Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #8 is an issue of the series Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1959.
Synopsis for "The Superwoman of Metropolis!"
When Clark Kent ducks out of the Daily Planet to change into Superman and prevent a plane crash, it renews Lois Lane's suspicion that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person. When she comments that the revelation would make for a great birthday gift, Clark is inspired to pull a trick on her to convince her that he isn't Superman. He meets with Lois later as Superman and tells her to meet him at an old abandoned house with a costume fashioned after his. There he unveils a machine that will duplicate his powers into her as he is going on a mission and needs someone on Earth to uphold his style of policing.
With the powers transferred over, Lois becomes a Superwoman and is impressed at her super-human abilities, playing right into Superman's planned trick for her. As Clark Kent, Superman puts Lois in compromising situations where she has to prove that she is not a Superwoman.
Her first problem comes when they are covering a 10 year anniversary of the Metropolis time capsule, and it is struck by lightning, causing the safe down below to break open. Lois makes up an excuse to change into Superwoman and make the repairs, even going so far as to protect Superman's secret identity when a it falls out of the time capsule and Clark Kent tries to grab it. After that point, Clark spends every moment grilling Lois and trying to trip her up and see how easily she can keep her secret identity.
He purposely locks himself and Lois in the Daily Planet's walk-in safe and pretends to panic about the lack of air in the room, and Lois quickly and secretly punches a hole through the safe with her finger and points it out as a new air exchange. Later when she cancels a hair appointment, Clark attempts to cut her hair making the scissors break. Lois covers by showing that the scissors are already cracked by dropping them on the ground and using her x-ray vision to break them up. Later while out for dinner with Clark at an unsavory restaurant, Lois is shot at by a gunman, but she grabs the bullet. In order to cover, she claims the gunman missed and that she has an olive in her hand, and eats it before Clark can get a closer look.
Later, when they are catching a cab, Clark uses his x-ray vision to seal the door of the cab shut waiting for Lois to pull it off its hinges. When she does, he realizes he can't call her on it without revealing his own identity as well. Later when they are at the local fair, Lois spots an airplane ride with frayed cables. However, she cannot shake Clark before the cords break and the planes fall, forcing her to reveal her secret identity in front of Clark.
However, when Lois attempts to dive after the planes she finds that her powers have failed her. Clark then secretly uses his super-breath to save the planes. Later back at the Daily Planet, Clark "jokes" to Perry about how Lois pretended to be Superwoman. Lois decides to let the ribbing go on, realizing the importance of Superman maintaining his secret identity.
Appearing in "The Superwoman of Metropolis!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jimmy Olsen (Cameo)
- Perry White (Cameo)
- Superman
Antagonists:
- Knuckles Rourke (Cameo) (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Citizens of Metropolis (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Metropolis Police Department
- Anthony (Lois' hairdresser) (Phone call only)
- Restaurant Patrons (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Daily Planet
- File Room
- Lois Lane's Apartment
- North Street Warehouse
- Restaurant (Unnamed)
- Carnival
- Airplane Ride (In ruins)
- Daily Planet
Items:
- Superman's Super-Power Duplication Device
- Time Capsule
- Daily Planet Newspaper
Vehicles:
- Jet Airliner
Synopsis for "The Ugly Superman!"
Perry White assigns Lois Lane to cover a wrestling match so that it can be reported from a "women's angle." As she watches the matches, she comes to realize that this form of wrestling is not a sport per-se but sheer sensationalist entertainment. She focuses her attention more closely when the next match features a wrestler named "The Ugly Superman". Although he is winning the fight against the "Dutch Devil," the Ugly Superman is booed due to his physical appearance to the point where the crowd is throwing objects onto the stage after the Ugly Superman wins the match.
Lois Lane takes pity on the man and decides to visit him in his dressing room. There she praises the gentlemanly Ugly Superman for his performance which delights the man. Unfortunately, he takes things too seriously and appears at the Daily Planet the next day with a dozen roses and a box of chocolates for Lois. He also shows Lois a tattoo he got expressing his love and tells her that he has two tickets for the opera for them to see. When Lois tries to blow him off by saying that she and Clark Kent have to cover a play for the Daily Planet, the Ugly Superman becomes violent and tries to beat Clark up. In order to cover his double identity, Clark uses ink to make it appear that the Ugly Superman has blackened his eyes and caused him to have a nose bleed.
The Ugly Superman takes Lois to a diner where he tells her that he wants to show her off to her wrestler friends. When she refuses, the Ugly Superman believes that Lois has another "date" with Clark Kent and threatens to beat Kent up again if she doesn't go. Lois then has to sit through the opera with the Ugly Superman, who is embarrassing her by eating his snacks loudly. Unbeknownst to Lois Lane, Clark Kent has secretly been following them, amusing himself with Lois Lane's predicament, and now decides to intervene as Superman.
Disguising himself as an old man, Superman goes to the gym where the Ugly Superman is showing off his superior strength to try to impress his fellow wrestlers. However, with each feat the Ugly Superman pulls off the "old man" reveals them to be "hoaxes" by using his super-powers to make it appear as though the Ugly Superman is a fake. Suspicious, the Ugly Superman disrobes the old man revealing him to be the actual Superman. The Ugly Superman tries his best to harm the Man of Steel, but his attacks succeed in nothing more than making himself look foolish. The Ugly Superman, now thoroughly demoralized, admits that he's not worthy of Lois Lane, but vows to some day win her heart.
Months later, when Lois and Clark are watching a wrestling match they are surprised to find that the Ugly Superman had gotten plastic surgery to change his appearance and is now calling himself the Gorgeous Superman. When he tries to hook back up with Lois, she turns him down gently, saying that it doesn't matter if he is ugly or gorgeous, Lois only has feelings for the REAL Superman.
Appearing in "The Ugly Superman!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Superman
- (also disguised as Methuselah)
Other Characters:
- Daily Planet Sports Department (Mentioned only)
- Wrestlers
- Hairy Sam (Single appearance)
- Injun Ike (Single appearance)
- Sinbad the Sailor (Single appearance)
- The Gladiator (Single appearance)
- The Dutch Devil (Single appearance)
- Ugly Superman (Formerly) (Single appearance)
- (became known as the Gorgeous Superman)
- Wrestling Fans (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Ring Announcer (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Manager (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Opera Audience (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Opera Singer (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Twp Gym Weightlifters (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Daily Planet
- Perry White's Office
- Metropolis Arena
- Waterfront
- Harry's Hash House
- Opera House (Unnamed)
- 344 Clinton Street
- Clark Kent's Apartment
- Metropolis Gym
- Daily Planet
Items:
- Daily Planet Newspaper
- 500lb Weight (Destroyed)
- Metropolis Gym Office Safe (Destroyed)
Synopsis for "Queen for a Day!"
Lois Lane and Clark Kent are about to embark on a cruise that is the stage for the Annual American Newspaper Writers Convention. Part of the festivities include a costume contest and scavenger hunt. While Lois dresses up as Mars, the God of War/Miss Daily Planet, Clark dresses up as Superman. As they are looking for clues, Lois suggests they look in one of the life boats. As they are looking the support ropes break free and the waters carry them away from the cruise ship. With the ship out of sight, Clark rows them to a nearby island.
On the island, Clark begins stuffing SOS notes into coconuts and throwing them out into the sea in the hopes that someone will come and rescue them. Lois laments about how long it could take for them to be rescued and wishes Superman were around as he would save them in an instant. Exploring the island, Clark finds a sword embedded in stone and easily pulls it out. He quickly sticks it back in when Lois comes running with an army of warrior women behind her. To their shock, the women begin bowing before Lois and praising her as their ancient and legendary Amazonian queen. They tell her if she can pull the sword out of the stone she will be their queen. Unaware that Clark had loosened it when he pulled it out earlier, Lois is easily able to remove the stone, and the Amazon women praise Lois as their queen and leader.
When the women attempt to slay Clark, Lois stays their hand, not wishing her friend to be harmed. The Amazon women look to Lois to use her magic sword to get rid of a whale that has been attacking their fishing boats. As Lois goes to deal with the creature, Clark secretly uses his powers as Superman to send the whale packing, reaffirming to the Amazon women that Lois is their true leader. Next Lois is asked to prevent a volcano from erupting, a task that Lois seemingly accomplishes thanks to the secret intervention of Superman.
Telling the Amazons that she must go, they say that she has to return the sword to the stone and make it so nobody can remove it for another century. This task is also accomplished by the secret assistance of Superman. While the Amazon women and Lois are distracted by the sword, Superman uses his super-breath to blow one of his SOS coconuts onto the deck of a nearby Naval vessel. When the sailors come to rescue them, Clark takes Lois back to the sword to discredit her belief that the sword was magic by secretly deflecting a lightning bolt off his chest and making it strike the stone, leaving Lois to believe that it was a lightning strike that loosened the sword to begin with. On their way back to Metropolis, Lois reminisces over being a queen for a day.
Appearing in "Queen for a Day!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Whale
Other Characters:
- American Newspaper Writers Annual Convention
- Writers (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Ocean Liner Captain (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Amazons (Unnamed)
- United States Navy
- Lieutenant (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Admiral (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
- Sailor (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Metropolis Dock
- Atlantic Ocean (Unnamed)
- Island (Unnamed)
- Volcano
- Island (Unnamed)
Items:
- Magical Golden Sword
Vehicles:
- Ocean Liner (Unnamed)
- Pool Deck (Unnamed)
- Ballroom
- Lifeboat
- USN Aircraft Carrier (Unnamed)
Notes
- This issue contains the following extras:
- What's Your B.Q.? public service advertisement
- Peg gag strip
- The whole issue is reprinted in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane Archives Vol. 1.
- The Superwoman of Metropolis! was reprinted in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #95.
- The Ugly Superman! was reprinted in:
- Lois Lane appeared last in Superman #128. She appears next in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #36.
- Jimmy Olsen appeared last in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #35. He appears next in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #36.
- Perry White appeared last in Action Comics #250. He appears next in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #36.
- Superman appeared last in Superman #128. He appears next in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #36.
- The Ugly Superman appears next in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #54.
- According to the first story in this issue, and the third story of Superboy #72, Kal-El always had technology capable of transferring his super powers into other people.
Trivia
- It was Lois Lane's birthday in The Superwoman of Metropolis! and she received Superman's powers as a gift.
- In the Letters to Lois from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #11 a reader mentioned that in The Ugly Superman! on page 5 panel 4 Clark Kent's glasses were broken even though, as the reader mentioned, the glasses are supposed to be indestructible. The editor's response was "We goofed."
- In The Ugly Superman! Superman disguised himself as Methuselah who per Biblical history was the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. He lived to the ripe old age of 969.
- In the Letters to Lois from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #11 a reader mentioned that in Queen for a Day! Clark Kent, while wearing a Superman costume, keeps his glasses on while in the presence of Lois and the Amazons. But on page 7 panel 5 the glasses weren't on his face. The editor's response was "The artist goofed."
- It is possible that the island of Amazons from Queen for a Day!, may in fact be Paradise Island - the home of Wonder Woman. However, it is just as likely that the culture featured in this story belongs to a distinctively different group of Amazons.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superman Family Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- DC Comics Presents (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 2)
- Supergirl (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 2)
- Superman (Volume 1)
- Superman Family (Volume 1)
- Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (Volume 1)
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)