To begin, I’m a big Superman fan. In early high school, I loved to watch Smallville (I binge watched 6 seasons in one summer) and developed a serious crush on Tom Welling. For me, there is something undeniably fascinating about Superman with his power and also his alien origins, even though I understand the criticisms he receives for lacking depth. But, what I especially loved about Superman was always Lois Lane. Lois Lane, as I saw her, was determined, strong, witty, and beautiful. So while reading this first volume of the early Superman comics I was surprised by how petty and superficial she appears in her admiration of Superman and disdain for Clark Kent. Lois seems to exist in these early comics as merely a damsel in distress to be rescued over and over by Superman. And, while this is probably due to a dearth of artistic skills, Lois looks like almost every other attractive woman in the comic making her feel almost generic (although to be fair a lot of the villains also look the same). Yet, even in these early comics there is still some of Lois’s spunk there. When told that covering the story of the dam cracking was “no job for a girl,” Lois set out to prove that she could do it (page 61). And while the comic ultimately ended in her needing to be saved by Superman (surprise) her rebellious nature and desire to find a compelling story are qualities not to be overlooked. Of course, for a supposed reporter you might think she would recognize Superman was working in her office, since a pair of glasses doesn’t really offer up much of a disguise, but then again no one else noticed either and it would pose a serious problem for the plot if he was so easily identified. After watching She Makes Comics, I definitely am looking forward to reading some comics where female characters have more substance and agency and don’t just exist as a potential reward for a heroic male figure.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Rescuing Lois
To begin, I’m a big Superman fan. In early high school, I loved to watch Smallville (I binge watched 6 seasons in one summer) and developed a serious crush on Tom Welling. For me, there is something undeniably fascinating about Superman with his power and also his alien origins, even though I understand the criticisms he receives for lacking depth. But, what I especially loved about Superman was always Lois Lane. Lois Lane, as I saw her, was determined, strong, witty, and beautiful. So while reading this first volume of the early Superman comics I was surprised by how petty and superficial she appears in her admiration of Superman and disdain for Clark Kent. Lois seems to exist in these early comics as merely a damsel in distress to be rescued over and over by Superman. And, while this is probably due to a dearth of artistic skills, Lois looks like almost every other attractive woman in the comic making her feel almost generic (although to be fair a lot of the villains also look the same). Yet, even in these early comics there is still some of Lois’s spunk there. When told that covering the story of the dam cracking was “no job for a girl,” Lois set out to prove that she could do it (page 61). And while the comic ultimately ended in her needing to be saved by Superman (surprise) her rebellious nature and desire to find a compelling story are qualities not to be overlooked. Of course, for a supposed reporter you might think she would recognize Superman was working in her office, since a pair of glasses doesn’t really offer up much of a disguise, but then again no one else noticed either and it would pose a serious problem for the plot if he was so easily identified. After watching She Makes Comics, I definitely am looking forward to reading some comics where female characters have more substance and agency and don’t just exist as a potential reward for a heroic male figure.
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While I was reading these early Superman comics I also found the portrayal of Lois to be extremely surprising - she wasn't the Lois that I had come to expect from later tellings of Superman. Her cruelty and superficiality were kind of off-putting and frustrating to read. But as the series went on, I actually came to appreciate that she maintains her very forthright dislike of Clark Kent for his rather unpleasant personality. She IS a smart and determined female reporter in the early comics - just in a different way. She stands up for herself and she's not afraid to share her opinions with people. Even though the comics draw a big distinction between Clark Kent and Superman, I enjoyed seeing Clark Kent knocked down a little by Lois after acting really snide and condescending as Superman.
ReplyDeleteI really like the points you made here. Even though Lois was slightly irritating at times, she is admirable. These Superman comics would not be the same without her. She is the one thing (that we know of) that really affects Superman and his abilities. She may be superficial and oftentimes rude, but she makes Superman who he is.
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