Foreword
I guess for many it started in 1938, with the debut of D.C. Comics' "Action Comics" #1. It featured the debut of Superman, Clark Kent, and Lois Lane as reporters for the Daily Star, which by issue #4 of the "Superman" title (1940) had become the more familiar Daily Planet. Thus, Lois was there right from the start, the "girl reporter" with the special moxie that only strong female characters of the 1930s and 1940s had. It was a curious combination of inner strength and male dependence. On the cover of Superman #16 in May-June, 1942 (Lois' first D.C. cover appearance), the eternal conflict that drives our heroine is established: she is shown walking arm-in-arm with Clark Kent past a statue of Superman in a Metropolis park. "Oh Clark ... isn't he wonderful!?! (Sigh)," Lois purrs, as Clark winks at the reader. The "he" of course, is Superman, the one Lois wants, while forced to settle for meek and mild Kent, Superman's alter ego. Superman/Clark is clearly getting a kick out of this. From such feelings are psychiatrists' careers made.
From that auspicious beginning, the Superman legend grew to the complicated group of characters and stories it now encompasses. Lois and her Superman/Clark fixation, however, have always remained at the center of the D.C. universe. Along the way, the Superman family has been featured in cartoons (everything from the Paramount/Fleischer Studios art deco classics of the early 1940s -- the voices of Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman for the 17 cartoons were provided by Joan Alexander and Bud Collyer, the same actors whose voices are heard in the 1940s Superman radio show -- to the silly but enjoyable "Super Friends" on TV in the 1970s to the more gothic Superman cartoons of the 1990s and today -- Lois' voice is provided by Dana Delaney with Tim Daly as Clark and Superman); radio, movie serials, and television (the classic "Superman," with Phyllis Coates and then Noel Neill as Lois, a Saturday morning "Superboy," the more recent and adult "Lois and Clark," offering Teri Hatcher's modern Lois); and the well-remembered Christopher Reeve/Margot Kidder movies (four, from 1978 to 1987). Not to mention hundreds of thousands of comic books.
In all these permutations, there was one constant, the character of Lois Lane, the smart but unlucky in love (because she loved Superman) plucky dame responsible for thousands of scoops at The Daily Planet. Yes, she finally matured, became "modern," and eventually married the Super-man of her dreams. But that's another story and another era. Since I was born in the 1950s, I did not make Lois' acquaintance until the latter part of that decade, by which time she had her own comic book, "Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane." I subscribed to that comic for years in the early to mid-1960s, and, looking back, it's easy to see the life lessons taught to me by the spirited "girl" reporter.
Lois Lane first starred in two DC "try-out" issues of Showcase, numbers 9 and 10, in 1957. They proved so successful that she was given her own magazine, which lasted well into the 1970s, when it was integrated into the Superman Family comic series. The Lois Lane who interested me most is the character as she was presented from roughly 1958-1968, and drawn in a defining way by the DC artist most associated with her character, the wonderful Kurt Schaffenberger. His clear lines, curves, and facial expressions created a persona that many young boys fell for, and a dynamic character many young girls wished they could be. The stories themselves were often silly, or romantic, or literally out of this world, but they offered many lessons about life, which I'd like to share with you, with tongue only partially in cheek.
Introduction
It's no coincidence that the cover of Showcase #9, the first "tryout" issue for a separate Lois Lane comic book, dated July/August 1957, featured Lois Lane married to Superman and trying to reign in their zesty super-baby, who has smashed through the living room wall and is in the process of making a bow out of a metal lamp. As Superman flies through the window in dismay, Lois says, "Thank goodness you've come home, dear. I can't handle our super-baby by myself!"
For one thing, the tableau satisfies the itch of many a longtime D.C. reader in suggesting that Lois and Superman will marry (their eternal conflict will continue, though; the story turns out to be an imaginary tale, a Mickey often slipped to D.C. readers in the late 1950s and early 1960s). For another, the cover depicts Lois as a typical 1950s housewife and mother, just trying to clean the place and keep the kid in line, for crying out loud. This does the spunky character of Lois a disservice, but you'd have to be a loyal reader to know that the real Lois would never settle for anything less than a perfect (and equal) union with Superman.
Unfortunately, the reader could get the wrong opinion about Lois on a regular basis during the majority of her magazine's run. This was due mostly to the society of the times and, as a result, the misogyny of the D.C. writers. The girl reporter was given a second, successful tryout in Showcase #10 -- on this cover she is chastised by Superman for accidentally opening Pandora's Box because, as a woman, she just couldn't control her natural curiosity -- and became the first character featured in "Showcase" to win her own series when "Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane" debuted in 1958.
I'm sure their hearts were in the right place, but the result for the better part of the "Lois Lane" run is a lead character who will do anything to find out Superman's secret identity; who will stop at nothing to secure his hand in true love, even going back in time and trying to change the past; and who clearly has no use for much of the rest of what life has to offer unless Superman is somehow involved.
To wit: the cover of "Lois Lane" #1 features Lois on a broomstick as a witch, having made a deal in which she could have super-powers like her man, and thus be with him. (Superman's big excuse for not having any steady relationship was that criminals would take out their frustration on his human family since they couldn't harm him.) There are so many stereotypes and such non-P.C. behavior going on here that a separate treatise could be written. Let's just accept it as it was, a comic magazine that reflected the mores of its times, and see exactly what wisdom Lois Lane (and "Lois Lane") had to offer its readers (and if D.C. at the time was to be believed, there were upward of 200,000 of us).
Chapter 1: What’s a Girl Reporter To Do?
Okay, pop quiz: You're Lois Lane, Girl Reporter and you've just been zapped back in time to ancient Greece, where the first person who sees you is the handsome, blond scientist Epimetheus. He believes the gods have sent you to be his mate and states so. Your first thought is:
a. This is the scoop of a lifetime! Let me play along until I can figure out how to get home.
b. What a dreamboat! And smart, too! I'll take him.
c. I gotta get out of here!
d. Oh no! I'm not going to marry this man. But wait a minute. Superman will surely come back through time to rescue me, very soon. If he finds me apparently about to marry someone else, he will be so jealous that he'll finally propose to me! I'll go along with this for a while!If you picked "d," you're either a long-time Lois reader or very perceptive. Having been thrown back in time 3,000 years, Lois immediately has her bearings and all she wants is to make Superman jealous enough to propose to her. (This is from Lois Lane #56, April 1964.)
Some people, I presume, might have a problem with this attitude. Others might pity Lois for being so dependent on her (unrequited) love for Superman. Whatever your feelings, note that this is well more than a third into the run of "Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane," (the comic ended in 1974 with issue #137) and Lois remains stuck in the same rut. Here are some of the life lessons we learn from her in the early issues of her magazine. The first Lois Lane story in her initial tryout (Showcase #9) is called "The Girl in Superman's Past," and deals with Lana Lang (Superboy's girlfriend from Smallville) coming to Metropolis as an adult. The first thing Lois sees walking into the office is Lana planting a big kiss on Clark Kent. Lois' response: "That hussy! Kissing Clark Kent in public! Hasn't she any manners?" The rest of the story neatly sets up a conflict that will continue for years (mostly in "Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane), namely, Lois's rivalry with Lana for Superman's affections.
The story consists of a series of tests the two women give Superman to see which one he prefers. The Man of Steel, eventually catching on, knows he can't show any favoritism (well, if he did, there could be no future rivalry stories, for one thing!) and so outsmarts them at every turn. It ends with him teaching them a life-or-death lesson about testing his affections. Who has the last word? Superman, thinking, "That will keep Lois and Lana guessing for a while!" All quite standard behavior in an era when women were basically either housewives or mothers, and the goal was to marry a good man. If there's a lesson here, I suppose it is, "You won't win your man by trickery." But what are we to make of Superman's final words? The man always has the upper hand, and he enjoys it.
Story #2, "The New Lois Lane," is about another central plot point in the Superman canon: his secret identity. Lois asks Superman to accompany her to a Daily Planet dance, and he refuses (we know it's because he has to be there as Clark Kent, but she doesn't). When he says, "Maybe some other time," and flies away, Lois sighs, "That 'other time' never comes." Then she automatically assumes it's her fault: "What's wrong with me? Am I overweight, perhaps?" Spying a weight machine on the street, she steps on and finds her weight normal, but a fortune card tells her, "To win the man of your dreams, adopt a new strategy." Deciding Superman is annoyed with her behavior, Lois promises never to "snoop and pry for clues to Superman's secret identity." The rest of the story, of course, drops tantalizing clues in front of her to test her mettle. Of course, this is the one time Superman wants Lois to expose him, not as Clark but someone else, as two crooks have staked out Kent's apartment, also convinced he is Superman.
Confounded by Lois's new, good behavior, Superman comes up with a way to have her expose his fake identity, in front of the crooks. At one point, after the crooks surprise Lois (holding a piece of paper with the "secret" on it), she hands it over, noting, "In spite of my pledge I'm responsible for exposing Superman's secret. (Choke!)" Once everything's straightened out, however, Lois confronts Clark at the Daily Planet office and says, "...And I always thought you were Superman's secret identity, Clark. Ha, ha! ... Just think. A brand new secret identity of Superman for me to track down. I'm all excited!" Lois has quickly forgotten her pledge at the beginning of the story. The funny thing is, Superman admits, at the end, "Oh well, if Lois really quit trying for good, I'd ... er ... actually miss that battle of wits with her." So Lois hasn't learned anything, and Superman admits that he enjoys her constant efforts to undo his career. Both of them sound a little wacky, if you ask me. It gets wackier in the final story of the issue, in which Lois, knocked unconscious, is in the hospital dreaming she's finally married to Superman. Superman, concerned that she wake up as soon as possible, begins suggesting "outrageous" things to her, hoping it'll shock her consciousness into reality. What sort of things? Telling her his secret identity, for one.
Living on "Mt. Bliss" in her dream, with Superman and their superbaby, Lois is shocked to learn Clark Kent is her man's alter ego, ("the man no girl would want to marry!" she mumbles in her sleep), but quickly sloughs it off, saying, "Well, what does it really matter? You're still the mighty Superman, my husband! Kiss me, Clark!" Lois is vexed by the special household tasks she has to do, such as cleaning Superman's impervious costume with a blowtorch instead of just doing a regular laundry, but most of all she hates being alone: "(Choke!) Another job for Superman! Do I have to stay home alone tonight again? (Sob!)" But then, she spies all his awards and realizes, "That's all part of being the wife of a man as famous as Superman! It's worth the little sacrifices...." At first, the baby gives her trouble, and she throws up her hands, but ultimately she realizes he'll grow up and take his Daddy's place: "I'll be the proudest mother in the world."
No, the only thing that works is when Superman creates a rival girl reporter, Lulu Lyons (see "The Legend of the Double LLs"), who replaced Lois at the Daily Planet and who is constantly in need of Superman's help. Sound like anyone we know? It doesn't take long for Lois, in her dream, to scream, "Let go of him, you hussy!" (any other girl who took Superman's attention for even a microsecond was a "hussy") and to start questioning Superman (You worm!") as to how often he sees Lulu.
Reasoning it out, Lois says, "Well, I won't be jealous. Just tell me I'm prettier than she is, dear." Superman, bouncing his baby boy on his knee, cracks, through hyper-suggestion, "Eh? The baby is laughing too loud. What did you say, Lulu?" That's the final straw that breaks Lois out of her dream state. "(Sob!) My heart is broken!" she cries as she wakes up, and then realizes it was only a dream. But a weird one: "I'm all confused by my strange dream. If I ever become 'Mrs. Superman,' will I be happy or unhappy?" Though that day is years away (1996 and many major changes in the D.C. storyline), the question will become fodder for many an upcoming story in "Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane," using other worlds, dreams, and a nconcept born in the magazine, the Imaginary Story.
So after our first issue of pure Lois, what have we learned? She may be an intrepid reporter, but we don't see much of her in action in these first three stories. Rather, we are treated to a look at the human Lois, with all attendant emotions, such as envy (of any girl who looks twice at Superman); fear (that she might not end up with Superman as a husband); joy (when she dreams she is married to Superman); insecurity (when she believes she might not be good enough for Superman); excitement (when she's on the trail of Superman's secret identity); fearless (when she's fighting Lana for Superman's affections); sadness (when she thinks her 'dream' marriage to Superman is over); etcetera etcetera on ad infinitum.
One couldn't blame the reader for thinking that Lois Lane is a pretty smart dame, too smart to be so hooked on Superman, a man that (in that era) she was never going to "have." Her obsession with him borders on mania. Yet Superman does little to encourage her true affections and seems to enjoy the "games" they play. Oh, what a tattered web!
Chapter 2: Lois' Obsession with Superman's Secret Identity
Lois Lane is a crackerjack reporter. Superman's creators Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster were extremely clever in creating the character of Lois so that she was a traditional female in many ways but also was, in her own way, fiercely independent and protective of her job, that is, a modern woman.
Because she's a good reporter, Lois can't stand anything getting in the way of a story. And her biggest story, especially in the first three or four decades of the Superman legend, was Superman's secret identity. Established from the outset as a device that would allow any number of story permutations (and psychological ones), the secret identity puzzled and obsessed Lois for the many years I was a steady reader of her comic book.
How could D.C. go to the well so often and yet keep its readers coming back for more, without dismissing Lois as a total boob and Superman as the jerk of all time?
Good will had a lot to do with it. We wanted to see Lois and Superman spar, because we knew deep down inside they loved each other and eventually would be together, secret identity be damned and finally out in the open (at least to Lois, as Mrs. Superman). So we allowed for a little fun and spite and a lot of dumb coincidences and (literally) superhuman intervention to keep the secret identity secret from Lois.
The other thing we must not forget is that the editors and writers at D.C. knew enough not to totally flog a dead horse, and how much their readers wanted to see Superman romance and marry Lois. To that end, the Imaginary Story was created (in Lois's own comic book, actually) so that readers could see Superman and Lois married, or trying to get there, in various situations (sort of having their cake and eating it, too). In issue 59 (below), a real story — not imaginary! — has Lois pursuing Superman's father, Jor-El, on a pre-explosion Kyrpton; what was DC thinking? Lois might have been Superman's mother??!!
When the Imaginary Stories weren't enough, there were other romances for Lois that got in the way of her Superman obsession (but not for long; these other guys always had some fatal flaw, the main one being of course they weren't Superman), or stories that took place within dreams, or on other worlds, or in parallel universes. This was a time before all that, when men were men, women were women, and Superman could save the world.
Lois's endless search for the truth regarding her Superman, and who he really was, began almost from the start. I mean, let's face it, Superman had to be one hell of an actor (or a true schizophrenic) to be convincing as both Clark and Superman, since the physical difference between the two literally hinged on a pair of nerd glasses.
Lois was disdainful of Clark Kent from the start. In Action Comics #1 (1938), when Clark pesters her for a date and she reluctantly gives in, he asks her, "Why is it you always avoid me at the office?" Lois's response is, "Please Clark, I've been scribbling 'sob stories' all day long. Don't ask me to dish out another." When a crude guy tries to cut in on Clark and Lois, and he refuses to stand up for her, she tells him why she avoids him: "Because you're a spineless unbearable coward!" It should be noted that Siegel and Shuster made sure to indicate that Clark/Superman was unhappy with the weakling ruse; one panel is captioned: "Reluctantly, Kent adheres to the role of a weakling."
Lois was no prize either, in the beginning, being basically portrayed as a relentless, selfish boor out to scoop everyone on the (Daily) Planet. Lois and Clark competed for stories, so there was always more than one conflict between them; Clark also continued to try to date Lois, which, since he was Superman, was a bit confusing. This aspect was played down as the comic moved into the 1950s and 1960s. As the Lois/Clark rivalry for scoops was played down, Lois was given more female interests to keep her active: namely, other potential girlfriends for Superman, such as the mermaid Lori Lemaris, and most importantly Superman's teen girl friend Lana Lang, all grown up and come to Metropolis to bag her superhero.
When Lois wasn't fighting off Lana, she was trying to discover Superman's secret identity. Superman flew threw all sorts of hoops in order to keep Clark Kent a secret; initially, he was not above hypnotizing someone to act as Clark to throw Lois off the track, pointing evidence at someone else (who also was eventually exposed as a fake, but it took Lois's mind off Clark), or using one of his troop of Superman robots as a double. More usually, Lois's big "A ha!" moment was ruined when Superman came up with a totally logical explanation for whatever had happened to make Lois think Clark was Superman.
In Lois's first full-length comic appearance on her own, Showcase #9 (July-August 1957), one of the three stories ("The New Lois Lane") dealt with her attempt to uncover Superman's secret identity (see Chapter 2). The die was cast, and Lois spent much of the late 1950s and 1960s on her quest. The tone of many of these tales was lighthearted, as Superman fooled Lois over and over again, and Lois began resembling no one so much as Lucy Ricardo in her wacky scheming. On rare occasions, Lois was given super-powers herself and forced to reckon with the problem on her own (Lois Lane #29, "Lois Lane's Secret Identity"). These tales were either imaginary, or the result of a dream or hallucination on Lois's part.
In Lois Lane #9, ("Lois Lane's Stone Age Suitor," May 1959) Lois and Clark are found flying over a "lost valley" where time has stood still, when their plane is attacked by a huge Pterodactyl. As the prehistoric bird strikes the plane and sends it crashing, Lois conveniently faints so Clark can change to Superman and save the day. Such were the typical D.C. machinations to keep the Secret Identity storyline in place when it wasn't being showcased on its own.
The 1970s, much like the decade itself, saw Lois in a weird assortment of adventures. The girl reporter of the 1960s, so lovingly and realistically interpreted by the late, great Kurt Schaffenberger, was no longer a mere romantic sop for Superman, but began to be portrayed as more of a modern women. On into the 1980s, Lois became less and less tolerant of Superman's constant putting her off, and made veiled threats of not being available. In one story she told him, "Listen, you have my address. If you can ever break free of that box you've surrounded yourself with, come by. I may not always be there, but keep trying."
Lois lost her own magazine and became part of the Superman Family comics until the early 1980s. In 1986, when the entire D.C. line was revamped and storylines were changed, altered or dropped, Lois became romantically interested in Clark Kent. Clark and Lois were still rivals on the Daily Plane but they developed a very adult friendship that worked. Eventually, by 1990, they went on their first date. It was different from Action Comics #1; Clark seemed more assured of himself and even surprised Lois with a rose and poetry in the office. The stage was set for the biggest Superman/Lois plot twist of all: their engagement and wedding.
A few years later, they were engaged. But Superman still hadn't revealed his secret identity to his bride-to-be. When that finally happened, in 1991 (Action Comics #662), Lois agonized over the revelation, but ultimately decided Clark and Superman were parts of the same man she loved. Their relationship became better than ever, with Lois occasionally helping Superman out against criminals; more often, their adventures were kept separate from the crime fighting. Lois's main personality trait became one of courage and stoicism, and she was unflagging in her support of the man of steel and Clark Kent.
Ultimately, Lois had to endure The Death of Superman (a long story arc designed to spur more interest in and sales of the D.C. comics) and a slow return to "normal" for her and Clark before they got married. At this time, as Superman began to doubt the need for his other self, it was Lois who convinced Superman that the Clark Kent identity was just what he needed: "You need a secret identity," she told Superman. "It's what protects you from people … and it's what connects you to people. Under that costume you're Clark Kent. You can't live without him, and neither can I." This is dialogue that would have been unthinkable decades before.
Still, D.C. threw former Superman love Lori Lemaris in Lois's face for a while, until the great man of steel looked like an idiot for playing around on Lois. Lois even broke off the engagement just before the wedding (in Action Comics #720). Ultimately, the marriage of Clark and Lois on TV in "The New Adventures of Superman" forced the comics to bring Lois and Clark back together and get them married (October 1996).
Superman's secret identity has remained a potent plot point for the Superman line of comics (not to mention all the other D.C. heroes and their secret identities) for a long time. It has survived Lois's fierce investigation, his own "death," and even the digital age, wherein phone booths are an anachronism.
Lois is still the modern, post-feminist reporter, and certainly the secret identity shtick is no longer a problem for her. But for those of us who look to the Lois Lane of the 1960s as the ultimate portrayal of our girl reporter, her search for Superman's secret identity will always be fondly remembered.
Chapter 3: Coming Soon!
Take me home.
Text © 2008 by Michael Karol
