Action Comics #60
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAction Comics #60 holds the distinction of presenting the first true appearance of Superwoman in DC Comics — specifically, the first time Lois Lane adopts a super-powered identity derived from Superman's own abilities. As Wikipedia's Superwoman entry confirms, while DC had trademarked the Superwoman name in 1942 via an ashcan publication, this 1943 issue marks the character's first genuine story appearance. The 'Lois Lane – Superwoman!' lead story established a narrative template — Lois temporarily gaining Kryptonian-level powers through proximity to Superman — that DC writers would return to repeatedly across the Golden Age and Silver Age, making it the originating chapter of one of the publisher's most durable supporting-character storylines. It also stands as an early, if circumscribed, example of a female lead taking center stage in an action-adventure superhero role in the Superman line.
In "Lois Lane -- Superwoman!", Lois Lane dreams of gaining superpowers after a near-fatal truck accident, imagining a world where she’s Superman’s equal—and even his fiancée—before waking to reality. Written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by George Roussos, this 1943 tale blends wish-fulfillment and classic superhero fantasy with a touch of whimsy. The cover by Jack Burnley captures the dream’s dramatic flair, making it a standout moment in early Lois Lane storytelling.
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The lead story was written by Jerry Siegel — co-creator of Superman himself — and drawn by George Roussos, with a cover by Jack Burnley, an artist who joined the Superman studio during the wartime expansion of the line. The issue was edited by Whitney Ellsworth and carried a cover date of May 1943. Notably, the cover image depicts a wartime scene entirely unrelated to the lead story, a common disconnect in the Action Comics of this era, where cover imagery lagged behind interior content. The story is structured as an anthology issue alongside Vigilante, Three Aces, and Americommando features, consistent with Action Comics' format throughout the Golden Age.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Lead story title: 'Lois Lane – Superwoman!' — the first true appearance of Superwoman in DC Comics and the first time Lois Lane assumes a super-powered identity.
- Written by Jerry Siegel (co-creator of Superman) and penciled by George Roussos; cover art by Jack Burnley; edited by Whitney Ellsworth.
- The story is framed as a dream sequence: hospitalized after being struck by a truck, Lois imagines she receives a blood transfusion from Superman that grants her his powers, including super-strength and flight.
- Lois's Superwoman costume in the story is a modified version of Superman's outfit — including a skirt over the leggings and a stylized Superman 'S' rendered inside a heart shape.
- The villain of the lead story, Dr. Skowl, is a criminal scientist who captures Superman; Lois/Superwoman rescues him. Dr. Skowl made no other appearances in DC Comics.
- This issue inaugurated a recurring Golden Age and Silver Age story type in which Lois gains superpowers; the next installment in that tradition was Superman #45.
- The lead story has been reprinted in Superman: The Action Comics Archives Vol. 4 and is also collected in Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 3, which gathers Action Comics #48–65.
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Reprinted in Comix: A History of Comic Books in America #[nn] (1971), Comix: A History of Comic Books in America #[nn] (1971), Superman in Action Comics #1 (1993), Superman: The Action Comics Archives #4 (2005), Superman: The War Years 1938-1945 #[nn] (2015), Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus #3 (2017), Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017), Superman: The 85th Anniversary Collection #[nn] (2023)
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