Superman: Lois Lane #1 – Review

By: Marguerite Bennett (writer); Emanuela Lupacchino, Meghan Hetrick, Ig Guara, and Diogenes Neves (pencils); Guillermo Ortego, Meghan Hetrick, Ruy Jose, and Marc Deering (inks) Hi-Fi (colors)

The Review: Lois Lane is DC’s oldest leading lady, the first woman in the company’s long and storied history. She’s been many things, a journalist, a spitfire, a farce, “Superman’s Girl Friend”, an army brat,  a friend, a wife, a respite, but, despite it all, at times it feels like she’ll never escape the specter of the damsel-in-distress. Perhaps excepting ‘useless’ Aquaman and ‘boring’ Supes, I’m not sure that there’s a character of her stature who’s stuck with such an unfair rap. She held a long-running series, but only as “Superman’s Girl Friend: Lois Lane”. Where does she go now?

Separated from her superpowered husband by the New 52, Lois has lost ground to the new continuity, often feeling less like a character and more like a proof that Superman’s status quo has changed. He’s a younger, hipper Superman who understands concepts like Kryptonian battle armor and ‘the friend zone’. Accordingly, we have a younger Lois, who’s missing huge swathes of the life fans knew before. Enter Marguerite Bennett.

Bouncing between Lois’ youth and her present, Bennett grants us a touching look at Lois and Lucy Lane. From the first page, the relationship between the girls is tender and real. There’s a quality of truth that draws a knowing smile or nostalgic laugh from even the most commonplace elements of the sisters’ playtime. Even better is the strong sense of the girls’ present relationship, despite their brief interactions. Even in their best moments there’s a tension in Lois and Lucy clearly feels like she can’t fully trust her sister.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of feminism can tell you that the Bechdel Test is a simplistic and highly incomplete judge of a work, but this issue is kind of what it aspires to.