Which role plays Lana Lang in the modern Superman mythology?

[seismic-2]

Have a question: were teenage Lana and Clark ever a couple before COIE?

As I remember it, Lana's role in Smallville was pretty much the same as Lois's role in Metropolis. As the title of Lois' own series proclaimed, she was "Superman's Girlfriend". Superman's, not Clarks. Similarly, Lana was Clark's classmate and close friend, but her love went out to Superboy.

[DochaDocha]

This is an extremely loaded comment that I want to believe you didn’t think through fully before you said it.

I typed out a long response, but it wasn't in the best interest of the thread. Let me just say I respect your opinion on what you want your characters to be like, but not this remark. If her having a rack full of awards makes you like the character more, that's cool. If she's the best at the DP, has great integrity, and is situationally fearless, that's good enough for me.

Peace.

[Nelliebly]

I typed out a long response, but it wasn't in the best interest of the thread. Let me just say I respect your opinion on what you want your characters to be like, but not this remark. If her having a rack full of awards makes you like the character more, that's cool. If she's the best at the DP, has great integrity, and is situationally fearless, that's good enough for me.

Peace.

“If her having a rack full of awards is what makes you like the character more” is not remotely what I said. It has nothing to do with “liking” her more. I love Lois because she’s smart, and compassionate and capable of being both hard and soft, vulnerable and made of steel. And I love that she’s the best at her job.

It has nothing to do with “liking her more.” It has to do with understanding the outside real life sexism that I documented for you with a source that cannot be removed from the context of the narrative as a whole anymore than the real world social justice issues about immigration and assimilation can be removed from how we view Superman.

Lois should be able to win a Pulitzer and be recognized as the best because in an aspirational narrative where a man literally flies the female heroine beloved across generations by women should not be subjected to the same sexist roadblocks that often prevent her real life counterparts from recognized achievement due to factors linked to institutional sexism.

I said you maybe hadn’t through it through because I was giving you the benefit of the doubt that if you thought about the real world implications you might understand why some see it differently. I agree with you that this isn’t a great place to debate this though but I’m happy to chat in the future if you ever want to discuss it further. Thanks!!!

[DochaDocha]

Maybe I'll start a new thread once I get my ducks in a row and have an hour or whatever to spell out my thoughts. I could call it "How decorated of a journalist should Lois be?" Or you or someone else can get it started and I'll reply when possible. I have a lot of thoughts about it, real and fictional-world related.

Take it easy.

[Will Evans]

Should Lana date Clark’s friends?

She’s now been with both Pete Ross and John Henry Irons.

[Tzigone]

Should Lana date Clark’s friends?

She’s now been with both Pete Ross and John Henry Irons.

I'm not especially fond of the Pete thing. They didn't have that dynamic in their more "important" years of Superboy comics. And it used to make Pete look inferior - really, everything since late Pre-COIE has lessened Pete. It irritates me how someone who was so good and so awesome back then now seems only to exist to be torn down, made second-rate, the loser, on the wrong side, etc. And even without that aspect, it just seems to be pairing up the "left behinds" because they were left behind or were important to Clark, rather than out of any aspect of them working. Which, like I said, they didn't work.

[Will Evans]

I'm not especially fond of the Pete thing. They didn't have that dynamic in their more "important" years of Superboy comics. And it used to make Pete look inferior - really, everything since late Pre-COIE has lessened Pete. It irritates me how someone who was so good and so awesome back then now seems only to exist to be torn down, made second-rate, the loser, on the wrong side, etc. And even without that aspect, it just seems to be pairing up the "left behinds" because they were left behind or were important to Clark, rather than out of any aspect of them working. Which, like I said, they didn't work.

What about Lana and Steel?

[Tzigone]

What about Lana and Steel?

Haven't read it, so I don't really have any opinion on whether it works or not. If I was developing Steel, I'd be wary of making someone so tied to another character his love interest/supporting character. I get the theoretically advantages of bringing fans across and of getting to use and less-used character, but generally I think it's a better long-term move to develop their own supporting casts for "newer" (I know he wasn't new when this happened) characters. Stronger mythos, IMO, more control over the fate of the characters, and better for adaptations and not confusing mainstream audience (I think Lana is probably well enough known to cause slight confusion in some, but am not sure). Plus, with a romance, you run the possibility of him looking like a second choice. So, in the abstract I think it's not a choice I favor, but it's not impossible for it to be done well.