Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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For me, it's always been unclear as to whether it was Amazing Spider-Man Annual #6 or a coverless Superman comic featuring Lois Lane and a piano. The latter having been obtained from a jumble sale at my local community centre.
Because of it being coverless, just what that Superman comic was has always been a mystery to me and many years have I spent trying to track it down.
But now I've triumphed and can announce it was Lois Lane #65 The Musical Murder of Superman from way back in 1966.
Before anyone panics, I should point out that, despite its title, Superman's not murdered at any point in the story - not even slightly.
However, that doesn't matter because, as the cover reveals, it's an imaginary tale.
This is, of course, in contrast to all those true Superman tales we've read, over the years.
In it, thanks to being zapped by a statuette, Lois becomes temporarily evil and teams up with Metropolis super-criminal Lexo, to become the nefarious Lola.
What the world doesn't know is Lexo is, in reality, also acclaimed humanitarian pianist Luthor.
With Superman out of the way, nothing can stop them! Nothing!
Unfortunately, that's when Lois' evil wears off and when Luthor's conscience gets the better of him.
You see, before he met Lois, he'd only stolen things so he could raise money for local charities. It was the bad influence of Lois that had sent him down the path of thieving for profit.
Suitably overwhelmed with guilt at their actions, the pair revive Superman from his paralysis and, still unaware that Luthor is Lexo, Superman arrests Lois, whereupon she's sentenced to ten years hard labour for her crimes. You have to hand it to the Metropolis criminal justice system, when it comes to punishment, it doesn't mess about.
Luthor, of course, cannot stand to see his beloved Lois in prison and launches an audacious raid to rescue her, only to quickly be shot dead by a guard.
Lois convinces the courts she wasn't responsible for her crimes - that it was the statuette that had made her do bad things - and she's released but, as the story concludes, it's made clear to us - and Superman - that she'll never, ever, get over her love for Luthor.
That aside, like all Superman-related stories from this era, it's completely daft but charming and its big selling point - apart from Luthor and Lois' marriage - is the art of Kurt Schaffenberger which is as consistently likeable as always.
Schaffenberger does seem to be one of those artists who get habitually ignored but he had a lovely style, a way with emotions and an obvious wit, and I can't remember him ever turning in an art job that wasn't completely impeccable.
The script's by Jerry Siegel, lending the tale a pleasing tie to the characters' very beginnings.
So, there you go; my twin introductions to American super-heroics were Amazing Spider-Man Annual #6 and Lois Lane #65 and, to be frank, there could be worse ways to first encounter the full colour derring-doings of colour-packed derring-doers.
And how appropriate that those two books should introduce me to the two heroes who are totemic of America's two biggest comic publishers. It's almost as though Fate itself was somehow guiding events...
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19 comments:
Steve- great post! First, it's always cool when you can finally identify a book that as long been a mystery.
Second, that Lois Lane book is a perfect example of the wackiness found in Weisinger era Superman. Love that cover.
Third, glad you sent some love for Kurt Schaffenberger.His work was consistent, clear and satisfying, and pleasing to the eye.
As for my first comic- it was a Superman issue, 203 if memory serves. Killer beams shooting from Superman's chest doing a number on Perty, Lois and Jimmy. At nearly the same time I discovered Marvel thanks to Amazing Spider-Man 52, with the Kingpin.
Oh, and to flip your question- my first UK comic was an issue of Avengers/Savage Sword of Conan that I bought off Ebay a couple of years ago. Had always wanted to see one in person, so I finally pulled the trigger.
My first American comic would have been bought In a shop at the seaside as that was the only place I ever saw them, generally months or years out of date. Anyway, I think it was that MTU with Human Torch and Son Of Satan, I can't remember anything about what was inside it, except that I was confused about how the Son Of Satan could be a superhero.
And it was only years later that I discovered that the vast majority of MTUs featured Spider-Man. Based on my limited exposure, I imagined that it was all shared around a bit more,
Red, I loved that Conan/Avengers merged comic. Which issue of it did you get?
Dangermash, I think my favourite portrayal of the Son of Satan was the very earliest one where he was basically a bad guy - just one who was opposed to Satan.
Steve- the Avengers/ Savage Sword issue I got is number 109, with the cover of the Avengers vs. The Invaders. It has a nice Buscema-Chan Conan tale, "The Fall of the Towers" and also a Master of Kung Fu story. It's a treat to see Buscema's art in glorious black and white on both the Avengers and Conan stories. Plus your UK editions were larger than a typical US comic, so the reproduction is a bit clearer...
I remember it well, Red. Sadly, the book all but disappeared from my local newsagents after that issue and I only managed to get my hands on four more issues of it before its cancellation at issue #148.
Steve - a wonderful write up! Thanks for that! There is something to those DCs that are entertaining in their own way, especially if you don't read them with the intent of comparing them to Marvels.
I recall probably the earliest DC comic I read either involving the villain Validus with his big, pink brain-head and 3-fingered hands. But I have no specific recollection beyond Validus. That said the earliest one I recall actually reading was a $.25 8--page Batman annual from around 1967.
As far as my earliest Brit comic... well... it's going to be a DC Thomson Dennis the Menace Annual from the early 1960s. Given they were only printed every other year there are not many options, but I've never narrowed it down. It may have involved either an Anaconda with "Dad's" slipper whacking Dennis or a fan blade, with 4 slippers on the 4 blades, whacking Dennis. Anyhow, when we'd visit my Scottish great aunt, we'd head straight for the collection of DC Annuals and Dennis was the prime go-to!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: that Lane woman is no damn good. Nothing but trouble. Her and that goddam punk Jimmy Olsen.
I know this older guy, somewhat, he's a Viet Nam combat vet who used to work with my brother. He's retired. He's a good friend of my brother's and a friend of the family, really. A terrific guy. He used to have a wife named Lois Lane! We never met her, it was a long time ago when he was a young guy. I think they got divorced. It's my understanding that she was Native American. My brother saw a picture and said she was a real knockout.
I dunno if it was a coincidence or not, the name.
M.P.
Well, I can't agree with my old pal M.P.
Great post Steve - Lois Lane Sunday might not be as alliterative as your old Supergirl feature, but it'll do in the Maid of Might's continued absence.
Funnily enough, one of my first American comics was a Lois Lane, #114.
The main story was from Lois' "relevant" era, in which following her time as a black woman (!) she goes to a demo against property developers in the Little Africa (!!) area of Metropolis; a kerfuffle ensues with construction workers manipulated by right-wing nutcases who want to make America great again, but Superman - with some help from the Thorn - sorts it all out so everyone's happy. Except the right-wing nutcases.
Looks like that "S" on Supes' chest stands for SJW. Good for him.
The back up was an endearingly daft Schaffenburger reprint - Lois gets caught up in a hospital accident (did you know in her spare time off from being an investigative journo she worked as a volunteer nurse?) devolving her into a humanoid reptile, which turns out to be part of a Superman and Supergirl plan to take down some midget alien space pirates.
Its a pretty great comic actually, although Lois' ditzy longing after Superman can be quite annoying. Girl, get a backbone.
-sean
I would hasten to assure my friend Sean I was speaking in jest. I'm stupidest when I try to be funny.
I very much enjoy these one-issue reviews, Steve, particularly because they're reviews of somewhat obscure D.C. comics. Such a subject is ripe for commentary!
I didn't start reading comics until the early '70's and my knowledge of '60's DC is pretty much from reprints, which D.C. was churning out at prodigious clip. Remember them Dollar Comics? But reading them is like observing a very different alternate universe from a safe perch, (in a Grant Morrison story Ultraman mockingly described it as "a perfect sunlit puffball of a world"). They are not without their charm, and it is nice to take a break from our present calamity. I can't help but wonder, though, how long I would last there before going completely insane. Sean will no doubt say I'm halfway there already.
I was glad to read Jerry Siegel wrote this; I was unaware he was still active in comics at this point.
M.P.
Only halfway? I don't think I'd say that M.P....
Btw, you were muttering something about checking out the Craig Russell Elric comics last time. They're worthwhile (obviously) but unfortunately the best of them, Stormbringer - done with Neil Gaiman - seems to be out of print at the moment.
You might want to look into the amazing French Elric comics, which Titan have been putting out in English translations.
I'd add a link, but... you know. Search "Elric" on the Titan Comics site (they publish the other Russell ones too).
-sean
"Well played, good sir" he says through gritted teeth.
And I was was not muttering, I was typing, in a proud manner.
Badly and in a disjointed manner, I'll grant you.
I'll check that out, but somehow I think Russell will always be the definitive version for me. I was a kid when I first came across it. There seems always to be an attachment to things from our youth. That's why we're all here!
My local library has suspended the wonderful "inter-library loan" service, apparently because of Covid and the attendant chaos, but when they get it up and running again I'm gonna put in some requests for Moorcock books. Phil knows what I'm talking about.
Our library has a piss-poor collection but they used to be able to temporarily acquire anything except maybe the Necronomicon.
If I get my hands on that, watch out.
M.P.
M.P. - damn right, I do!
Phillip
Those Lois Lane comics are messed-up. Even the ones that were true, not imaginary.
Probably not my very first comic, but the first one I remember was AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #6. My oldest brother acquired it somehow, probably in a schoolyard trade or somesuch. He couldn’t have just bought it off the spinner-rack — it was published in ‘63, I would have been just 2 years old. Anyhow, it had Spider-man fighting The Lizard on the cover, and it kinda scared the crap outta me.
- b.t.
Thats a really good point about Spidey #6 - its easy to forget how Steve Ditko's imagery could impact on young kids.
I tend to attribute much of the early success of Marvel to the sheer strangeness of Ditko and especially Kirby's artwork. Just compare their stuff to the much cleaner, straighter look of the contemporary DC comics.
The first Marvels I can recall were some of the early FF stories - in the b&w MWOM reprints - which made a vivid impression even a decade after they were drawn. The Thing in particular was very striking.
You read a lot about Kirby's work being epic, cosmic and whatever, but it could also be visceral and even disturbing (for a kid). One of my favourite comments about him was from Samuel Delany saying that he found Kirby to be an interesting artist because his work had a gnarled quality, where even the beautiful people had an underlying ugliness to them. So true.
-sean
I think that's true. Kirby's people looked weird and Ditko's people looked, to me anyway, even weirder.
There must have been some intangible quality(s) that made their work as compelling as it was.
With John Romita Sr. it was the opposite. He could draw faces so beautiful it would impress a Renaissance artist. Angelic, really. But he was Italian, after all. Same with Buscema. Remember how Romita used to touch up all the covers when he was Art Director? Like Starlin's covers.
With Kirby I thought what struck me was a combination of wild imagery, and kinetic energy vs. sheer mass. Like, for example, the Hulk jumping around the desert like a big green grasshopper.
But I honestly can't say why Ditko's stuff is interesting.
It is, but I can't put my finger on it.
M.P.
Same here M.P. - I'm not as much of an admirer of Ditko as Kirby, but he definitely had something that made his images stand out and linger in the mind.
In that BBC documentary on Ditko Alan Moore wondered if his work was taken from dreams... It does have that quality to it, which would explain why its so individual and can register more deeply with readers than that of a "better" artist like Romita or Buscema.
-sean
Yeah, Sean, I saw that on You Tube and I assume it's still there. I'd recommend it to anybody who's curious about the guy. But you're not gonna find out much.
And frankly, that whole "Objectivism" philosophy gives me the creeps. It strikes me as cold-blooded.
Ditko remains an enigma, which is how he wanted it, apparently.
It's practically impossible for a public figure to pull that off successfully, but he managed it.
And he was a public figure, whether he thought of himself that way or not.
M.P.
Bt, do remember finding a lot of the early 1960s Marvel super-hero stories quite sinister, when I was little. They did often have a touch of Horror about them.
MP, I remember Siegel writing the odd story for Marvel in the mid-1960s.
Sean, I agree. Lois Lane stories could be magnificently mad.
Charlie, I didn't know Dennis the Menace had his own annuals that far back. I did have about three Beano annuals in the 1970s.
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