Comic Book Wednesday

Last night, I discovered that I've been reading too many comic blogs with a feminist slant. (The two that I check every day are Pretty, Fizzy Paradise and Written World.)

How did I make this discovery? When I finished reading the first issue of the Geoff Johns/Richard Donner Superman, my first thought was, "Superman really should have talked with Lois before deciding to adopt that kid." My second thought was, "Shouldn't Lois be with him while he's asking John and Martha for help? She is his wife, after all." And my third thought was, "Why can't the people at DC leave well enough alone and keep Superman as the only Kryptonian left alive?"

A few months ago, I would have complained about the extra boy from Krypton, first, but not now, apparently.

I'm one of the (few, probably) people who really liked it when Superman told Lois he was also (and really) Clark Kent and I was thrilled when they finally got married. To me, it made perfect sense.

Since they got married, I've only picked up a few issues here and there of the Superman books. I often thought that the superheroics, after Jeph Loeb left, sort of missed the mark and tried to ignore the fact that he was in a marriage. The recent stuff by Busiek has been better. More give and take between the Lois and Clark. Geoff Johns helped to write the first arc after the one year later jump and I figured he'd help Donner to keep the marriage in the book. It didn't happen that way.

The only appearance of Lois in the issue has her sitting at her desk working. Superman flies up to her window and speaks with her for a while. She asks if the kid who crashed is from Krypton. Superman says that the government isn't sure, but he has a feeling. Lois writes an article for The Daily Planet saying that another Kryptonian has been found.

And that's it for her.

The next day, Superman goes to visit the kid and learns he's been taken. Superman threatens to zap Sarge Steel's head off using heat vision(tm). Then Superman takes the kid and goes running to his parents for help.

I still think the should have grabbed his wife along the way or let her know that he's got the kid. (I know, she's smart, she'll know right away.) Marriage should be a partnership, especially with a strong woman like Lois.

The thing is, I think I know why Clark/Superman wouldn't speak with Lois about it, she's not the sort of woman who wants to have kids.

Lois is the sort of woman who likes her job. She good at it and she knows that and she loves doing it. She knows that kids take a lot of time and effort that would be taken away from her job. She's smart, so she know that if she has a child to take care of, her work and the child will suffer. She can't be a full time mom. She wants to be out in the middle of the Pacific ocean watching the Navy test it's newest vehicle and be able to write a first hand account of Blank Manta trying to steal it. But with a kid at home, she wouldn't let herself to that because she'd have to be a mom first and even if she doesn't mean for it to happen, she'd resent the child a little for taking away the life she used to have and love.

On the other hand, I think she'd make a great aunt. She'd have all sorts of exciting stories to tell her nieces and nephews. She'd bring then gifts from exotic locations. She'd love them as much as she'd love any child she had on her own, with out the possibility or resentment.

Maybe it's time for Lucy to have a kid and to leave the rest of the Kryptonians where they should be, dead.