Superman Family #178 – Comics Archeology

SUPERMAN FAMILY #178 (1976)
by Cary Bates & Kurt Schaffenberger

The move to “Superman Family” has been quite disappointing for the Jimmy Olsen retrospective.
Lois Lane doesn’t have a whole lot of stories worth covering, but there are… SOME exceptions.

We begin with Lois visiting a Professor Potter wannabe. I don’t know why they didn’t use Potter directly… this is an EXTREMELY Silver Age story, and it’s not like Our Lord And Savior Potter is completely forgotten, as he will show up in FAR more serious stories later in the book.

This guy is giving robotic limbs to monkeys.

I sincerely hope this was a chimp without an arm, but would it really feel out of place for a Lois Lane story to feature a scientist mutilating a monkey for science?

The correct answer is no, it would not feel out of place, considering Lois volunteers to become the world’s first cyborg! (well, after Metallo of course)

Lois Lane is certifiably insane. I trust you already knew that, but it’s worth repeating.

She went through with it, by the way. Lois is a cyborg now!

Also she’s trying to capture an UFO. That might come up later.

And yes this is the same year when The Bionic Woman was airing.
That’s probably a coincidence.

Most stories involving cyborgs deal with the possible loss of humanity, or with our relationship with technology.
None of that silly stuff with Lois Lane! It’s time for marriage proposal #21,387!

If you’ve read at least one Silver Age comic in your life, you’re probably waiting for the catch.

And once we learn that Lois is now bald, you’re probably thinking “okay that makes sense for the Silver Age”.

But in reality AAAAHHHH!!!

AAAAAHHHH!!!!

Sorry. Just give me a sec.

Ehm. Lois suddenly remembers that she managed to grab a piece of the UFO earlier, so she tracks down her current location.

Once inside she discovers there are no pilots. THE SHIP IS ALIVE.

Luckily for her, Idiot Skynet is somehow able to turn her into a human again.

HOW IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION!?!?!?!

And so we end the story with Lois Lane deciding to stay human… because that way she might have a chance of marrying Superman.

Do you ever get the feeling that Lois Lane is SERIOUSLY F##KED UP!?

Historical significance: 0/10
You may be surprised to know Lois being turned into a cyborg is never referenced again. Assuming reading this has just slaughtered your neurons.

Silver Age-ness: 2∞/10
Lois Lane is the undisputed queen of this.

Does it stand the test of time? 0/10