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Superman: Lost #5

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 11, 2023
Cover date: September 2023

"The Republic"

Writer: Christopher Priest
Artists: Carlo Pagulayan
Cover: Carlo Pagulayan
Variant Covers: Lee weeks, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, Jae Lee

Reviewed by: Marc Lax
Click to enlarge

Clark, still suffering from PTSD, goes back to work at the Daily Planet. He finds his super hearing is not working. Lois has lunch with Wonder Woman. After telling Diana she does not like her, Lois asks to use her magic lasso hoping to get some answers from Clark about his absence and finding out why he keeps calling Lois "Hope". Flashing back to Clark's eighth year being lost we find Clark, Hope the Green Lantern from last issue and Jimmy (Szhemi) living a domestic life on planet "Kansas". Jimmy is trying to track space probes with the hope of finding someway of getting Clark home. We go back three years earlier to Superman's fight with the Contrectatio and a confrontation with Victor who will not help the citizens of New-Ark. Superman plans to leave the Green Lantern in charge when he finds out she doesn't even know what a Green Lantern is! The ring is new to her and she's never heard of the Corps. He asks her name and is told it is unpronounceable but the translator Superman uses substitutes her real name with the name "Hope". Back on Kansas Jimmy finds a way that could send Clark home but before he can tell Clark Hope kills him! She seems to be in love with Clark and does not want their "happy" life to end. Back in the present Lois confronts Clark about Hope and uses the lasso on him hoping to find the truth.

2Story - 2: There's a lot to unpack here. I gave this a 2 rating but I think it's more of a 2.5. I hesitate to give it a 3 because it's still all over the place and I don't like some of the characterization. I don't see the point of having Lois tell Diana that she doesn't like her. Why because she once had a romance with Clark? I've said previously and I'll reiterate, I do not like this version of Lois. That being said she is trying to get to the bottom of things. It's interesting to see Clark settling down for the moment in Kansas. He Hope and Jimmy (Szhemi) seem to be a family. But Clark is still earnestly looking for a way home. Of course the weakest part to me is the flashbacks with the Contrectatio and the Republic. There's just so much unnecessary dialogue and they just keep rehashing the same things that have been discussed the last several issues. Meanwhile, back at "home", we see Clark may be having some feelings for Hope which seems mutual because she kills Jimmy (Szhemi) so she can keep him all to herself. Is what she told Clark about not having knowledge about the Green Lantern Corp true? Or has she been playing him this whole time? This issue is certainly more meaty than the previous four and I actually enjoyed it somewhat, but I'm still not feeling this story and I don't think that will change.

4Art - 4: Pagulayan is a terrific artist and is the highlight of this book. Characters look on point especially his depiction of Clark. The splash pages are bold and have a cinematic feel to them. This is the one bright spot in this otherwise mediocre story.

2Cover Art - 2: Nothing spectacular just a scene that is not depicted in the book but it's adequate.

2Variant Cover Art - 2: The image is drawn well but I'm hoping we don't see this scene in the book at anytime... but stranger things have happened in this story.

2Variant Cover Art - 2: Glowing Superman in flight. It's okay but simple. A little too simple. But then I haven't been a fan of Jae Lee drawing superheroes.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2023

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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