Editing Lois Lane (section)

===Silver Age and Bronze Age===
When the reading audience of superhero comic books became predominately young boys in the mid to late 1950s, the focus of Superman stories shifted toward science fiction inspired plots involving [[extraterrestrials]], [[fantasy literature|fantasy]] creatures, and bizarre plots.

Lois's main interests in various late 1950s and 1960s stories became vying with her rival Lana Lang for Superman's affections, attempting to prove Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same or otherwise getting Superman into marriage. Superman's rationale for resisting her matrimonial desires was that marrying her would put her in increased danger from his enemies and that she could not keep his secret identity hidden. Regardless, Lois married several times in the Superman stories of this era, including to a Superman impostor from Kandor, the villainous Zak-Kul<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Otto Binder|Binder, Otto]]| penciller= Boring, Wayne| inker= Kaye, Stan| story= The Shrinking Superman!| title= Action Comics| issue= #245| date= October 1958}}</ref> and a man from the future.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Bernstein, Robert| penciller= Boring, Wayne| inker= Kaye, Stan| story= The Man Who Married Lois Lane| title= Superman| issue= #136| date= April 1960}}</ref> All these marriages were either annulled or otherwise forgotten.

[[File:SupermansGirlFriendLoisLane1.jpg|thumb|''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #1 (April 1958) art by [[Curt Swan]] and Stan Kaye.|left]]
Lois became more and more popular during the 1950s, and after appearing as the lead character in two issues of DC Comics' ''[[Showcase (comics)|Showcase]]'' in 1957, DC created an ongoing series for Lois, titled ''[[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]''.<ref>[[Alexander C. Irvine|Irvine, Alex]] "1950s" in Dolan, p. 85: "The future title ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' got a tryout in issues #9 and #10 of ''Showcase'', when Lois Lane stepped in as the lead feature."</ref><ref>Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 89: "Following her successful test run in the pages of ''Showcase'' #9 and #10, Lois Lane got her own title ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' in which Superman was ever the prankster."</ref> The series ran for 137 issues, beginning in April 1958 to October 1974. Most stories were about Lois' romance with Superman, and were drawn by artist [[Kurt Schaffenberger]]. Schaffenberger's rendition of Lois became cited by many as the "definitive" version of Lois, and he was often asked by DC editor [[Mort Weisinger]] to redraw other artists' depictions of Lois Lane in other DC titles where she appeared.<ref>{{cite book|last = Voger|first = Mark|author2=Voglesong, Kathy |chapter= Front Page Romance |title = Hero Gets Girl!: The Life & Art of Kurt Schaffenberger|publisher= [[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|year= 2003|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|pages = 43–45| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8_mF5qdrMR0C&q=Front+Page+Romance+Kurt+Schaffenberger&pg=PA43| isbn = 1-893905-29-2 
}}</ref><ref name="Eury">{{cite book|last= Eury|first= Michael|author-link= Michael Eury|title= The Krypton Companion|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|year= 2006|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|page= 67|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Fcm4JrX-F54C&q=Kurt+Schaffenberger%3A+Ladies%27+Man&pg=PA67| isbn = 1-893905-61-6}}</ref> So many stories depicted Lois and marriage that the cover of a 1968 [[80-Page Giant]] that reprinted several such stories, the "All-Wedding Issue", described the magazine as "featuring Lois' schemes and dreams to marry Superman!".<ref>{{Cite comic
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| title = Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane
| volume = 1
| issue = 86
| date = September–October 1968
| publisher = [[National Periodical Publications, Inc.]]
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| url = https://www.comics.org/issue/22263/
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The series ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' became one of DC's most popular titles, the third best-selling comic in 1962 and 1965.<ref name="1962 Comic Book Sales Figures"/><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/1960s/1965.html|title= 1965 Comic Book Sales Figures|first= John Jackson|last= Miller|date= n.d.|publisher= Comichron: The Comics Chronicles|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024222/http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/1960s/1965.html|archive-date= November 17, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The title featured the first appearance of the Silver Age [[Catwoman]], after an absence from the comics for over a decade.<ref>{{cite comic|writer= [[Leo Dorfman|Dorfman, Leo]]|penciller= Schaffenberger, Kurt|inker= Schaffenberger, Kurt|story= The Catwoman's Black Magic!|title= Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane |issue= 70|date= November 1966}}</ref>

While Lois is suspicious of Superman's secret identity as early as ''Superman'' #7 (1940), her suspicions grew during the early Silver Age, with many stories in her series focusing on her attempts to prove Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same. Stories showed Superman using various means to protect his secret identity from Lois, including his [[Superman robot]]s or Batman disguising himself as Clark/Superman.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Alvin Schwartz (comics)|Schwartz, Alvin]]| penciller= Swan, Curt| inker= Kaye, Stan| story= Batman – Double for Superman!| title= [[World's Finest Comics]]| issue= #71| date= July–August 1954}}</ref>

By the end of the 1960s, as attitudes toward women's role in American society changed, Lois' character changed as well. In ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' #80 (Jan. 1968), the character's fashions were updated to a then more contemporary look.<ref>McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 128: "She started trading in her generic blouse and pencil skirt combinations for a "mod" wardrobe filled with printed dresses, go-go boots, mini skirts, and hot pants."</ref> Stories in the 1970s depicted Lois again as fully capable and less reliant on Superman. She engaged in more adventures without Superman being involved and was much less interested in discovering Superman's secret identity.

Lois had a series featured in ''[[The Superman Family]]'' (an [[anthology]] title started in the mid-1970s after the cancellation of ''[[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]'' and ''[[Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen]]'') from 1974 to 1982. In her series, Lois regularly battled criminals and often defeated them using her quick wits and considerable skill in the Kryptonian [[martial arts|martial art]] of Klurkor, taught to her by Kryptonian survivors in the bottle city of [[Kandor (comics)|Kandor]].<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Dorfman, Leo| penciller= Schaffenberger, Kurt| inker= [[Pete Costanza|Costanza, Pete]]| story= Courtship, Kryptonian Style!| title=Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane| issue= #78| date= October 1967}}</ref> There were several cameos of the [[New Gods]], including [[Desaad]] and [[Darkseid]]. Lois Lane was the backup series in ''[[Supergirl (comic book)|The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl]]'' in 1982 to 1983.<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 2626|title= The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl}}</ref>

During the Silver and Bronze Age, Lois' backstory became more fully fleshed out, with various stories explaining her life before becoming employed at the ''Daily Planet''. This backstory was attributed to the Lois Lane of Earth-One.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |last2=Pasko |first2=Martin |title=The Essential Superman Encyclopedia |date=2010 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=978-0-345-50108-0 |pages=182–188}}</ref>

As summarized in various stories, Lois was born to Sam and Ella Lane and grew up on their farm in the small town of Pittsdale.<ref name="loislane13" /> At the age of two, Lois suffered [[measles]], and at the age of three, [[Pertussis|whooping cough]].<ref name="supermanfamily206">{{cite comic| writer= [[Marv Wolfman|Wolfman, Marv]]|penciller= [[Bob Oksner|Oksner, Bob]]|inker= [[Vince Colletta|Colletta, Vince]]|story= Have You Ever Told Me the Story of My Life?|title= Superman Family|issue= #206|date= March–April 1981}}</ref> At an unspecified time during Lois' childhood, her younger sister Lucy Lane was born.<ref name="supermanfamily206" /> While Lois was a toddler, she encountered a [[rattlesnake]] in the woods near the Lane family farm. The snake was scared away by one of Kal-El's baby toys which had landed nearby in one of Jor-El's experimental rockets.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Siegel, Jerry|penciller= Schaffenberger, Kurt|inker= Schaffenberger, Kurt|story= Lois Lane's Childhood|title= Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane|issue= 26|date= July 1961}}</ref>

During Lois' adolescence, she won a youth contest run by the ''Daily Planet'', with the prize being a trip to Metropolis to spend a week working as a cub reporter for the newspaper. There, she first met Clark Kent of Smallville, who was the other winner of the contest. Lois found Clark dull and became more interested in asking him for information about Superboy after learning Clark came from Smallville. During the week in Metropolis, Lois made a bet with Clark to see who would get the most [[Scoop (term)|scoops]], which turned out to be Lois, as Clark was forced to constantly go into action as Superboy. Lois met Superboy for the first time while uncovering a criminal enterprise for one of her stories. At the end of the week, Clark paid off Lois' bet (an [[ice cream sundae]]), and the two returned to their respective hometowns.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Bill Finger|Finger, Bill]]|penciller=Wenzel, Al|inker= [[George Roussos|Roussos, George]]|story= How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane|title= [[Adventure Comics]]|issue= #128|date= May 1948}}</ref> Lois would meet Superboy (but not Clark Kent) again during her adolescence while attending an all-girls summer camp near Smallville. There, Lois met Lana Lang, a fellow camper, for the first time.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Binder, Otto|penciller= [[George Papp|Papp, George]]|inker= Papp, George|story= Superboy Meets Lois Lane|title= Adventure Comics|issue= 261|date= June 1959}}</ref> Lois would make further attempts at landing a job with the ''Daily Planet'' during her teenage years<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Binder, Otto|penciller= Sikela, John|inker= Sikela, John|story= Clark Kent, Cub Reporter|title= [[Superboy (comic book)|Superboy]]|issue= 63|date= March 1958}}</ref> and spent time writing for her hometown's newspaper, the ''Pittsdale Star''.<ref name="loislane13" />

Upon finishing high school, Lois left Pittsdale and attended Raleigh College to study journalism. While in college, Lois worked for the student newspaper, the ''Raleigh Review'', as a reporter and eventually its co-editor.<ref>{{cite comic|writer= Dorfman, Leo|penciller= Schaffenberger, Kurt|inker= Schaffenberger, Kurt|story= Lois Lane's College Scoops|title= Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane|issue= 55|date= February 1965}}</ref> After graduating from college, Lois became permanently employed at the ''Daily Planet''. Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen later joined the ''Planet''{{'}}s staff but Lois remained the newspaper's star reporter,<ref>{{cite comic| writer= Siegel, Jerry|penciller= Plastino, Al|inker= Plastino, Al|story= How Perry White Hired Clark Kent!|title= Superman|issue= #133|date= November 1959}}</ref> winning the [[Pulitzer Prize]].<ref>{{cite comic|writer= Dorfman, Leo|penciller= Schaffenberger, Kurt|inker= Schaffenberger, Kurt|story= Get Out of My Life, Superman!|title= Superman's Girl Friend|issue= #80|date= January 1968}}</ref> She was very dependent on Superman, however; he told her that having to rescue her so often from problems she caused prevented him from helping others.<ref>{{Cite comic
| writer = [[Jerry Siegel|Siegel, Jerry]]
| artist = [[Kurt Schaffenberger|Schaffenberger, Kurt]]
| colorist = 
| letterer = Vivian Berg
| editor = [[Mort Weisinger|Weisinger, Mort]]
| story = Lois Lane's Super-Perfect Crime
| title = [[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]
| volume = 
| issue = #59
| date = August 1965
| publisher = [[National Periodical Publications, Inc.]]
| location = 
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| url = https://www.comics.org/issue/19389/#144452
}}</ref> For example, when late for a deadline Lois jumped off a cliff expecting Superman to catch her "as he has done a thousand times", and fly her to her destination.<ref>{{Cite comic
| writer = [[Jerry Siegel|Siegel, Jerry]]
| artist = [[Kurt Schaffenberger|Schaffenberger, Kurt]]
| colorist = 
| letterer = 
| editor = [[Mort Weisinger|Weisinger, Mort]]
| story = The Wife of Superman's Foe! Part 1: The Bride of Luthor!
| title = [[Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane]]
| volume = 
| issue = #34
| date = July 1962
| publisher = [[National Periodical Publications, Inc.]]
| location = 
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| url = https://www.comics.org/issue/17053/#133195
}}</ref> When asked on a [[Sunday morning talk show]] what she would do if trapped in an underground mine with rescue impossible before the air ran out, Lois admitted that she would impatiently await Superman because "I've got a deadline to meet."<ref>{{Cite book |title=Superman: Last Son of Krypton |title-link=Superman: Last Son of Krypton |last=Maggin |first=Elliot S. |publisher=Arrow Books |year=1978 |chapter=Chapter 18: The Sociologist |chapter-url=http://superman.nu/thebook/lsok/?chapter=18&language=}}</ref>

Eventually, Lois realized that she had wasted a good part of her career by staying in Metropolis for Superman's sake and left.<ref>"Savage Awakening" by Marv Wolfman, ''Action Comics'', Volume 1, #542. April 1983)</ref> As both a journalist and as a woman, she had to get on with her life.<ref>''Superman'' Vol. 1 #385, 386 (July, August 1983)</ref>

After the 1985–1986 miniseries ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' writer [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] revised the Superman legend and eliminated the Silver Age version of Lois from continuity. Before this happened, a final non-canonical imaginary story ''[[Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?]]'' was written by [[Alan Moore]], meant as a send-off for the pre-Crisis versions of the characters, including Lois. Published at the same time but in Earth-One continuity was a two-issue miniseries, ''Lois Lane'', in which she investigates missing children.<ref>{{cite comic| writer= [[Mindy Newell|Newell, Mindy]]|penciller= [[Gray Morrow|Morrow, Gray]]|inker= Morrow, Gray|story= Chapter I: Ignorance Was Bliss/Chapter II: Dark Realities|title= Lois Lane|issue= #1|date= August 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite comic| writer= Newell, Mindy|penciller= Morrow, Gray|inker= Morrow, Gray|story= Chapter Three: Quicksand/Chapter Four: Quicksand!|title= Lois Lane|issue= 2|date= September 1986}}</ref>