Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Mike Perkins
Published by DC Comics
In the pages of Superman #18, the Man of Steel revealed his secret identity to the world. That life-altering moment had no impact on this series until now.
And unfortunately, Lois Lane suffers as a result.
The story picks up immediately where the last issue left off. An assassin disguised as a housekeeping attendant shoots up Lois’s hotel room to kill the famed reporter.
However, that’s where things become convoluted.
No one knew Clark Kent was Superman at the end of issue #7, but everyone knows by the start of this issue #8?
Look, it’s easy to understand when a comic book series must make narrative adjustments to accommodate events from another title.
This isn’t the first time such a jarring shift has happened in the genre, and it won’t be the last.
Besides “the big reveal” haphazardly coming into play, it also removed an essential core element from Lois’ character arc.
Part of what made Lois’s struggle work was her declining reputation. The world believed she was cheating on her husband with Superman. Now, the world knows that her husband is Superman.
In previous issues, The Question helped Lois navigate indignant police officers at interviews and crime scenes. Now, with no narrative time jump, police officers humbly ask Lois is they can meet her husband.
Mike Perkins usually adds a great deal of dramatic flair and striking subtly to the book’s visual presentation. Here, the artwork jumbled, deficient, and lacks energy. Fight scenes that are usually well laid out are just a mess, making it difficult to understand what is happening.
The monumental change in the Superman status quo had to permeate to the Lois Lane mini-series eventually. Now that it has, hopefully, this unfortunate offering is the exception instead of the new norm for what has been a great series.
Rating: C-
