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GRADING THE MILLENIUM: SHOWCASE #9
SHOWCASE #9 Reviewed by Alex Bernstein
SHOWCASE #9 was the one I came closest to not buying. Yes, I
had nostalgic affection for JIMMY OLSEN and PLOP, and curiosity
for MILITARY COMICS and MORE FUN. But LOIS was a road I'd
been down once and felt I didn't need to revisit.
LOIS was one of those comics you bought when you were a kid, because
you bought, well, everything. She was part of the "Superman family"
and you bought all the other Superman books. What if something happened? What
if they got married? What if Lois and Superman double-dated with Jimmy and Lucy?
(Lois' sister - you knew that.) And you had to have the eighty-page giants.
You had all the eighty-page giants.
But always, always you felt...somehow...hmm...you were the wrong audience
for this comic.
But I never had a SHOWCASE #9. Never read it. So. I gritted my teeth.
Stuck it between THE AUTHORITY and POWERS. Shoved it into my bag.
An hour later, at Jiffy Lube, I bent over it, hiding it, trying not to let the
lube guy see what I was doing. What was I doing? What depths had I fallen
to? Where was the shame?! For God sakes, I was an adult! Just bag the thing
and get on with your life! Hhhhnn...Don't! Don't read it!
But I did. And it was the single most enjoyable book I've read in the Millenium
series.
More than any other book in the series, SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE
captures the feel of an entire era in comics history. An era at turns
notorious, thrilling and mind-bogglingly innovative. An era that inspired dozens
of future creators, including Alan Moore and Mike Allred. And unlike so many
other books in the series, SHOWCASE #9 doesn't come off solely as a book
with "potential" - it comes fully-formed.
This was the beginning of Mort Weisinger's decades-long involvement with Superman.
The Man of Steel had already been around for 21 years. But Weisinger was creating
an entire mythos that defined the character more than any other to this day.
It was an era of multiple kryptonites, bottled cities, imaginary stories, Supergirls,
Superpets, Supermans-Red and Blue (the originals) and an entire Legion of Super
Heroes. It was an era rich with fantasy and humor, yet tempered by an incredibly
strong sense of 1950's morality and family. And in Superman's case, family was
Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane.
As it says in the notes, SHOWCASE #9 was "a blueprint for Lois
Lane's adventures." Every basic set-up - Lois vs. Lana; Lois trying to
expose Clark for Superman; an imaginary story of Lois and Superman married -
is here in the first issue. Yes, story, dialogue and concept - cover-to-cover
- are goofy, camp and "awful." But to leave it at that is to underscore
a lost piece of Americana. Innocent. Endearing. Politically incorrect. And in
the best early-sitcom way - blindingly funny.
Never again will you find a modern comic offering you this kind of scene, played
with utter sincerity: Superman - cheerfully, boyishly - having lunch at an outside cafe with Lana
- when suddenly Lois interrupts. Will Superman fly her to an interview she's
late for? (This is, of course, a "ruse" to show Lana that Superman
prefers Lois.) Thinking quickly, Superman shackles Lois to a giant kite...
Superman: Don't worry, Lois. I'll have you there in plenty of time... Let
me lash you to it and you'll be early for your date! He blows Lois away on the kite, still talking to Lana... Superman: And how (puff) are the Smiths and (puff) the Warners back in Smallville? Lana: All fine! (thoughts: He's even cleverer than he was as Superboy - and
I bet he likes me more!) The final story ends with a mischievous Superman actually winking at the
reader. And you are there.
Sure, you can write these stories off as campy, immature, written for children.
But they were mind-bogglingly imaginative. Self-contained. Square and square-jawed
heroic. Incredibly well-drawn (and drawn even better later by Curt Swan
and Kurt Schaffenburger). But most of all, they were fun. And now - absolutely
lost to time.
Did I read LOIS LANE? I did.
No shame here.
Highly Recommended
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