TITLE: Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #9
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
COVER DATE: May 1959
COVER PRICE: $0.10
26 pages
WHAT I REMEMBER...
So I wasn't around in 1959, much less reading Superman comic books, so there is nothing to remember from when I first read this. In fact, the first time I did read this issue was immediately after the Randomizer picked it for a random review. This particular issue is a relatively new addition to my collection, and up to this point it's gotten the cursory thumb through and then cataloged and filed away.
You see, one of the things I've been up to while my two blogs lay fallow has been auction hunting. My LCS started getting into the auction business about two years ago, and lucky for me, he's had a nice and steady supply of Superman Silver Age books on the block. It came at the perfect time, as my collection of Superman books was starting to get into the expensive Silver Age era, now that I had finished up the Bronze Age.
Maybe one of these days I'll put a post up going through my auction finds for fun, but for right now, we're here to talk about Lois Lane!
This book actually has three separate stories, but we're going to focus on the last one featuring America's Favorite Crooner, Pat Boone!
Superman's Mystery Song!
- Penciller: Dick Sprang
- Inker: John Forte
- Editor: Mort Weisinger
THE ELEVATOR PITCH
Lois Lane and Pat Boone team up for a duet honoring Superman! But if it's honoring his exploits and quest for justice, why must Superman make sure no one can ever hear it?
THE RECAP
While picking Lois up at her apartment, Clark discovers what a huge fan she is of Pat Boone! Coincidentally enough (as is so often the case in the Silver Age), Pat Boone is due to be interviewed by The Daily Planet. After the interview, Pat sits in on the rehearsals for the annual Daily Planet office party/talent show. It's there that he overhears Lois singing, and is impressed enough to offer her a spot doing a specialty number on his latest show.
It's decided that Clark will write the lyrics to a special song that Pat and Lois will duet together on. Clark racks his brain for lyrics, but has writer's block and goes to bed. Lucky for him, that a burst of inspiration hits him during a dream, and he wakes up and writes the lyrics for his song.
Superman only then realizes that as they start singing his song on live t.v., that he must stop them! Why? Stay tuned...
Meanwhile, Superman manages to disrupt two more live concerts where Lois and Pat plan on singing their new song honoring Superman. Eventually, Superman let's Pat Boone know that he was the one sabotaging his live performances, as the lyrics that Clark wrote contained a clue to Superman's secret identity. Superman has prepared new lyrics, but when he goes to retrieve them from a pocket inside his cape, they're gone!
Utilizing the powers of his fan club, Pat Boone puts the word out about a missing envelope. It's eventually found and returned to Pat. In gratitude, Superman uses his microscopic vision and photographic memory to restore a broken master disc for one of Pat's latest recordings, while also producing a million copies for distribution at super speed!
Later on that night on live television, the country is finally able to hear the revised version of the duet by Lois Lane and Pat Boone, and we're finally clued in as to why Superman didn't want the original song sung in the first place.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
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| You can take Lois out of her teens, but you can't take the teenager out of Lois! |
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| Ahhh...1950's, when a "talent" like blowing smoke rings at the office was admired. |
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| Says the man smoking three cigars! |
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| You gotta love a girl who "groans on pitch!" |
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| Even Pat Boone, in his prime, couldn't get the special effects to work for his version of "Rock 'n Roll Creation". |
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| Social media, circa 1959. |
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| ...and finally, the real reason Superman couldn't let that song be heard! |
And that brings a close to our inaugural random reading. I hope you all enjoyed this look back into the mad-cap world of pop-stardom in the good old days.
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