Current location:	Madtown, WI
Entry tags:	comics, gender in comics, superman is a dick

More "Superman Is A Dick" (Part 1)
If you've never seen the Superman Is A Dick cover gallery, I advise that you go over and take a look -- hours of unintentional hilarity!

Anyways, I've recently been reading Superman: The Dailies - 1939-1942, collecting the first years of the old newspaper strip. The main reason for this was that I was curious to see what Superman stories were like in their potentially "purest" form. Which is to say, when Siegel and Shuster were producing all the stories (albeit with a number of ghost artists assisting Shuster), before later writers came in and started ramping up his abilities to ridiculous proportions, and adding powers like laser vision and ice breath and the whole crystal sanctum thing.

The reason for my looking into the newspaper strip specifically, rather than the comic books, is because of evidence I've seen that Siegel and Shuster may've considered the strips to be more the "true" Superman than the comics. Not only did they use the strips to refine stories already done in the comics, but it was also filled plenty of new stories, and new concepts that were introduced here before the comics.

For example, the first time Superman's father and home planet of Krypton were given a name. Likewise, the strips were the first time we saw a bald Lex Luthor, the first time Superman changed in a phone booth, and the first time we saw Mr. Mxyzptlk.

The original concept Superman was brilliant in its simplicity, and slightly more science fiction based (like a Marvel hero). Basically, the idea was that Krypton was larger in size than Earth and had a greater gravitation pull, and the bodies of the people of Krypton had evolved to compensate for this level of gravity. So when Superman was shot to Earth as a baby, the lesser gravitational pull of Earth made everything seem lighter. Objects were easier to lift, bullets had less effect. He could easily run faster ("than a speeding bullet"), and leap great distances ("tall buildings with a single bound"). He couldn't fly, but he could leap high and far enough to almost make it appear that way.

On top of this, he also had heightened senses, the only explanation of which was that Krypton people were merely more evolved in general. So he had a finer sense of hearing, could see further away. He also seemed to develop X-Ray vision whenever it was generally convenient, which I'd say was the start of the "Superman as Mary Sue with a million powers" thing.

However, I was most amused/horrified to discover that even in Superman's earliest years, one trait was already firmly established: Superman Is A Dick.


Early in his crime-fighting career, Superman realizes that he needs a way to be aware of breaking news as it happens. In the 1930's, the best source of news is still the newspaper, so he decides to try getting a job as a reporter, constructing an alter ego. With no experience or contacts to his name, he walks into the office of the Daily Planet (then called the Daily Star), and tells the editor he'd like to be a reporter. The editor's response is basically "yeah, okay, if you can get an interview with this Superman character, I'll make you a reporter."

Meanwhile, the paper's star reporter Lois Lane is close to wrapping up a big expose, close to revealing the identity of a big mob boss. However, the mob aren't too happy about this. They kidnap her, with plans to do away with her entirely.

Luckily, Superman comes to the rescue. He was much more violent in these early days; after trashing the mobsters' car, he hops onto their plane just after it takes off, rips off the wings, and leaves them to plummet to their death. Except Lois, of course, who he rescues and returns to the Daily Star. Before taking off, he gives Lois a bit of advice:

It never is mentioned exactly what ends up being in this interview Clark apparently supplies. Not much apparently, because Lois still has a barrage of questions for Superman later.

At any rate, the editor apparently takes Superman's advice about the Lovelorn column to heart:



Clark apparently thinks the best way to make it up to her for the mistake he made (albeit as Superman) is to try asking her out:



Talking to the woman in the fourth panel results in a big scoop for Lois, which she goes to investigate. She brings Clark along as an excuse to go to some club where a shady character frequently hangs out. Things don't go to well, and Lois and Clark end up being led to a hideout by gunpoint. On the boat ride over Clark is thrown overboard and left behind, allowing him an opportunity to change into Superman. Upon saving Lois, he leaves only so he can apparently race back to the Daily Star before she's able to:



And continues trying to ask Lois out. Disappointed that she keeps turning him down, he goes to the editor to ask if he and Lois could work on a news story together. Is his intent to try and get the editor to let her back on as a field reporter? Turns out he has a slightly different motivation:





Apparently Clark ended up with sole credit for the story, because Lois is back to the Lovelorn column.

Finally one day Lois has had enough, and demands another chance at the news. Clark's dick-ish response in panel three is priceless:



Eventually Superman realizes it might be in his better interest to have Lois back on the news team, and decides to not use his powers to beat her to the story, at least this time:



How kind of you. ;-P