Thursday, December 17, 2009

Superwoman in DC Comics. Who is She? Who are They?

Superwoman is the name given to several fictional characters published over the years by DC Comics, most of them being, like the popular Supergirl, a woman with powers similar to those of DC's highly popular Superman. The name "Superwoman" was originally copyrighted by Detective Comics[1] in an effort to prevent competitors from using it. As was the practice, an ashcan copy was created with the title of Superwoman. The cover was a reproduction of More Fun Comics[2] with the interior content reprinting of the third issue.[3] The first true appearance of Superwoman, which is usually thought to have been one of many trial runs for the future introduction of Kara Zor-El as Supergirl years later, was printed in Action Comics.[4]

Contents

Lois Lane

Main article: Lois Lane


Lois Lane's first appearance as Superwoman. Art by John Sikela.
The appearance of the name "Superwoman" in a DC comic was a story in Action Comics[4] where Lois Lane dreams that she has gained superpowers from a blood transfusion from Superman and launches a career as Superwoman.
The theme would be revisited in a 1947 Superman[5] comic in which a pair of fraudulent magicians cast a "spell" on Lane, making her believe she has superpowers. Superman is forced to play along with the ruse for a time, using super-speed to invisibly intervene in Lane's adventures, supporting the illusion. She briefly sports a costume modeled on Superman's before the spell is "broken". A story from Action Comics has Lois actually gaining superpowers thanks to one of Lex Luthor's inventions, and launches a short-lived career as "Superwoman."[6]
Later stories would sporadically feature tales in which Lois gained superpowers and functioned as a "Superwoman" of sorts, but all of these were, like the 1951 tale above, only temporary, with the powers wearing off by the end of the story. A typical example of this is "The Turnabout Powers" from Superman Family,[7] where the Earth-Two Lois Lane gained powers from her husband (the Earth-Two Superman) through the unexpected effect of an exotic extraterrestrial plant Superman had brought into their home. The plant's death reversed the effect. Another example would be in the Batman/Superman: World's Finest mini-series where Mr. Mxyzptlk briefly transformed Lois into a "Superwoman" with costume and powers.
At the end of All-Star Superman #2,[8] Lois Lane is presented with a formula called "Exo-Genes" created by Superman that allows her to have his powers for 24 hours, and she became Superwoman. During her adventures with her new Kryptonian powers,[9] she was wooed by two superhumans named "Samson" and "Atlas", and was captured by a time-Ultrasphinx. Her powers faded away at the end of the day. Notably, her costume seemed to be exactly the same as that of the Anti-Matter Universe's Superwoman (see below), but in Superman's colors; both outfits were designed by Frank Quitely.

Luma Lynai

Main article: Luma Lynai
A woman from the distant planet of Staryl, Luma Lynai wins the heart of Superman. Just as Superman derives his powers from a yellow sun, Lumisa derived her gifts of super-strength and flight from an orange sun. Their romance doesn't last, as Luma becomes deathly ill under the rays of a yellow sun, and Superman can't leave Earth undefended. She physically resembles an adult Kara Zor-El, with a similar costume, except instead of being blue-and-red with a pentagonal S shield, Luma's costume is white-and-green with a circular S emblem

Crime Syndicate of America

See also: Alternate versions of Wonder Woman

Earth-Three

In 1964, an evil counterpart of Wonder Woman from a parallel universe named "Superwoman" was introduced. This Superwoman was a member of the Crime Syndicate of America, a villainous counterpart of the Justice League of America from the parallel world of "Earth-Three" (vs. the Justice League's world of "Earth-One"). Superwoman, like Wonder Woman, was an Amazon, and possessed similar powers of super-strength and flight. Unlike most/all other versions, her magic lasso could change shape into any form she desired.[volume & issue needed]
The Pre-Crisis version of Superwoman was killed, along with the rest of the CSA, when they were trying to save Earth-Three from being destroyed by the Anti-Monitor's antimatter wave.[10]

Antimatter Earth



The Antimatter Earth's Superwoman. Art by Frank Quitely.
In Post-Crisis continuity, as established in the 1998 graphic novel JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison, Superwoman (and the rest of the Crime Syndicate) comes from a parallel world similar to Earth, but located in an antimatter universe (also home to the planet Qward).[11]
Superwoman continues to make occasional appearances as a member of the Crime Syndicate, most recently appearing in storylines in the Justice League and Superman comics. Unlike her pre-Crisis counterpart, her magic lasso doesn't change shape, but releases the inhibitions of anyone tied with it (just as Wonder Woman's compels victims to tell the truth). She also possesses heat vision, as Superman and Ultraman do.
Taking the alias Lois Lane, Superwoman is an Amazon by birth, and has risen through the ranks to become the chief editor of the Daily Planet in what she calls "Patriarch's World". This disguise resembles Wonder Woman's secret identity of Diana Prince. At the Planet, Superwoman is shown to upset her colleagues; the antimatter-Cat Grant refers to Superwoman as "Queen Bitch",[12] and negatively alludes to her "friendship" with the antimatter Jimmy Olsen.
Olsen is the only civilian who knows of Superwoman's secret identity. A compliant sexual deviant, he does what she tells him in exchange for the favour of watching when she changes her outfit and receiving pieces of it for his "disguise kit". He is so besotted that he ignores her gibes and insults, even when she taunting refers to him as, "Superwoman's Snitch, Jimmy Olsen," and prints it in the Planet.
Also in the Earth 2 story, her lover Ultraman hates Superwoman's frigidity towards him. Meanwhile, she is carrying on a torrid affair with Owlman, and they sneak trysts whenever they feel Ultraman is not watching. However, from his floating fortress (the antimatter counterpart to the Fortress of Solitude), Ultraman doesn't hesitate to fire warning bursts of heat vision towards them whenever he catches them together.[11]

Earth-3

In 52 Week 52, a recreation of Earth-3 was shown as a part of the new Multiverse. In the depiction were characters that are altered versions of the original Justice Society of America, including Wonder Woman. The character is not identified in 52,[13] but later in Countdown to Final Crisis, which identifies her as Superwoman of the Crime Society of America, on an alternative world which is a reversed version of Earth-2. Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three, making this a new character unrelated to previous versions.[14] Grant Morrison also suggests that the Earth-3 and Antimatter Superwomen both exist post-52.
Like the antimatter iteration of the character, she is indeed both a Lois Lane and Wonder Woman counterpart, despite possessing Kryptonian abilities such as heat vision. In Countdown, she is recruited into the Monarch's army but has her eyes gouged out by Red Robin (Jason Todd) of New Earth, who may or may not have been carrying Kryptonite.

Mxyzptlk's Superwoman



The Superwoman (along with Batwoman and Superlad) from Superman/Batman #24.
In Superman #349,[15] Superman returns from an interstellar mission to find that everyone on Earth are of opposite sex. Among them are Penny White (a female Perry White), Jenny Olsen (a female Jimmy Olsen), Louis Lane (a male Lois Lane), Batwoman (a female Batman, rather than the actual character), Wonder Warrior (a male Wonder Woman), Black Condor (a male Black Canary), and Superwoman (his female counterpart) herself. Believing he crossed into a parallel universe, Superman flies back to space to find a dimensional portal, but is blocked by an invisible barrier. He notices the parallelism fails when he sees Superwoman and Clara Kent (Superwoman's presumed secret identity) are two separate people.
After a battle with Superwoman, Superlad (a male Supergirl), and Wonder Warrior, Superman figures out that his foe Mr. Mxyzptlk is behind this gender-reversed world. This was partly due to the discrepancy of Clara Kent and Superwoman being different people. However, Mxyzptlk's biggest mistake was being too vain to give himself a reverse-gender counterpart in Superwoman's rogues gallery in The Daily Planet morgue; all of Superwoman's foes were reverse-gender counterparts to Superman's foes - except for Mxyzptlk. Superman discovers as well that he was never in a parallel universe, but rather on Earth, which Mxyzptlk had altered with his magic. After using Wonder Warrior's magic lasso to make Mxyzptlk say his name backwards and thus returning to his native dimension, the effects of Mxyzptlk's magic (including the existence of Superwoman) vanish, returning the Earth to normal.

Laurel Kent

A new Superwoman named "Laurel", apparently a female version of Superman from a parallel Earth (now identified as Earth-11), appeared for the first time in Superman/Batman,[16] and was featured an issue later.[17] In Earth 11's alternate universe, much like in the one featured in "The Turnabout Trap!"), reversed-gender characters exist relative to those resident on New Earth: there is a Batwoman (female Batman), Superlad (male Supergirl), and a female Darkseid known as the "Dark Queen". (It is notable that in pre-Crisis continuity, "Laurel Kent" was the name of a 30th century descendant of Superman who occasionally appeared in stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was replaced in continuity by Laurel Gand.)
In December 2007, Superwoman and Batwoman were featured in Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman #1. It features Earth-11 as part of the new DC Multiverse and presents a male version of Wonder Woman called Wonder Man, who originates from a society of male Amazons. It also depicts that world's version of Amazons Attack!

Kristin Wells

Main article: Kristin Wells
Another version of Superwoman, this one a heroic character, came about in the form of Kristin Wells, who was created by Superman comic writer Elliot S! Maggin. Wells first appeared in Maggin's Superman novel Miracle Monday, but he later introduced her in the pages of DC Comics Presents as Superwoman. The character Wells is a 29th-century descendant of Jimmy Olsen. Wells time travels to the 20th century, where the technology she had brought from the future gives her super powers. It is this iteration of the character which appears briefly in Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Dana Dearden



The Dana Dearden Superwoman.
Obsessed Superman fan Dana Dearden dated Jimmy Olsen to get close to Superman, and when that didn't work she stole mystic artifacts which granted her the strength of Hercules, the speed (and flight) of Hermes, the thunderbolts of Zeus, and the sight of Heimdall. Dana donned a green-and-purple uniform,[18] with "Superwoman" written down the leggings, and called herself Superwoman, and tried to get Superman to fall in love with her. He rejected her advances, and Jimmy called her Obsession. She vanished attempting to help Superman rescue people from a burning ship. When Superman was split into his Red and Blue energy forms,[19] Superwoman returned hoping that one of the Supermen would return her feelings, but Maxima intervened, and used her telepathy to convince Superwoman that she would destroy Superman with her love. The telepathic illusion wore off[20] and she would try to win Superman over again, this time in a red-and blue costume very similar to his, and claimed to be his wife. She died trying to protect him from demons, since she knew he was vulnerable to magic.

Lucy Lane



New Krypton Superwoman.
Main article: Lucy Lane
Lucy Lane first appeared as Superwoman in Supergirl #35, her costume a nod to that of the Bronze Age Superwoman Kristin Wells and containing a containment field that simulated Kryptonian powers. However, Lucy's identity was not revealed until near the story arc's end. During her tenure as Superwoman, she was blackmailed by her father, General Sam Lane, into performing acts of villainy such as killing Agent Liberty, who had been spying on General Lane and Lex Luthor.[21] (This resulted in her being the focus of the Supergirl Faces of Evil issue.) She later attacked Reactron, which tipped off readers that Superwoman was not Kryptonian (in that that villain's Gold Kryptonite power source had no effect on her[22]). Supergirl unmasks Superwoman[23], and accidentally kills her by rupturing the containment field of her suit, causing Lucy's body to contort and explode.[24] In the Supergirl annual Lucy is brought back to life by the suit as it steals the life of a another person.

Other uses

Various comic stories, pre- and post-Crisis, have offered glimpses of possible futures assuming that one of the various incarnations of Supergirl would eventually change her codename to Superwoman. One example is a 1980 issue of Superman Family,[25] in which all the stories are set in the then-futuristic 1999 or 2000 (the timeframe is cited only as "the turn of the century") with the characters aged appropriately, including an older Linda Danvers (Kara Zor-El) who divides her time between adventuring as Superwoman and serving as governor of Florida. Alternately, some stories assume one of Superman's female descendants would assume the name "Superwoman", like his daughter Kara and great-granddaughter Lara from the Elseworlds series, Superman & Batman: Generations.

In other media

A version of Superwoman appeared on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in the season three episode, Ultra Woman[26]. Clark lost his powers when a red kryptonite laser beam hit him and transferred his powers to Lois. Both of them were unaware of the transfer, until Lois pulled down an iron gate with her bare hands. Mrs. Kent made her a costume and Clark introduces her to Metropolis as Ultrawoman.
Gina Torres will voice the Crime Syndicate version of her in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Notes and references

  1. ^ January 1942
  2. ^ Issue #73
  3. ^ Action Comics #3 —
  4. ^ a b Issue #60 — May 1943
  5. ^ Issue #45, in a story titled "Lois Lane, Superwoman!" — (March-April 1947)
  6. ^ Issue #156 — released May 1951
  7. ^ Issue #207 (May-June 1981)
  8. ^ Issue #2
  9. ^ All-Star Superman #3
  10. ^ Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
  11. ^ a b Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Crime Syndicate", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 89, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017 
  12. ^ "JLA: Earth 2"
  13. ^ 52 (52): 11/3-4 (May 2, 2007), DC Comics
  14. ^ Brady, Matt (2007-05-08). ""THE 52 EXIT INTERVIEWS: GRANT MORRISON"". Newsarama. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=111900. Retrieved 2007-05-12. 
  15. ^ Superman, volume 1, #349 (in a story entitled "The Turnabout Trap!")
  16. ^ Issue #23 — released November 2005
  17. ^ Issue #24
  18. ^ Adventures of Superman #538 — September 1996
  19. ^ Superman: The Man of Tomorrow, Issue #10
  20. ^ Adventures of Superman #574 — released January 2000
  21. ^ Action Comics #873
  22. ^ Supergirl #38
  23. ^ Supergirl #40
  24. ^ Supergirl #41
  25. ^ #200 — released April 1980
  26. ^ November 12, 1995 (Episode 7)
DC Comics Presents Annual #4 Superman and Superwoman (1985)

External links

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