Continuing our look at Silver Age letters columns, let’s see what kind of conversations were unfolding over in the pages of Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane.
First of all, we’ve already seen that alert readers wondered why Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen always wore the same clothes, so it’s not surprising that the editors made sure that at least Lois, as a red-blooded American female, changed her outfits with greater frequency. Nonetheless, one reader takes the creators to task for Lois’ seeming dependency on a particular accessory. The editor’s response is, I think, pretty clever.
Makes sense. But it still doesn’t explain why a young, attractive lass like Lois would go so long without a change to her coiffure, as noted in this letter from Lois Lane #49 (May 1964):
Notice they leave themselves an out here; “…whenever it doesn’t interfere with the story.” One has to wonder how a hairstyle could affect a story one way or the other. I mean, sure I had trouble focusing on the case whenever Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes showed up with that “Kewpie Doll” hairstyle, but other than that, how much difference could hair really make?
In same column from LL #49, another reader cuts to the heart of the whole “Superman’s Girlfriend” premise. ‘Fess up, she demands: is there or is there not even the slightest hope that Lois Lane will ever get her man, or should we just give up right now and move on?
Notice how the editor promises absolutely nothing, but still expects continued loyalty from not only the letter-writer, but her descendants as well. And here I thought Stan Lee never worked for DC.
We wrap up Lois’ mailbag with a straight and simple yuk-yuk from Lois Lane #47 (Feb 1964):
Not to be outdone, a certain red-haired cub reporter in the office next door is getting his share of fan mail, as well.
First, in the back pages of Jimmy Olsen #89 (Dec. ’65) we learn Jimmy’s middle name, a well-established bit of Superman trivia nowadays, but I wonder: was this letter column the first time it ever saw print? Perhaps one of the august Superman experts who frequent this site can confirm this for me?
In Jimmy Olsen #88 (Oct. ’65), a reader sends in his appreciation for “Jimmy’s D-Day Adventure,” doing his best Colonel Klink impression:
Haw, Haw! We already know ethnic stereotypes are a bottomless font of humor, and as “Hogan’s Heroes” proved, Nazis are pure comedy gold, so this exchange is doubly awesome. Anyway, it’s reassuring to know Bill Spence of Midland, Texas wasn’t “a real Nazi.” Especially if you happened to live next to him.
Two months later in JO #90 (Jan. ’66), they’re still talking about Jimmy’s holiday with Hitler, and one correspondent catches a goof I missed in my review of the tale.
Finally, we have a great example of the time-honored strategy of joking your way out of a jam. This one’s a favorite:
Well played, Mort. Can’t believe I didn’t see that one coming.
Confessions Of A Superman Fan 
These make me miss those old letter columns which are pretty much dead nowadays with the Internet and trade paperbacks.
They vanished from the “floppies” some time back. I noticed near the end there that the letters got less thoughtful and more universally praising, instead of a mix of yays and nays. I’m guessing that’s because most people with a complaint tend to air it instantly on message boards and then move on. The only people who write to the editor would be those folks who want to see their names in print, and thus do a lot of sucking up. Also I guess you could argue that when people can have a conversation on-line about an issue the day it comes out, they’re not likely to be interested in waiting three or four months to see comments about a story they only dimly remember, especially if they can’t instantly respond with a “you’re so right” or a “you’re full of it.”
Finally, I get the distinct impression that modern-day “editors” aren’t really the ones in charge, so there’s not that old feeling of “a message from the management.” The “talent” calls the shots these days, not the “editors,” and by the time the letters come around, they’ve moved on already to the next vanity project. Meanwhile the editor, who didn’t have much say in the story anyway, isn’t really in a position to defend it, or even explain it, especially since there’s a new team of prima-donnas in charge now whose “vision” directly contradicts it anyway.
I don’t know, you might even argue that the lettercols were the beginning of the end. They gave birth to the notion that readers deserve some say in the way stories are told, and the logical progression has now happened, where comics cater to the whims of their niche audience, shutting out the casual reader entirely.
That basically sums it up quite nicely!
If not quite “succinctly.” 🙂
I had one letter printed in my comic reading career. The questions, while hardly deep and insightful, were nevertheless legitimate. No doubt like the writers of these vintage letters, they expected some sort of coherent reply. The one I received was about on the level of the “AC-DC” answer. And I quickly realized the only reason I was printed was it allowed the editor/shill/assistant a perfect opportunity to spring into a “Don’t forget to drink your Ovaltine” type advert for the next issue.
All in all, I decided my correspondence energies and stamps would be far better spent writing friends and family than comic publishers. And so it remained until the present day with blogs comments like this.
I never wrote to a lettercol, but I had a friend who did (to “Flash-O-Grams”). We were only 6 or 7 at the time, so his letter was probably just barely literate; they didn’t print it but they did send him a nice note back on “Flash” letterhead. I remember being quite envious…but not enough to write my own.