Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane was a comic book series published monthly by DC Comics focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane. The series began publication March/April 1958 and ended its run September/October 1974 with 137 regular issues[1] and 2 80 page Annuals.[2] From the first, stories centered on Lois' romantic interest in Superman and her attempts to maneuver him into marriage, only to fail due to a comic plot twist. In the early 1960s Lana Lang made regular guest appearances, generally as Lois' romantic rival. Artist Kurt Schaffenberger drew most of the stories for the first 81 issues of the series, missing only issue #29.[3] Schaffenberger's rendition of Lois Lane became cited by many[4][5] as the "definitive" version of the character. The Catwoman made her first Silver Age appearance in #70 (Nov. 1966).[6] By the 1970s, the stories began to reflect growing social awareness: Lois became less fixated on romance, and more on current issues. In the controversial story "I Am Curious (Black)!" in #106 (Nov. 1970),[7] for example, Lois uses a machine that allows her to experience racism firsthand as an African American woman. The series saw the debut of Silver Age heroine The Rose & The Thorn in a back up feature that ran from #105 (Oct. 1970) through #130 (April 1973).
References
- ^ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Lois Lane Annual at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Kurt Schaffenberger's run on Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Voger, Mark and Voglesong, Kathy (PHT). "Front Page Romance," Hero Gets Girl!: The Life and Art of Kurt Schaffenberger (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003).
- ^ Eury, Michael. "Kurt Schaffenberger: Ladies' Man," in "The Superman Mythology," The Krypton Companion: A Historical Exploration of Superman Comic Books of 1958-1986 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2006), p. 67.
- ^ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70 at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #106 at the Grand Comics Database
