Where is Smallville and Where is Metropolis on the Map?

[Great Rao]

Smallville originally had no state, but was mostly assumed to be within driving distance of Metropolis. It was finally officially labelled as being in Kansas in John Byrne's post-Crisis Superman reboot.

The earliest reference to Kansas I've found predates Byrne by a few years.  From Miracle Monday chapter 2 (1981, quite pre-Crisis):

Jonathan was a strong man, Martha knew.  Underneath his glasses, his mild manners, his sheepish grin was the boy who had spirited her off in his buggy to a justice of the peace when he couldn't convince her father he could support a wife; the man who had taken a hundred twenty acres of the rockiest thicket in Kansas and twisted it into a wheatfield and a home;

[Psybertrack]

Good point. What is the earliest reference to Smallville being in Kansas?
1981 seems late, but i can't remember the specific date so I better go back to researching. you could be right.

the details of the smallville story did change at times. Originally Supes was found by motorists and was delivered to and raised in an orphanage.

Later the kents were named and kept Clark and raised him.

But the first names changed of the Kents and other minor characters.( Kal-El has been called Kal-L at times too)

Eventually they settled on Jonathan and Martha Kent.

At one point Lois began visiting Mr and Mrs Kent in Smallville and she always took a plane from Metropolis to Wichita Kansas airport, implying it was too far to drive.

[Captain Kal]

The current DCU as per "The OMAC Project" lists Metropolis in New York State.

In the Pre Crisis DCU, it was pretty clear that Metropolis and Gotham were pseudonyms for fictional NYC.  Both cities have shown versions of the Statue of Liberty, for instance.  NYC's nickname is 'Gotham'.  Metropolis has always had an analogue to NYC's Central Park, though I can't recall the exact name now.

NYC = The Big Apple
Metropolis = The Big Apricot (OWAW reference)

Smallville used to be placed in the same state or a neighbouring one to Metropolis.  I agree that the first Superman movie was the one that moved it out to Kansas, and the books started reflecting that afterwards, perhaps starting with the Byrned MOS.

[Psybertrack]

Perhaps the clearest example that Metropolis is not New york is the many many references where characters compare NY city and Metropolis .
Also what about 9-11?  There are no world trade centers nor  were there before in Metropolis . The Lexcorp building was the tallest building in Metropolis.  Sure part of the movie's were filmed there. Sure the Statue of Liberty is there. Hey  don't let the inconguities confuse you : its still not New York.  Very similar yes. Parallel almost, but not identical. There's no daily planet building of 27 stories in NYC with a giant globe on it.

The OMAC book may have changed that. I haven't seen it . Which issue # and title?  But when Superman met Spiderman he had to leave Metropolis formerly New Troy, and travel to New York to visit the Daily Bugel in New York.  True a metropolis is a generic big city. So is a gotham. There is a real Gotham in England I think.  IN the Batman Begins ,part of the Gotham City scenes is based on and filmed in Chicago under the "EL"
and part  "The Narrows" is based on NY, and other parts on Hong Kong or on the Blade Runner city. so go figure.

But I'd be happy with Metropolis in New York state or any where else on the north east coast of the US.  As long as Smallville was a lot farther away than 1 state and in the farmbelt , I'd be happy. I can't see Smallville in the North east though. Just doesn't figure with the crops depicted. ...though you can farm just about anywhere if the weather cooperates.  

Gotham is definitely not the same as Metropolis or tangeant. Batman says, "I'll protect MY city. Gotham City is covered." and is very protective and possessive of Gotham City.

In Metropolis is a "Centenial Park"  and other parks too. It has a giant statue of Superman in it that was placed there when Superman died.

[Psybertrack]

In most stories the small town aspect of Smallville is what matters most , not so much its location.  Think: I can't wait to graduate high school and get out of this one horse/hick town.

Metropolis is the archetypal big city , "The City of Tomorrow"is Metropolis's nickname.  It's got crime and smog sure, but we city slickers love every minute of it! The sports events at the stadium or the garden, Musicals, Plays, Concerts in the Park, Block Parties, Carriage rides around the park, ice skating at the rink, man I love Metropolis! Crowds of people insure you will never be lacking someone to talk too!ha ha!

[Captain Kal]

Well, if you read the Crisis-crossover story introducing the Earth-Prime Superboy, Superman notices on our Earth(Prime) that NYC is sprawled out too far to where Gotham City and Metropolis should be.  The implication is that what is one city in our real world is somehow broken up into three cities on Earth-One.

In early stories when they had legal restrictions from using real locations, NYC couldn't be used  -- or any other real cities -- so that's why they used the fake names but used references suggesting what they really were.

Gotham was supposed to be the dark, seedy side of NYC.

Metropolis was supposed to be the more optimistic, positive side of it.

When they started referencing the real NYC, they were forced to treat the three cities as separate locations.  But that Crisis story still sticks in my mind.

[llozymandias]

In the comic (Justice League of America #153) Kal looks for Metropolis & Gotham City.  He notes that where Gotham should be, instead there are suburbs of New York.  And where Metropolis should be is (i think, going from memory here) undeveloped real estate.  From that he concluded he was in the Earth-Prime universe.  Visiting the offices of DC Comics verified that.  Funny thought here.  What if the "Earth-Prime" Superboy is not really from Earth-Prime, but another earth very similar to Earth-Prime?  Remember Kal only assumed he was on Earth-Prime. :twisted:

[Great Rao]

What if the "Earth-Prime" Superboy is not really from Earth-Prime, but another earth very similar to Earth-Prime?  Remember Kal only assumed he was on Earth-Prime.

Maybe, but I think he was actually from Earth-Prime.  Also note that DC (in their solicitations for upcoming Infinite Crisis books) is calling the character "Superboy-Prime."  Cool moniker if you ask me .

But does that make the Earth-2 Superman "Superman-2"?  I sure hope not. He should be "The original" or "The Golden Age" Superman.

Although, if Superboy-Prime was from an earth other than our own, as you suggest, I wonder what sort of comics have been published there for the last 20 years...