My Ideal Lois

[PatrickG]

Picture this: Ella and Sam Lane are farming folk from Pittsdale. When the farms shut down and the mines dried up, the place became a ghost town. Sam enlisted in the army and raised his daughters Lucy and Lois on the road. Lucy acclimated fairly well but Lois, ripped from her kindergarten playmates, always had a bit of resentment. Lucy was the sweet but spoiled one while Lois never quite got her footing. By her teens, Lois was the rebellious one, listening to loud music and sneaking out at night -- developing quite the stealth skills along the way. The only real moment of bonding she had with her father was when he taught her judo. He figured that if she was going to go sneaking around, at the very least he'd make sure that she'd be safe. She never got the chance to fit in because they moved so much and was humiliated by her prom date. She promptly broke three of his ribs with a swift kick and Sam was quietly proud of his daughter although he'd never admit that to Ella.

Distrustful and a bit cynical, this jaded Cindarella became a keen critical thinker but gave up on human beings' worth. She turned to journalism as a means of exposing people before they could hurt her.

Behold Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. Her hair is dyed raven black. She periodically wears non-prescription horn-rimmed glasses. She wears lots of purple and loepard print skirts and is addicted to collecting retro vinyl albums that she plays at full volume to annoy her neighbors. She's the force of nature in the office and everyone but Perry and Jimmy are afraid to approach her. Pretty much the only men in her life are the ones whom there is no romantic prospect with. There's an office pool going on whether she's a lesbian. She hangs out at the neighborhood bar, drinking the locals under the table. She's a sexy but very intimidating Hunter S. Thompson in a skirt.

Enter Clark Kent. The boys in the office think Perry is hazing the new guy by pairing him with Lois... But he's not. Perry is an excellent judge of people and he wants to show Lois that the world isn't all black and white by forcing her to come in regular contact with a decent human being. Clark needs to see the darkness in the world and Lois needs to see the light. Perry, in his wisdom, knows that the news is about a balance of perspectives. Lois knows that Perry knows this and does everything to prove him wrong by being hard on Clark.

And enter Superman. Hardened Lois is as confused as can be, and for the first time in a long time, her heart starts to open up.

[The Shadow]

She's the force of nature in the office and everyone but Perry and Jimmy are afraid to approach her. Pretty much the only men in her life are the ones whom there is no romantic prospect with.
Sounds like Margot Kidder from the Superman movies (specifically 1 and 2).

My ideal Lois is the one from the old Fleisher studio caroons... always getting in trouble but always going after the story. My girlfriend is a reporter and she's a fan of this Lois as well.

[JulianPerez]

Picture this: Ella and Sam Lane are farming folk from Pittsdale. When the farms shut down and the mines dried up, the place became a ghost town. Sam enlisted in the army and raised his daughters Lucy and Lois on the road. Lucy acclimated fairly well but Lois, ripped from her kindergarten playmates, always had a bit of resentment. Lucy was the sweet but spoiled one while Lois never quite got her footing. By her teens, Lois was the rebellious one, listening to loud music and sneaking out at night -- developing quite the stealth skills along the way. The only real moment of bonding she had with her father was when he taught her judo. He figured that if she was going to go sneaking around, at the very least he'd make sure that she'd be safe. She never got the chance to fit in because they moved so much and was humiliated by her prom date. She promptly broke three of his ribs with a swift kick and Sam was quietly proud of his daughter although he'd never admit that to Ella.

Distrustful and a bit cynical, this jaded Cindarella became a keen critical thinker but gave up on human beings' worth. She turned to journalism as a means of exposing people before they could hurt her.

Behold Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. Her hair is dyed raven black. She periodically wears non-prescription horn-rimmed glasses. She wears lots of purple and loepard print skirts and is addicted to collecting retro vinyl albums that she plays at full volume to annoy her neighbors. She's the force of nature in the office and everyone but Perry and Jimmy are afraid to approach her. Pretty much the only men in her life are the ones whom there is no romantic prospect with. There's an office pool going on whether she's a lesbian. She hangs out at the neighborhood bar, drinking the locals under the table. She's a sexy but very intimidating Hunter S. Thompson in a skirt.

Enter Clark Kent. The boys in the office think Perry is hazing the new guy by pairing him with Lois... But he's not. Perry is an excellent judge of people and he wants to show Lois that the world isn't all black and white by forcing her to come in regular contact with a decent human being. Clark needs to see the darkness in the world and Lois needs to see the light. Perry, in his wisdom, knows that the news is about a balance of perspectives. Lois knows that Perry knows this and does everything to prove him wrong by being hard on Clark.

And enter Superman. Hardened Lois is as confused as can be, and for the first time in a long time, her heart starts to open up.

Oh wow, Patrick, that's magnificent. I really, really wish you'd get a gig as a DC comics writer; some fans have better ideas than some creators.

It does some things that previous Lois Lanes have never done:

Update her in a way that remains true to her essential personality. The way updates are usually made is to alter the personality to fit the role, instead of keeping the personality and altering the props.

I for one, would love to see an update of Mr. Tawny, the Talking Tiger, because THE SORT OF PERSON THAT TAWNY IS, IS STILL AROUND. Would Mr. Tawny listen to NPR, and hang out at Starbucks at all hours? I believe he would!

It gives Lois Lane a reason that she would be into Superman. It makes one aspect of the Super-Mythos far less arbitrary: why IS it after all, that Lois is in love with Superman? The reason you provide is that she is by her very nature, attracted to his inherent goodness and incorruptibility. The Silver/Bronze Age explanation for Lois's love for Superman is that he is a unique and powerful individual; thankfully, in the 1980s under Cary Bates and others, Lois stopped being his "Girl Friend" and acquired her own unique identity.

It incorporates Lucy Lane. Props for using Jimmy Olsen's girlfriend instead of ditching her.

It updates Lois's wardrobe. I just don't understand why people feel they need to update Lois's personality, but feel the need to keep her either powerdressing, or reviving her 1950s "flight attendant" wardrobe. Lois can wear the frilly shirts and skirt, but as long as she behaves lovingly toward Clark, it's not Lois.

It gives Lois back her cynicism. While the SUPERMAN RETURNS movie looks incredible, I take exception to the casting of "pretty, perfect" girl Kate Bosworth as Lois. Lois was not an idealized female figure, as the Sam Raimi Mary Jane was. She has a personality and vivaciousness, which this preserves.

I do have some problems with it, however:

It makes the Lois and Clark romance inevitable. Was there anything more tiresome in the universe than the Lois and Clark romance on the television show of the same name? The POINT of Clark Kent is that Lois is dismissive of him, that's where the humor and irony comes from.

If you could come up with an explanation for why Lois would love Superman but keep Clark Kent dismissable, it would be perfect.

Though various explanations to account for this have fallen flat, tragically. For instance, in SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, the explanation was that Lois was hip and urbane, whereas Kent was boring and from 'Smallville.' Which is a very different reason than ignoring him because Clark Kent is a dismissable, mildmannered doofus: a nice guy, but one who finishes last.

EDIT: Although I don't know if I'd agree with the Lois knowing Judo thing. Hey, what's wrong with Klurkor? :)

[LordEd1976]

Although I don't know if I'd agree with the Lois knowing Judo thing. Hey, what's wrong with Klurkor? :)

I like the idea of Lois knowing martial arts. It gives her a way to defend herself. As for Klurkor, no one's said there's anything wrong with it. There's no reason she can't pick it up later and add it to her skills.

[Kilgore Trout]

I have always felt that while their interactions were enjoyable pre marriage, I think that together, they make a TERRIBLE couple...

The problem in my mind is simple...

Lois Lane, is the masculine personality in the relationship, while Superman is the feminine and nurturing personality :eek:

It just doesn’t work…

In my mind Lois just comes off as too manly and I cannot to this day figure out what Superman see’s in her. Personally I find nothing attractive about an aggressive, over assertive female…

I'm all for Lois being a big part of the mythos... But she was created to be the foil of Superman and NOT his soul mate.

Writers should work THAT angle and STOP with the relationship which has NEVER been done justice...

[JulianPerez]

In my mind Lois just comes off as too manly and I cannot to this day figure out what Superman see’s in her. Personally I find nothing attractive about an aggressive, over assertive female…

We-e-e-ll, that sort of thing varies from person to person, really; maybe Superman respects strong women.

I'm all for Lois being a big part of the mythos... But she was created to be the foil of Superman and NOT his soul mate.

Quite true!

It is unfortunate that writers seem to feel that Superman and Lois are destined for one another. Really, in the comics the situation was much more complicated and interesting. Superman had all sorts of other relationships and girlfriends that were equally interesting and meaningful: Lori Lemaris, the Silver Age Superwoman, Lana Lang,

Writers should work THAT angle and STOP with the relationship which has NEVER been done justice...

I'm not against Super-Marriages, but some super-marriages have worked and others have not.

An example of one marriage that had a real humorous dynamic and passion was the Hank Pym/Jan Pym relationship. Their divorce was truly tragic, and it is very gratifying to see Busiek and Perez restore the passion that the characters had. He was a big stick in the mud, and she was a party girl trying to get him to lighten up. These two were deeply in love, and their relationship brought out their personalities. They were stronger together than apart.

One marriage that has NOT worked, however, and is not believeable is the Wally West marriage to that Asian woman whose name I don't remember right now. Mark Waid's FLASH wedding is a classic case of "tell don't show" in characterization. Previously to Waid, Wally West was made endearing because he was a Peter Pan type that feared commitment, who made all the wrong choices with his love life, and was often with woman after woman. He'd rather face Grodd, Captain Cold, and Chester P. Runk all at the same time before even considering tying the knot! If Messner-Loebs had continued to write FLASH, it might have been interesting to watch the Flash acquire maturity and MAYBE, maybe get married, like that rowdy drinking buddy of yours gets married and has three kids.

But Mark Waid put the cart before the horse. He gives us the Flash marriage as proof that Wally had matured. When it ought to be the opposite: the Flash has to mature on camera BEFORE we can accept the Flash marriage.

[SuperManny]

I have always felt that while their interactions were enjoyable pre marriage, I think that together, they make a TERRIBLE couple...

The problem in my mind is simple...

Lois Lane, is the masculine personality in the relationship, while Superman is the feminine and nurturing personality :eek:

It just doesn’t work…


Actually, that's usually the ideal relationship -the couple complements each other based on the fact their personalities are quite the opposite!

I have a hard time figuring out how they make a terrible couple when they haven't been written as such.......

[Kilgore Trout]

We-e-e-ll, that sort of thing varies from person to person, really; maybe Superman respects strong women.

For me there's a BIG difference between a 'strong woman' and an aggressive, over-assertive woman... I mean, I can't stand aggrestive, over assertive people let alone wanting/having one for a girl friend... Again, that's me...

I have NO PROBLEM with Lois's personality as it involves the whole Superman mythos... I have A PROBLEM as it relates to the marriage...

Lois Lane is too over the top and too masculine for MY tastes... And while I'm sure there are plenty of people that enjoy being dominated by a female personality, Superman jsut doesn't seem like one of those fellows to me... (Although the current incarnation might be an exception to the rule and requires a 2nd mommy figure... :)

Actually, that's usually the ideal relationship -the couple complements each other based on the fact their personalities are quite the opposite!
Well maybe in comic books but in real life I've found that people with disparate personalities rarely last...

I have a hard time figuring out how they make a terrible couple when they haven't been written as such.......

I think that's partially true... But I have a hard time figuring out what Superman see's in her aside from her "feistiness"... She's not particularly feminine in personality, she's NOT very nurturing and is seldom if ever portrayed as empathetic or sympathetic…

Great co-worker, crappy wife.

[SuperManny]

Well maybe in comic books but in real life I've found that people with disparate personalities rarely last...


Actually, I was talking about real life!

So, out of the friends that you have known that have separated, do you think the disparate personalities are completely opposite, or just plain incompatible?

Just wondering!

[Kilgore Trout]

Actually, I was talking about real life!

So, out of the friends that you have known that have separated, do you think the disparate personalities are completely opposite, or just plain incompatible?

Just wondering!

Great question...

Easy answer???

Don't have one... Its always more complex I suppose...

BUT there are always exceptions...

I think they've gone to a place where the readers are somehow supposed to believe that Lois "completes" Superman...

I just don't see what she brings to the table that's really so special that it couldn't be had somewhere else and I'm NOT talking about Wonderwoman (whom I believe IS Lois Lane w/superpowers...)

[MythicBrawn]

I thought Lois was extremely irritating with the Byrne reboot. Clark must have liked abuse because she was dishing it out something fierce back then. I didn't think her calling him Smallville was a term of endearment either. Looking at all her stories, she was always irritating. I think if I saw a guy with a girlfriend/wife like Lois, I would pity him.

It is decree since the inception of DC that Superman and Lois be together. My ideal Lois would be one that realizes that a relationship with Superman could never work. She would also recognize that she loves Superman and tolerates Clark Kent. In this regard, Lana Lang hit the nail on the head. My ideal Lois would not be married to Superman. End of story.