Happy Pride Month, sapphics! To celebrate the month, I want to highlight women and marginalized genders that have lower octaves. I will be the first to admit that I love women with deep voices. I have always found that women with deep, raspier voices sound so sophisticated and luscious. The first woman I recall having a raspy voice on television was actress Bea Arthur. Her voice, to me at least, encapsulated what I thought a mature woman sounded like; worldly, enlightened, and spunky. Since then, my love for women with deeper voices has only increased as I’ve gotten older.

I was inspired to write this because I recall, Brittney Griner was trending on Twitter and there were trolls making fun of her voice. Of course, I didn’t see anything unusual about her voice, but I’m sure the way she also presents herself fuels the homophobia she receives online. It also made me think about how Blackness and gender expression impact different people. While Griner got ridiculed, it was just months later in the same year that Emma D’arcy went viral for talking about their favorite drink. Both talents tend to reject gender norms but Griner seems to receive more hate than D’arcy does ( neither of them should receive any hate based on how they talk or dress).

Black Women With Deep Voices Are The Real Sirens

For Black women and non-binary people, having a deeper voice is deemed acceptable based on your desirability to those viewing you through a heteronormative lens.  For instance, the actress Demi Moore also has a raspy, smokey voice and throughout her career, she’s been heralded as a sexy symbol, and rightfully so. Even though she encountered a lot of sexism for her role in G.I. Jane, overall, she’s been adorned by fans for most of her career. 

But many women have exquisite tones to their speaking voices that can make you melt. Actresses such as Gina Torres and Kym Whitley and singers like Nina Simone and Mariah Carey push their femininity envelope by embracing their deeper tone and carving out a lane just for themselves. 

Whoopi Goldberg

“You in danger, girl!” Whoopi Goldberg has been famous all of my life. When I first saw her in Ghost I thought she was so beautiful and her voice sounded like a warm hug. Women with deeper voices tend to be amazing singers so I wasn’t surprised by her performance in Sister Act.

Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins

Being the lead singer of one of the biggest girl groups in the world isn’t easy, but T-Boz made it look cool. I instantly fell in love with her raspy voice because it was distinctive from her other musical peers. I was so used to lead singers having soprano voices. But when I heard TLC for the time, I was giddy because I think T-Boz has an underrated voice.

Toni Braxton

The powerhouse, ballad singer sings with such a breathy and infectious tone, that it’s hard to ignore. Braxton’s contralto voice and melodies continue to set her apart from her soprano peers.

Nobody can deny the power in Bassett’s voice. In every role she has played, she continues to be the brightest star on-screen.

Angela Bassett

Arguably one of the best thespians in human history, Angela Bassett continues to light up blockbuster films and television alike. With her alluring, smokey voice, she brings depth and unforgettable moments that never leaves your soul.

Beyonce

There aren’t enough words to describe the Texan-born multi-talented entertainer and pop icon. Her voice is unmatched and with every album, she puts singers to the test as they try to replicate her riffs and runs. However, Beyonce’s speaking voice sounds like smooth honey in fresh, iced tea. It has a mix of raspy, cool tones that sounds warm and lush.

Jennifer Lewis

The Black momma of Hollywood who also enjoys nature has a voice that’s not only recognizable but unforgettable. She’s been the voice of Black Hollywood for decades spanning animated shows, movies, theater and the small screen. Her voice gives us hope, humor and encapsulates the beauty of Black womanhood.

Lorraine Toussaint

If you still haven’t watched Netflix’s She-Ra, you have no idea how villainous Toussaint can be. Besides, who doesn’t love a femme antagonist? Her career spans decades and if you haven’t seen Queen Latifah’s Equalizer, you are missing out on some epic acting.

There are more women who have lovely, deeper voices that will make you swoon, but for this list, it was best to focus on the cream of the crop of femme, lusty voices.

Want to end your Pride Month on a magical note? If you do, you should make your way to Brooklyn, June. 30th for the Sailor Moon Fan Club podcast’s Sailor Moon Day Party! Join fellow Sailor Moon fans as they celebrate Pride and Sailor Moon’s birthday at Parklife located at 636 Degraw Street Brooklyn, NY 11217.

Happy birthday, Sailor Moon!

Guests can expect a fun day of fandom and pampering with fellow moonies. You can still get tickets on Eventbrite.

Here’s what’s going down at the Sailor Moon Day Party

Celebrate Usagi Tsukino’s birthday with a day of inclusive celebratory activities at Parklife. Here is a rundown on what moonies can expect according to the listing details:

DOORS | EVENT 2PM

In the name of the moon, join us for the last day of Pride Month as we celebrate Sailor Moon’s birthday at the second annual Sailor Moon Day Party!

This one-of-a-kind event includes:

A free nail station by @narinanails and @timsnailstudio (from 2-5 p.m.)
A free astrology readings by @natali.nicole (from 2-5 p.m.)
Access to a tattoo station with a selection of Sailor Moon-inspired art by @artbyjar (additional fees will apply)
Musical performances
Over a dozen giveaways (each ticket includes one free raffle ticket!)
Access to vendors selling anime-inspired goods
DJ sets by the Shonen Pump DJs, and DJ Highgnx and DJ Dimple from Sailor Boom Party

Hosted by podcast host and journalist, Victoria L. Johnson has created her own beloved fandom with her favorite anime: Sailor Moon. After launching her podcast just a few years ago, Johnson has built a dedicated and diverse following of Sailor Moon fans around the globe. Previous guests have included artists such as Cookie Kawaii, comedian Roxxy Haze and Sailor Moon voice actress Mary Long (she played Sailor Moon’s best friend Molly Baker from the DiC series).

This is the perfect way to wrap up Pride Month if you love fandoms. Grab tickets while you still can.

Intro and Disclaimer

Many of us have artists, shows, movies, music, games, and the like that we not only enjoy but are hard to give up. That is perfectly fine. However, when it comes to light or has always been known, that such content or the people behind it are terrible, it might be best to just enjoy it quietly, assuming you refuse to stop consuming it.

No one can stop anyone from watching or consuming things for the most part. It is up to the individual to make certain choices and whether or not to support certain people who do bad things. But the best thing many of us can hope for is for people deciding to continue or start consuming content from bad apples to at least not talk about it for the rest of us to see.

There is no set way to be a good person. Furthermore, what and who are considered “problematic” is highly subjective based on you, your environment and upbringing, and your own personal morals. However, some things are generally universally considered wrong.

There will be mentions of certain public figures and concepts including ab*se, SA, domestic violence, racism, queerphobia, and other forms of discrimination or bad behaviors. If any of these topics are unwanted in your reading experience, this article may not be for you.

We Don’t Need to Know What You Like

Posting can be addictive, and many of us are still looking for our tribe. Chances are that if you like a thing, whether it is controversial or not, there will be others who share that same interest. There are ways to find these folks, however, posting in mixed company or an extremely public setting means you open yourself up to scrutiny and also upset a lot of people. Beyond the backlash you may face and how that impacts you, it also affects a lot of others who didn’t ask to be triggered by mentions, images, clips, sounds, or the like of people or concepts that upset them.

While you cannot know what will upset whom or how much necessarily, generally there are some kinds of content, topics, or figures that ruffle feathers. If you are on social media and generally aware of certain things, then you should probably know or have some inkling of the controversy surrounding them. The bottom line is: read the room and find the folks who are already down to talk to, telling everyone just opens the door for people getting upset including you.

Examples of Problematic Topics and Content

You may not need a lot of examples and can think of several in the span of five seconds. Nevertheless, some people may need reminders of what causes a lot of issues for a lot of people. Racism, sexism and misogyny, sizeism especially fatphobia, ableism, queerphobia (homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, etc.), slut-shaming and shaming folks for not having sex, kink-shaming (within reason, because some kinks such as race play deserve to be at least critiqued), classism, and so many more.

Content that glorifies any of the above topics and does not critique or have anything constructive to say about them is deeply problematic. Series like The Idol which depict sexual abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, and other serious issues but have nothing to say about them or call them out in a serious, concrete manner, are worthless. Other shows and films that rely on sexuality and shock value but no substance are not to be taken seriously. If you’re there for sexiness or shocking elements, have at them, but don’t be shocked when people scratch their heads.

Comedy whose punchlines are essentially “controversy is funny, and liberals want to police humor” is hollow, meaningless, and unfactual. Comedians worth their salt can make jokes and find ways to relate to the audience without resorting to low-hanging fruit. Or assuming that shocking equals funny.

Examples of Problematic People and Figures

There are people whose actions or opinions have made them synonymous with certain messed up topics. The music and entertainment industries are riddled with them. R. Kelly, Chris Brown, Dr. Dre, Marilyn Manson, J.K. Rowling, Mel Gibson, Mark Wahlberg, Eminem, Kanye West, Shia Lebouf, Sean Penn, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Chris Pratt, John Mayer, Jared Leto, Clint Eastwood, Michael Fassbender, Justin Timberlake, Joe Rogan, Seth Green, Joss Whedon, and the Pope, to name a few.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. You can find a myriad of examples when you consider public figures and noteworthy people across the board. These include politicians, religious leaders, royalty, and various others living or deceased. Your own set of morals will decide just how problematic folks can be. It also decides if you think they’re problematic in the first place.

In Conclusion

The choice is yours. You can openly support and big-up people who are objectively bad people. Or people who are simply aggravating and unsavory for a lot of folks. Just don’t be surprised if people around you side-eye you or decide you aren’t a good judge of character. Problematic favs are a thing for almost anyone, for no one is perfect. Even if we don’t know all of what everyone has done, everyone has sinned in some way. However, there is a difference between standing up for someone who cheated on someone and someone who harmed their partner.

Don’t make excuses for or ignore actual crimes and messed up stuff. It just makes it okay for anyone else to do the same things. For if your celebrity fav can be excused for SA, why go up in arms if you find out someone you know personally has done the same thing?

We must hold everyone to the same standard. As a people, we should want more for ourselves and for our communities. Accountability must be had.

But in the end, you can watch, lust after, admire, or support whoever and whatever you want. They can be as horrible, insufferable, or rude as possible for you or others. The thing is, no one else needs to know, outside of maybe others who share your interests. But publicly and in mixed company, read the room. Know what topics and people are controversial, if you don’t want to deal with people’s outrage or opinions. Like what you like, but let it be between you and yourself.

Intro

Video games are among the best forms of entertainment for many people. It allows one to take direct control of the entertainment by actively controlling the action to move the story along. Games allow us to truly be some of our favorite characters.

The X-Men are one of the most iconic fictional groups of characters of all time. The women of the X-Men are among the very best of all American comics and other forms of media. These characters have helped shape and inspire countless fans. Even many casual fans with the most basic of knowledge, or even none at all, have seen characters like Storm, Wolverine, or Jean Grey even in passing. So why is it that so many X-Men games featured very little, one, or at times none of their iconic ladies?

Classic sexism or misogyny seems to be the obvious answer. Likely also the notion of a predominately male audience with a perceived preference to control male characters over female ones. Do they think younger boys or grown men would only want to play as men? And even in the case of the explicitly hetero male gamers: do they think they wouldn’t want to look at and play as sexy ladies kicking ass? Either way, let’s look at some of the history of X-Men and larger Marvel games featuring the X-Men and discuss why an X-Women game is necessary, and what it could look like.

Disclaimer

As always, this opinion is subjective and your mileage may vary. This article will focus on X-Men-specific games as well as larger Marvel games. Wolverine games will be skipped because he is typically going to be the sole playable character in those titles. This article focuses on games in which X-Men characters are playable. Aside from one mobile game, which remains the final solo X-Men game to date, I will be leaving out all other mobile games from the article.

Why the X-Women Deserve Their Own Game

The women of the X-Men have been underrepresented in video games. They have been absent, vastly outnumbered by the men, or otherwise underutilized as a whole. There are X-Women who have never appeared in a video game, let alone been playable. Other times, depending on the game, a woman character might be very poorly handled (Emma Frost in the first X-Men Legends game comes to mind) or given very little to do (Psylocke is unlocked towards the end of the same game, and there was no new game plus, so this would always be the case no matter what).

The Women of the X-Men are not only iconic but their designs and powers are often very well suited for video games. The only main exceptions are Kitty Pryde (screw her anyway for her three uses of the n-word in the comics) and Mystique (whose shapeshifting does nothing for combat or offense in most games). But the X-Men as a whole have serious untapped potential for exciting new characters to be explored in games and other media, and their women are no exception.

X-Men Games and Playable X-Women

The Uncanny X-Men (1989) for the NES only had Storm playable of six playable characters.

X-Men: Madness in Murderworld (1989) for Commodore 64 (chile… what now..?) and PC had Storm and Dazzler playable of six characters.

X-Men: Fall of the Mutants (1990) for PC had Jean Grey, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Summers, Rogue, and Dazzler playable of fifteen characters (a good amount, but a lackluster ratio of women versus characters overall, this will be a recurring theme. Also why not Storm??? Supporting but not fully playable for some reason).

X-Men (1992) for Arcade, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, and Android had Dazzler and Storm of six characters.

Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge (1992) for Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Game Gear had Storm of four playable X-Men (as well as Spider-Man, obviously).

X-Men (1993) (they really came up with an interesting title for the next solo X-Men game just one year after the last…) for Sega Genesis had zero playable woman characters.

X-Men (1994) (lmao… am I being trolled right now?) for Game Gear had Storm, Rogue, and Psylocke of seven characters.

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (1994) for Super NES only had Psylocke of five characters.

X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994) for Arcade, PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn had Storm, Psylocke, and Spiral of thirteen characters.

X-Men 2: Game Master’s Legacy (1995) for Game Gear had Storm, Jean Grey, and Rogue out of seven characters.

X-Men 2: Clone Wars (1995) for Sega Genesis only had Psylocke of seven characters.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996) for Arcade had Storm and Rogue of eight X-Men characters.

X-Men 3: Mojo World (1996) for Game Gear and Master System (who???) had Psylocke, Rogue, and Shard (hooray for Shard, but no Storm? Not even Shard’s more famous brother Bishop was playable).

X-Men: Ravages of Apocalypse (1997) for PC had no playable X-Men. Instead, you fight their clones, and some of them are X-Women.

X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000) for PlayStation and Game Boy Color had Storm in both versions and Phoenix was only playable as a secret character in the Gameboy Color version out of five characters in both versions (Beast was playable in PS1, absent in GBC).

X-Men: Mutant Wars (2000) for Game Boy Color only had Storm out of five characters.

X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 (2001) for PlayStation had Storm, Rogue, Phoenix, Psylocke, and Mystique out of eighteen characters.

X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse (2001) for Game Boy Advance had Storm and Rogue of four characters (and one of the very rare even splits).

X-Men: Next Dimension (2002) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube had Storm, Rogue, Phoenix (with some of Jean’s pink psi powers), Dark Phoenix (with mostly fire-based powers), Betsy (telepathic, X-Treme X-Men Psylocke with classic psi-knife), Psylocke (X-Men 2000 telekinetic Psylocke with psi-katana), Mystique, Lady Deathstrike, and Sentinel B (which had a feminine design) out of 24 or 25 characters.

X-Men Legends (2004) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and N-Gage (whatever that is… I heard about it back then, but never saw one) had Storm, Jean Grey, Rogue, Psylocke, Jubilee, Emma Frost, and Magma out of fifteen characters.

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP, mobile phone, PC, and N-Gage had Storm, Jean Grey, Rogue, and Scarlet Witch on the console versions. Dark Phoenix was a PSP exclusive. These characters were out of 18 characters across versions.

X-Men: The Official Game (2006) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Xbox 360 had zero playable X-Women out of five playable dudes across versions.

X-Men: Destiny (2011) for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and DS had no playable historical X-Men, only original characters. Of those three playable characters, one was a girl.

The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) for iOS and Android had Storm, Kitty Pryde, Polaris, and Scarlet Witch out of eight characters.

Other Games

Marvel Super Heroes (1995) for Arcade, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn had only Psylocke of four playable X-Men characters.

Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (1996) for Super NES had no playable X-Women and no playable women whatsoever.

Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997) for Arcade, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn had no X-Women or any other Marvel women.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of the Super Heroes (1998) for Arcade, PlayStation, and Dreamcast had Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, and Jubilee of ten X-Men characters and twelve Marvel characters overall.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000) for Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 had Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Spiral, and Marrow of eighteen X-Men characters and 28 Marvel characters overall.

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (2005) for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSP, and DS had Storm of two X-Men characters and twelve Marvel characters across versions.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006) for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, GBA, and PC had Storm and Jean Grey (a striker character in GBA only) of 10 X-Men characters and thirty-eight Marve characters across versions.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009) for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, GBA, and DS had Storm, Jean Grey, and Psylocke of 11 X-Men characters and thirty-four Marvel characters across versions.

Marvel Super Hero Squad (2009) for PlayStation 2, PC, DS, PSP, and Wii had only Storm of three X-Men characters and eighteen Marvel characters.

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet (2010) for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, and 3DS had only Scarlet Witch of three X-Men characters and sixteen Marvel characters.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011) for PS3 and 360 had Storm, Phoenix, and X-23 of 7 X-Men characters and nineteen Marvel characters in total.

Marvel Super Hero Squad: Comic Combat (2011) for PS3, 360, and Wii had only Scarlet Witch of two X-Men characters and ten Marvel characters overall.

Marvel Heroes (2013) for PC had Storm, Rogue, Jean Grey, Psylocke, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, X-23, Magik, and Scarlet Witch out of twenty-one X-Men characters and many more characters overall.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2013) for PS3, 360, Wii U, PS Vita, 3DS, PC, Xbox One, and PS4 had Storm, Jean Grey, Phoenix, Emma Frost, Psylocke, Polaris, Mystique, and Dark Phoenix of twenty-nine X-Men and many characters overall.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019) for Nintendo Switch had Storm, Phoenix, Psylocke, and Scarlet Witch of thirteen X-Men characters and fifty-two characters.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns (2022) for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows has Magik, Scarlet Witch, and Storm (DLC) out of five X-Men characters (finally, the women outnumber the men) and seventeen characters overall.

What an X-Women Game Could Look Like

The game should be multi-platform and have absolutely no system exclusives. Storm should be the leader of the team and one of the focal characters, if not THE main character. An open-world, Marvel’s Spider-Man-type situation would be awesome, but a linear RPG wouldn’t be bad either. The key thing is that it must have excellent graphics, cutscenes, storytelling, dialogue, voice acting, and gameplay. Emphasis on replay value would also increase it’s appeal.

Just like in past games in which X-Women were assistants or supporting characters, the men can serve those functions here. We don’t need a reason for the men not to be playable like they were kidnapped or something. They can be there and play roles in the story and assist on the sidelines, but the women need to shine.

The ladies (and even the men, you just won’t play as them) should have several alternate costumes spanning their comics’ histories, other media versions, and their Hellfire Gala looks. The villains should also include famous women X-Men villains such as Mystique, Destiny, Madelyne Pryor, Selene, Malice, Lady Mastermind, Martinique Jason, Danger, and maybe Cassandra Nova and/or Moira MacTaggart as the big bads. The villains should also include male X-Men villains because beating up men as women is always a good time.

The possible roster should include Storm, Jean Grey (also as Marvel Girl, Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, and the White Phoenix of the Crown), Rogue, Captain Britain (Betsy Braddock), Psylocke (Kwannon), Dazzler, Emma Frost, Jubilee, Monet St. Croix, Firestar, Polaris, Rachel Summers, Magik, X-23, Siryn, Wolfsbane, Karma, Magma, Mirage (dark-skinned, please and thank you), Frenzy, Dr. Cecilia Reyes (as the Afro Puerto Rican she is, thank you very much), Scarlet Witch, Blink, Nocturne, Sasquatch (Heather Hudson), Sunfire (Mariko Yashida), Namora (Exiles), Petra, Sway, Callisto, Marrow, Domino, etc.

And no Kitty Pryde. We don’t even need to mention her, sorry but not sorry.

After countless gritty Superman stories as of late, it’s nice to have a fresh take on the Man of Steel who once again has a heart of gold. My Adventures with Superman, a Max original animated series, reimagines the origins of Clark Kent aka Superman, and his first meeting with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen as interns at The Daily Planet. The series is whimsical, humorous, and heartwarming, but also action-packed and unexpected in delightful ways. This series sets up familiar and greatly desired traditional beats. It also shakes the table with some unexpected twists and turns and changing relationship dynamics.

As a disclaimer, there will be SPOILERS for the entirety of the first season of My Adventures with Superman. There will also be some spoilers from other Superman-related content: the DCEU (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League/Justice League: The Snyder Cut, etc.), the Injustice franchise, Smallville, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the DCAU (Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited), and various comics of Superman himself and characters based on him.

Familiar Faces with New Shades and Other Qualifying Characteristics

The show introduced some new takes on key characters’ backgrounds and appearances. Lois is now East Asian and more of a tomboy, and Jimmy, much like his Supergirl TV series counterpart, is now Black. We also have Livewire and other villains with different ethnicities, and others being gender-bent, like Heat Wave. Some fans weren’t thrilled.

Well, they can choke. The little issues that exist have nothing to do with the way any of these characters look. These characters, for the most part, all maintain the same spirit of the versions we are accustomed to. They feel like the same people, with some minor exceptions, but we’ll get to that later.

Lois, Clark, and Clois

Clark is once again the big, tall, very handsome, mild-mannered, and well-meaning small-town boy. Lois remains the beautiful, driven, intrepid reporter (well, intern) hungry for a story. The show manages to keep their respective beloved qualities but amp them up to eleven. Now Clark seems even sweeter, almost to the point of being gooey. Lois is much more impulsive and anxious to break stories and make a name for herself. She, along with Clark and Jimmy, are unproven. They are at the bottom, working out of the mailroom, and they need big stories to become respected top reporters. Lois’ drive is the largest of the trio when it comes to reporting.

As for the budding relationship between Lois and Clark, this time around we see more chemistry and sparks flying right away, though it still takes some time for them to admit feelings for one another. Their traditional banter is downplayed, likely in part because they both start out in humble beginnings. Traditionally, Lois is already established as a seasoned reporter (and some versions already with at least one Pulitzer) when she gets saddled with newbie reporter Clark Kent from bum-fuck-nowhere. She snaps at him, calls him ‘Smallville’, and tells him not to get in her way.

Here, Lois understands that she needs Jimmy and Clark to break the big stories and is much more willing to work as a team, as they are all in the same boat. It is nice, however, that Perry (also Black, like his DCEU counterpart) established right away that Lois has been an intern for a year, while Clark and Jimmy are brand new, so she still has a little seniority over them. Either way, the friendship dynamic between the three feels natural, as does the inevitable love connection between Lois and Clark.

Black Jimmy 2.0: Is He Better Than the First Model?

In a word, yes. In two, hell yes. Nice for the latest version of the character. Sad for Mechad Brooks and fans of that world and his character. James Olsen of the DC CW was treated horribly. James was stripped of almost anything resembling Jimmy Olsen as a longstanding comic character. Many fans felt Mechad was cast and written to be a hunk to win Supergirl’s affection. And when the show moved from NBC to the CW, he abruptly ceased that function too. Instead, he became a boss with little to do, relationships no one cared about, a superhero arc that was derided by the title character, and then put on a bus to nowhere.

Meanwhile, this new animated Jimmy feels like Jimmy, but like Lois, he is amped up. Still a goober and goofy as hell, geeky, and a little annoying (let’s face it, most traditional Jimmy Olsen’s are), Jimmy here is also a massive conspiracy theorist. A believer in aliens and bigfoot, among other things, Jimmy is definitely the member of the trio with the most open mind. Sadly because he is also the third wheel, he is also often the odd man out. He rightfully feels betrayed when his friends literally fail to show up for him. Aside from his own usefulness as a photographer and reporter, the show did a wonderful twist with the reveal that Jimmy already knew Clark had powers even before the first episode. Hungry for more clicks on his Flamebird channel, he could have easily exposed Clark for clicks but didn’t. That’s loyalty.

How Does This Lois Stack Up to Other Iconic Lois’s

Some Great Lanes

Dana Delany remains the very best voice for Lois Lane of all time. Teri Hatcher was the perfect marriage between Silver Age Lois the reporter and Lois Lane the modern woman. Amy Adams was a very strong Lois Lane (though saddled with some unsavory choices, like giving up her job when Clark died). Erica Durance was the perfect Pre-52 modern Lois, the fighter and army brat as well as reporter.

This New Lane

Our new Lois has shades of some of these other Lois’s and perhaps even more. Like Smallville‘s Lois, she is more tomboyish. She is also very driven and determined like all Lois’s and a very hard worker, hungry for a big story. She also learns who Superman is very early on a lot like the DCEU version. The main difference here is that we still had some time for Lois to meet and interact with Clark beforehand. This gave traditionalist fans some comfort in that familiar dynamic.

However, it is still refreshing to see her figure it out with her reporter skills. In the very next episode, she grills Jimmy for Clark’s whereabouts coinciding with Superman’s activities. It very much gave Silver Age Lois Lane where Lois would try to prove Clark is Superman. Ultimately, much like Chloe Sullivan from Smallville and Jimmy on this show, Lois decided not to tell Clark she knew until he was ready to tell her himself.

The new Lois is just that, new. So time will tell if she too will become as iconic as other Lois’s. So far, it’s looking pretty good.

Tech-Based Villains

It is interesting as a concept that most of the villains with any sort of powers come from alien tech. Smallville was famous for having their villains of the week owing their powers to kryptonite exposure. Most of the villains are enjoyable, though some just feel like basic adaptations with little more than similar names and abilities. Livewire, for example, is named Leslie Willis and uses electricity, but there is little known about her. Was she ever fame-hungry? She doesn’t necessarily need to be a radio personality or podcaster, but her desire for notoriety and power are core elements of her traditional personality. Her attire suggests she might be military or ex-military. What if she wanted to be the top cadet or soldier? What if she wanted the most medals of honor and got carried away in that pursuit? We should explore.

Others are fine, but I would like more variety with power sources. Silver Banshee is a literal demon in the comics. Her power comes from magic. Superman doesn’t do well against magic. Her being just another tech villain is a missed opportunity to demonstrate this fact.

Otherwise, the General, and maybe Ivo remain some of the better villains. The others work fine and have their moments, but I just don’t know enough about them to feel connected.

My One Real Concern. Please, God… NO MORE EVIL SUPERMAN!

One of the later episodes of the season of this show revealed to Lois and the audience that Superman isn’t always good. There are worlds in which he is evil and the world’s biggest threat. Humanity is a cornerstone of Superman’s character, and humanity comes with darkness. Even the best versions of the character have been tempted or corrupted (if not by red kryptonite, then a spell, mind control, or deception) by the dark side. This is not a bad thing. No one can be all good or all bad all the time. There needs to be nuance.

Evil Superman stories can be fascinating if handled well. Some of the examples above are handled very well. However, these stories are simply being done to death at this point. Some of them are still ongoing! The main appeal of My Adventures with Superman is that it is very light and an enjoyable, easy watch. Bringing back dark, doom and gloom DC, yet again… is not an easy watch. Sometimes it’s fine to let Batman have the darkness and Superman have the light. It’s also okay to remember that Wonder Woman is a warrior and that she, not Clark, makes the most narrative sense to snap a neck as a last resort. But that’s another article for another day.

In Conclusion…

This show is a lot of fun. All of the talent involved do a great job and the show is easy to enjoy. It provides the kind of whimsy that is absent in a lot of DC content not aimed directly at kids. It is also edgy enough to satisfy fans who need a little spice with their sweet. The key characters ring true, and while some of the villains feel one-note, that can hopefully change down the line.

If you like the relationship between Superman and Lois, try this show. If you like funny, a little silly, and a little serious mixed up, check it out. If you like tall, well-built men who are kind and obliviously sexy (Clark is shirtless at one point and his body is lovingly illustrated), give it a whirl. If you like Superman, it will most likely strike your fancy.

Check out My Adventures with Superman on Max. Let me know what you think about it in the comments.