Sidecar to the Superman motorcycle

Clark had dashed away while Lois was trying to explain what love meant to her. She had put Clark above everything else in her life, yet Clark was clueless as to why Lois left her engagement ring behind.

This insensitive feature added to Clark's personality was not a welcome change. Nor was the intrusion of Lori Lemaris, who would end up paying something of an ultimate price for her part in the broken engagement.

Worst of all, Clark would be too busy playing the injured party to have time for anything or anyone.

Meanwhile, Lois was teamed up with the only person who would even vaguely resemble an ex-boyfriend, Jeb Friedman. Someone from Lois' past, he was certainly no one of importance. However, Lois had so little romantic back history, he would have to do.

Lois and Jeb went after the bad guys as a team, something, unfortunately, the comics rarely did with Lois and Superman. Jeb risked his life for Lois and also lost his life trying to protect her.

In the bitter irony department, Jeb was willing to kill to save Lois, which, as we know, her beloved fiancé was unwilling to do, and don't think Lois didn't point that out to Mr. Kent.

In the 1995 episode of Lois and Clark, "We Have a Lot to Talk About," Clark, unhappy that Lois had turned down his proposal, tossed the engagement ring into space.

In this 1996 issue, Superman, his face comically distorted by rage, tossed his engagement ring in a fit of pique as a stunned Lori Lemaris looked on.

The melodramatic dialog seemed to indicate that Clark believed that Lois saw him only as a newspaper headline. If that was what Clark felt in his heart of hearts, he had no business being in love with Lois much less engaged to her.

On the series, Clark flew aloft and retrieved the ring after his momentary bout of temper passed. He couldn't give up on Lois or their relationship.

In the comics, however, Clark retrieved the ring because the ever-helpful mermaid pointed out that his mother had given it to him and so Clark's motive became one of rescuing a family heirloom.

It's difficult to say what the comics hoped to achieve with this ongoing, unappealing characterization of Superman. Despite his theatrical anguish, the truth remained he'd brought it all on himself. However, there was one upside from this era. Lori Lemaris, arguably the only character more unflatteringly depicted than Superman, would be banished from the story lines for years to come.

There must have been some emergency meeting over this serious misstep. Superman was actually being called a "jerk" by some comic readers. Drastic measures had to be taken. It was time to vilify Lois Lane. Next