Superwoman

Superwoman
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superman (Vol. 1) #45 (1947)
Characters	Lois Lane of Superman (Vol. 1) #45 (1947) Crime Syndicate of America All Star Superman
See also	Kristin Wells Laurel Kent Dana Deardon

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. in an effort to prevent competitors for 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 with the interior content reprinting of the third issue. 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.

Versions

Lois Lane

Main article: Lois Lane

The appearance of the name "Superwoman" in a DC comic was a story in Action Comics 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 Superman 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."

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, 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, 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, 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 colours; both outfits were designed by Frank Quitely.

Crime Syndicate of America

File:Evil Superwoman.jpg

The Crime Syndicate of America's Superwoman. Art by Frank Quitely.

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, had the use of a magic lasso, only hers could change shape into any form she desired.

The Pre-Crisis version of Superwoman was killed as she was trying to save Earth-Three from being destroyed by the Anti-Monitor's antimatter wave.

In Post-Crisis continuity, as established in the 1998 graphic novel JLA: Earth 2, Superwoman (and the rest of the Crime Syndicate) comes from a parallel world similar to Earth, but located in an antimatter universe.

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 does.

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 'Patriarch's World'. In appearance she resembles Wonder Woman's secret identity of Diana Prince. Superwoman irks her colleagues. For instance, Catherine Grant once responded to Earth-1 Superman's inquiry as to her whereabouts, "probably popping little Jenny Olsen's zits"; Cat Grant also refers to Superwoman as "Queen Bitch".

The only civilian who knows of Superwoman's secret identity is Jimmy Olsen, who, as a sexual deviant, does what she tells him in exchange for the favour of watching when she changes her outfit and receiving pieces thereof for his "disguise kit". He is so besotted that he ignores her gibes and insults, even when she taunts, "Superwoman's Snitch, Jimmy Olsen. That's what your own Newspaper calls you." -- a reference to his mainstream title of "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" (as seen in JLA: Earth 2).

Also in the Earth 2 story, 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.

In 52 Week 52, an alternate version of Earth-Three 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 names of the characters and the team are not mentioned in the two panels in which they appear, but the altered Wonder Woman is visually similar to the pre-Crisis Earth-Three Superwoman. This alternative world is discovered to be a reversed version of Earth-2/Two. 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.

Superman's female counterpart

The Superwoman (along with Batwoman and Superlad) from Superman/Batman #24.

In the volume of the Superman DC comic book series, 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; Superman discovers as well as that he was never in a parallel universe, but rather on Earth, which Mxyzptlk had altered with his magic. After making 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.

A new Superwoman named "Laurel", apparently a female version of Superman from a parallel Earth, appeared for the first time in Superman/Batman, and was featured an issue later. In this Universe, much like in the one featured in "The Turnabout Trap!"), it appears everybody is the same except for reverse gender: there is a Batwoman (female Batman), Superlad (male Supergirl), and a 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.)

Superwoman and Batwoman will return in December 2007 in Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman #1. It will feature their world as part of the new DC Multiverse and will present a male version of Wonder Woman called Wonder Man, based on solicitations.

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 descendant of Jimmy Olsen in the 29th century. Wells time travels to the 20th century, and the technology she had brought from the future allows her to pretend to have super powers.

Dana Dearden

The Dana Dearden Superwoman.

Obsessed Superman fan Dana Dearden 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, with "Superwoman" written down the leggings, and called herself Superwoman, and tried to get Superman to fall in love with her (by kidnapping Jimmy Olsen to get his signal watch). 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, 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 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.

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, 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 great-granddaughter Lara from Superman/Batman: Generations III.

In other media

A version of Superwoman appeared on Lois and Clark in the season three episode, Ultra Woman. 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.

Notes and references

DC Comics Presents Annual #4 Superman and Superwoman (1985)

External links

• Maggin on Superwoman's origins