The Fattest Girl in Metropolis

[cyberghostface]

This comes from 'Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane' #5.

The story opens with Lois Lane witnessing a murder. She is unable to identify the killer, however. Lois writes a story about it for the paper.

The next day she interviews a scientist who has invented a growth ray. He has used it to make berries plumper. She is accidentally struck by the ray but the scientist says it should only work on plant life.

The next day...









At the wedding of a hero cop that Superman attends, Lois realizes that the ring is Kryptonite. She grabs it to save Superman, revealing she is Lois. She runs off humiliated.

She later has an assignment to cover the new carnival. She visits the house of mirrors in a carnival and sees her thin reflection in a mirror. The killer she had witnessed from before finds her there; he had been trying to catch Lois but had not recognized her because of the weight she had gained. When he realizes that its her, he tries to shoot her but Superman melts the bullets and apprehends the criminal.

He tells Lois that he had been following her around like a bodyguard, knowing that the killer would try to find her.

Comments

[byc]

Gotta love the Silver Age.

So offensive by today's standards, but yet so hilarious.

[rickperry]

Funny I was just thinking about this issue the other day but yes VERY offensive by today's standards.

[lucean]

To be honest, I don't know an era when this offensive to people, but then again I realized that applies to a lot of stuff in the Superman comics. I also love what unrepentant dick Superman is about the situation.

[chortles81]

I also love what unrepentant dick Superman is about the situation.

And this is part of why I can never take Kong Kenan's critics seriously, not least because Gene Yang was by his own words calling back to past decades' Superdickery.

[lego_joker]

At least Clark actually gets some comeuppance in this one, which is *miles* ahead of 99% of other Superdickery stories.

[icon_uk]

Though since Clark doesn't need to eat or worry about heating bills, and his wardrobe is intact, and he has access to the facilities at the Fortress of Solitude and can instantly earn money by mining gold or the old coal to diamond trick, it's not exactly clear how losing Clark's paycheque for a month would remotely inconvenience him.

[lego_joker]

Eh, it's more the principle of the thing. 99% of other Superdickery stories have Lois and/or Jimmy falling at Clark's feet thanking him for all the shit he pulled on them, agreeing it was "for their own good" or somesuch.

[freezer]

And then Lois died from multiple organ failure before the antidote ray could take effect.

[silicondream]

I just like the fact that Lois has a glamour shot of herself on the wall over her phone. Must boost her self-confidence during difficult conversations.

[bradygirl_12]

Hmm, fat-shaming still is socially acceptable today. How many fat jokes are told every day in a mean-spirited way? On this topic we're little better than our parents' or grandparents' generations.

Lois eating up Clark's paycheck is exquisite payback! :)

[junipepper]

I honestly can't think of any period in history where a woman being told she's "quite a load," wouldn't be both insulting and hurtful. Especially by the guy who's, you know, more powerful than a locomotive and shit.

[captainbellman]

This probably shaped a lot of fat fetishists.

[captainbellman]

Also, despite how fast and loose continuity was played with in this era, it feels extra-dickish of Clark when you remember that issue of "Superboy" where all of Smallville - himself included - doubled in weight overnight.

[balbanes]

The scale reads 200, and Lois claims she weighs more than twice as much as before. So regular Lois must be under 100 pounds. Given that she's within a couple inches of Superman in these shots, that makes her ridiculously thin, even by supermodel standards.

Or maybe that's how much people weighed, back then?

[beoweasel]

More than likely the artist wasn't taken the height difference between the two characters into consideration. According to the DC wiki, Earth-One Lois Lane has a height of 5'7 (it also lists her weight as 122 pounds), while Earth-One Superman is 6'4, meaning that Clark has a seven inches of height on her.

Though, I find myself questioning these stats, as Superman's weight is listed as only 225 pounds. How in the hell does that work for a guy that's well over six-feet tall and as muscular as he is!?

[cricharddavies]

He's Superman. Weight is the interaction of mass and gravity, and he defies gravity whenever he feels like it.

That said, I have to admit that I envision him as having more mass than that.