Mild Mannered Reviews - Lois Lane Comic Books

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Lois Lane #12 [of 12]

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 7, 2020

Cover date: September 2020

"Enemy of the People" - Part Twelve

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Mike Perkins
Cover: Mike Perkins
Variant Cover: Amanda Connor and Paul Mounts

Reviewed by: Mario Bennese
Click to enlarge



The news networks are running non-stop coverage of the first few parts of Lois' exposé. Typing furiously, Lois works to complete the last few installments. Her phone begins to ring, which goes unnoticed until Jessica Midnight answers the call. On the other end is Renee, who is currently in Chechnya with Elicia, pinned down by enemy fire. The two were sent there to retrieve information vital to Lois' work, but things went sideways. Renee runs off as Elicia provides cover fire. She returns in an enormous vehicle, allowing the two to make an escape. Once they're out of harm's way, they share a kiss.

At the Daily Planet, the bullpen is a cacophony of voices as the staff work to handle the fallout from Lois' exposé. As she emerges from the elevator, the room falls silent. Lois makes her way to Perry's office and hands him a physical copy of the next installment. White promptly begins to read the piece. Lois informs him that the fifth and final segment should be finished by Wednesday. If it all checks out, they should be set to print by the following Sunday.

Clark and Lois leave the office and go for a quick flight. When Lois is dropped off, she finds Renee waiting for her in the hotel room. The two discuss the necessity of truth and how sometimes, the truth isn't always easy to deal with.

With the story fully out, it's business as usual in the political world as politicians and governments vehemently deny the accusations, pushing their spin to save face and avoid accountability. Larry Shaw surrendered himself to police and faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder in the first degree, and attempted murder.

Lois and Sister Clarice prepare to appear in an interview for national television. During the interview, they reveal the existence of parallel universes and fractured realities. Sister Clarice then brings up The Unity Project, which is designed to assist people affected by fractured identities and help them mentally heal. Elsewhere and presumably later, Alejandra - the hotel housekeeper wrongfully imprisoned by ICE - is released from custody. Lois, Superman, Renee, and Elicia look on with delight as Alejandra is reunited with her family.

3Story - 3: I'm conflicted about not only this issue, but this series in general. Unless I've been missing details, it feels like I've been reading two different stories. The first is of political corruption, international conspiracies, and murder. The second is of parallel universes, fractured identities, and supernatural beings. Last issue, the cliff hanger implied that we'd finally learn the connection between the two stories. The only other thing I can figure is that perhaps the two stories aren't meant to be connected and the whole series is supposed to be focused on Lois discovering and exposing truths to the world. If that was the intent, I don't think it was done effectively. The story feels disjointed. There's connective tissue that's missing. Both stories this series tries to tell are interesting in their own way, but together, they feel incongruent.

As an issue, this book is just okay. The last couple pages and the scene in Perry's office are easily the best segments and serve as a reminder that Rucka understands these characters. Everything else feels like Rucka trying to quickly tie up loose ends. Maybe he wouldn't have had to cram everything into this issue if Bendis didn't make changes that forced Rucka to sidestep his story to deal with the emotional fallout of events in Lois' life.


All in all, this series leaves me feeling indifferent. The first few issues were filled with such promise, but as the book continued, I began losing the interest that I had at the start. This is far from Rucka's best work, but it's also not his worst. For me, it's a story I likely won't ever revisit.

3Art - 3: Yeah, I'm still not a fan of Perkins' work. There seems to be a larger number of sloppy faces in this issue. I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: It's got something to do with the way he draws eyes. They're either lifeless or asymmetrical. Despite that, there are some decent panels. The Superman/Lois flight sequence stands out as one of the better set of drawings.

2Cover Art - 2: First things first, I love the color scheme and the idea behind this cover. The use of purple is a brilliant choice for the final issue as the preceding covers have largely featured blacks and reds. The purple immediately sets this cover apart and communicates to the reader that something positive will happen in the issue. What really hurts this cover is Perkins' work. There are some seriously wonky faces. The worst offender is easily the woman standing in front of the police in riot gear. I hate that I've been absolutely slamming Perkins' work in my reviews, but I just can't get behind his art.

3Variant Cover Art - 3: I've never really been a fan of Amanda Connor's work. Something about the cartoony style irritates me. Objectively, this cover is alright. The color scheme is nice and I like the reference to Rosie the Riveter, but I just can't get behind the art style.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2020

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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