Did Lois fall in love w. Superman or Clark?

[Vordan]

Superman first then Clark. That’s how I see it.

[witchboy]

I've read a ton of pre-Crisis Superman this last year - that's what's gotten me through everything this year.
I think with Earth 1 Superman part of his attachment to Clark is that that's his link to his adoptive parents. As long as he's Clark he's got that part of them with him.
That and he also needs down time, friends, a piece of a normal life is important to him.

[Jim Kelly]

Its an interesting interpretation of the character, and one I wouldn't blame anyone for coming up with based on the Silver Age take.

But does anyone really believe that this was what was going on in Superman's mind? That 'Clark Kent' was really just him trolling humanity? That he was just messing with Lois and 'critiquing' her, and all of us?

I can understand Feiffer believing that this may have consciously or subconciously been the intent of writers and editors working on the character, but you can't seriously consider this to be valid in-universe.

That said, I agree with the idea that Pre-Crisis mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent existed to a large extent for the reader's benefit - we could all imagine that underneath our ordinary humdrum milquetoast selves we were secretely Superman!

In THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES, Jules Feiffer is remembering how he felt about the comics when he was a kid. In 1938, he would have been nine years old when Superman appeared on the scene. By 1946, when he was seventeen, he was working for Will Eisner on the Spirit. So I'd say his memories are mainly confined to that period between 1938 and 1945.

Clark Kent wasn't given much of a back story, before his arrival in Metropolis. Not until the Superboy stories started to appear, as of MORE FUN COMICS 101 (January-February 1945)--and even then the Superman stories never referenced those Superboy stories. So I can see how the young Jules Feiffer had this impression of Superman. Also, he's probably exaggerating for comic effect.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I think Feiffer’s Superman is very much the male power fantasy Superman. It’s the one that is winking at us as he suffers Lois’s dismissal of Clark. “If Lois only knew, she’s too taken by flashy old Superman to notice the real thing in front of her. Silly Lois.” The thing is that version of Clark, he faints, he has stomach issues, he’s a coward or an asthmatic. The Wally Wood Clark Bent hits the nail on the head. I think that version of Superman is driven more by a love of Justice than human beings. (It’s my first time reading that quote . I read it again and “chaste ménage” jumped out at me, to quote Hank McCoy, oh my stars and garters!)

[Agent Z]

I like that sophisticated Lana. She never was the small town girl, because her father was a globe-trotting archaeologist and she would go with him on his adventures. She also was involved with the Legion of Super-Heroes and dated aliens that came to Earth for visits.

In the Marty Pasko run, she kind of takes the place of 1960s Lois Lane--in trying to get Superman's attention. But she's a powerful woman, anchors the news with Clark. And later she becomes involved with Vartox.

It is kind of funny that another red-haired reporter who'd been in Europe comes back to the States around the same time--that being Vicki Vale in the Batman comics.

I don't know why everyone seems to have a problem with the Superman cast being screwed up and having dysfunctional relationships. That's how people really are. It's like some readers want all the characters to act like automatons and follow clear paths forward in life according to a sanitized version of reality. People have emotions that cause them to do weird stuff.

People have normal, healthy relationships too.