Superwoman (Lois Lane)

Revision as of 19:43, 2 November 2006

In the first reference to a Superwoman (Act No. 60, May 1943) Lois Lane got into an argument with Clark Kent, walked angrily into the street, and was struck by an oncoming truck. Clark took her to the hospital, where she received a blood transfusion from Superman. When she awoke a short time later, she found that she had amazing powers, accidentally smashing her typewriter at the Daily Planet and finding herself able to leap great distances. However, since she apparently lacked the acting skills of Clark, she was instantly recognized as Lois Lane. The entire incident was apparently a dream or hallucination; Lois woke up in the hospital after undergoing a brain operation.

In another story, (S No. 45, Mar/Apr 1947) Superman encountered the faux-magicians Hocus (spelled in one frame as Hokus) and Pocus (see Hocus and Pocus, whom he had tricked into believing they had magical powers. After they "turned" Clark Kent into Superman to save Lois Lane's life, he was forced to play along and continue the deception. The two magicians subsequently "turned" Lois Lane into Superwoman, and Superman followed her around making her believe that she had actual superpowers. After she realized that she didn't know her own strength and wouldn't be able to live a normal life (a realization engineered by Superman) she convinced Hocus and Pocus to make her normal again.

In another story, (Act No. 156, May 1951: "The Girl of Steel") Lois gets super-powers temporarily by a vivanium machine made by Lex Luthor. She notices her powers when she rips off a steel door and holds backs a street-car. She converts herself to Superwoman (with blond hair) and meets Superman when a new press' flywheel goes haywire. As Superwoman she has trouble managing her strength, crashes a bank sign, has trouble getting a getaway car and avoiding a crash with a trolley. Later, she was manipulated by Lex Luthor to build a better vivanium machine, and when Superman catches Luthor, she loses her powers.

Lois Lane's imperfect Bizarro clone also got a shot at being superpowerful. As Stupor-Woman (Adv No. 288, Sep 1961) she was granted powers by Bizarro-Mxyzptlk, who was imprisoned for breaking the Bizarro Code.

In May 1943, as the result of being struck by an automobile on a Metropolis street, Lois Lane suffers a severe brain concussion and is rushed to the hospital, where “a delicate brain operation” is performed to save her life. Lying in her hospital bed, in a delirium, Lois has a startling dream. In it, an emergency transfusion of Superman’s blood restores her to full health almost instantly and transforms her into a Superwoman endowed with all the super-powers of Superman; after fashioning a sexy red-and-blue female version of Superman’s costume, Lois begins using her newly acquired powers to battle crime and injustice, ultimately rescuing Superman himself from the clutches of a maniacal renegade scientist named Dr. Skowl; and finally, the now super-alluring Lois sweeps the Man of Steel passionately off his feet and romantically overwhelms him into agreeing to marry her. Moments later, however, Lois Lane awakes with a start to discover that her delicious acquisition of super-powers was only a fantasy and that she is still in her hospital bed, recovering from the emergency surgery that has saved her life (Act No. 60: “Lois Lane...Superwoman!”) (TGSB).