Jerry Coleman – The Stop Button

The third Lois Lane story this issue–by Otto Binder, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye–finally provides something to talk about. The two previous stories (with Binder writing one, Jerry Coleman another) are more sitcom. Well, except the Coleman one, but I’ll come back to it.

The third story features Lois getting superpowers from some Kryptonian gadgets Jor-El sent to Earth in a second rocket. They remained undiscovered until Superman was an adult. So Lois is racing around, saving people and having some problems since she’s not super-observant or indestructible. Binder never specifies Superman’s concern–it comes off as sexist, since there’s no explanations. He certainly never tries to train her. Not a super-mean Superman, but a selfish one.

Coleman’s story about Lois going blind is the issue’s best. Unlike Binder, he doesn’t portray either character as petty or moronic.

Boring and Kaye’s art is, well, boring.

Three Lois Lane stories and there’s no clear winner or loser. Otto Binder writes the second two, Jerry Coleman handles the first one. Even though the Coleman one features Lois and Lana Lang teaming up to figure out who Superman likes more, the second two probably show Lois as more of a twit. At least in the first one, there’s some problem solving.

The art–mostly from Al Pastino–is exhausting. The barrel-chested Superman, for example. One would think, for a girls’ comic, there’d be some emphasis on fashion and style. But no. Plastinos super-bland.

Maybe if Binder’s stories were funny it would help, but Superman’s such a bore, there’s nary an attempt.

The final story has Lois dreaming she’s married to Superman. Of his two, it has the most potential but Binder doesn’t even get imaginative in dreams.

It’s an exhausting waste of time, but not brainpower.