Every week, I will spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories (basically, we're talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books). Here is the archive of all the installments of this feature. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have a suggestion for a future installment!

This began as part of this year's Golden Age Christmas spotlight, but it was just too weird to waste. So today we look at a strange little Christmas tale from 1944's Action Comics #81 that involves Lois Lane's bizarre ability to apparently make herself look just like a little girl...

The basic setup for the story (I dunno who wrote it. Ira Yarbrough drew it) is that a very rich man decides to make a free amusement park for kids. He was hoping it would be ready by Christmas but it did not seem like it was going to happen. But then Superman stepped in and got everything done in time for the holidays.

But then a weird thing happened...

Oh man, I wonder who this mysterious Santa is!?

So, the opening of the park arrives and Lois and Clark are there to cover it. An accident happens and Lois and Clark are suspicious of one of Nicholas' nephews. Lois figures she has to investigate, but how can she?! Unless, of course, she makes herself look like a little girl!!

That is kind of awesome while also being bat shit insane.

I also like that my favorite Spider-Man villain of all-time (and perhaps the greatest Ditko/Lee creation ever), Fancy Dan, showed up to rig the accidents.

Watch this bit. See Lois' shock that Superman can tell that it is she, a grown woman, and not a little girl...

How would his X-ray vision let him know that that is Lois? It's not like she's wearing a mask!

Anyhow, Superman saves the day...

And, of course, it turns out that this is one of those twisted mind games that the Legion of Super-Heroes used to play on each other all of the time.

But best of all, Lois reveals her disguise...

I was going to note that it is kind of weird that the one nephew looks exactly like Clark, but then I remembered that this is Superman's world - every second person on the street looks exactly like Clark.