Artwork © Peter Urkowitz

 

Every Word That Comes Right Before An Exclamation Mark in Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

earth!
skin!
Superman!
need!
strength!

comfortable!
death!
now!
entry!
arrested!
No!
won’t!
him!
Help!
Help!

outrage!
locked!
Yes!
steel!
down!
idea!
confession!
weapon!
quick!
away!
you!
shoot!

skin!
horseplay!
her!
penitentiary!
Stop!
her!
innocent!
disappeared!
innocent!
paper!
Good!
mentioned!
human!
order!

What!
can!
ave!
way!
it!
tough!
get!
now!

it!
forget!
Fainted!
me!
Captain!
visit!
Clark!
in!
Butch!
in!
good!

in!
ya!
now!
it!
–!
Lois!
don’t!
pole-cat!
so!
Lois!
-!
coward!
here!
Matson!

ditch!
there!
go!
up!
easy!
soon!
out!
us!
Ha!
Ha!
wits!
out!
him!
auto!
Butch!

us!!!
himself!

bits!
Butch!
here!
Okay!
loose!
Don’t!
night!

speaking!
public!
A.M.!
conversation!
sputtering!
it!
Fine!
this!
will!

about!
hand!
well!
Stop!
Stop!
won’t!

grounded!
pole!
Look!
capitol!
visit!
down!
down!
view!
Help!
Help!
No!
Don’t!
night!
it!
Superman!
world!
creation!
issue!

 

Noah Berlatsky (he/him) has been in Oddball before. He’s glad to be back!

Peter Urkowitz lives in Salem, Massachusetts, where he works in a college library. He has published poems and art in Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, Oddball Magazine, Sextant, Molecule, Mantis, Wilderness House Literary Review, Nixes Mate Review, and the Lily Poetry Review. His Fake Zodiac Signs chapbook was published by Meat for Tea Press in early 2020, and he collaborated with Alex Ness to publish Tales of Lost Kingdoms in 2024.