The Quarter Box – Superman Family #178

loiscover

Today’s comic: Superman Family #178

Story: “The Girl with the Heart of Steel”

Publisher: DC Comics

Price paid: twenty-five cents

sp14

Synopsis: Intrepid reporter Lois Lane pays a visit S.T.A.R. labs to interview Professor Mathers about breakthroughs in the field of bionics. The Professor introduces Bimmo, the six-million dollar monkey.

sp13

Lois, intrigued by what she’s seen, volunteers to be the first human subject. Her rationale is that it would be a “sensational angle” for her next story. Heedless of the risks involved, Lois is determined to get what she wants.

sp12

A week passes. When we next see Lois, she and Daily Planet editor Perry White are on their way to Smallville to investigate reports of mysterious UFOs. Lois brings up her desire to follow up on the bionics story, but Perry doesn’t want to hear about it. He’s not about to have his star reporter take such a chance just for a headline.

new10

The car veers out of control and crashes as a result of the mysterious machine. Using heretofore-unseen super-human abilities Lois gives chase, but the machine escapes. Perry confronts her about her new powers and Lois makes a shocking confession:

new7

Lois confides to Perry that Superman won’t commit to being in a relationship with her because she’d become a target for his enemies. Her new bionic abilities put her on equal footing with her Kryptonian crush, and she plans on revealing them to him as soon as she and Perry have solved the mystery of the Smallville UFOs. These plans go awry when Superman sees Lois use her powers to protect a politician from assassination.

sp7a

Superman confronts Lois, who explains her transformation. Surprisingly, Superman is fine with it, but Lois’ happiness is quickly curtailed by some unexpected changes. She rushes back to S.T.A.R. labs to reveal:

new1a

The S.T.A.R. lab scientists clue Lois in to what’s happening.

full

The scientists offer Lois sanctuary, but she refuses. In spite of her now-freakish appearance, she’s determined to get to the bottom of the UFO mystery and returns to Smallville to resume the investigation. However, in spite of being “Superboy’s hometown” the residents proves more than a little xenophobic:

sp4

“Yeah, let’s get it!”

Using a S.T.A.R. Labs homing device, our increasingly-robotic heroine tracks the UFO activity to a distant forest on the outskirts of town. Smashing a sentry with a tree, she enters the mother-ship only to find it entirely automated. It turns out the UFO is also a robot that’s come to Earth to analyze Superboy’s amazing powers. Unfortunately, the trip took years and by the time it arrived in Smallville, Superboy had grown up and moved to Metropolis. The robot, now purposeless, makes Lois an offer:

new3a

Unsurprisingly, Lois goes back to being a normal human. There’s no telling how far her transformation will actually go and, let’s face it, the wedding is off either way.

Reflections: For years, DC comics wanted to have it’s cake and eat it, too. Unwilling to actually pull the trigger on the decades-in-the-making Superman/Lois Lane wedding, the company told a series of “imaginary” stories that envisioned the couple’s nuptials and growing Super-family. The stories were popular at first, but fell out of style as time wore on. What’s really striking about this issue is, it’s not an imaginary story — though the process was undone by the end of the comic, it still actually happened, and was part of Superman’s continuity up until Crisis on Infinite Earths.

sp7

During the Nineteen Seventies, characters like Batman were returned to their dark roots and Green Lantern and Green Arrow were transformed into social crusaders, but the Superman family remained firmly entrenched in the Silver Age. It’s part of what put me off of DC as a young comics reader. DC’s willingness to spend an entire issue telling a goofy story with zero consequences seemed old-fashioned and trite compared to the seriousness and sophistication found in a Marvel comic. Over in Amazing Spider-Man, Gwen Stacey was being thrown off a bridge. But here:

sp11

Is it me, or does Lois have a Bettie Page thing goin’ on? Hubba-hubba!

Rereading a lot of these bronze-age books, I’m struck by the willingness of Superman to allow S.T.A.R. labs to remain in operation. How often are these clowns responsible for the very messes Superman has to clean up? I mean, Bimmo? Who thought making a monkey bionic was a good idea and how long was it until Superman was called in to deal with it’s inevitable rampage?

xray

On the guest star front, Perry White is an odd choice, but I guess being a top reporter doesn’t allow Lois time to make many friends. Perry does his best Edward G. Robinson while being crotchety and fellating his cigar, providing the desperately out-of-control Lois with a badly-needed father figure…. for all the good it does.

new5

Creepy. The bit about Lois revealing her transformation to Superman is a subtextual riot:

sp6

“If part of me becomes damaged, it can be replaced with a bionic component!” HINT, HINT! In return, Superman embraces Lois with all the raw passion of a Carpenters song.

Long-time comics artist Kurt Schaffenberger provides the art for this issue, which adds to it’s throwback feel. In spite of outfitting Lois in popular fashions of time, the comic still looks like something from the early Sixties. From the cars to the UFO, everything has a dated quality. It’s not bad, by any stretch: Schaffenberger draws a good-lookin’ woman and his rendition of Robo-Lois is downright terrifying, but I have to wonder: with all of the other physical modifications that have occurred as a result of Lois’ robotic condition, why does she still have breasts?

sp2a

As a result of the popularity of The Six Million Dollar Man, bionics were the happening thing in 1976. I guess we can’t blame DC for wanting a piece of the action: after all, they’d pioneered the concept with characters like Robotman. We never really learn the full extent of Lois’ transformation. The whole thing was done in “just four days,” which is pretty impressive — it took me a week just to get new eyeglasses!

sp3a

Apparently the process involved adding circuits to Lois’ brain — not bionic per se, but enough of a jumping-off point to tell the story. It’s more than bit silly, but it’s certainly entertaining enough for a quarter! Personally, I would love to see Robo-Lois return to comics — in this kooky post New 52 world of ours, surely there’s room for a plucky bionic girl reporter. Someone get Grant Morrison on the phone…

Discuss this article and other quarter-box comics YOU’D like to see here!

Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!

2,643 thoughts on “The Quarter Box – Superman Family #178

    1. Interventional Radiology of the Gallbladder and Biliary Tract generic cialis cost HH belong to the class of hepatic incidentalomas, so- called because they are diagnosed incidentally, on imaging studies performed as routine examinations or for other reasons than the evaluation of a possible liver mass

    1. Las principales fuentes de informaciГіn sobre MГ©xico empleadas en este trabajo proceden de las bases de datos sobre mortalidad en el periodo de 1979 a 200618, 19 del Instituto Nacional de EstadГ­stica, GeografГ­a e InformaciГіn y de la SecretarГ­a de Salud, las cifras de mortalidad de la OrganizaciГіn Mundial de la Salud antes de 197920 y las proyecciones de poblaciГіn para los aГ±os 1950 2050 del Consejo Nacional de PoblaciГіn; asimismo, se consultaron las estimaciones de la SecretarГ­a de Salud21 DirecciГіn General de InformaciГіn en Salud sobre la carga de enfermedad en las mujeres de MГ©xico y el cГЎlculo de muertes prevenibles para el periodo 2000 2004 online generic cialis

    1. Patients were not invited to contribute to the writing or editing of this document for readability or accuracy See your physician often to observe your diabetes and to observe for complications If you assume you may have signs of prediabetes, see your supplier propecia merck

    1. Full supportive care for example transfusions or antibiotics will be given and recorded on the case report form is cialis generic Reports of individual patients with idiopathic FM due to various underlying diseases describe use of the following drugs prednisone, tamoxifen, non steroid anti inflammatory medication such as indomethacin, and immunosuppressants such as azathioprine or cyclosporin

    2. If local production of E2 is mechanistically important in PAH, systemic E2 levels may not adequately reflect the main site of action, and measurement of E2 across the pulmonary circulation may provide an even greater signal viagra cialis online

    1. Unfortunately, my body isn t normal so I am not sure when if I ovulate honey viagra RESULTS Enhanced MDA MB 231 fLuc EGFP breast cancer cell migration to bone conditioned versus control medium was observed in 12 14 specimens P

    1. The microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract outnumber our human cells by 10 times, and they carry 150 times more genetic material than our human genome, Dr cialis 40 mg On T1 weighted images, endometrial polyps are isointense to endometrium

    1. Very similar activity profiles were apparent in HeLa cells Figure S6A and HCT116 cells Figure S6B, indicating that the single promoter construct 4 TS is functional in diverse cellular contexts cialis 5 mg best price usa Figure10 A shows that in the presence of ionomycin, the currents increased during depolarizing voltage pulses

  1. You can view the new Sites on most browsers on computers and mobile devices. However, at this time, you can only edit new Sites content on a computer using Chrome or the Mozilla Firefox browser.

    1. Clark JI, Moon J, Hutchins LF, Sosman JA, Kast WM, Da Silva DM, Liu PY, Thompson JA, Flaherty LE, Sondak VK cost finasteride Resistance totamoxifen in breast cancer patients is a serious therapeutic problem and majorefforts are underway to understand underlying mechanisms

  2. [url=http://bestviagratablets.com/]viagra india online purchase[/url] [url=http://iveromectinforhumans.online/]ivermectin lotion cost[/url] [url=http://cialisonlinesale.com/]cialis pills 20mg[/url] [url=http://buyiveromectin.com/]ivermectin 4 tablets price[/url] [url=http://ivermectinpharmacysale.online/]stromectol medicine[/url] [url=http://lsviagra.com/]generic viagra for sale uk[/url] [url=http://ivermectinm.com/]india ivermectin[/url] [url=http://priligy.quest/]priligy price in india online[/url] [url=http://tadalafilwithoutdoctor.com/]tadalafil discount[/url] [url=http://viagrabuyb.com/]cheap viagra uk paypal[/url]

    1. A randomized controlled trial RCT of 308 natural and ovulation induction IUI cycles showed a threshold effect at TMC of 10 million, with no improvement in pregnancy rates with ovarian stimulation among couples with TMC best place to buy generic cialis online Corresponding Author Pierre Jalinot, ENS de Lyon, 46 allГ©e d Italie, Lyon 69007, France

  3. [url=http://ivermectinforsale.online/]ivermectin[/url] [url=http://lsviagra.com/]viagra online usa cheap[/url] [url=http://tadalafilwithoutdoctor.com/]tadalafil 20 mg medication[/url] [url=http://cialisonlinesale.com/]cialis 120 mg[/url] [url=http://buyantibiotics.online/]terramycin best price[/url] [url=http://sildenafilnoprescription.com/]sildenafil buy[/url] [url=http://valtrex.quest/]where to get valtrex[/url] [url=http://ivermectinvi.com/]ivermectin tablets order[/url] [url=http://cipro.quest/]buy cipro on line[/url] [url=http://disulfiram.online/]buy disulfiram online india[/url]

  4. [url=http://cialisot.com/]cialis genuine buy[/url] [url=http://buyiveromectin.online/]ivermectin cream[/url] [url=http://disulfiram.online/]disulfiram generic[/url] [url=http://tviagra.com/]viagra 123[/url] [url=http://iveromectinforhumans.com/]ivermectin 20 mg[/url] [url=http://axsildenafil.com/]sildenafil sale uk[/url] [url=http://valtrex.quest/]valtrex 500mg price canada[/url] [url=http://iveromectinforsale.com/]ivermectin prescription[/url] [url=http://metformin.quest/]metformin prescription cost in us[/url] [url=http://cialistb.com/]cialis soft tabs generic[/url]

  5. [url=http://wellbutrin.quest/]purchase wellbutrin[/url] [url=http://rxivermectin.online/]ivermectin 3mg[/url] [url=http://tenormin.quest/]tenormin 25 mg tablet[/url] [url=http://txtadalafil.com/]cheapest tadalafil no prescription[/url] [url=http://cialisot.com/]5 mg cialis[/url] [url=http://trental.online/]trental drug[/url] [url=http://tadacip.quest/]where to buy tadacip 20[/url] [url=http://buyiverpill.com/]stromectol price in india[/url] [url=http://iveromectinforsale.online/]ivermectin pills[/url] [url=http://axsildenafil.com/]order sildenafil uk[/url]

  6. When you create a new site, it’s automatically added to Drive, like your other files stored in Drive. You can edit a Google Site together with someone else in real time, and see each other’s changes live. Publish the site for everyone to see, or restrict sharing permissions and make the site accessible only to people you want to share it with, like vendors or suppliers.

  7. When you create a new site, it’s automatically added to Drive, like your other files stored in Drive. You can edit a Google Site together with someone else in real time, and see each other’s changes live. Publish the site for everyone to see, or restrict sharing permissions and make the site accessible only to people you want to share it with, like vendors or suppliers.

    1. buy cialis online uk Association with TGFBR2 rs1367610 but not IL12B variants replicated using BCAC Asian samples and the independent Prospective Study of Outcomes in Sporadic versus Hereditary Breast Cancer Study and yielded a combined HR of 1

    1. I can t find any clear studies or reports about this connection other than patients getting platinum based chemo are told to avoid aspirin based products during chemo another thing they didn t mention buy viagra cialis online DMD causing mutations occur throughout the DMD gene body, with the majority being whole exon deletions 35

    1. After the preparation of all the samples, the IL 10 and TGF ОІ levels in the lysates were measured using Mouse IL 10 Quantikine ELISA Kit R D system and Mouse Rat Porcine Canine TGF beta 1 Quantikine ELISA Kit R D system buy cheap generic cialis uk Drinking in excess also increases the risk of injuries that could lead to bleeding

    1. mellaril himcolin gel kis kaam mein aati hai Payrolls data released last week also showed that privateemployment, which excludes government agencies, climbed 152, 000in August after a revised gain of 127, 000 in July that wasweaker than first reported buy finasteride 5mg online

    1. We loved our conversations but sometimes it had to be passed through assistants and we would have preferred to speak to him directly buy cialis online united states The immune cell infiltration CD45, CD4, F4 80 was quantified by counting of the number of CD45, CD4, or F4 80 cells per field using ImageJ Fiji NIH 83

    2. These parasites are commonly found on eyelashes and do not normally cause a problem propecia ireland 2 Antioxidants Meat Muscle especially contains many essential antioxidants, some of which are not present at all in plants Taurine, Cysteine, Methionine, Glutathione, Lipoic Acid

    1. cialis prescription After incubation in humidified 5 CO 2 at 37 C for 72 h, the proliferation of spleen cells was measured by standard 3 4, 5 dimethylthiazol 2 yl 2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay method, and reported as the stimulation index Reference Hashemi, Hassan and Soudi 18

  8. [url=http://ivermectinxs.com/]stromectol 0.1[/url] [url=http://valtrex.quest/]buy valtrex without get a prescription online[/url] [url=http://wellbutrin.quest/]wellbutrin xl 300[/url] [url=http://sildenafilcitratetbs.com/]sildenafil 50mg tablets in india[/url] [url=http://plavix.quest/]clopidogrel price uk[/url]

    1. WARNING The safety and effectiveness of Turmeric for dogs has not been systematically evaluated, so use it at your own risk buy cialis pro The exact mechanism by which amlodipine relieves the symptoms of angina have not been fully elucidated to this date, however, the mechanism of action is likely twofold

    1. priligy otc In this study, three groups of rats n 17 each were selected that included, tamoxifen group here tamoxifen was injected after SCI in rats, SCI group here only dimethylsulfoxide was administered after inducing SCI in rats and sham group here only laminectomy was performed

  9. I do trust all the ideas you have presented for your post.
    They are very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for beginners.
    Could you please extend them a bit from subsequent time?
    Thanks for the post.

    1. Dx 5 5 2017, IDC, Right, Surgery 6 15 2017 Lumpectomy; Lumpectomy Right; Lymph node removal Dx 6 23 2017, IDC, Right, 1cm, Stage IB, Grade 3, 1 2 nodes, ER PR HER2 Chemotherapy 8 10 2017 AC T Taxol Radiation Therapy 1 11 2018 Whole breast Breast Hormonal Therapy 3 11 2018 Tamoxifen pills Nolvadex, Apo Tamox, Tamofen, Tamone brand cialis online

    1. 27 Both the sarcomatous and carcinomatous components often coexpress epithelial markers and vimentin to varying degrees canadian pharmacy cialis I am back on 1 ALA per day for the past three days, I take it if the cotton wool feeling in my mouth appears, the bms then subsides

  10. [url=http://isotretinoin.online/]accutane isotretinoin[/url] [url=http://cialisqpills.com/]otc cialis[/url] [url=http://cialistb.com/]where to buy cialis online in usa[/url] [url=http://disulfiram.online/]buy disulfiram australia[/url] [url=http://axsildenafil.com/]cheapest sildenafil 50 mg[/url]

  11. [url=http://nicialis.com/]cialis 20mg india price[/url] [url=http://iveromectinforhumans.com/]ivermectin otc[/url] [url=http://genericialis.com/]cialis 20 mg discount[/url] [url=http://metformin.quest/]metformin 500 mg otc[/url] [url=http://axsildenafil.com/]purchase sildenafil pills[/url] [url=http://disulfiram.online/]disulfiram 500 mg tablets online[/url] [url=http://sildenafilsmart.com/]sildenafil 60mg price[/url] [url=http://cialisonlinesale.com/]cialis daily 5mg online[/url] [url=http://advair.quest/]advair inhaler[/url] [url=http://sildenafilgenerictb.com/]sildenafil best price uk[/url]

  12. [url=http://ivermectin.party/]ivermectin cream canada cost[/url] [url=http://buyviagra.best/]female viagra gel[/url] [url=http://lisinopril.quest/]lisinopril for sale online[/url] [url=http://buyevermectin.com/]ivermectin human[/url] [url=http://ciprofloxacin.online/]750 mg ciprofloxacin[/url] [url=http://ivermectinpills.quest/]stromectol pills[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.monster/]ivermectin uk[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.men/]ivermectin 6mg[/url] [url=http://zithromax.quest/]zithromax 500mg canada[/url] [url=http://cialis.how/]how much is cialis 5mg[/url]

  13. [url=http://robaxin.quest/]robaxin without a prescription[/url] [url=http://erectafil.online/]erectafil canada[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.mobi/]ivermectin 6mg[/url] [url=http://fildena.quest/]fildena 50[/url] [url=http://ivermecfin.com/]buy stromectol[/url] [url=http://buyantibiotics.quest/]doxycycline buy online usa[/url] [url=http://sildenafil.monster/]sildenafil 50mg uk[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.run/]ivermectin covid[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.men/]ivermectin 200mg[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.icu/]ivermectin over the counter[/url]

  14. [url=http://cialis.pink/]buy cialis from mexico[/url] [url=http://hydroxychloroquine.monster/]plaquenil osteoarthritis[/url] [url=http://ivermectinpills.quest/]stromectol 3 mg tablet[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.solutions/]stromectol 3mg cost[/url] [url=http://buyhydroxychloroquine.quest/]hydroxychloroquine sulfate nz[/url]

  15. [url=http://buygenericviagra.quest/]generic over the counter viagra[/url] [url=http://zithromax.quest/]zithromax antibiotic without prescription[/url] [url=http://hydroxychloroquine.top/]prices for plaquenil[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.win/]ivermectin 3 mg tablet dosage[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.party/]ivermectin cost canada[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.digital/]price of ivermectin tablets[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.red/]stromectol medicine[/url] [url=http://sildenafil.men/]sildenafil soft[/url] [url=http://cheapcialis.online/]cialis levitra[/url] [url=http://buycialis.best/]generic cialis 2018 canada[/url]

  16. [url=http://cheapcialis.online/]generic cialis 10mg[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.icu/]stromectol 0.5 mg[/url] [url=http://sildenafil.delivery/]sildenafil 50 mg online[/url] [url=http://ivermectin.company/]ivermectin 24 mg[/url] [url=http://ciprofloxacin.online/]cipro online no prescription in the usa[/url]