Implicit Sexual Violence in Action Comics #1

Action Comics #1 (1938) introduces the world to the superhero, but also to a problematic trope of implicit sexual violence against women that would go on to become a common story element of the Golden Age superhero genre. #ComicsStudies. 1/10

In Action Comics #1, the story that unfolds is simple enough: Clark begs Lois for a date. She reluctantly agrees but then a villainous mobster named Butch Matson kidnaps Lois, and Superman has to rescue her. 2/10

Underlying this abduction, however, is implicit sexual violence. Butch clearly states his exclusively physical attraction toward Lois and – barring the intervention of Superman – Butch’s actions have a clear trajectory toward rape. 3/10

As Lois refuses Butch, she puts on a coat, thus visually covering up her sexually revealing outfit. By wrapping it around her suggestive attire, Lois can perhaps be seen to symbolically assert her freedom to choose and her freedom from sexual aggression. 4/10

Not accepting the ‘no,’ Butch violently abducts Lois. Schuster’s illustration of this scene shows Lois frightened and held with her arms behind her back, thus emphasizing her plunging neckline. As Butch’s friend grabs Lois, her coat falls open. 5/10

Equally problematic, however, is the “shadow self” perspective that the story sets up (another touchstone of superhero narratives). Butch, in this context, is a mirror image of Clark – they share a desire/motivation. 6/10

Where they end up, then, is locked in a battle of might and will over Lois. Clark (via Superman) wins the battle and quite literally (though not figuratively) gets to take Lois home. In this context, it’s hard not to read Lois as a trophy, of course. 7/10

There is, however, a third gaze in play here – that of the reader. What do they want here and to what extent is the depiction of implicit sexual violence not just a conflict to be overcome, but a spectacle to be observed and consumed? 8/10

We might also note that, along the way, Superman shows little regard for Lois’s well-being, even threatening her outright in exchange for her silence (despite having assured her “You needn’t be afraid of me. I won’t harm you” just two panels ago). 9/10

What we have then is an early example of a deeply established trope – one so normalized in our culture that we literally base children’s video games around the premise, often uncritically – a textbook example of rape culture in the first superhero comic. 10/10