Superman #704 – Review

by G. Willow Wilson (writer), Leandro Oliveira (penciller), Walden Wong (inker), Rod Reis (colorist)

The Story: During a break from Straczynski’s Grounded storyline, Wilson has us meeting up with Lois Lane, as she returns to Rushmark, Indiana, where we learn she spent some of her college years.  As she walks up and down the familiar streets, she is reminded of times gone by, which leads her to reexamine where she is in life, as opposed to where she saw herself back during her college days.  Getting a glimpse of “normal” life, from a visit with an ex-boyfriend and his family, she starts to question is you can ever really go home again and is she leading the life that is ultimately fulfilling to her.

The Good Decent: Wilson’s idea of taking Superman’s lead to reexamine life and applying it to Lois Lane came off as a bit of a stretch in this issue.  It’s not to say that it didn’t fully work, but he really pulled back on the reigns of the workaholic that is Lane and put her in a position that, really, has never come across as a priority for her before.  Lois Lane has strived to always bring the best stories that she can, uncover the biggest secrets and conspiracies, and always be the first to do so.  The idea that she would possibly want to be a mother with a husband and kids to take care of just doesn’t really fit into the “Lois Lane” mold.

To further complicate this idea, Wilson then has her questioning her need by Clark.  She knows that his mission is split between saving Earth from the problems it faces and writing about the problems Earth faces from behind a desk.  In an uncomfortable, out of character moment, she wonders what good she is to the world and, essentially, has the life she lead been nothing more than a facade on an otherwise meaningless life.