Lois Lane
In July 1933, Jerry Siegel
corresponded with artist Leo O'Mealia to collaborate on a new comic strip.
At the time, "Superman" was a scientist from a future of evolved
superhumans. O'Mealia suggested that Jerry include a female romance
element.
On January 13, 1935, the Cleveland Plain Dealer printed a classified ad
from an artist model with no experience. The model was a teenage girl named
Jolan Kovacs, also known as Joanne Carter.
Joe Shuster hired
Joanne for $1.50 an hour and she became the visual basis for reporter Lois
Lane.
Prototypes of the Lois character can be seen in early works by Siegel and
Shuster at National Allied. In Federal Men, Jean Dennis is a crime
reporter at the Tribune. Jean appeared in New Comics #8–10
(August–October 1936).
According to Joe, Jerry named Lois after his high school crush, Lois Amster.
However, Jerry and Joanne have publicly denied the claim. Lois was inspired by
Torchy Blane, a detective reporter portrayed in films from 1937–1938 by
actresses Glenda Farrell and Lola Lane.
A character named Joanne Carter appears in Detective Comics #16 (June
1938). Joanne and Jerry married each other in Cleveland on October 14, 1948.
The full name of Lois Joanne Lane was revealed in Superman: The Wedding Album
(December 1996).
.png "Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Action Comics #1 (June 1938)")
Lois Lane debuted as a reporter for the Daily Star in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). Her last name was revealed in the second issue. Lois first appeared in the daily newspaper strip on February 1, 1939. The Daily Star editor threatens to send her back to the "Lovelorn" column.
.png "Superman & Lois Lane, Action Comics #1 (June 1938)")
Lois first kisses Superman and proclaims her love in Action Comics #5
(October 1938). Although she is infatuated with Superman, she despises Clark
for being a coward. The love triangle would define their relationship
throughout the Golden and Silver Ages.
Despite her tough attitude, Lois was often depicted as a stereotypical
damsel in distress, as seen on her first cover appearance in Action Comics
#27 (August 1940). In Superman #17 (July–August 1942), Lois
first suspects that Clark is Superman. She would often place herself in
danger to oust Clark, only to be outsmarted by Superman.
Lois Lane was the first of many supporting characters with the
alliterative initials of "L. L." The list includes Lara Lor-Van, Lana
Lang,
Linda Lee,
Lori Lemaris, and Lex Luthor.
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"Lois Lane, Girl Reporter" was a series of twelve color strips
published intermittently in the Cleveland Plain Dealer from
October 24, 1943, until February 27, 1944. The spin-off series accompanied
the Sunday "Superman" comic from the McClure Syndicate. The strips were
illustrated by Wayne Boring and signed "by
Jerry and Joe."
Reporter Lois Lane writes the "Heart Throbs" column for the
Daily Planet. Lois is depicted as short-tempered and suffering from
occupational burnout. "Mr. Ellsworth" appears as a nod to editor and
producer of
The Adventures of Superman, Whitney Ellsworth.
"Lois Lane, Girl Reporter" later appeared as a comic book feature in Superman #28 (May–June 1944). The stories ran for 13 installments, ending in Superman #42 (September–October 1946).
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The Silver Age Lois Lane of Earth-One first appeared in Adventure Comics
#128 (May 1948). In the
Superboy
story, "How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane," Clark and Lois both win school
contests for a trip to the Daily Planet. Clark is attracted to Lois,
but Lois is more interested in Superboy.
.png "Adventure Comics #128 (May 1948)")
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane debuted as cover features
for Showcase #9–10 in 1957. An ongoing title was launched in the
spring of 1958. Kurt Schaffenberger, the preeminent Lois Lane artist of
the Silver Age, illustrated 159 stories and 48 covers for the series.
.png "Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #1 (April 1958)")
Lois has a younger sister named Lucy, first appearing in
Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #36 (April 1959). Lucy was created by
writer Otto Binder and artist Curt Swan. The Lane family farm was located in the fictional town of Pittsdale,
Iowa. Lois' parents, Sam and Ella Lane, are introduced in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #13 (November 1959). Before moving to Metropolis, Lois majored in
journalism at Raleigh College and worked as a reporter for the
Pittsdale Star.
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane was the third best-selling comic book of 1962, behind Superman and Superboy. The majority of readers were young males and the tone reflected attitudes of the era. Lois spent much of the Silver Age competing with Lana Lang and scheming to marry Superman. Many of the stories are narrated by Superman teaching Lois a lesson. Superman develops elaborate ploys to trick Lois, often leading to heartbreak and tears.
.png "Kurt Schaffenberger, The Superman Family #164 (April-May 1974)")
In Lois Lane #45 (November 1963), the brave investigative
journalist gave relationship advice to Daily Planet readers in her “Dr. Cupid” column. Lois was revealed to have won a
Pulitzer Prize and her style was updated to a more contemporary fashion in
issue #80 (January 1968).
In 1974, the title was merged with Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and Supergirl into The Superman Family. "Lois Lane" later appeared as
a backup feature in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl from
1982–1983. During this time, Clark and Lana Lang began to develop a more
serious relationship that would last until the "Crisis on Infinite Earths"
storyline of 1985–1986.
.png "Lois Lane by José Luis García-López & Dick Giordano (1982)")
The Golden Age Lois Lane of Earth-Two would finally marry Clark in
Action Comics #484 (June 1978). Superman (Kal-L) and Lois held a
private Kryptonian ceremony inside the Secret Sanctuary. At the conclusion
of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, Lois of Earth-Two accompanied
Kal-L and
Superboy-Prime
to a "paradise dimension." The Lois of Earth-Two later died in
Infinite Crisis #6 (May 2006).
The Silver Age Lois Lane of Earth-One was erased from existence during the creation of New Earth in 1986. Her final tale appears in the "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" written by Alan Moore. The two-part "imaginary story" begins in Superman #423 and concludes in Action Comics #583. The story is narrated by Lois in 1997, ten years after Superman had been presumed dead. Lois lives with her husband Jordan Elliot and their son Jonathan. Jordan, named after Jor-El, is revealed to be a depowered Clark.
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The Post-Crisis Lois first appeared in The Man of Steel #2 (October
1986). Lois Joanne Lane of New Earth is a Pulitzer Prize winning
journalist at the Daily Planet. Lois and Lucy are the daughters of
General Samuel Lane and Ella Lane. Growing up as an Army brat, Lois
received combat training at an early age.
.png "The Man of Steel #2 (October 1986)")
Lois and Clark start dating in Superman #44 (June 1990), and become
engaged in Superman #50 (December 1990). Clark finally reveals the
secret identity in Action Comics #662 (February 1991). The comic
book wedding was originally scheduled for 1993. Due to a conflict with the
Lois & Clark
television series, a year of planned comic stories were scrapped. During a
1992 "Super-Summit" meeting, the creative team instead decided to kill
Superman. Superman died in Lois' arms during the final pages of
Superman #75 (January 1993).
After the return of Superman, their relationship became strained. Lois
decided to leave Clark and take an assignment as a foreign correspondent
in Superman #115 (September 1996). She returns and marries Clark in
the one-shot Superman: The Wedding Album (December 1996). The
ceremony was officiated by
Jerry Siegel.
The couple spent their honeymoon at Hotel Lanai in Honolulu.
.png "Superman: The Wedding Album #1 (December 1996)")
Jonathan Samuel Kent, the son of Clark and Lois, first appeared in Convergence: Superman #2 (July 2015). The name is derived from his grandfathers Jonathan
Kent and Samuel Lane. Lois originally gave birth to Jon in the Batcave of
Thomas Wayne, Batman of the "Flashpoint" timeline. The birthplace would
later be retconned to the Fortress of Solitude on Prime Earth.
Lois and Clark briefly changed their last name to White in order to avoid
their younger "New 52" counterparts. The New Earth and Prime Earth
timelines are unified and both versions of Lois were merged in
Action Comics #976 (May 2017).
In Action Comics #1051 (March 2023), Lois and Clark reveal they
have adopted twin siblings Otho-Ra and Osul-Ra. The "Super-Twins" are
Phaelosians, an evolutionary offshoot of Kryptonians. After Superman freed
the Phaelosians from Warworld, the twins became members of the House of El
and Superman Family.
Lois becomes Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet in Superman vol.
6, #1 (April 2023).
.png "Ariel Colón, Superman #1 (April 2023)")
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Lois Lane first appeared on
The Adventures of Superman
radio series in the February 26, 1940, episode "Dr. Dahlgren's Atomic Beam
Machine." The first actress to voice Lois Lane was Rosalind "Rolly" Bester.
Rolly was married to science fiction author Alfred Bester, creator of Solomon
Grundy and the Green Lantern oath. Bester voiced Lois in four episodes
broadcast from February 26 to March 4, 1940. Lois first meets Superman in the
March 1, 1940, episode, "Threat To The Daily Planet."
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Lois was voiced by actress Helen Louise Choat for three storylines
that aired from March 18 to April 26, 1940. Choat began broadcasting at
WNAC-Boston in 1928 and later starred in the major soap operas of the era.
After the decline of radio, Helen Choat briefly worked in television and
co-authored books about metaphysics.
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Joan Alexander voiced Lois Lane for over 1,600 episodes from June 9, 1940,
until the series finale on March 1, 1951. Alexander also provided the
voice of Lois Lane for the Fleischer and Famous Studios cartoons from
1941–1943. She would reprise the role in 1966 for one season of
The New Adventures of Superman animated series. Alexander later
expressed disappointment about being remembered for Lois Lane instead of major
productions by Shakespeare or Shaw.
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Lois Lane first appeared on film in 1948. Actress Noel Neill starred in
Superman, a 15-part serial from Columbia Pictures. Neill returned in
the 1950 sequel Atom Man vs. Superman. Noel Neill was previously known
for her portrayals of Betty Rogers, a high-school newspaper reporter. Her
father David Neill was an editor for the
Minneapolis Star Journal newspaper.
.png "Noel Neill as Lois Lane, Superman (1948)")
After the departure of Phyllis Coates, Noel Neill was again cast as Lois for
season 2 of the Adventures of Superman television series.
Neill starred as Lois for 78 episodes that aired from 1953–1958. She also
appeared in Stamp Day For Superman, a short film produced by
the United States Department of the Treasury in 1954.
Noel Neill later appeared uncredited as Lois' mother Ella Lane in the 1978
Superman film. The tradition of Superman actresses returning would
continue over the next four decades. In 1991, Neill guest starred as Alexis on
an episode of the
Superboy
television series. In 2006, Neill appeared in Superman Returns as
Gertrude Vanderworth, the wife of Lex Luthor.
On June 11, 2010, a 15-foot bronze statue of Noel Neill as Lois Lane was unveiled in Metropolis, Illinois. The statue was sculpted by Gary Ernest Smith and cast by Kevin Maag from Metal Art Foundry.
On June 11, 2010, a 15-foot bronze statue of Noel Neill as Lois Lane was unveiled in Metropolis, Illinois. The statue was sculpted by Gary Ernest Smith and cast by Kevin Maag from Metal Art Foundry.
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Phyllis Coates first appeared as Lois Lane alongside George Reeves
in Superman and the Mole Men. The film was released by Lippert Pictures on November 23, 1951. The feature served as a pilot for
the Adventures of Superman television series that premiered
on September 19, 1952. Coates starred as Lois Lane for 24 episodes of the
first season. In 1994 and 1997, Coates portrayed Lois' mother Ellen Lane
in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
.png "Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane, The Adventures of Superman (1952)")
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Patricia Marand starred as Lois Lane in the original Broadway
production of It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman.
The musical opened on March 29, 1966, at the Alvin Theater. Marand was
nominated for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress
in a Musical. Lesley Ann Warren starred
as Lois Lane in the ABC television adaption that first aired on February 21,
1975.
.png "Lesley Ann Warren as Lois Lane (1975)")
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Margot Kidder first appeared as Lois in the 1978 blockbuster film
Superman: The Movie. Kidder appeared in all four Superman films from 1978–1987. Her role
in
Superman III
is limited to a few minutes of screen time. Additional scenes featuring Kidder
were included in the 2006 release of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.
In 1986, Margot Kidder voiced Lois Lane in an animated television commercial
for AT&T. In 2004, Kidder appeared as Dr. Bridgette Crosby in two
episodes of Smallville. Dr. Crosby was an emissary for Dr. Virgil
Swann, played by Christopher Reeve.
.png "Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Superman (1978)")
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Teri Hatcher starred in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The television series aired for four seasons on ABC from September 12,
1993, to June 14, 1997. In 2010, Hatcher guest starred as Ella Lane on an
episode of Smallville.
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Kate Bosworth starred as Lois in
Superman Returns, released on June 28, 2006. The film is an alternate sequel to
Superman: The Movie and Superman II. Superman returns to Earth
to discover that Lois is married. Lois has a son named Jason that begins to
display super powers and a weakness to
kryptonite.
.png "Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane (2006)")
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Erica Durance starred as Lois Lane in Smallville for 141 episodes from 2004–2011. From 2017–2019, Durance appeared
as Alura Zor-El, mother of
Kara Zor-El, in
the
Supergirl
television series. In 2019, Durance reprised both roles during the
"Crisis on Infinite Earths"
crossover event. In Part 2, Lois is married to a retired Clark in an
alternate Smallville of Earth-167.
.png "Erica Durance as Lois Lane, Smallville, Season 8 (2008)")
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Amy Adams first appeared as Lois Lane in the 2013 DCEU film
Man of Steel. Adams reprised the role in
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League
(2017). Additional footage of Adams is featured in the 2021 release of Zack Snyder's Justice League. In the non-canonical director's cut, Lois is revealed to be pregnant.
.png "Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Man of Steel (2013)")
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Elizabeth "Bitsie" Tulloch first appeared as Lois Lane in the December 2018
episodes of The Flash and
Supergirl
during the "Elseworlds" crossover event on The CW. The character returned for
the five-part "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover of 2019–2020.
Elizabeth Tulloch currently stars in the spin-off series
Superman & Lois with Tyler Hoechlin as Clark. The show premiered on
February 23, 2021, and a fourth season is scheduled to air in 2024. Lois and
Clark are married with two teenage sons, Jonathan and Jordan. Lois left her
job at the Daily Planet and the family relocated to Smallville.
.png "Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane (2018)")
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On June 27, 2023, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn announced that actress Rachel
Brosnahan had been cast as Lois Lane in the upcoming DCU film
Superman: Legacy. The film will be written and directed by Gunn. The
scheduled release date is July 11, 2025. According to Gunn, the story is
inspired by elements from the award-winning comic series
All-Star Superman
(2005–2008), written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely.
.png "Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Season 4 (2022)")
| Radio | ||
| 1940 | Rolly Bester | The Adventures of Superman |
| 1940 | Helen Choat | The Adventures of Superman |
| 1940–1951 | Joan Alexander | The Adventures of Superman |
| 1946 | Paulette Goddard | Command Performance |
| 1988 | Lorelei King | Superman on Trial |
| 1990 | Shelley Thompson | The Adventures of Superman |
| Theater | ||
| 1966 | Patricia Marand | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman |
| 2013 | Jenny Powers | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman |
| 2015 | Michelle LaFortune | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman |
| Television | ||
| 1952–1953 | Phyllis Coates | Adventures of Superman |
| 1953–1958 | Noel Neill | Adventures of Superman |
| 1975 | Lesley Ann Warren | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman |
| 1993–1997 | Teri Hatcher | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman |
| 2004–2019 | Erica Durance | Smallville, Batwoman |
| 2018–2024 | Elizabeth Tulloch | The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Superman & Lois |
| Film | ||
| 1948–1954 | Noel Neill | Superman, Atom Man vs. Superman, Stamp Day For Superman |
| 1951 | Phyllis Coates | Superman and the Mole Men |
| 1978–1987 | Margot Kidder | Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace |
| 2006 | Kate Bosworth | Superman Returns |
| 2013–2017 | Amy Adams | Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League |
| 2025 | Rachel Brosnahan | Superman: Legacy |
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Andrae, Tom, et al. "Of Superman and Kids with Dreams."
Nemo, The Classic Comics Library. No. 2, Fantagraphics Books, Inc.,
August 1983, pp. 6-19.
Friedrich, Otto. "Show Business: Up, Up and Awaaay!!!" Time, vol. 131,
no. 11, 14 March 1988, pp. 66–74.
Lamparski, Richard. "Whatever Became Of... Superman and Lois Lane?" Interview
with Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander. WBAI-FM, New York, 20 December 1966.
Siegel, Jerry. Creation of a Superhero. Draft. 1979.
Siegel, Jerry. "Lois Lane = Torchy Blane." Time, vol. 131, no. 22, 30
May 1998, pp. 6, 9.
Siegel, Jerry (w), and Shuster, Joe (i).
Siegel and Shuster: Dateline 1930's. vol. 1, nos. 1–2, Eclipse Comics,
1984–1985.
