NYCC 2018: ‘Lois & Clark’ Star Teri Hatcher is Now a Huge Comic Book Fan

Teri Hatcher got bit by the comic book bug long after she played lois Lane on TV, as she explained to fans at New York Comic Con on Friday.

Hatcher rejoined her former co-star Dean Cain for a panel called “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman 25th Anniversary Reunion.” As they reminisced on their cult classic show turned mainstream, the actors revealed all the ways in which their time among superheroes has continued to shape their lives. For Hatcher, one major impact came years later, when she became a bona fide comic book fan.

Hatcher explained to the crowd that she had never been much of a comic reader before the show. She even said that she had little or not idea when the series referenced or deviated from its source material. However, when she moved many years later, she found her way back to the panels and pages.

“At that time, I was much less aware of the comic books, or how a TV show attaches to the comic books,” she admitted. “Now, I actually live in downtown Los Angeles, around the corner from a really cool comic book store, and I have become a totally authentic comic book geek.”

Hatcher grinned as this self-effacing turn, and the crowd cheered for her new-found passion. They cheered even harder as she went on to recount some of her favorite titles.

“I have become obsessed with Saga, with Paper Girls, with this new comic book Faith, it’s a Valiant book,” Hatcher said. And many more, I could go on.”

Hatcher said that the comics are not only a beloved new part of her media diet, but a crash course in the fandom communities she has been a part of since she played Lois Lane in the 1990s. She gave credit to the Internet as well as the books themselves for showing her what kind of impact their show had.

“I think it’s given me, educationally, an understanding of the comic book world that I just didn’t pay attention to at all at that time,” she said. “I don’t think I realized that they were doing a wedding in the comic book and a wedding [on the show]. I don’t remember knowing that.”

These days, her devotion goes so deep that Hatcher is not just a casual reader. She explained that she had appeared on a recent episode of Nerdist’s Wednesday Club, geeking out about comics amongst journalists and other industry professionals.

“I did this thing called the Wednesday Club on Nerdist.com a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know if anybody watches that,” she said. “We talked about Saga, and I actually made food on the show too. I’m into it, I love the comic people. I love it, I’m one of you.”

Dean Cain delighted in his co-star’s fandom as well, imagining the scene when Hatcher walks into the comic book store. He riffed the voices of two employees, marveling as Lois Lane examined their inventory and then confused when she did not purchase any Superman related titles.

“She doesn’t need to buy it, she lived it man,” joked the moderator.

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is now streaming in full on the DC Universe app.