Lana Lang was born and raised on a farm in the midwestern Kansas town of Smallville. During her teenage years, she met her next-door neighbor, Clark Kent, and developed an instant infatuation with him. Her interest in Clark was matched only by her affection towards the local super-hero, Superboy. Lana spent a large portion of her high school years obsessing over Superboy, and she labored intensively to discover his secret identity. One day Lana rescued an insect-like alien trapped by a fallen tree in Smallville. In gratitude, the alien gave her a "bio-genetic" ring which allowed Lana to gain insect (and insect-like, such as arachnids) characteristics.