Happy Mother's Day Lois Lane

A happy Mother's Day to all, especially to Superman's wife, Lois Lane, who, sometimes has happy kids with Superman, like in Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #23 (February, 1961, with cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye) or not so much, from Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #39 (February, 1963, with cover by Kurt Schaffenberger).

Remembering Artist Curt Swan

Remembering artist Curt Swan on his birthday (February 17, 1920 - June 17, 1996) with a couple of his all too rare covers for Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane (#78 and #80, of October, 1967 and January, 1968)....though these two covers don't necessarily show that Superman and Lois were in a good place at the time.

Remembering Artist Dick Giordano

Remembering artist Dick Giordano on his birthday (July 20, 1932 - March 27, 2010) with his wild and wacky covers for Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane...

....a true gem of the 1970s, with some pretty odd antics for Lois Lane and Superman (and occasionally Thorn of Rose and Thorn) to get into!

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #107 and #108 (January and February, 1971)

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Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #109 and #110 (April and May, 1971)

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Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #111 and #112 (July and August, 1971)

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Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #113 and #114 (September-October and September, 1971)

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Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane #115 and #118 (October, 1971 and January, 1972)

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Lois Lane Adventures

Thinking on Superman's past, the time when he was a boy in Smallville...you wouldn't think of Lois Lane.  

Yet, oddly enough, even though Superboy's time then was more spent with Lana Lang, still Lois Lane did end up in SuperBOY's life a little bit!

How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane

In Adventure Comics #128 (May, 1948) with a cover by Win Mortimer, and story by Bill Finger, Al Wenzel and George Roussos, here is where Clark and Lois first met.  Clark had begun to write for his school newspaper, and won a contest to be a cub reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis for a week.  There, he met another winner, a young girl from the midwest, Lois Lane.  

The two became involved in a competition to get a story printed (and for an ice cream), and, Lois, wandering into trouble, needed to be saved by Superboy, allowing her the time to get the story, so she got two scoops!

For completeness' sake, including this cover to Adventure Comics #211 (April, 1955) by Win Mortimer, but Lois is only in this one in a dream as an adult, and one flashback to the story above.  

Lois is  also in a few Superboy issues, but....those will be tales for another day.

Superboy Meets Lois Lane!

Superboy and Lois met again in Adventure Comics #261 (June, 1959) with a story by Otto Binder and George Papp, under a Curt Swan and Stan Kaye cover.  Here, Lois comes to Camp Hiawatha, which is near Smallville, with hopes of meeting Superboy.  She ends up with Lana Lang as a roommate (who is infatuated with Superboy).  Clark is also staying at the camp on the boys' side, and comes across the girls whose lunch attracted a bear.  

Changing into Superboy, he saves the girls and talks to Lois and Lana, where Lana is convinced Superboy is one of the boys at the lake.  Lois joins with Lana, but to prevent Lana from finding out Superboy's identity.  The two have some interesting adventures, with Clark thinking fast on how to preserve his identity (including calling on Krypto).  Lois even earns an acceptance to a dance.  Lana, furious, thinks of exposing Superboy to Kryptonite to find out his identity, but decides against it.  For that, Superboy accepts her invitation to the dance too!  But, Superboy is shrewd, he ends up going with neither girl, as he saw that during their time in the forest, the two were exposed to poison ivy, so they both can't go!

From these simple beginnings, a romance blossomed, and if you want to read the stories, look to these issues for reprints!

Remembering Artist Wayne Boring

Remembering artist Wayne Boring on his birthday (June 5, 1905 - February 20, 1987) with a couple of Superman covers showing a little more of the playful nature between Superman and Lois Lane.  (Superman #27 of March-April, 1944 and Superman #36 of September-October, 1945).

Remembering Artist Kurt Schaffenberger

Remembering artist Kurt Schaffenberger on his birthday (December 15, 1920 - January 24, 2002)...but which of his wonderful covers to choose?

How about a pair...the Lois Lane Annuals, from the Summer of 1962 and 1963, which has Kurt doing his take of famous Lois Lane stories from before his time working on Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane!

Though these were the only two annuals featuring Lois Lane, she was in two 80 Page Giants, (#3 and #14), which also had Kurt doing covers!

Last Adventures Of Superman And Lois

A quick look back at the career and end of a Superman and Lois...as, during the course of the Infinite Crisis, both the original Superman and Lois Lane did not survive.

As DC transitioned to a new Superman, Superman #226 (April, 2006), Action Comics #836 (April, 2006) and Adventures Of Superman #649 (April, 2006) wander through the life of the original Superman, and his time with Lois, as a set up to what happened in Infinite Crisis #5 (April, 2006)...and beyond, where a new Superman and Lois would take over.

Superman #226 and Action Comics #836

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Adventures Of Superman #649 and Infinite Crisis #5

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Here, Superman's life from Action Comics #1 (June, 1938) to the time JSA member Kal-L, his wife Lois, the new Earth-Prime Superboy and Alexander Luthor left in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 (March, 1986)...to come back for the Infinite Crisis.

Happy Mother's Day With Robin

Robin (Damian Wayne) was trying to be a good friend to Superboy (Jon Kent), as their dads, Batman and Superman are friends, but things got problematic when Damian's mother, Talia Al Ghul came around....trying to kill reporter Lois Lane (who was Jon' mother).

Oh, how difficult Mother's Day can be for some, as shown in the Parent Trap, in Super Sons #13 and #14 (April and May, 2018), first cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli and second cover by Jorge Jimenez (with both variant covers by Dustin Nguyen, with stories by Peter J. Tomasi, Carlo Barberi and Art Thibert.

Superman Salutes Our Veterans

Technically, it is Lois Lane who is saluting our veterans on this classic cover for Superman #29 (July-August, 1944) by Wayne Boring and George Roussos, but Superman is watching approvingly.

As always, we appreciate all our armed forces do for us!

First Adult Bizarro Day

Goodbye!

Today is a day to hang our heads in shame.

This is the day Luthor first created a Bizarro version of Superman (after Professor Dalton created the first Bizarro, a version of Superboy, in Superboy #68 of October, 1958 by Otto Binder and George Papp) with an imperfect duplicator ray.

First Bizarro  - Action Comics #254 (July, 1959)

First Bizarro Lois Lane - Action Comics #255 (August, 1959)

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First Bizarro World - Action Comics #263 (April, 1960)

First Bizarro Jr. - Superman #140 (October, 1960)

First Bizarro series - Adventure Comics #285 (June, 1961)

Bizarros vex the Legion - Adventure Comics #329 (February, 1965)

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Bizarro thinks Bizarro World destroyed, has powers slightly changed, getting ice vision and flame breath

Superman #305 and #306 (November and December, 1976)

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Read more about Bizarros, including Bizarro Batman...here, and more of the Bizzaro family here! 

Hello!

Curt Swan Super Romance Artist?

Remembering artist Curt Swan on his birthday, and wondering, as it is February near Valentine's Day, why wasn't Curt used on romance comics?

Oddly, he wasn't, but here are a few issues with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen that show he has all the basics down, with weddings, jealousy, crying, fighting, shame and kissing....

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane 7 and 31

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane 29 and 30

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Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen 56 and 76

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen 21 and 98

Happy Birthday Pat Boone

Hoping singer, actor, songwriter and author Pat Boone has himself a super birthday today....and, back in the day he was being vexed by Superman, in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #9 (May, 1959), under this cover by Curt Swan.

In "Superman's Mystery Song" by Robert Bernstein, Dick Sprang and John Forte, Superman had to prevent Pat and Lois from singing a song about Superman that Clark had co-wrote!  

Clark had accidentally put a little too much information into the song....and, if heard by the public, his identity could be deduced. 

This issue also was to get the comic reading audience ready for Pat Boone's own comic book title, which had photo covers, and lasted for five issues, from September-October, 1959 to May-June, 1960.

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Batman Meets Lois Lane

To be fair, Batman met Lois Lane quite a few times before this issue (starting with the first time Superman and Batman met), but always with Superman around (and usually, the World's Finest heroes were confusing poor Lois as to whether or not Superman was Clark Kent).

 In this special issue of the Brave and the Bold (#175 from June, 1981, written by Paul Kupperberg with art and cover by Jim Aparo), Lois worked with Batman against Superman foe, Metallo, with NO Superman (or even Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent), in sight!

The Heart Of The Monster

This tale starts in Gotham, at the local branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, where Batman confronts Metallo (a Superman foe, who was a cybernetic man powered by Kryptonite) on the roof.  Batman knew he was in for a fight, but, figured it was only against Metallo's robotic strength, and was quite surprised that Metallo's Kryptonite worked on him (as it usually is only felt immediately by Superman).  

This is enough for Metallo to escape, and Batman to go back to thinking how to stop his visiting villain.  At the Wayne Foundation the next day, Daily Planet reporter (and Superman's girlfriend), Lois Lane arrives, looking for Bruce.  Lois wants Bruce to help her find Batman, as she was following a lead about S.K.U.L.L., a criminal organization that Metallo had appropriated, as their scientists had turned him from human to cybernetic monster, and that he was using the militant part of the group to find the last of them men who operated on him (to kill them).  

Bruce let her know Batman was already on the case, and had been exposed to Metallo's new Kryptonite....because Commissioner Gordon was an old friend.  As Batman, Bruce went to meet with Lois that night, who had scheduled a meet with Dr. Crenshaw.  Metallo shows up, and takes Batman and Crenshaw to his secret base (after a battle with Batman and Lois), but leaves Lois behind.  Lois goes to S.T.A.R. Labs to get a device to track Metallo, while Batman escapes the prison Metallo put him in, even without his utility belt.  Lois searches Gotham for Metallo..

...but finds he was in the S.T.A.R. Labs basement.  Metallo had Crenshaw work on his heart device, thinking he fixed it, then, when Batman and Lois confronted Metallo, the device went bad.  Crenshaw knew Metallo would kill him, so didn't quite fix his heart right (figuring the modified Kyrptonite would blow it out).  It did, and Crenshaw tried to leave, only to be stopped by Batman, with Lois only needing to file the story with Perry White.

An all too rare time of Jim Aparo drawing members of the Superman family inside a book, and it is incredible, not unlike later tries, with Brave and the Bold #192 with Superboy, or Batman and the Outsiders #19 with Superman and the Daily Planet staff (or two B&B issues with Supergirl).

This issue is also a rare example of Lois in a comic without Superman (or even Clark Kent), with Showcase #100 and the Suicide Squad/Checkmate crossover, the Janus Directive, two of the few times that happened in the 20th Century, making her more than just Superman's girlfriend.  

This issue of B&B even has a tale of Nemesis (who would be a member of the Suicide Squad for a time, but started as a Brave and the Bold back up series....).

    

Origin Of The Justice League Minus One

Think the Justice League of America formed fighting against the threat of the Appellaxian meteors?   Think again!   Here is the story, as focused around the Martian Manhunter....and how the Justice League really formed, and had quite a few more potential members involved, as well as one less, as Superman and Green Lantern gave the facts to Green Arrow one day.....in Justice League of America #144 (July, 1977, and told by Steve Englehart, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin).

The Origin Of The Justice League  -- Minus One

Martian Manhunter was the start of all this.  Brought to Earth by Dr. Erdel and his Robot-Brain in Detective Comics #225 (November, 1955), J'onn J'onzz had to hide in American society as detective John Jones, struggling to find a way to return home to Mars after his appearance startled Dr. Erdel to death.  Using his Martian abilities in secret, J'onn fought crime on Earth.

After destroying a cache of Martian weapons found on Earth (in Detective Comics #264 in February, 1959), J'onn was confronted by Commander Blanx, the white Martian who had sent J'onn into exile.

Narrowly escaping, J'onn was chased by Flash (Barry Allen), fresh from having confronted the Mirror Master (in Flash #105 from February-March, 1959).   J'onn and the other Martians escaped the Flash when confronted by paranoia from the residents of Middleton, who felt they were being invaded.

They were even suspicious of new hero, Flash, so he went to Metropolis to attract the attention of someone everyone would trust....Superman.  Superman did indeed show up (from Action Comics #249 of February, 1959), with Batman and Robin in tow (these three already a team), but, they also attracted the attention of Roy Raymond, TV Detective, who advertised for more heroes to come....and boy did they!  All the heroes (plus Daily Planet reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen) split up to cover three different reports of alien invaders.

Team One

The first team was composed of:

the Blackhawks (Blackhawk, Andre, Chuck, Olaf, Hendrickson, Stanislaus and Chop-Chop), international ace aviators who had fought in World War II, but now were professional adventurers.  Their Earth-1 adventures started in  Blackhawk #108 (January, 1957),  where they fought foes like Killer Shark and the War Wheel, were aided by Lady Blackhawk, and they had last appeared in Blackhawk #133 (February, 1959).

Plastic Man, the stretchable sleuth, had had a few variations across the cosmos, but this was the first appearance of this version, the Earth-1 Plastic Man, who would appear next (in what was chronologically his first appearance in Brave & the Bold #95 of April-May, 1971), and later in issues #11-20 of his own title, and a run in Adventure Comics.

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, or at least the Earth-1 version of the reporter who first appeared in Superman #91 (August, 1954), rounded out the team (with Jimmy coming fresh from Action Comics #249 of February, 1959), and even had his own title, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, that lasted 163 issues from September-October, 1954 to February-March, 1974.

The heroes faced off against a mysterious man in a cabin, who disappeared from that house, even though it was surrounded by the heroes.....and where (and when) he went to was revealed as he first appeared a little later, in Showcase #20 (May-June, 1959), and you can figure out who he is by going here!

Team Two

The second team was made up of:

Congo Bill first appeared in More Fun Comics #56 (June, 1940) as a big game hunter, but added a magic ring that allowed him to exchange minds with the golden gorilla, Congorilla, in Action Comics #248 (January, 1959), and the two last appeared in Action Comics #249 (February, 1959).

The Challengers of the Unknown (pilot Ace Morgan, acrobat Red Ryan, boxer Rocky Davis and scuba diver Prof. Haley), who were men living on borrowed time since Showcase #6 (January-February, 1957), when the group survived a plane crash together while headed for a TV Show appearance.  They remained together to fight odd menaces like Ultivac, as well as alien invasions, adding June Robbins as a member, with the team last in Challengers of the Unknown #6 (February-March, 1959).

Vigilante has a bit of a confusing history, looking just like his Earth-2 version, but this Vigilante first appeared in Justice League of America #78 (February, 1970), so this is a chronologically earlier appearance of the western warrior, who uses six-guns, motorcycles and lassos to hunt modern criminals.

Robotman is even more confusing, having started out on Earth-2 in Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April, 1942), having his human brain transferred out of his dying body into the robot form, later retroactively appearing in World War II group All-Star Squadron as a member, he must have left Earth-2 for Earth-1 sometime after Detective Comics #202 (December, 1953), his last Golden Age appearance.

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane rounded out this group, having first appeared (as an Earth-1 version) in Superman #46 (May-June, 1947), and Lois used her reporter's savvy well here (having last appeared in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #56 (April, 1965, a flashback story itself), and Lois' title lasted 137 issues from March-April, 1958 to September-October, 1974.

This batch faced a flying menace in the woods, who was chased by all the heroes, except Lois, who figured out the mysterious figure was trying to get them to leave and area, but, that spaceman did disappear after being hit by an energy beam (and he explained it to his girlfriend, as these two were appearing between Showcase #18 and #19 of 1959; he later helped Superman save Lois and Earth, as explained here).

Team Three

The third team was made up of the future charter members of the Justice League of America:

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman (coming from Wonder Woman #104 of February, 1959), Aquaman (last in Adventure Comics #256 of January, 1959), and the Flash!


These heroes ended up out on the west coast, in Coast City.

There were a few others investigating this with them as well...


Batman's partner, Robin (who first appeared as an Earth-1 version in Superman #76 from May-June, 1952, and was last in Detective Comics #264 from February, 1959 with Batman).

Roy Raymond, TV Detective, who was the host of the Impossible But True TV show, and premiered in  Detective Comics #153 (November, 1949), but appeared here along with his assistant, Karen Duncan, fresh from Detective Comics #264 (February, 1959) and getting the scoop for his viewers.

Rex the Wonder Dog was the last of this group, with this intelligent canine having premiered in the  Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #1 (January-February, 1952), where Rex was trained as a part of the K-9 Army Dog Training Corps.  Rex and the Dennis family would help people who needed it (though none of the Dennis' appeared here).  Rex had appeared in the Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #43 (January-February, 1959).

These heroes did work together safely, after finding the captive Martian Manhunter and defeating Commander Blanx and his Martians at the Ferris Aircraft facility (where the activities of the aliens were reported by test pilot, Hal Jordan).  Deciding it was still a little too soon for these heroes to gather as a team, as people were still a little too paranoid, they waited a few months (to when Earth was being invaded again) to band together and form the JLA (along with new hero, Green Lantern, who, unbeknownst to the heroes at the time, was test pilot Hal Jordan!).

Green Arrow had not been present (and joined the JLA later), as he and his ward, Speedy, had just solved a case on the island that created the Green Arrow (as revealed in Adventure Comics #256 of January, 1959) and had stayed for a little vacation, missing out on the invasions)...

...and Green Arrow was sad to have missed the original JLA meeting (As well as the time they formed again facing the Appellaxians), and the recent brief return to Earth for a bit of the Martian Manhunter.