Superblaxploitation

DC Comic's Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #106
I am curious (BLACK)!

Written by: Robert Kanigher
Pencils by: Werner Roth

Browsing through my local comic book store I decided to check out a box of Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane. Flipping through the issues I ran across issue no. 106 entitled I am curious (BLACK)! The cover depicts Lois Lane placed into a machine. Superman flips a switch and Lois magically transforms into a black woman for 24 hours. Realizing that this is the ultimate in cheesy comics I had to pick it up.

The story begins with Lois assigned to do a story on Metropolis's urban area that Lois refers to Little Africa. It seems that all black people refuse to submit to an interview done by Miss Whitey. Young children, old blind ladies, and even people on the street hate white people. With Superman's help Lois is placed inside the Plastimold and the Transformoflux Pack invented by Dahr-Nel, Kryptonian Surgeon. Apparently this machine is meant to change white people to black people. You have to wonder if Superman uses this machine often?



Disguised as a black woman, Lois proceeds to experience what it is like as an African American. Benny the friendly neighborhood taxi-driver refuses to pick up Lois the black woman. On the subway, the white men stare at her, making her feel completely uncomfortable. Lois eventually meets the radical anti-white black rebel who earlier called her "whitey."

The radical Dave Stevens, taken in by this fine black woman, is distracted when he witnesses a drug deal going down. Telling Lois to "Stay here! This is a man's business!" Dave really enforces the social inequality of the story. Refusing to let the gangsters sell their poison, Dave confronts them and is shot during the struggle. Superman, who always keeps his eye on Lois, saves the day flying Dave and Lois to the hospital.



At the hospital Dave needs a blood transfusion but, the hospital is out of O negative blood. Realizing that she can help, Lois states in a very shocking way "I—I'm O-negative!" Here we see the underlying theme of the book highlighted; underneath, we are all the same. After she donates the blood, her 24 hours are up and she reverts back to the white Lois Lane. When Dave awakes to see that Lois is not a beautiful black woman, but the cracker he snubbed, he is at first shocked, realizing then you can't judge a book by its cover. Superman informs Lois "If he still hates you... with your blood in his veins... there may never be peace in this world!" Luckily for us they all get along in the end.