We’ve waited a couple of months, but here we learn just how Lois Lane gained super-powers and, as everyone thought, it’s all connected to the Absolute Power storyline.
Lois, wanting to help her husband, son and the rest of the hero community, donned a Luthor super-suit and headed for Gamorra, where Amanda Waller was running a prison for heroes.
What Lois didn’t know about the Luthor armour was that it was connected to Waller’s Super-Amazos, and when the heroes managed to shut them all down, the feedback did something to her metabolism.
Instantly teleported back to Metropolis, she finds she’s been transformed.
Lois heads for Supercorp, where Mercy Graves runs tests, the results of which indicate that she shouldn’t use the powers until they work out whether she can absorb solar radiation, keeping her super and out of danger. A further consultation is had with Mr Terrific on the Justice League satellite.
There’s one other question. As the whole of the Super Family still have their powers, whose gifts has she unknowingly stolen?
That’s revealed at the end of the issue, which features lots of scenes showing our heroine flying into danger, ignoring warnings that her powers may give out. And it’s great.
But what’s even better are the scenes showing Lois being supported by Supergirl, and Lana Lang, also a Superwoman. The ladies show up to drag Lois from a midnight writing session at the Daily Planet. After a spot of crimefighting and rescue detail, the heroines stop for a coffee in Paris. A pavement cafe, though, isn’t for them. Nope, they perch atop the Eiffel Tower.
I grew up at a time when if you had two super-heroines in a room they were likely bickering between themselves or bitching at others. Here writer Joshua Williamson has three metahuman women sitting down for an honest conversation, full of intelligence, empathy and humour. The talk acts as the framing sequence for the bulk of this double-length issue and, good as the flashbacks are, I was always glad to get back to the three super-pals.
And it doesn’t hurt that Edwin Galmon, who draws most of the book, does such a wonderful job with Lois, Lana and Kara. They’re beautiful inside and out, powerful without being over-sexualised. And even out of costume the women look sensational, Galmon being that rare artist who pays attention to what people actually wear.
And kudos to colourist Rex Lokus for putting Kara in her signature colours. Lokus does a terrific job throughout, whether it’s the Metropolis dawn, blazes on the street or Silver Banshee Siobhan’s ornate sleeve, another impressive piece by Galmon. He and Lokus ensure Siobhan and Jimmy look great as they have a snog, and it’s nice to see the red-headed newshound having fun, as elsewhere in the book Lois is unfairly snappish with him.
The action shots are great, even though they’re mainly montage material to show the three Super Ladies doing their thing. Helping out with a few pages each, Laura Braga and Nikola Čižmešija do a great job, but I’d love the whole issue to have been drawn by Galmon. If I have it right – as usual, page breakdowns aren’t given – Braga and Čižmešija each have a standout splash, the former’s involving Lois and Clark sharing a special kiss, while Čižmešija gives us a fabulously moody final page. Galmon’s outdoor backgrounds are especially excellent and so far as interiors go, keep an eye out for Clark’s hatstand by, I reckon, Braga.
That kiss is the culmination of a scene that beautifully role reverses a very well-loved Superman moment. There’s also a fun opening homage to a very different comic series. I won’t spoil the details here, enjoy them in the book.
One thing I didn’t get in Williamson’s script was this Supercorp exchange.
Lena Luthor, PA? The girl is a near-Brainiac level genius, we’ve seen her doing amazing things… and Mercy wants her to sort the snacks?
Dave Sharpe seems to be lettering most of the Super Family stories these days (he’s not doing the Supergirl back-up in Action Comics, probably doesn’t wish to be associated with it) and here’s another one. As ever, his work is exemplary.
And look at the full-colour cover by Galmon, it’s a top montage with an unusual pose so far as the ‘hero shot’ goes. I love it.
We know Lois’s latest tenure as a Superwoman is going to be brief, but this issue will prove a fine reminder of the storyline.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
I may be in the minority, but Lois Lane with super powers is a non-starter for me. She’s already exceptional in every aspect of her, and then she gets to be Superman as well? We know she’s not going to die at Doomsday’s hands or actually gain an wisdom from this brief tenure with powers, so why must we sit through this sequence of events? A good reason for her sitting on the sidelines? She has no idea how to use her powers and could hurt someone or get them killed. Instead, Lois is ready on Day One (Surprise!), and trains for a whole page with Superman for good effect. Yes, I’m being tough on this storyline, and rightfully so. Lois was already involved in a storyline she had no business in (Absolute Power) and she’s being pushed further forward. Why? Sorry to say, because she’s Superman’s wife. There hasn’t been an earned moment for any of it, a criticism usually thrown at Superman.
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too feel like giving Lois powers is wrong. It actually feels diminishing rather than empowering. Lois has long been able to stand besides extrahumans and hold her own.
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Too right. She’ll be back to normal soon, though.
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I don’t want Lois to be a super-person but it’s been happening since the Forties. It’s even laid out in this issue that it’s a temporary deal, so I’m OK with it for a storyline. I’d much rather Lois stayed well away from the Superman adventures, mainly, and spent her time being an ace reporter… I don’t even like her in Perry’s role, surely now he’s Mayor she’ll promote someone like Ron Troupe upwards.
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I’m not sure I understand the point of the super suit. Yeah I get that Lois borrowed it to help out, but I don’t get why so much of the story seems to be centred on the thinking that the events of Absolute Power somehow sent the powers of the suit into Lois.
I don’t think that’s how things actually worked in that mini series. Are we meant to think that the citizens of DC land think that (for some reason) Lois got her powers from a super suit when everyone else in DC land got powers that were taken from an actual person? Like, no one else is out there walking around with Red Tornado’s or Robotman’s or the Metal Men’s powers?
All that being set aside though, I quite enjoyed the character work in this book. And the art was delightful.
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I’m not sure the people of DC-Land think Lois got her powers from anyone in particular, isn’t that what the Atoms are puzzling over at the end? They just know the suit was the conduit.
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But why do they believe the suit was the conduit when the Black Lightning comic is showing us that people got powers willy nilly without any need for a super suit?
It seems like the suit is supposed to be important for some storyline reasons down the road, and so… Williamson made up this reason that people think the suit somehow gave Lois the powers so that it stays prominent in the story.
Maybe I’m misreading. Maybe I’m missing something. Either way, it’s a small issue in what was otherwise an enjoyable story.
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It’s just a story choice – they were able to put Lois in the suit and be super and useful before she got the Zod super powers. Yep, people can get powers without the suit, but Lois was able to get powers from someone who wasn’t actually on Earth because Luthor had set it up to connect to space signals. Or something.
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Fair enough. Your explanation makes as much sense as any. If you were able to get that out of the story, all the power to you!
I shall have to do a reread. 🙂
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That bit about Luther, it’s on the page. I would tell you which one, but I’m just cleaning my teeth and going to bed – catch you later.!
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Finally read it and pretty underwhelmed by the whole thing. Lois has the natural reaction of anyone waking up with Superman’s powers. There’s no mistakes or being overwhelmed like there honestly should be when you go from very competent to godlike power. There’s no question that she’ll fight crime. Couldn’t Lois be the one person to ever get this power and say ‘You know what? There’s Jon, Kon, Kara, Karen, Lana, Keenan, Connor, and Krypto all fighting crime. Why don’t I use my powers to build shelters and terraform inhospitable landmasses to ease overpopulation where it’s a problem’ or something similar. As Sam’s daughter she should have grown up knowing there were problems in the world underserved by people with power. It’s a story that’s done to death and Williamson adds nothing to it. I especially disliked that Kara and Lana had the depth of character of wet noodles. They did nothing and added nothing based on who they are as characters. Not that it surprises me. I stopped reading Williamson’s stuff a while ago. Very few of his choices excite me.
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Good points, that would be interesting. Did you ever read the Bill Loebs Dr Fate in which Inza had the magic and decided that rather than try to change the world she’d try to fix the neighbourhood. It’s a delight.
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I’d forgotten about that. It was a wonderful run even though you knew it would be overturned,
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