to her why she was in a phone booth in the distance with
Superwoman's costume under her clothes. "Here it comes, Clara! My first picture as the Planet's
newest photographer!" Jenny said joyfully as the scenery slowly appeared. "Here we go.."
Clara thought, her knuckles white with anticipation. Suddenly, Clara heard Jenny gasp in
shock! "Clara!" She said in a suprised voice. "Yes?" Clara asked resignedly. "It's even
better than I thought!" Jenny said with glee. Clara looked. She wasn't in it! She sighed
with relief, her identity was still safe! "Clara? Are you alright?" Jenny asked. "Yes, Jenny.
I'm just glad that your picture turned out alright!" Clara said happily.


The next day, the headlines in the Planet read "Superwoman Foils Major Heist" "Mobster Brunzio
Convicted" with the byline "Story by Clara Kent. Pictures by Jenny Olsen." Jenny was in
Clara and Louis' office showing them her printed pictures in the paper. "Can you believe it?
My pictures are in the paper!" Jenny exclaimed proudly. "That story should have been mine."
Louis said bitterly to himself. "Congratulations, Jenny!" Clara said with a smile. "Thanks
Clara! I just wish I could thank Superwoman!" Jenny said with a faraway look. Clara turns
to us, pulls down her glasses, smiles and winks!



THE END

That was fun. The story played out in my head exactly like one of those classic cartoons. Too bad we can't hire a studio to animate these!

As I recall, the Silver Age Superman could "fog" film with his x-ray vision.

Please keep these coming!

Attention All Badguys: Wear your seatbelts.

Thanks chops ~ fun read.

@Argo :Thanks! That's exactly the reaction I desire when I write these Fleischer stories! And there are two reasons why I didn't do the film erasing power. 1. I wanted to create more suspense as to "Will she be exposed or won't she?" 2. This is in the Golden Age era. But I know you already knew that. Thanks for that tidbit by the way! Yeah, it's a shame. Believe me, if I had my own animation company, I'd get DC and Warner's permission, and rush these right into production!

@Random: That's right villains, vehicle safety applies to everyone! Thanks for the kudos!