I don't recollect when I first became aware of Larry Niven's notorious essay "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" but it might simply have been when I found a copy of his book All the Myriad Ways. It certainly wasn't when it first appeared in 1969 in an issue of the magazine Knight.
Things like this were decidedly naughty and not for the common fans of comics, but for the older breed of comic book lovers who had... ahem...matured.
As I said, the essay which details just how Superman might have a sexual relationship with his longtime girlfriend Lois Lane was collected and widely distributed in the mid 70's.
More recently the essay was picked by the brain trust of the 90's magazine Penthouse Comix for reprint.
They sought out veteran Superman artist Curt Swan to illustrate this decidedly non-canonical investigation into the amorous details of Kryptonian life on Earth. Below is the essay with it's decidedly Not-Safe-For-Work illustrations. I first learned of this version of the essay here, and a little searching scouted up the whole shebang.
I would say enjoy, but that seems rather lurid. More properly I suggest you read with an open mind and remember that the writer is a respected member of the Science Fiction community and winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards, and the artist if properly regarded as perhaps the single most significant Superman artist other than Joe Shuster. Put your tongue firmly in your cheek and proceed.
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I picked up a copy of All the Myriad Ways at a used book story 5 or 6 years ago and read this essay. I'd never heard of it before. I thought it was great. In college we'd talk about how Superman's ejaculation would probably blow Lois apart. It was like we'd written it!
ReplyDeleteI too remember a lot of fanboy speculation about the possible sex lives of superheroes. Reed and Sue were brought up a lot. Yikes!
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For some reason I always forget that it was Larry Niven and ascribe it to Ted White.
ReplyDeleteBefore I did this post, I somehow thought this appeared in All In Color for A Dime, the second volume.
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