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Superman #45
Synopsis for "Lois Lane, Superwoman!"
In the Daily Planet offices, Perry White urges Clark Kent and Lois Lane to run less lurid crime stories and find some human interest pieces. The duo go to the offices of "magical engineers" Hocus and Pocus) but they are distraught that their magic isn't working. They are unaware that all of their previous "magic" was actually a string of wild coincidences and the intervention of Superman.
They all visit the roof to get a fine view of Metropolis and Lois is startled by Merton leaping under her feet. Hocus believes that he transforms Clark Kent into Superman with magic just in time to save her but Kent and Merton know the hero's true secret identity. He says that he can change Lois into a superheroine as well and Superman runs and flies behind her at superspeed to simulate her performing otherwise impossible feats.
In the office, she gets a tip that the BBB Gang have come to town and she decides to apprehend them. Superman intervenes again and knocks out the criminals.
Lois has a coming out party as Superwoman that night and when she goes to dance with eligible bachelors, Superman simulates her having super-stength by stomping on her partner's feet. She demands to be changed back and is furious at men who want to keep women weak and defenseless, never learning that it was a ruse.
Synopsis for "Showdown on the Showboat"
The Golden Star showboat is making what may be its last tour and Clark Kent and Lois Lane are on the scene to document it. After watching a play on the deck, they learn that the Golden family who have run the boat for decades cannot pay the mortgage—Captain George Golden explains that it has been bought by an unknown party who refuses their offers and at the same time, the boat has experienced all manner of mishaps and accidents that are forcing them to quit. An explosion happens down below and Superman quickly stops it after Clark falls into the fire.
That night, Clark stays with actor Hugh Rowland and Lois bunks with daughter and calliope player Glinda Golden. The next night, the boiler explodes. Superman's feats of strength make the showboat even more enticing to visitors, who come in droves but a mysterious hook throws the cash box into the river, dashing the Goldens' hopes of paying the mortgage.
Rowland reveals that he bought the mortgage to turn the ship into a nightclub and if they can't pay by midnight, it's his. Superman drums up even more attendees for a midnight play where he fills in for Hugh as the villain and the ticket sales are more than adequate.
Synopsis for "The Case of the Living Trophies"
The mysterious alien race the Collectors use their powers of invisibility to interrupt a boxing match and abduct Biff the Unbeatable. They follow this by capturing atomic scientist John Henders in the middle of a presentation. Then, they find a beauty contest and vanish away with both a contestant and judge Lois Lane. Lastly, they find millionaire Herkimer Ingot in his home.
At the Daily Planet, Clark Kent investigates the kidnappings but can only do it as Superman. A Collector materializes as soon as he begins flying and the two briefly tussle before Superman plays opposum and decides to be captured to go to the site of all the abductees. They are held in stasis in glass cages and the alien race discusses how they were fortunate to steal a device that allows them to travel dimensions.
In his detention cell, Superman uses telephathy to force his captor to give up the machine. He breaks free from his cell and shapeshifts into a Collector to impersonate him. He uses this disguise to trick the other Collectors and uses their dimension-traveling device to return to the Third Dimension with his fellow Metropolitans and destroys the machine.
In the Daily Planet offices, Perry White urges Clark Kent and Lois Lane to run less lurid crime stories and find some human interest pieces. The duo go to the offices of "magical engineers" Hocus and Pocus) but they are distraught that their magic isn't working. They are unaware that all of their previous "magic" was actually a string of wild coincidences and the intervention of Superman.
They all visit the roof to get a fine view of Metropolis and Lois is startled by Merton leaping under her feet. Hocus believes that he transforms Clark Kent into Superman with magic just in time to save her but Kent and Merton know the hero's true secret identity. He says that he can change Lois into a superheroine as well and Superman runs and flies behind her at superspeed to simulate her performing otherwise impossible feats.
In the office, she gets a tip that the BBB Gang have come to town and she decides to apprehend them. Superman intervenes again and knocks out the criminals.
Lois has a coming out party as Superwoman that night and when she goes to dance with eligible bachelors, Superman simulates her having super-stength by stomping on her partner's feet. She demands to be changed back and is furious at men who want to keep women weak and defenseless, never learning that it was a ruse.
Synopsis for "Showdown on the Showboat"
The Golden Star showboat is making what may be its last tour and Clark Kent and Lois Lane are on the scene to document it. After watching a play on the deck, they learn that the Golden family who have run the boat for decades cannot pay the mortgage—Captain George Golden explains that it has been bought by an unknown party who refuses their offers and at the same time, the boat has experienced all manner of mishaps and accidents that are forcing them to quit. An explosion happens down below and Superman quickly stops it after Clark falls into the fire.
That night, Clark stays with actor Hugh Rowland and Lois bunks with daughter and calliope player Glinda Golden. The next night, the boiler explodes. Superman's feats of strength make the showboat even more enticing to visitors, who come in droves but a mysterious hook throws the cash box into the river, dashing the Goldens' hopes of paying the mortgage.
Rowland reveals that he bought the mortgage to turn the ship into a nightclub and if they can't pay by midnight, it's his. Superman drums up even more attendees for a midnight play where he fills in for Hugh as the villain and the ticket sales are more than adequate.
Synopsis for "The Case of the Living Trophies"
The mysterious alien race the Collectors use their powers of invisibility to interrupt a boxing match and abduct Biff the Unbeatable. They follow this by capturing atomic scientist John Henders in the middle of a presentation. Then, they find a beauty contest and vanish away with both a contestant and judge Lois Lane. Lastly, they find millionaire Herkimer Ingot in his home.
At the Daily Planet, Clark Kent investigates the kidnappings but can only do it as Superman. A Collector materializes as soon as he begins flying and the two briefly tussle before Superman plays opposum and decides to be captured to go to the site of all the abductees. They are held in stasis in glass cages and the alien race discusses how they were fortunate to steal a device that allows them to travel dimensions.
In his detention cell, Superman uses telephathy to force his captor to give up the machine. He breaks free from his cell and shapeshifts into a Collector to impersonate him. He uses this disguise to trick the other Collectors and uses their dimension-traveling device to return to the Third Dimension with his fellow Metropolitans and destroys the machine.
- GenresComics
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1947
3 people want to read
About the author
Alvin Schwartz
68 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Alvin^^Schwartz
Born in NYC in 1916, Alvin Schwartz wrote his first comics for Fairy Tale Parade in 1939, and wrote extensively for Shelley Mayer, then an editor at Max Gaines’ All-American Publications (later purchased by National/DC in 1944). He had also done a short stint at Fawcett on Captain Marvel. Schwartz wrote his first Batman story in 1942, and his first Batman newspaper strip in Aug 1944 (an assignment he continued on until 1958) and his first Superman newspaper strip in Oct 1944. He had a long association with Superman as the writer of both the Man of Steel’s newspaper strip and many of his comic book appearances, and one of his many enduring contributions to the Superman mythology was the creation of Bizarro, a character who became a part of popular culture, quite apart from comics. While writing most of DC’s newspaper strips between 1944 and 1952, he also went on to do stories for many of their comics magazines, working on characters such as Aquaman, Vigilante, Slam Bradley, Date With Judy, Buzzy, House of Mystery, Tomahawk, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Newsboy Legion and numerous others.
After his 1958 departure from comics, Schwartz took on a whole new role in the corporate world, using the knowledge of plotting gained in comics to open new directions in market research, developing the now well-known techniques of psycho-graphics, typological identification and others, until as Research Director for the famed think tank of Dr Ernst Dichter, The Institute for Motivational Research, he provided structural and marketing advice to some of America’s largest corporations ranging from General Motors to General Foods. He was subsequently appointed to an advisory committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
Schwartz also authored three novels for Arco Press, one of which, Sword of Desire, a detective story, won praise for its successful takeoff on Reichian orgone therapy, a popular psychotherapeutic technique during the 40s and 50s. His Beat generation novel, The Blowtop was published by Dial in 1948. Under the title Le Cinglé, it became a best seller in France. He also wrote and lectured on superheroes at various universities and received a prestigious Canada Council Grant for a study on the religious symbolism in popular culture, using Superman as a springboard.
Also in Canada, he wrote feature films and did numerous docu-dramas for The National Film Board for nearly 20 years and did a number of economic and social studies for the Canadian government.
His last two books, written in his eighties, were: An Unlikely Prophet: Revelations on the Path Without Form (published in 1997) — a memoir dealing with some very off-the-wall experiences generated by his years doing Superman which led him to a unique understanding of Superman’s significance as well as some life-enriching possibilities available to every one of us, and the sequel A Gathering of Selves: The Spiritual Journey of the Legendary Writer of Superman and Batman (published in 2006).
Schwartz received the first Bill Finger Award for his contributions to comics via writing in 2006. The Finger Award was created by the legendary creator Jerry Robinson to honour his friend Bill Finger (the uncredited co-creator of Batman) and is given to comic book writers as part of the Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards in July of each year.
Alvin^^Schwartz
Born in NYC in 1916, Alvin Schwartz wrote his first comics for Fairy Tale Parade in 1939, and wrote extensively for Shelley Mayer, then an editor at Max Gaines’ All-American Publications (later purchased by National/DC in 1944). He had also done a short stint at Fawcett on Captain Marvel. Schwartz wrote his first Batman story in 1942, and his first Batman newspaper strip in Aug 1944 (an assignment he continued on until 1958) and his first Superman newspaper strip in Oct 1944. He had a long association with Superman as the writer of both the Man of Steel’s newspaper strip and many of his comic book appearances, and one of his many enduring contributions to the Superman mythology was the creation of Bizarro, a character who became a part of popular culture, quite apart from comics. While writing most of DC’s newspaper strips between 1944 and 1952, he also went on to do stories for many of their comics magazines, working on characters such as Aquaman, Vigilante, Slam Bradley, Date With Judy, Buzzy, House of Mystery, Tomahawk, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Newsboy Legion and numerous others.
After his 1958 departure from comics, Schwartz took on a whole new role in the corporate world, using the knowledge of plotting gained in comics to open new directions in market research, developing the now well-known techniques of psycho-graphics, typological identification and others, until as Research Director for the famed think tank of Dr Ernst Dichter, The Institute for Motivational Research, he provided structural and marketing advice to some of America’s largest corporations ranging from General Motors to General Foods. He was subsequently appointed to an advisory committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
Schwartz also authored three novels for Arco Press, one of which, Sword of Desire, a detective story, won praise for its successful takeoff on Reichian orgone therapy, a popular psychotherapeutic technique during the 40s and 50s. His Beat generation novel, The Blowtop was published by Dial in 1948. Under the title Le Cinglé, it became a best seller in France. He also wrote and lectured on superheroes at various universities and received a prestigious Canada Council Grant for a study on the religious symbolism in popular culture, using Superman as a springboard.
Also in Canada, he wrote feature films and did numerous docu-dramas for The National Film Board for nearly 20 years and did a number of economic and social studies for the Canadian government.
His last two books, written in his eighties, were: An Unlikely Prophet: Revelations on the Path Without Form (published in 1997) — a memoir dealing with some very off-the-wall experiences generated by his years doing Superman which led him to a unique understanding of Superman’s significance as well as some life-enriching possibilities available to every one of us, and the sequel A Gathering of Selves: The Spiritual Journey of the Legendary Writer of Superman and Batman (published in 2006).
Schwartz received the first Bill Finger Award for his contributions to comics via writing in 2006. The Finger Award was created by the legendary creator Jerry Robinson to honour his friend Bill Finger (the uncredited co-creator of Batman) and is given to comic book writers as part of the Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards in July of each year.
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August 8, 2023
The apt end for a silly thing like Lois Lane being Superwoman.oh…and don’t forget to “admire” how LL was, in the first Superman comics, an ill-tempered individual given to sudden changes of mood. Probably it was stereotypical of the period, but such a character was more odious and unuseful than Jimmy Olsen (and that’s to say a lot…)
Displaying 1 of 1 review