The Super Dictionary (1978): Size Edition

Back when I was a kid I saw this wicked cool book at the local bookshop. I never picked it up, but I flipped through it every time I went to the store until it wasn't there one week. Flash forward 30+ years and that book has become a bit of a cultural touchstone for people in certain subcultures. 

If you've heard about The Super Dictionary you probably heard about in relation to Lex Luthor stealing 40 cakes which was a thing among the aforementioned subcultures. But that was one entry out of thousands. 

What about the dozens of entries that featured some sort of size content? Asked no one ever. Until now.

I'm going to skip the giant animal entries and focus on ones that feature actual human shrinking or growing. Spoiler: The Atom features prominently and PETA would not approve.

It doesn't take long for us to get into some solid size content as  we learn
about one of The Atom's lesser known powers -- bee etiquette.

I've never seen Atom with a piece of tape around his finger, have you?

Pretty much sums up the problems being a shrunken superhero.
Spoiler: we see that cat later on. It's like a story arc written by someone
who'd read of the concept in online forums.

Bad touch, purple shirt giant! Bad touch!

The first of many little girls in this book who
open a can of whoop ass on poor Ray.

Gotta hand it to Joker for being prepared. Most bad guys'd
just subcontract the Atom out to ... I don't know, the
blonde little girl from the previous entry or ...

...this kid.
So Atom was "chosen as a toy for a girl"?
Is this Underquid's origin story?

Is this a plastic egg? A real one? If so, how'd he get in?
Is he surrounded in egg white? What happened to the yolk?
I have questions.

I'm not sure what's going on here. Is that a giant crab? If so why is Ray still in his Atom suit?
If it's a normal crab how did Ray save those people? Do they have high blood pressure?
Is it high cholesterol?

Note to 1970's kid's book editors: You can say they're dolls, but
if you use stock images of other characters it's just going to look
like Wonder Girl's a giant sadist playing with her friends and mentor.

A bit on the nose, but it's a fair cop.

Are you wondering what I'm wondering? Did the dynamic duo
climb over the nostrils or split up and go around either side of the nose?

This is nice. No little girls hurting/abducting him. No animals
getting abused. He's just helping that nice little lady find her fairy friends.

That's too many bees when you're normal sized. Just give
up Ray and go microscopic.

How did they give this to Atom when you have Robin,
Catwoman, Batman, and Black Canary in the same universe.

Nothing snarky to add. Friendship is great.
Be good to each other.

Multisize situations crop up at the weirdest times.

Ray also has a thing for birds in this book.

Ray and Katar liked to play vore chicken back in the day.

"Leap tall crickets in a single bound."

I know some ladies in the community who'd love
to cheer giant Supes up.

They're flat out admitting Ray cried a lot.

A little cheat with a giant ballon. Sue me.

I'm not sure what's going on here either. Is Ray two feet tall
or is that some weird ass hockey stick?

I don't know who they are either.

See. I told you birds would be a thing.

Friends, see.

Maybe he could use some lessons in not getting put
in jars in the first place.

In my head canon this is the same giant who bad touched
Wonder Woman before getting Batman And Robin
rappelling over his nose. it only makes sense.

Mailboxes were Ray's kryptonite.

Ray was secretly Scott Carey all the time.

See dolls.

That's actually a cool visual. 

There's an Identity Crisis joke to be made,
but I'm not going to be the one to make it.

More bees. Why is the bee afraid of pens? Why does he want to put
Ray in a pen? Do bees herd little men? Inquiring minds want to know.

Based on other things he's done in this book I'm betting
Ray did something to provoke this.

"Is that a tiny superhero in your pocket or are you glad to see me?"

Still don't know them.

So Ray talks to bees and rides birds. And rams/

Atom is a slovenly housekeeper.

Takes a special kind of guy to
brag about how small he gets.

Speaking of special.

Wonder if he's still looking for fairy lady's friends.

There's another definition of stool they skip.

He'd be riding the hell out of that goose if he hadn't
found another fairy pal.

Didn't you learn anything from the pig, Ray?

I told you the cat would enter into this.

How I imagine half of Hopier and Undersquid's
conversations going.

"Do you like that, big man?"

You're welcome, Wisconsin.

You ever notice how you never see the Atom and
Aborigen in the same room at the same time?