Other Relationships

Though Robin Hood is most famous for "robbing from the rich to give to the poor", his romance with the beautiful Maid Marian gave the long-lived legend an epic romantic quality as well. While there are variations on the old legend, the pairing with Maid Marian has proved the most enduring.

There's also the tragedy of Marian going to a convent in the oft' told tale, but since there's a dearth of happy heroes out there, Robin and Marian will have to do.

Forget the giant rubber crocodiles and definitely forget the main plot lines, just watch the charming, if grammatically challenged, romantic interaction between Jane and Tarzan in the Weismuller-O'Sullivan pairing of the famous couple.

Jane risked everything for her hero, and proved to be equally fearless. She happily abandoned London high society to live with Tarzan in the jungle, which is only fair, since he couldn't live without her.

For a peek at the similarities between Superman (as portrayed on Lois and Clark) and Tarzan (Tarzan and His Mate), click here .

Lana Lang, who used to be known as Superman's "childhood sweetheart," but in the most chaste sense of the word, was pretty much demoted when the DC Comics universe rewrote a lot of its history with the Crisis on Infinite Earths saga. However, since there are always Elseworlds (alternate reality tales) and annuals, Lana occasionally reappears. Though sometimes she comes across as a would-be home wrecker depending on the author.

Obsessed with Clark since childhood, Lana just can't seem to get on with her life. She married childhood friend Pete Ross and even had a child with him, but her obsession with Clark never completely vanished.

Another pairing over the years has been with Wonder Woman. Before Clark began dating Lois, he went on a date with Diana (Wonder Woman). However, both decided that it just didn't work and preferred to remain friends. Unlike Lana, though, Diana (Wonder Woman) was happy for Clark when he married Lois and respects their marriage.

Yet, as with other love interests in Elseworlds, sometimes Clark and Diana end up together. Sometimes with tragic results, as in A Distant Fire and sometimes with a happy ending as in Kingdom Come. However, in both cases, Clark was with Lois first and after she died Clark hooked up with Diana.

Ain't amnesia grand? Any time Superman lost his memory, comic book writers and artists saw it as the perfect excuse to provide some guilt-free trysts for the "Man of Steel". It was always easy to tell when Superman forgot who he was. He ended up with facial stubble, a bare chest, and a plenty of large-breasted babes with forgettable names but memorable underdressed bodies crawling all over him.

There were also older women who seemed interested in helping Clark "come of age" such as Ruby, a hash-slinger from Metropolis, Simone, a French ripoff of Cat Grant, but with more of a power base, and even Jimmy Olsen's mother, who fortunately, though flattered by Superman's compliments, held out hope her husband, missing in action and presumed dead, would one day return.

Last, and by no means least, there was Cat Grant herself. Not really older than Clark in terms of years so much as mileage. She admitted to waking up on the wrong side of several beds.

One romance is a little fish story. Lori Lemaris, a mermaid created in the 1950s when the comics were aimed at young children, became Clark Kent's college romance flashback.

Lemaris was brought back during the revamp era of the mid 1980s, but somehow the mermaid love story played better as a kiddie tale 30 years earlier. Perhaps the success of the movie Splash around the time of the revamp is what prompted her return. Whatever the reason, the comic book writers wore out her welcome during Clark and Lois's engagement arc ten years later when Lori seemed to have as little respect for their relationship as Lana did.