Things I like to see in a Superman comic include:
An intriguing opening.
Fun at the Daily Planet.
Action.
And mystery.
So who is the Time Trapper this week? In past stories the embodiment of Entropy has been revealed as a Controller, Glorith, Lori Morning, Cosmic Boy… heck, probably Sugar & Spike and Ace the Bat-Hound. The latest revelation is possibly the weirdest yet, but that comes on the final page.
Before that we see that following the Absolute Power event Lois Lane is Superwoman, and she’s being monitored by Mercy Graves and the scientists at SuperCorp. This makes loads of sense – if powers were transferred to her from someone else at the end of the Absolute Power business, they could vanish at any moment. Were I Superman I’d not be wanting her to even fly until they know the powers are sticking around… maybe he’s lending her his old Legion flight ring, just in case. Then again, Lois isn’t someone who shies from danger when people need help. You can suggest something, but if Lois says No, Superman knows to accept it.
Lois has had superpowers many times, so I’m surprised that she says she doesn’t know what flying for herself feels like. Then again, reality changes so often, maybe she really doesn’t recall her superheroic moments. Big points, for example, if you can remember where the last Lois Superwoman fits in.
As someone who really misses the Legion of Super-Heroes I am delighted to see the/a Time Trapper here. OK, they seem to be getting confused with chains fan Destiny of the Endless, but I’ll take what I can get. And you can guess that the mention of Tenzil Kem – Matter-Eater Lad – had me grinning.
As for our other villain, Doomsday, he’s interesting not for his personality or motivations – he has no character and he just wants to smash and kill – but for what he represents, the very real possibility of ending Superman. If I were the Man of Steel I’d have sorted out a belt buckle miniature Phantom Zone projector for whenever someone as mindlessly dangerous as Doomsday pops up.
Jimmy, who was super-cool in Action Comics #1070 the other week, is equally impressive here as he pursues editor Lois’s demand to get a photo of Superwoman. So far she’s evading his lens, but seriously, she needs a mask… As one of the best-known people in Metropolis it’s not just Jimmy who’s going to recognise Lois.
Joshua Williamson has been doing an amazing job writing Superman since this volume began and the quality shows no sign of slipping. He’s brilliant at balancing superheroics and everyday actions, and an excellent longterm plotter. Superman’s compassion, Lois’s go-getting nature, they’re both present and correct.
We get a page of the Lex Luthor subplot – has he really lost his memory? He’s suddenly speaking in contractions like a regular person, so if he is faking he’s at least putting the work in. And do we like the beard?
Even if the story wasn’t great, this issue would be a hit for the arrival of new regular artist Dan Mora, following his stellar runs on World’s Finest and Absolute Power. Everyone looks marvellous, the story telling is A1, and he does a cracking Dan Jurgens/Brett Breeding pastiche. Details such as Superman and Superwoman having taken their capes off for an undersea adventure are smart, and appreciated. Favourite moments include the aforementioned mutual delight as Lois and Clark bump into one another other at the Planet, and a newspaper ‘photo’ of early Superman and Lois apparently shot via a parallel world peephole.
And Mora’s self-coloured cover is a trade paperback-ready beauty.
Alejandro Sánchez keeps the interior colours on point, and gives us a nice effect as the Time Traveller freezes proceedings. Plus, Lois and Clark having costumes in slightly different shades of blue is a nice touch. And the lettering by Ariana Maher is all you could ask for, clear and effective, with flourishes for key moments.
While this issue continues plot points from earlier stories, it’s a DC All-In jumping on point and I can’t imagine anyone starting here not being able to get into the story. It’s a thoroughly entertaining, good-looking superhero comic, the Superman I like best.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Maybe it’s because it was so badly done pre-Crisis but the idea of Lois with super powers makes me wince. Your review got me though. Mora and Tenzil Kem mostly. I really do dislike Williamson’s work. I have it down to being for the same reason I didn’t like Kirkman’s Marvel work: There’s a fundamental thing with his dialog and plotting that doesn’t sit right with me. That’s on top of loathing his Flash run. Thanks to you I’ll read this though. Not sure if I like that though. 🙂
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The Flash run went on (and on and on) far too long, but I’m still finding this rather fresh. Apologies in advance!
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As a massive Lois Lane fan, I dislike on principle the idea of giving her superpowers — her humanity is the core of the character AFAIC, and the DC Universe is already full to capacity with costumed goobers. Lois shows you can have compelling characters, and inspiring heroes, who are merely mortal like the rest of us.
That said, I assume this development is temporary, and I have to admit that seeing Lois enact some of the familiar Superman tropes — e.g., having to get away from Jimmy and duck into the Planet‘s supply room to change into her superduds — is fun.
And man, Mora sure does draw purty. Though it’s kind of funny that the only time comicbook characters ever look older than 30 is when the artist actively wants to signal that they’re past their prime or whatever. Lois has to be early forties in-story at this point (at least), but there’s still not a line to be seen on that eternally-youthful face.
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Obviously, Lois was exposed to Ian Karkull energy (ducks).
I can’t imagine Lois will being Super for more than a few months, but if we don’t see her and Clark spending time with the Super Twins, now they can both keep up, we can probably assume they’ve been written out off panel.
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Thanks for the review. I basically agree with you. This was a good issue from both a writing and artistic standpoint. Personally I preferred Jamal Campbell’s art on the title, on Mora is quite good as well, and in particular does a great job with facial expressions. Clark’s happiness at being able to fully share this side of his life with, his concern for her, and Lois’s joy from flying as well as her fear and anger regarding Doomsday were all well portrayed. The emotional force of the art really helped to complement the tone of the narrative and make this chapter of the story much more engaging than it might have been. It practically goes without saying at this point, but Mora’s portrayal of the action is top notch, particularly the way he captures the sheer velocity of Clark and Lois flying at super speed.
One of the really interesting points about this issue is that it’s the first time since the end of last year that different the ongoing narratives in Action Comics and Superman seem to happening roughly in parallel while being handled by different writers (I honestly don’t know if Jason Aaron’s “I Bizarro” storyline was supposed to be cannon and if so when it takes place, but because of its total lack of lasting impact and awful plotting I prefer to treat it as a misbegotten “imaginary tale” in the same mode as some of the worst bottle stories from the Silver Age). In light of that one of the really interesting points about this issue is the way it complements Waid’s work in Action Comics. Focusing more on Clark and Lois’s relationship and grounding the story in Metropolis with a classic action oriented story is a nice complement to Waid’s focus, which seems like it will be more of a sci-fi horror story set in the weirder corners of the DCU that’s also going to mostly feature Clark and his past acquaintances.
Two final points about this issue are worth noting. First, I really liked the brief cutaway to Lena and Lex. I don’t know if Lex’s amnesia is going to be some big fake out, but I kind of like seeing Lena take advantage of having access to a version of Lex stripped of a lot of his psychological melodrama and hangups to try and build a new, better relationship with him. The second thing is I can’t help noticing nearly every member of the Superfamily other than Jon and Martha Kent (and technically PG, but since she has her own title that doesn’t really count) have now shown up in either this or Action Comics except for the Supertwins. Maybe they’ll appear in the future, but at this point I’ve accepted their absence as an indictor that they’ll be written out. I can reluctantly accept that, but what concerns me is that they haven’t even be mentioned much less seen. That makes me concerned they’ll get written off panel or even disappear without explanation, which would be poor form. At least when Chris Kent got written off he was given a proper on panel send off. It would be very poor form for DC if they can’t even do that for the twins.
Anyway, thanks again for the review. I’m curious in light of this to see what your thoughts for the current issue of Action Comics are if you choose to review that, and how you think it stacks up against this.
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I’ve just tweeted editor Paul Kaminski and ongoing writer Joshua Williamson to ask if Osul and Otho are still in continuity. I suggested that if they’re not wanted, a farewell story as they go to New Genesis/Supertown/Kandor school or whatever would be nice. Expect crickets!
Being ancient, I still miss the original Lena Thorul, but I really like the current Lena and really hope Lex’s current condition is real… I’ve seen him betray his loved ones too many times.
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