Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #13
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #13 is the foundational issue for Lois Lane's pre-Crisis personal history: it introduces her parents Sam and Ella Lane for the first time, establishing Lois as the elder daughter of a farming family in the small Midwestern town of Pittsdale — a biographical anchor that gave the character a genuine backstory and emotional grounding she had never previously possessed. That origin proved durable enough to serve as the official Silver Age record of her family for nearly three decades, until the reality-reshaping events of Crisis on Infinite Earths replaced the wholesome farm family with Sam Lane reimagined as a hard-bitten U.S. Army General. The issue also typifies the self-contained, comedically structured Silver Age storytelling of the Mort Weisinger Superman line at its most inventive: a gossip-driven fake-engagement plot that places the Superman-Lois marriage tension — the series' defining dramatic engine — on Lois's home turf and in front of her own parents, raising personal stakes the solo title had not previously explored.
In "Introducing... Lois Lane's Parents!", Lois Lane brings Superman back to her hometown of Pittsdale—population 1,101—for the centennial celebration of the Pittsdale Star, only to find her hometown buzzing with a delightful misunderstanding: everyone thinks the pair is getting married. Written by Robert Bernstein and illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger, with a classic cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, this 1959 issue captures a charming, small-town moment in the lives of Superman and Lois, full of warmth and gentle humor.
In "Introducing... Lois Lane's Parents!", Superman—disguised as Clark Kent—takes Lois Lane back to her hometown of Pittsdale for the 100th anniversary of the Pittsdale Star, only to find the whole town convinced they’re there to get married. Lois’s parents, Sam and Ella Lane, welcome them with open arms, while Lucy Lane and Perry White add to the confusion, turning a simple visit into a whirlwind of mistaken identities and small-town charm.
In this delightfully absurd 1959 tale from *Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane* #13, Lois Lane finds herself transformed into a feline-faced mystery when the sorceress Circe takes offense at her curiosity. With her new look hidden beneath a lead box on her head, Lois scrambles to keep her secret from Superman—while navigating the chaos of the Daily Planet, a skeptical Jimmy Olsen, and a very confused Perry White.
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The issue's lead story, 'Introducing... Lois Lane's Parents!,' was written by Robert Bernstein and illustrated by Kurt Schaffenberger, the team also responsible for a second story in the same issue, 'Alias Lois Lane!'; a third story, 'The Shocking Secret of Lois Lane!,' was scripted by Bill Finger with art by Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye, while the cover itself was penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. The book was edited by Mort Weisinger, the famously exacting architect of the entire Silver Age Superman line, whose editorial mandate to expand Superman-family mythology through supporting-character solo titles — Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen had come first — directly explains why fleshing out Lois's family background fell to this series rather than to a Superman title. The issue carried a November 1959 cover date and shipped on or around September 22, 1959, during a period when the series was still a young but rapidly growing franchise that would peak as the third-best-selling comic in the United States by 1962.
Trivia · 7 facts
- The issue establishes that Lois grew up in Pittsdale and worked as a reporter for its local paper, the Pittsdale Star, before moving to Metropolis and joining the Daily Planet.
- Sam and Ella Lane were later radically reimagined in Adventures of Superman #424 (January 1987) — post-Crisis — with Sam becoming a hard-bitten U.S. Army General, erasing the original farmer characterization entirely.
- The issue contains three stories: 'Introducing... Lois Lane's Parents!' (Bernstein/Schaffenberger), 'Alias Lois Lane!' (Bernstein/Schaffenberger), and 'The Shocking Secret of Lois Lane!' (Bill Finger/Wayne Boring/Stan Kaye).
- Cover art was by Curt Swan (pencils) and Stan Kaye (inks); the issue was edited by Mort Weisinger, the Superman-line editor responsible for the entire supporting-character solo-title strategy.
- The cover date is November 1959; the GCD records an on-sale date of approximately September 22, 1959.
- The lead story 'Introducing... Lois Lane's Parents!' was reprinted in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #68 and again in Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 3 (DC, April 2009).
- The series was, at the time of this issue, under Schaffenberger's tenure as primary artist — he drew the vast majority of the first 81 issues and his rendition became widely regarded as the definitive Silver Age visual interpretation of Lois Lane.
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↩ Reprints Wonder Woman #37 (1949), Wonder Woman #71 (1955)
Reprinted in 80 Page Giant Magazine #14 (1965), Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #68 (1966), Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #101 (1970), MV Comix #22/1970 (1970), Superman Poche #36 (1980), Showcase Presents: Superman Family #3 (2009)
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