Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Yeah, okay, I know, I hear you: Lois Lane.

I'm not as sure that Lois is Superman's soul mate with the certainty that the LOIS AND CLARK TV-people do, though. Really, the Lois/Superman thing being carved in stone is only a very recent idea; in the Silver Age, Lana was her fiercest rival, and their catfight was Lois's dominant conflict. And jeez - Superman was willing to give up being Superman for Lori Lemaris. Marv Wolfman and a lot of people working at Superman in the early to mid 1980s created a lengthy subplot with a Superman/Lana romance that was heavy and serious and a marriage might have been not inappropriate a direction. It is unfortunate that they never got to finish telling that one particular story.

It's not that I dislike the Lois/Superman/Clark Kent dynamic (you can't keep a good thing like that down) but hey: Superman has had a bunch of other girlfriends too:

Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Lyla Lerrol, the Silver Age Superwoman that is killed by yellow sun rays...And all of them had beautiful, beautiful stories around them. And that doesn't include all the unrequited crushes, like Triplicate Girl's or the Emerald Empress. And he and Wonder Woman do flirt a lot, you know...

Wow, when you put it like that, Superman really, really got around! You know what I think it might be? His roguish forehead lock!

With women, Superman isn't a hedonistic, reckless James Bond type, though: Superman's relationship with all of the above women is that he honestly, sincerely loves them back as much as they love him.

My question is this: if you were pairing off Superman with any of his lady friends, who would it be and why?

Lana Lang, of course.

I never really loved Lois. I know that she is the first and most important woman in Superman's life, so authors "must" use her. Sometimes, I suspected that only a few of them (like Maggin) liked her... She is a good character, it's true, but she acts like Superman is her own, and this isn't good in my opinion.

Lana, instead, has something different. First at all, she is a "born loser". When she was created, the authors told us "She was Clark's girlfriend when he was younger, and you know that the adult Clark now loves another woman". Heck, we have read several Superboy stories and we already knew that they would have never been married.
Then, she was really tied to Clark. I LOVED the stories where they are engaged... You can't imagine how I was glad to read them. And, reading those old issues, I saw that she really cared for Clark... She wanted to be "Mrs. Superman", but that was BEFORE. NOW, she has found the right man for her, and that's Clark, her old time friend. And she is very, very happy for this! Maybe more happier than how she could be if she would have been Superman's girlfriend.

Ditto for post-Crisis Lana, who loved Clark without to know what he was able to do. One of the best thing in the reboot  is Byrne's Lana... I'll never forget that wonderful SUPERMAN Vol. II #2, where she prefer to be beaten instead of reveal Superman's secrets to Lex Luthor's men. One of my favorite stories ever.

Last but not least, she is one of the most beautiful women in the comics world.

Luma Lynai - super powered and looks "just like Supergirl will when she grows up"!

(http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/97/400/97_4_0000289.jpg)

Altho I agree as well with Genis - I think I had my first crush on Lana!

Luma Lynai?  You are joking, right, Klar?

While I think she's very attractive and seems to be the perfect mate otherwise for Superman, the fact that she's an adult version of Kara Zor-El just creeps me out a bit.

I second Lana Lang.  Lana is the underdog of the women in his life.  She's been unfairly treated.

As another poster noted in an older thread, Lois Lane seems to be Superman's greatest consistent foe from the very beginning.  No one has been as persistent and a potential threat to both his lives than Lois has been.  IMHO, the original and most enduring characterization of Lois has been a truly flawed, self-interested, self-promoting individual that the rest of comic fandom has wondered why the near-perfect Superman would be so in love with this woman.  She'd steal Clark's tips, send him on wild goose chases, treat him like dirt -- and this woman thought she deserved to be with the great Superman?  The very recent sanitization of Lois' character is a very recent phenomenon meant to justify the marriage.  For the bulk of any of her incarnations' existence, she wasn't such an epitome of human decency.

Kal - yeah I was joking. See below the image. LANA. :wink:

(http://superman.nu/a/Encyclopaedia/images/lana3.jpg)

This is the kind of thing that used to get argued about ad nauseum in Ranma 1/2 fanfiction and associated forums. (For those who don't know, Ranma 1/2 is a Japanese manga, their equivalent of a comic book.)

The best answer is that it really doesn't matter who you pair up, as long as you keep the story interesting and the characters act believably. The two biggest pitfalls in writing such a thing are (1) turning your favored match-up into a Mary Sue in order to bring her together with Our Hero, and (2) turning her major rival into a raving female dog in order to remove any compunctions Our Hero might have about running off with your fave. The third biggest pitfall is disposing of the competition in a ridiculously contrived way -- like having her die off-screen in a freak yachting accident, or having her leave because our hero doesn't share her suddenly acquired interest in Tibetan Yak farming.

Lana Lang.  She KNOWS what the life of a super-hero is like and just how dangerous it is.  The Superboy and Legion of Super-heroes story where Mordru chases Superboy and a few legionaries back through time, shows that Lana can handle herself in extreme situations.   She's also given up on Superman to pursue Clark Kent.

Lana Lang, of course!

As far as Lois Lane goes...

(http://bugpowder.com/images/superman_respect.jpg)

 :twisted:

He never had one, that is why the Earth 1 Superman never married... 8)

Lyla is my favorite.

What the.........????

Ok, I've read that Luma Lynai story more than once, and never noticed how extremely weird the cover was. So why didn't he just marry Supergirl...oh yeah, because of that Kryptonian law binding on Earth that forbade cousin-marriage!

The writers were having too much fun with Supergirl, having her wish she could marry her Cousin, her marrying her pet Horse, go-go Boots, etc ;)

This thread is heating up --I think we need a poll! :D

My top 4:

Lana
Babs Gordon
Lori
Lois

My top 4 (and Im in a pervy mood today):

Lana
Luma (aka GU  Kara)
Lyla
Loris

(Great Grissom's Ghost! I combined the last 2 into one) :shock:

As I've said in other threads, I love Lana.  Not sure any girl is right for Kal, honestly, but I'd have liked Lana for myself!

I am not a Lois fan and never have been.  I'm probably the poster Captain Kal is referring to having said Lois is Superman's "greatest enemy." Certainly in decades' worth of stories, she was presented as the woman who would domesticate...no make that neuter...Superman if she got him.  It was made clear that if Superman and Lois tied the knot, his freedom, and thence the fun, would be over.  In fact it's a wonder we young male Superman readers didn't all grow up to be hard-core misogynists.

Lana, on the other hand, was the friend, the pal, the sweetheart.  Maybe it's because I mostly remember her from Superboy stories, where boy/girl relationships were presented as flirty, harmless fun...as they usually are at that age.  No chance Lana was going to manuever Clark into matrimony at age 15, so that negative spin is gone from their relationship.  Lois, though, represents the writers' notion of a grown woman...the time for no-strings attached flirting is over, mere friendship can never be enough...she needs commitment and she needs it now.

Tormentor to Clark, conniving threat to Superman...no, there's not much to like about Lois in the classic comics.  (Except for Maggin's great four-parter "Who Took The Super Out of Superman?").  

I have a soft spot for Lori Lemaris, but honestly it's hard to wish for a "happy ending" that puts Superman underwater the rest of his life.

The page where Clark and Lois are on dating at Clark's house is my favorite pre-Crisis moment! I didn't really cared for Lois until I read that page... Something similar happened to me when I read SUPERMAN #212 (chapter 9 of the "For tomorrow" saga).

Silver age Lois stories:
1) How to prove Clark Kent is Superman
2)How to get Superman to marry her (or romance her)
3)Fight with Lana Lang
4) be a good reporter

Number 4 are the rearest of SA stories but boy are some of them good. And even Lois prtended to be a Jungle Queen to help Lana get her novel published so not all 100% shrewish but sheesh...

which is why "Superman  II" drives me NUTS!!!! :evil:

I'd put your #4 as Lois' real #1 motivation, Klar.  Arguably, everything else about her stems from her prime motivation to be the best journalist there is.

That certainly was captured magnificently in the Superman movies and IMHO reflects the books accurately.

This is even reflected in the current married-Lois.  She selfishly put her career first even though she knew Clark was near-death and being sought by all those super-villains trying to make a rep by killing him.  Diana came to Kal's rescue.  Lana did too.  Lois stayed on assignment in the Middle East.  Go figure.

Are you talking about the ACTION COMICS issues by Austen/Reis? Lois was in a war zone! She couldn't know it.

Captain Kal writes:



Interesting take.  I'm not sure I always saw it that way.  Certainly journalistic fame and glory seem to be her motivation for being so desperate to prove Superman's identity (but even then, it could just be for leverage in forcing him to marry her).  And I guess professional rivalry as much as romantic rivalry accounts for her fights with Lana.  But it doesn't explain why she wants Superman for a husband, unless she wants to write about being Mrs Superman for a series of articles...but that seems a bit beyond the pale even for someone like her.

You could just as easily make the argument that Lois only has the job as a way to stay in Superman's inner circle.  If she took up another profession, she might not bump into him nearly as often.  I always got the impression 50s and 60s Lois was a husband-hunter first and a journalist second...another reason not to like her.  It's possible to portray Lois as simply so focused on a story that she lands in danger (Terri Hatcher managed this) rather than a nincompoop born with no sense of personal safety, or worse, who assumes she'll end up saved by Superman anyway so why worry?  But often I got the feeling "classic" Lois risked her neck as a way to get Superman's attention.

Again, if you're going to include screen portrayals here, I rather liked what Ms Hatcher did...I could imagine Superman thinking "She's such a dedicated crusader how can I not love her?"  On the other hand, Ms Kidder came off as abrasive and pushy, a reporter whose ego didn't really match up to her abilities (come to think of it, a pretty accurate portrayal of most reporters!).  I guess I could see Superman taking her on as a charity case just because she's such a mess, but love her?  I doubt it.  Noel Neill you had to love as a sweet-hearted girl next door, but there wasn't much va-va-voom there...she was more a sister type.  Phyllis Coates I think was probably the best...sexy, tough without being annoying, compentent enough to hold her own when things got tough.  And not all that interested in Superman as a romantic partner.  I find Lois actually becomes more appealing when Superman has to win her over.  At any rate, it makes her "working girl" gimmick more believable.  It's hard to take her seriously as a hard-hitting journalist if she acts like a love-sick teenager whenever Big Blue enters the room.

I believe in a subsequent story with Lana confronting Lois, she was aware of it.  Superman being in that vulnerable state with everyone gunning for him was global news and it did reach even the Middle East.  Lois really didn't have an excuse for Lana when confronted about it strongly suggesting she knew but just decided Clark could handle anything himself.  Even Martha supported Lana's take saying Lois wasn't as supportive a wife as she should be (and nailed Lana at the same time saying she had her chance so let Clark go).

I for one, was always impressed by Lyra Lerrol, the chief qualification being that she had not two, but THREE Ls in her name.

Seriously, though, there was something very tragic about that story, which cast a pallor over Superman's other loves. The idea of a love that has a shadow of terrible, inevitable doom over it - I was always a sucker for that Michael Moorcock type stuff. The Lyra Lerrol story conjured up all the right emotions: tremendous tragic melancholy, and at the same time, very real passion. The degree of frigid, Norweigian sexlessness about superhero romances (and romance stories in most media in general) made prose like Jerry Seigel's in that story all the more astonishing: "Their kisses had such heat that it made the explosion building at the core of the planet as frosty as a glacier." WOW. I had to hose down my comics collection after that. Possibly the highlight of Jerry Siegel's writing career.

For a guy with as many girlfriends as Superman, he does not show a great deal of romantic savvy or experience. This, incidentally, is a dead-on characterization: one of the best things about Superman is his lack of subterfuge. Superman spent the entire Silver Age in trouble with women somehow, whether it was Lois and Lana performing scheming catfights or elaborate plots. Only the equally women-inexperienced Archie and Spider-Man were in as much hot water as Superman tended to be. Except during Wolfman's run when he dated Lana and stories like Maggin's "Who Took the Super out of Superman?" Superman never really wooed, never really sought to express his passionate feelings. It would not surprise me if Superman has not really been laid yet - or at least did so much later than normal.

As for Lois Lane, I really like her. Firstly because the idea of a mythic, immortal cosmic being like Superman getting together with an ordinary, mortal woman is much more beautiful and romantic than two immortals getting together (which is why Superman/Wonder Woman or Superman/Lemaris is rather boring to me). What many consider Lois's ruthlessness I think, is a very nervous way of saying she was competent. Many people are dismissive of members of the opposite sex that are manipulative, despite their other positive qualities; for this reason, many intelligent women don't like James Bond and dismiss him as a "male chauvanist" or "male fantasy projection."

It's no coincidence that Lois is best written when she is savvy and competent. Diana Dane, the Lois Lane analogue in Alan Moore's SUPREME, solved as many dillemmas as he did, including defeating through logic Szazs the Sprite Supreme, and figuring out Supreme's identity all by herself. The worst lapses in characterization have been when Lois is portrayed as an easily manipulated twit; in other words, when she isn't ruthless ENOUGH!  :D

LOL... :D

But I have to disagree, Lyla Lerrol seemed way too rushed into a character, aloof, always tilting her head in an Ava Gardner "movie star" manner...I can't really blame Siegel, he had a limiteed number of pages to tell the story, but Lyla Lerrol always struck me as a cold woman, and then poof, I never saw her again until "Krypton's Second Doom" and then she was a robot and yet the exact same romance evolved again...maybe Supes LIKED that...

I am just not sure Siegel was real adept at developing a huge sweeping Silver Screen romance, I liked his take on hard boiled reporters that snoop into trouble better...I even think that Lori Lemaris had a more developed story and sense of tragedy when she and Clark met in college...

Siegel was always one of the very best Superman writers ever, heck he did know the character better than anyone else after all ;) While Siegel was best known for his dark Sliver Age Superman tales which were great, he also wrote a lot of those wacky Bizzaro stories and as this story shows he also could write romance. He could do it all.

Whelp, I liked the story, Lyla Lerrol still leaves me cold...maybe she needed to be a movie star to advance the plot, but her character seems to be a shallow movie star... 8)

I really liked pre-Crisis Superman's marriage to Linda Danvers during PAD's "Many Happy Returns" arc.

After all the LLs, there was the MM that had a crush on him -- Mary Marvel -- but I don't think that ever went anywhere.  She didn't have any fatal flaws like being his first cousin, a mermaid, a normal human he might have a hard time procreating with, from a dead planet, etc. so it would've never worked out, I'm sure.

Well, aside from the abomination that PAD presented as the Silver Age DCU (like living in Disneyland?, pink kryptonite?), the Linda Danvers marriage wasn't too bad.

Mary Marvel had a major drawback the rest of them didn't have back then.  She was from another universe altogether.  Talk about a long-distance relationship.  Even if Superman could get over his obsession with 'LL' ladies (j/k), it doesn't look like he'd abandon his home universe and the same would go for MM.

Captain Kal, granted that "Earth-1" variant was exaggerated to the point of parody, but with only six issues Peter David didn't have the time to be subtle, and he needed to stress the differences in this world and why his Kara Zor-El was initially such a naive innocent.  Also, remember we're learning about this world from LINDA'S skewed perspective, so the cynical comments about "Pleasantville" need to be seen in this context.

As for Superman's best girlfriend, I see nobody has mentioned Sally Selwyn.  Is this because she never knew "Jim White" was Clark Kent, let alone SUPERMAN?

I understand that there was supposed to be a story where Sally visited Metropolis and recognized Clark.  Supes tried to fool her like he did to Lois and Lana so many times before, but ultimately couldn't.  But this tale was dropped in mid-development by the Bryne reboot.   :cry:

But what would have happened if Superman revealed himself to Sally?  Would Sally be a parallel to Silver St. Cloud -- a woman who loved "Bruce Wayne" but was deathly afraid he'd be hurt or killed as Batman?  Sally disliking the fact that her "Jim" was constantly risking his life as Superman would have been an interesting reversal of Lois idolizing the Man of Steel but underappreciating Clark Kent.

I just had a thought about how Superman's thoughts on how he might feel about his situation with women.

Though I think his characterization of Superman was off in many ways, Alan Moore's annual, "For the Man Who Has Everything" had a story where Superman was given a dream existence. He dreams himself back on Krypton (which is obvious; Superman always pined for his beloved native world, the only place he isn't lonely and feels at home), but who is he married to? Lyra Lerrol. Obviously it wasn't the TRUE Lyra, as she would be much older, however, if his great and fondest wish was marriage to Lois, wouldn't he be married to her and living on Rokyn? Or Lori Lemaris, with himself undergoing merconversion and the two living in Atlantis?

Interesting he would imagine himself, in his "fondest wish" with her.

If I remember right, the way Mongul described the effect of his plant thingy as feeding its victim a logical extrapolation of his heart's desire, or something to that effect. Which would mean that only the initial premise, Krypton not having been blown up, is Supey's desire. Obviously, a lot of the consequences he was shown weren't things he would desire at all, like Jor-El tarred as a crackpot and consorting with the Kryptonian equivalent of the Klan.

Of course, being married to the true Lyla wouldn't be logical or even possible due to the age difference. But it is logical that Kal would have a Kryptonian wife; the flower has to fill in the particulars of that somehow, and Supes has never really known any Kryptonian women his own age other than Kandorians and relatives like Kara.

That's closer to the way I read it myself...

Of course, Kal stinks with women, isn't this thread about who *I* like the best? :lol:

I like Lyla the best.

But I've already said that. The real reason I'm posting again is....

who is PAD? And why in the world would anyone want to be referred to as such?

"Hiya, PAD!"

PAD is Peter A. David, the very popular writer of S.F. novels and comics.

We posters have gotten into the lazy habit over the years of just using his initials to save on our typing.

I presume you weren't kidding ...

Also, he actually signs most of his correspondance as "PAD", and doesn't object to anyone calling him "PAD".  

DJ Superman and Liza Landis 4 ever...  :)

Ah, Peter David. Makes sense.

I just got confused because people on the forums are now not only using PAD to refer to Peter David, but also the Supergirl that he created. (i.e. will Kara ever meet PAD Supergirl?)

That's where I got confused.

Just to stir the pot a bit, and get back on-topic, Fleischer engaged in some disturbing Freudian analysis of Superman in his The Great Superman Book.  He suggested a lot of who Superman is stems from his Oedipal attachment to his mother Lara.  Like most children, he wished his father dead so he could marry his mother.  The horrible thing is, Kal-El got his wish, only he also lost Lara and his entire world.  In a child's mind, he subconsciously believes his wishes affect reality and he now fears his wishes and their consequences.

In one sense, his mother is perhaps his first and best 'girlfriend' as it is for most boys growing up.

In another sense, that tragic relationship colours how he approaches all other women.

Perhaps part of the reason he's made his Clark Kent persona weak and ineffective was a reaction to the terrible power of his wishes.  Also, a normal man in Liliput wouldn't see himself as a giant anymore than we see ourselves as gods when next to an ant hill.  Ergo, Kal-El doesn't see himself as a Superman but weak, baby Kal-El escaping Krypton's destruction, weak Clark Kent fleeing confrontation.

Thoughts?

I dimly recall a couple texts that mentioned Lara looked like Lois Lane, so maybe this is true.  But the reason I say "dimly" is because I intensely dislike the idea and try to ignore it.  :wink:

Personally I think Fleischer's grasping at straws.  Sounds like he just got out of a community college course in psychology theory.  I also think Freud is all wet, but that's another rant.

The truth is Lara is an also ran in the Superman mythos.  There is a tremendous fascination with Jor-El...it's always his inventions that come crashing to Earth, his journals, etc.  He invented the Phantom Zone, for example; the projector is a physical reminder of Jor that Kal handles often, and Jor's role as jailer motivates the villains in their schemes against Kal.  Mon-El's origin is tied to Jor-El, that Kandorian scientist (Nam-Uk?  Can't remember) is "an old friend of Jor-El." Kara is related to Kal through Jor-El's side of the family. In short, Jor-El casts a very long shaodow over Kal's life and Lara, in contrast, is a fairly undeveloped character whose role seems to fit the 50s mold of "dutiful housewife."  Later attempts to flesh her out as an astronaut did little to fix this.

If Superman has any hang-ups at all about his parents, I'd say he has an inferiority complex when he compares himself to his father.  I seriously doubt he has a Freudian hang-up over Lara.  The bottom line is, you have to read between the lines to get to that stuff, whereas the imposing legacy of Jor-El is right there on the page as plain as day.

Anyway, Kal was two when he left Krypton.  Can a two-year-old have an Oedipus Complex?  (I hope not...I'll have to keep a closer eye on my son!)

It IS true that Lara does look a lot like Lois Lane, which actually may be unintentional and say more about the intriguing mentality of the artists and animators.

It is true that men marry women who are like their mothers. Perhaps that accounts for Superman's interest in Lana Lang; she is an honest, folksy product of middle America just like his Earth-Mother, Mrs. Kent.

Although I've never seen any sign of Superman having anything resembling a degree of resentment toward his father. If anything, he idolizes and idealizes him, along with his mother, for their sacrifice to save his life.

Superman as an orphan, probably has all sorts of hang-ups psychologically. He has, however, a titanic strength of will and purpose so that he overcomes them to the point where they never even manifest except as unavoidable, crushing loneliness. I would say Superman's loneliness is the strongest part of his character, emotionally, which makes him sympathetic; the LIFE OF CLARK KENT backup stories wouldn't work without it, and conjures up incredible poignancy with moments like seeing Superman and Supergirl keep Kryptonian holidays despite the fact their world no longer exists.

That said, Superman's love life must be very frustrating, because as he is a fundamentally lonely person he must have an incredible desire to connect with others, and one that because of his duties as Superman can never truly be met. In this context, his Fortress of Solitude room with details and objects from Lois Lane makes more sense.

Here's a question: around the Daily Planet Office, is it a known fact that Clark Kent is an orphan?



Well put.

I can think of one exception to this rule, however: the Superman movie, where it is Lara, not the sleepwalking, tipsy Marlon Brando, that carries the full emotion and tears of that particular scene. It was she who got all the poignant lines and was able to express true emotional tenderness.



Just as long as you stay away from those creepy robot kids. Those guys suck!

SQWAAK! "No need to plug me in, Da-da! I'm alive, just like you!"

As I said, guys, I'm just stirring the pot.  I don't necessarily buy into Fleischer's analysis, but he does make some controversial points that stimulate conversation.

Another exception is Waid's Lara in Birthright.  BR Lara devised the simulation routines they were using to extrapolate Kal's chances in outer space.  BR Lara was the source of emotional strength and courage of the couple for saving Kal when Jor started to falter and nearly gave up.  Waid showed the best renditions of traditionally cardboard, stereotyped, foil characters like Lara and Martha and made them more fully equal in the supermythos for the first time.

And BR is in canon.  Superman: The Movie isn't.

Good point, Nightwing re: Jor-El casting such a large shadow while one has to search for Lara in the books.  It must be noted that a Maggin story with GL in World's Finest indicates Kal has not only inferiority but resentment issues towards Jor.  He resents being sent away like that and his father never came to get him again.  Maggin revisited this in his Last Son of Krypton novel.  (Maggin liked to steal from himself.)

Random bits:

- Pre-Crisis Superman has total recall dating back to his birth, and possibly before that.  It'd sure be creepy to remember your mom breastfeeding you, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.  

- Speaking of creepy Superman, few things creep me out more than watching that part of Superman II where he's just about ready to get it on with Lois.  He looks like a repressed molester stalker dude.

- I think Martha really came into her own with K Callan's portrayal in L&C.    I like the Kents being younger, but they got carried away with Smallville. (If Annette O'Toole were my adopted mom, I might have a complex!)

- Lara really started looking like Lois in the '70s, which is (coincidentally?) when Lois stopped being quite so obnoxious.  Lois looked like the Charlie Brown "Lucy" character all grown up for the longest time.

It has been stated that Superman has gaps in his memory as a result of exposure to Green K over the years, which is why, for example, he does not remember as an adult his meeting with Brainiac as a baby, and why he has to use a hypnosis machine as a frame story to remember his Superbaby tales.

At least that's what I'm *HOPING* - for Superman's sake -  is going on here.



Yeah, that goes down in history as being the least successful love scene in the history of ever.

Strange how it followed up by that wonderful scene of Superman cooking for Lois by going to the Amazon rainforest to get coffee beans and flowers and whatnot.

I do think Lois and Lara looked alike in some stories, but then very few artists over the years have been able to draw females in comics and have them come out looking very different.  Often they all have the same face and are only distinguished by hair color, glasses, a beauty mark, etc.  (Interestingly, Dinah Lance takes advantage of comic book truism by using a WIG for a disguise.  In the world of comics, a new hairstyle does indeed make all the difference between Woman A and Woman B).

I should interject here that Jaime Hernandez, Mike Allred and other groovy modern artists can do fantastic variations on the female face and form and have them all look beautiful yet different.  But not so much Shuster, Swan, Boring, et al.

Anyway, I was referring to a specific instance where I *think* it was actually *stated* that Lois and Lara looked alike.  Which takes us beyond the realm of speculation and into the realm of "the writer's trying to say something here." But again whatever he meant to say, I chose not to dwell on it!

I also don't want to imply that I don't have a fondness for Lara.  She's the idealized image all we boys have of our mothers; gorgeous, nurturing, kind-hearted.  And I always liked the version of the origin where she opts out of joining baby Kal in the rocket because he'll have better odds of making it to Earth without her added weight.  That's the act of a loving mother.

Anyway, I covered what I think about Kal-El's feelings for his parents, and how it shapes his character, at my fan site: http://nightwing.supermanfan.net/editorials/super-baby.htm

Finally, I agree the beautiful Susannah York did a great job in the movie, but it says something about Lara's place in the mythos that when she showed up as an advice-giving hologram in the sequel, I -- and I suspect lots of other fans -- thought it all would have had more gravitas and relevance coming from Jor-El.  I expected to Superman to say, "Yeah, that's nice mom.  Can I talk to dad, please?"

It can't have helped that Lara was often drawn next to "Superman with a headband" aka Jor-El.  Usually, the hair lengths were different, but I think the resemblance really started being notice-able in the '70s.


For pre-Crisis, my gold standard for women was Garcia-Lopez.


At the time I first watched, I was less concerned about that than by how different she looked than in Superman I, and wondering where the heck was this going.  I think I kind of expected Superman to slowly get into an advanced stage of getting it on, only to be interrupted by Zod and friends.  Then the way-cool "Superman gets stripped of his powers scene" comes up and I think "wow".  I remember that scene, definitely.

Allow me to add to this list Alan Davis, who is a brilliant artists simply because his characters do not share the same body type; in his Elseworld, THE NAIL, there was a splash page of all the members of the Justice League, and not only did each one have a different face, but each one had a different BODY as well (and for my money, Davis's handsome Aquaman sported the most impressive physique :D ), and in a group that size, that is indeed astonishing.

George Perez, at least in his in his later periods, can also be added to the list of artists who draw women idiosyncratically. Of course there is comparing his 1970s work with Jim Shooter to his visibly much more complicated, "busy" and sophisticated AVENGERS run with Busiek, naturally, but George is one of the most astonishing artists because even IN THE MIDST OF A RUN, it is possible to see his skill actually improve; his improvement is hardly gradual. For example, compare Avengers #2 ("Morgan Conquest") with AVENGERS #29 (the one where they battle Kulan Gath). In AVENGERS #2, you get a side-by-side portrait of She-Hulk with Carol Danvers, and while both are drawn well, She-Hulk has the exact same body as Carol, only a head taller. Now, get to AVENGERS #29, and the two have definite differences; She-Hulk has more muscle mass and is thicker and arguably more "ethnic" looking in body type.

Another artist who draws women as being different from one another is Don Heck. Okay, yeah, I can hear all of you out there groaning and making that face, but it is true: compare the looks of the Scarlet Witch with the Mantis in the final chapters of "Celestial Madonna." Don Heck's Mantis is clearly Oriental in features; while Dave Cockrum is an amazing artist, honest to God, guys, until I saw Heck's version of Mantis I thought she was Italian or something.

Not only can Don Heck draw women differently, he can draw women WELL; the moment he took over FLASH suddenly Iris West became the best looking woman in comics.



An insightful, accurate article that shows a true understanding of Superman. Should be required reading for any writer taking over Superman. Huzzah!