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Well, no one asked for it, but I feel compelled to share some thoughts on the recent Lois Lane (mini?) series from DC Comics.
Plot summary from Comixology: "She uncovered the most dangerous secret in the DC Universe...now she just has to prove it! After a press briefing at the White House-and carrying a secret that could disrupt Superman’s life-Lois Lane embarks on a harrowing journey to uncover a threat to her husband and a plot that reaches the highest levels of international power brokers and world leaders. Bestselling writer Greg Rucka and acclaimed artist Mike Perkins team up for a tale of conspiracy, intrigue, and murder that tests the limits of tough-as-nails investigative journalist Lois Lane. As the mystery deepens, the Question hunts the people responsible for an attempt on the reporter’s life. But do they want her dead because of what she knows or to stop her from finding out more? Collects Lois Lane #1-12."
After reading the whole trade paperback (digitally), I can't actually remember what the "most dangerous secret in the DC Universe" is or how it could have disrupted Superman's life. There were just too many distractions going on throughout the book that kept me from focusing on the already-complicated plot.
The first distraction was the political winks and nods. Early on, we get Lois sparring with the White House Press Secretary over immigration and border detention. Hmm…what does that sound like? Not long after, she's talking to someone about how journalists aren't respected anymore. The funny thing is, if this had been released under the current U.S. political administration, the people siding with Lois would be on the opposite end of the political spectrum than the ones who it was written for (under the previous administration). Regardless, I don't want real politics to invade my comics.
The second distraction is Renee Montoya as the Question. I knew she'd become the Question in the lead up to (Paeter's favorite mini-series) Final Crisis when Vic Sage died, but I'd figured she'd gone back to the Gotham Police Department after Flashpoint since Sage was alive again. I never really liked her as the Question because Vic Sage was so cool on Justice League Unlimited and I didn't want him to be dead. Well, he's not dead anymore, and he does show up to talk to Renee about that, but it's not important to this story.
The final and most glaring distraction is the in-your-face homosexuality on display in the last couple issues. Renee is a lesbian, of course, and in the last issue alone, she shares three kisses with another female character (not Lois), at least one of which is zoomed in on. I don't like it when they do that with heterosexual couples, so I really don't need to see it with homosexual ones.
And, in the end, as I mentioned before, I don't even remember what the point of the whole story was. I don't think it'll have much to do with the main Superman books going forward.
I can only recommend one issue of this series: issue #6. It's pretty much totally divorced from the main storyline, and it focuses totally on the fallout from a fairly major development that happened in the Event Leviathan mini-series that ran around the same time. If you read comics on Hoopla like I do and you only have a limited number of items you can check out per month, I don't think you need to waste one on this book just to read that story. But if you use DC Universe Infinite or Comixology Unlimited, it's worth reading that one issue after reading Event Leviathan.
There ya go.
Plot summary from Comixology: "She uncovered the most dangerous secret in the DC Universe...now she just has to prove it! After a press briefing at the White House-and carrying a secret that could disrupt Superman’s life-Lois Lane embarks on a harrowing journey to uncover a threat to her husband and a plot that reaches the highest levels of international power brokers and world leaders. Bestselling writer Greg Rucka and acclaimed artist Mike Perkins team up for a tale of conspiracy, intrigue, and murder that tests the limits of tough-as-nails investigative journalist Lois Lane. As the mystery deepens, the Question hunts the people responsible for an attempt on the reporter’s life. But do they want her dead because of what she knows or to stop her from finding out more? Collects Lois Lane #1-12."
After reading the whole trade paperback (digitally), I can't actually remember what the "most dangerous secret in the DC Universe" is or how it could have disrupted Superman's life. There were just too many distractions going on throughout the book that kept me from focusing on the already-complicated plot.
The first distraction was the political winks and nods. Early on, we get Lois sparring with the White House Press Secretary over immigration and border detention. Hmm…what does that sound like? Not long after, she's talking to someone about how journalists aren't respected anymore. The funny thing is, if this had been released under the current U.S. political administration, the people siding with Lois would be on the opposite end of the political spectrum than the ones who it was written for (under the previous administration). Regardless, I don't want real politics to invade my comics.
The second distraction is Renee Montoya as the Question. I knew she'd become the Question in the lead up to (Paeter's favorite mini-series) Final Crisis when Vic Sage died, but I'd figured she'd gone back to the Gotham Police Department after Flashpoint since Sage was alive again. I never really liked her as the Question because Vic Sage was so cool on Justice League Unlimited and I didn't want him to be dead. Well, he's not dead anymore, and he does show up to talk to Renee about that, but it's not important to this story.
The final and most glaring distraction is the in-your-face homosexuality on display in the last couple issues. Renee is a lesbian, of course, and in the last issue alone, she shares three kisses with another female character (not Lois), at least one of which is zoomed in on. I don't like it when they do that with heterosexual couples, so I really don't need to see it with homosexual ones.
And, in the end, as I mentioned before, I don't even remember what the point of the whole story was. I don't think it'll have much to do with the main Superman books going forward.
I can only recommend one issue of this series: issue #6. It's pretty much totally divorced from the main storyline, and it focuses totally on the fallout from a fairly major development that happened in the Event Leviathan mini-series that ran around the same time. If you read comics on Hoopla like I do and you only have a limited number of items you can check out per month, I don't think you need to waste one on this book just to read that story. But if you use DC Universe Infinite or Comixology Unlimited, it's worth reading that one issue after reading Event Leviathan.
There ya go.
