Comparing Lois Lane's 'Superman And The Dam'

Critical Analysis of Superman and the Dam

Throughout the many years of Superman comics, Lois Lane’s presence in them is a constant. While her personality varies over time, looking at the earliest version of Lois Lane we see that her characterization is quite progressive and whether intentional or not, Siegel and Schuster wrote a feminist character for the time they lived in. As they made Lois a determined, career-driven woman who strived to be taken seriously by her boss, she stood out against a sea of women who were used only as plot devices. This is no different in “Superman and the Dam” (Action Comic No. 5), originally published October 1938, in which Lois proves once more that she can be a better reporter than a man.
The Story begins when the editor of the Daily Star receives a telegraph that a huge downpour has caused the dam in Valleyho to start cracking, putting the whole town in danger. Once again the chief passes Lois over for a story again, in favor of Clark. Despite her being right in front of him, the chief demands she look for Clark to
While it may not be traditional for a woman living in 1938 to be forward with a man, Lois never hesitates to tell Superman just how she feels. After Superman saves her from the waters of the dam, she outright kisses him and confesses her love. Deliberate or not, it’s appropriate that in the issue about a breaking dam, Lois should become so fed-up that she decides to break off on her own. Reading the story, one can create parallels between Lois and the flooding waters of the dam: society is constantly holding her back, but Lois is a force of nature. Her ambitions and passions can’t be stifled, as she continues to fight against the constraints placed on all women of the time. She is one variable that Superman cannot control, much like the dam, which he could not stop from bursting, but can only divert the