11. Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane Archives, Vol. 1 by Otto BinderMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
When I read the title, I had misgivings, completely and utterly justified misgivings, but it was a gift so I gave it a shot. The cover art for this collection is more promising than any of the stories within.
It's important to note the title reads, "Girl Friend" not "Girlfriend."
Lois mainly schemes to get Superman to ask her to be Mrs. Superman, gets scoops for the Daily Planet, and tries to uncover Superman's secret identity.
Superman spends most of his time dodging Lois's affections and covering his own tracks, or enlisting the help of her male friends to "teach her a lesson" with even more ridiculous schemes that often involve property damage he has to fix later. Really? He doesn't have people to save somewhere or a disaster to avert or the maturity to tell the truth about the situation or dilemma? He mostly comes off as patronizing and uninterested in Lois.
And don't get me started on the rubber masks that not only disguise but perfectly mimic another character's appearance time and time again.
These comics were all written in the late 1950s, so the sexism is to be expected. If you can look past that, there is an abundance of silly story lines from a simpler time.
Two years ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #102 Round One
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