What do you think?
Rate this book
DC Archive Editions
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane Archives, Vol. 1
Collecting the stories from Showcase #8 and 9 and Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #1-8 (July 1957-April 1959). The foreword by Tom Peyer discusses how elements of each brief story introduce common tropes found in all four "Superman Family" titles (the others being Action Comics, Superman, and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) throughout the Silver Age years, particularly with Mort Weisinger as their editor.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2012
72 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Coleman
75 books1 followerJerry Coleman (birth/death dates unknown) wrote nearly 100 stories for DC Comics, beginning with Mystery in Space #3. By the mid-1950s he regularly scripted for Weisenger's Superman titles. Among Coleman's best-loved Super-tales: "Superboy's Last Day in Smallville" (Superman #97) and "The girl in Superman's Past" (Showcase #9).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 25, 2015
This review is part of a team buddy read with Shallow Comic Reader Club. This week's theme: comics featuring a female lead.
When reading older comics from the Golden, Silver, and even Bronze Ages, a difficult question arises: how far to take modern sensibilities into account. Like most other media, comics reflected the age in which they were written. It’s not uncommon to find racist and sexist imagery and stories, or cruel depictions of overweight or unattractive people.
I’ve always been of the opinion that it’s unfair to take art out of the time frame in which it was created. To do so is nothing more than historical revisionism, an attempt to whitewash the past in order to assuage modern feelings. We can’t have a true appreciation or understanding of where we are now, as a culture, without recognizing the sometimes ugly road that got us here.
Comics also reflected the tenor of their times. In the 1940s, gross caricatures of the Japanese and Chinese were fairly common, as well as the black savage in stories set in Africa. Women were often depicted in ways that mirrored their status in society, as well. Although there were plenty of female heroes who fought crime on their own, and were tough, resilient, and smart, more often than not they also had a man to rely on and to remind them constantly that they were, after all, just “girls.”
Thinking of Lois Lane today, we think of a modern woman with a career and an independent spirit. Although her affection for Superman has always remained, she has evolved into a character with grit and determination who has often stared down super-villains and natural disasters on her own, without the aid of her paramour.
She wasn't so heroic in the beginning. Appearing in the same first issue of Action Comics as Superman, Lois was always the determined reporter, known for her intelligence and nobility. Throughout the 1940s, she was also a super-sleuth, always trying to figure out a way to learn Superman’s secret identity. By the late 50s, this aspect of Lois seemed to overshadow the rest of her many qualities. It was the decade of I Love Lucy, and Lois began to resemble the wacky redhead in many ways. Although portrayed in the Superman TV show in a rather realistic manner, in the comics she was constantly involved in shenanigans that would have put Lucy to shame.
Perhaps the most constant theme was Lois engaged in various forms of trickery in order to learn Superman’s secret identity. Devious, sometimes cruel, Lois would stop at nothing to snare Superman into marriage with her. Almost always, the trick ended up being on Lois, as Superman would figure out her plan and turn the tables on her. Still the ace reporter, she would incorporate her schemes into her journalistic exploits, getting her scoops while getting mud on her face at the same time.
Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen debuted around four years before Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane was given a tryout shot in Showcase, the same magazine that launched the Silver Age careers of The Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom, and others. Built around three stories per issue, around eight pages each, this format was continued when Lois received her own magazine a year later. As part of the Superman Family of titles, Lois’s magazine featured many of the same artists drawing Superman in his titles: Wayne Boring, Al Plastino, with Curt Swan on covers. The artist most associated with Lois during this period was Kurt Schaffenberger, who was a popular artist with Fawcett Comics drawing Captain Marvel, Jr and the Marvel Family. Schaffenberger’s fine, clean lines depicted Lois beautifully, decked out in current fashions throughout.
Although for her first decade Lois’s comic featured her repeated attempts to fool Superman, the stories tended to be varied enough not to be too repetitive. In this first (and hopefully not last) DC Archive edition, we see Lois put through her paces throughout Metropolis, outer space, and on desert islands. She stares down mobs, crazy weather, weird manifestations of powers, and even Superman’s girlfriend from his teenaged years, Lana Lang. All of this with aplomb, even when she’s made to look foolish.
These adventures of Lois are fun to read, although they’re maddeningly outdated and often sexist. Except for a couple of stories, though, they’re not mean spirited, but remnants of a different time. Without them, Lois may never have grown into the worldly, self-confident woman she is today.
When reading older comics from the Golden, Silver, and even Bronze Ages, a difficult question arises: how far to take modern sensibilities into account. Like most other media, comics reflected the age in which they were written. It’s not uncommon to find racist and sexist imagery and stories, or cruel depictions of overweight or unattractive people.
I’ve always been of the opinion that it’s unfair to take art out of the time frame in which it was created. To do so is nothing more than historical revisionism, an attempt to whitewash the past in order to assuage modern feelings. We can’t have a true appreciation or understanding of where we are now, as a culture, without recognizing the sometimes ugly road that got us here.
Comics also reflected the tenor of their times. In the 1940s, gross caricatures of the Japanese and Chinese were fairly common, as well as the black savage in stories set in Africa. Women were often depicted in ways that mirrored their status in society, as well. Although there were plenty of female heroes who fought crime on their own, and were tough, resilient, and smart, more often than not they also had a man to rely on and to remind them constantly that they were, after all, just “girls.”
Thinking of Lois Lane today, we think of a modern woman with a career and an independent spirit. Although her affection for Superman has always remained, she has evolved into a character with grit and determination who has often stared down super-villains and natural disasters on her own, without the aid of her paramour.
She wasn't so heroic in the beginning. Appearing in the same first issue of Action Comics as Superman, Lois was always the determined reporter, known for her intelligence and nobility. Throughout the 1940s, she was also a super-sleuth, always trying to figure out a way to learn Superman’s secret identity. By the late 50s, this aspect of Lois seemed to overshadow the rest of her many qualities. It was the decade of I Love Lucy, and Lois began to resemble the wacky redhead in many ways. Although portrayed in the Superman TV show in a rather realistic manner, in the comics she was constantly involved in shenanigans that would have put Lucy to shame.
Perhaps the most constant theme was Lois engaged in various forms of trickery in order to learn Superman’s secret identity. Devious, sometimes cruel, Lois would stop at nothing to snare Superman into marriage with her. Almost always, the trick ended up being on Lois, as Superman would figure out her plan and turn the tables on her. Still the ace reporter, she would incorporate her schemes into her journalistic exploits, getting her scoops while getting mud on her face at the same time.
Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen debuted around four years before Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane was given a tryout shot in Showcase, the same magazine that launched the Silver Age careers of The Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom, and others. Built around three stories per issue, around eight pages each, this format was continued when Lois received her own magazine a year later. As part of the Superman Family of titles, Lois’s magazine featured many of the same artists drawing Superman in his titles: Wayne Boring, Al Plastino, with Curt Swan on covers. The artist most associated with Lois during this period was Kurt Schaffenberger, who was a popular artist with Fawcett Comics drawing Captain Marvel, Jr and the Marvel Family. Schaffenberger’s fine, clean lines depicted Lois beautifully, decked out in current fashions throughout.
Although for her first decade Lois’s comic featured her repeated attempts to fool Superman, the stories tended to be varied enough not to be too repetitive. In this first (and hopefully not last) DC Archive edition, we see Lois put through her paces throughout Metropolis, outer space, and on desert islands. She stares down mobs, crazy weather, weird manifestations of powers, and even Superman’s girlfriend from his teenaged years, Lana Lang. All of this with aplomb, even when she’s made to look foolish.
These adventures of Lois are fun to read, although they’re maddeningly outdated and often sexist. Except for a couple of stories, though, they’re not mean spirited, but remnants of a different time. Without them, Lois may never have grown into the worldly, self-confident woman she is today.
January 10, 2023
Ah what would Superman's life be like without Lois. Well Ok it would be alot less hectic but also less interesting. Nice collection of these early stories. Recommended
December 2, 2012
You know, most books I rank five stars because I think they're really good, because they bring some special to the table, or because I can enjoy them immensely, no matter what their flaws might be. The Lois Lane Archives falls into this latter category. I am far from a comic book historian, but I am a big fan of comics from the golden, silver and modern ages. While my general tastes tend to lean toward the modern age as it tends to have deeper (albeit much more confusing) storylines and characterizations, I can't help but love classic silver age comics, mostly because they are completely insane and unintentionally hilarious. If you are looking for great unintentional hilarity, look no further than the Lois Lane archives.
All the great characters are there, though maybe not as recognizable as you might remember them. Lois Lane is manipulative and prone to delusions of grandeur (or just flat out delusions, as a knock to the head will make her think she's anything from a witch to Annie Oakley). Superman has problem-solving skills that only a crazy person would view as logical ("I must get out of my apartment without being seen as Superman; I know, let me light this carpet on fire and jump out the window behind it!"). More often than not he's out there looking to teach Lois a lesson instead of saving the world, and all too often the rest of the people in this strange, skewed version of the DC universe play along with whatever craziness is going on in their Super-courtship because, well, why not?
And the plots, oh the glorious plots. Lois quits her job and becomes a chef at a diner so she can win Superman over with her cooking. Superman blasts Lois with an experimental ray that makes her incredibly fat so she won't be killed by a mob hitman. Lois takes a job at a pretzel factory so she can win a job in a Broadway play. Logic and sanity take a vacation in these silver-age adventures of Lois and Superman (never Clark, since Clark is a wimp, and besides, who'd want to be Mrs. Kent when they can be Mrs. Superman?)
And yet, despite the insanity, despite the insulting nature of their gender politics and the bizarre, outlandish way they play with these classic characters, there is an odd charm to these old stories I just can't get around. They're laughably bad, yet strangely endearing all at once.
This is, without a doubt, the most I've ever laughed while reading a book, and some of the most fun I have had reading period. I just hope they continue to release more of these archives in the near future!
All the great characters are there, though maybe not as recognizable as you might remember them. Lois Lane is manipulative and prone to delusions of grandeur (or just flat out delusions, as a knock to the head will make her think she's anything from a witch to Annie Oakley). Superman has problem-solving skills that only a crazy person would view as logical ("I must get out of my apartment without being seen as Superman; I know, let me light this carpet on fire and jump out the window behind it!"). More often than not he's out there looking to teach Lois a lesson instead of saving the world, and all too often the rest of the people in this strange, skewed version of the DC universe play along with whatever craziness is going on in their Super-courtship because, well, why not?
And the plots, oh the glorious plots. Lois quits her job and becomes a chef at a diner so she can win Superman over with her cooking. Superman blasts Lois with an experimental ray that makes her incredibly fat so she won't be killed by a mob hitman. Lois takes a job at a pretzel factory so she can win a job in a Broadway play. Logic and sanity take a vacation in these silver-age adventures of Lois and Superman (never Clark, since Clark is a wimp, and besides, who'd want to be Mrs. Kent when they can be Mrs. Superman?)
And yet, despite the insanity, despite the insulting nature of their gender politics and the bizarre, outlandish way they play with these classic characters, there is an odd charm to these old stories I just can't get around. They're laughably bad, yet strangely endearing all at once.
This is, without a doubt, the most I've ever laughed while reading a book, and some of the most fun I have had reading period. I just hope they continue to release more of these archives in the near future!
November 15, 2025
Contains about 10 issues. 2 issues of DC Showcase where this series premiered, and then the first 8 issues of the ongoing title.
This was exactly what I thought it was going to be, but also exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s fun but also a little cheesy. Lois Lane is not a ball buster. She is full on scheming to do 2 things; learn Superman’s secret identity, and also get Superman to marry her. That is literally the driving force of every issue.
There are some fun stories here. Lois gets super powers a few times. She matches wits with Lana Lang as “kind of” rivals for Superman’s affections. There’s also pretty great story where Superman gives Lois his powers to protect Metropolis while he’s away so she puts on a blonde wig and becomes Superwoman. Then Superman, as Clark Kent, tries to hound Lois to find out if she’s the new Superwoman protecting Metropolis. Sort of giving her a taste of her own medicine in discovering secret identities. Like I said there’s some fun stuff here, but this is not the modern, sassy Lois. It’s the 50s version more concerned with loving and marrying Superman.
This was exactly what I thought it was going to be, but also exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s fun but also a little cheesy. Lois Lane is not a ball buster. She is full on scheming to do 2 things; learn Superman’s secret identity, and also get Superman to marry her. That is literally the driving force of every issue.
There are some fun stories here. Lois gets super powers a few times. She matches wits with Lana Lang as “kind of” rivals for Superman’s affections. There’s also pretty great story where Superman gives Lois his powers to protect Metropolis while he’s away so she puts on a blonde wig and becomes Superwoman. Then Superman, as Clark Kent, tries to hound Lois to find out if she’s the new Superwoman protecting Metropolis. Sort of giving her a taste of her own medicine in discovering secret identities. Like I said there’s some fun stuff here, but this is not the modern, sassy Lois. It’s the 50s version more concerned with loving and marrying Superman.
June 6, 2024
Entertaining stories about Lois Lane in the 50's and 60's- reminds me a little bit of the Betty/Veronica comics
November 26, 2015
Nonsense, you say? Why, no, friend, these comics aren't nonsense. They are a heady concoction of the finest SUPER-NONSENSE!!! Robot lions, pretzel fingers, meaningless risks to life and sanity- DC's Silver Age does it again and again. Superman tap-dancing on a lightning bolt? Check. Robin The Boy Wonder in a bald cap & stilts? Check. Perry White excusing long, motivation-free job absences on a whim? Super Check!
How much did the chortling males of 55 years ago love Lois Lane? Enough to make her look a hundred shades of ridiculous and a thousand kinds of resilient. Perhaps the sheer loveliest art of the decade coupled with what might be the downright oddest writing of the century. Bliss is just a concussion away!
How much did the chortling males of 55 years ago love Lois Lane? Enough to make her look a hundred shades of ridiculous and a thousand kinds of resilient. Perhaps the sheer loveliest art of the decade coupled with what might be the downright oddest writing of the century. Bliss is just a concussion away!
December 2, 2012
This is campy silver age comic hilarity at its very best. Not to be taken seriously at all, not to be read for depth of meaning or character by any means, just the finest silly superhero self-parody. No day is so depressing that it cannot be lightened by reading about Lois Lane and Superman's wacky misunderstandings and absurdly abusive romantic pranks, or Lois's tribulations working at the diner... or pretzel factory... or Hollywood movie set. She's still a reporter, right?
November 11, 2023
These silly 1950s-era stories will not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me they fall into the campy so-bad-it's-good territory. I find them both intentionally and unintentionally hilarious.
Superman is a jerk and Lois is hardly any better. The whole idea of scheming to "trap" someone into marriage is obviously problematic, but these stories are so goofy and off-the-wall you can't really take them seriously.
For example, in one story Jimmy is sick of Lois trying to marry Superman, so he brainwashes Clark into proposing. It backfires because Clark IS Superman - much to Jimmy's dismay. The only reason marriage-obsessed Lois doesn't end up with Superman is that it's April 1st and she assumes he's only proposing as some sort of cruel April Fool's Day prank. Which goes to show what their relationship is like in these old comics!
The only thing that seriously irked me was Superman deciding that a tiny mole on a woman's wrist meant she was ugly (otherwise he might have left Lois for her, since she was Lois's lookalike) - what a warped sentiment.
I wish DC had continued with these Archives editions, since I would love to see high-quality reproductions of more of these. Hopefully, they'll come out with an omnibus one day. There's a Silver Age Superman omni scheduled to come out March 2024 and I am eager to get my hands on it!
Superman is a jerk and Lois is hardly any better. The whole idea of scheming to "trap" someone into marriage is obviously problematic, but these stories are so goofy and off-the-wall you can't really take them seriously.
For example, in one story Jimmy is sick of Lois trying to marry Superman, so he brainwashes Clark into proposing. It backfires because Clark IS Superman - much to Jimmy's dismay. The only reason marriage-obsessed Lois doesn't end up with Superman is that it's April 1st and she assumes he's only proposing as some sort of cruel April Fool's Day prank. Which goes to show what their relationship is like in these old comics!
The only thing that seriously irked me was Superman deciding that a tiny mole on a woman's wrist meant she was ugly (otherwise he might have left Lois for her, since she was Lois's lookalike) - what a warped sentiment.
I wish DC had continued with these Archives editions, since I would love to see high-quality reproductions of more of these. Hopefully, they'll come out with an omnibus one day. There's a Silver Age Superman omni scheduled to come out March 2024 and I am eager to get my hands on it!
January 21, 2014
When I read the title, I had misgivings, completely and utterly justified misgivings, but it was a gift so I gave it a shot. The cover art for this collection is more promising than any of the stories within.
It's important to note the title reads, "Girl Friend" not "Girlfriend."
Lois mainly schemes to get Superman to ask her to be Mrs. Superman, gets scoops for the Daily Planet, and tries to uncover Superman's secret identity.
Superman spends most of his time dodging Lois's affections and covering his own tracks, or enlisting the help of her male friends to "teach her a lesson" with even more ridiculous schemes that often involve property damage he has to fix later. Really? He doesn't have people to save somewhere or a disaster to avert or the maturity to tell the truth about the situation or dilemma? He mostly comes off as patronizing and uninterested in Lois.
And don't get me started on the rubber masks that not only disguise but perfectly mimic another character's appearance time and time again.
These comics were all written in the late 1950s, so the sexism is to be expected. If you can look past that, there is an abundance of silly story lines from a simpler time.
It's important to note the title reads, "Girl Friend" not "Girlfriend."
Lois mainly schemes to get Superman to ask her to be Mrs. Superman, gets scoops for the Daily Planet, and tries to uncover Superman's secret identity.
Superman spends most of his time dodging Lois's affections and covering his own tracks, or enlisting the help of her male friends to "teach her a lesson" with even more ridiculous schemes that often involve property damage he has to fix later. Really? He doesn't have people to save somewhere or a disaster to avert or the maturity to tell the truth about the situation or dilemma? He mostly comes off as patronizing and uninterested in Lois.
And don't get me started on the rubber masks that not only disguise but perfectly mimic another character's appearance time and time again.
These comics were all written in the late 1950s, so the sexism is to be expected. If you can look past that, there is an abundance of silly story lines from a simpler time.
October 16, 2013
Okay, let's be honest - most of these stories don't age well and are blatantly sexist. If you're reading this book, it's for the corn value, and the corn value is high - you'll get plenty of laughs here. Kurt Shaffenberger draws most of the stories, so they look great. And despite the comics' tendency to depict Lois poorly, you'll find a few tales that capture her tenacity, intelligence and good heart as well.
June 7, 2012
Kurt Schaffenberger is really the greatest comic book artist ever. Why isn't he acknowledged as a peer to Carl Barks, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Al Williamson? I don't know.
But this terrific volume reminded me at his great skill and beautiful clean line work. I could look at his work all day. Great stories, here too. Silver age fluff, yes, but rather entertaining nonetheless.
But this terrific volume reminded me at his great skill and beautiful clean line work. I could look at his work all day. Great stories, here too. Silver age fluff, yes, but rather entertaining nonetheless.
March 8, 2013
I need a comic book fix now and then, and this collection of old Lois lane comics was just excellent! It's a lot cheaper than trying to buy the original copies.
July 14, 2019
The stories can sometimes be dopey fun (and sometimes just dumb and repetitive) but the pencils are exquisite (Kurt Schaffenberger especially).
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews