Mild Mannered Reviews – Lois Lane #1

Lois Lane #1 [of 12]

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 3, 2019
Cover date: September 2019

“Enemy of the People” – Part One

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Mike Perkins
Cover: Mike Perkins
Variant Covers: Jenny Frison

Reviewed by: Mario Bennese

In a hotel room, Lois Lane works on finishing a story before sending it to Perry White. The gruff editor calls Lane and warns her that if he publishes the story she’s just written, people will come after her. Never one to back down, Lois insists the Daily Planet run the story with her name in the byline. Perry then informs her that Mariska Voronova, a Russian reporter publicly critical of the Kremlin, has been found dead, seemingly by suicide. Lane ends the phone call and sends an instant message to someone, requesting a rendezvous.

Later in a parking garage, the intrepid reporter meets up with The Question, tasking him with going to Moscow to find Mariska’s hidden backup sources. Lane has a feeling Mariska was murdered. Returning to her hotel room, Lois enters to see steam from the shower. She enters the shower and finds Clark who had been waiting for her. The next morning, the two go out for breakfast when a stranger makes a rude comment towards Lois. The couple discuss the Superman/Lois photo and how in an age of infinite cameras, it was inevitable. Clark expresses his displeasure in the public’s scrutiny of Lois without even once taking shots at Superman. Lois calms him and they carry on with their morning. In Russia, The Question begins his quest.

Later that day, Lois attends a government press conference. Commandeering the event, Lane asks White House spokesperson Lee-Anne McCarthy about the administration profiting from refugee camps and the destruction of families. Refusing to answer the question, McCarthy has Lane escorted out and stripped of her credentials. Following her removal, several reporters followed Lane’s line of questioning, leading McCarthy to prematurely end the briefing.

Story – 4: When I heard that we would be getting a Lois Lane mini-series, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The last time we got a Lois Lane solo story (Superman: Lois Lane #1), I fell asleep mid-issue. Fortunately, this story is helmed by the incredibly talented Greg Rucka. For those unfamiliar with his work, Rucka has written some of my favorite deep cut Superman stories and I highly recommend his recent run on Wonder Woman. With this issue, the story is off to a promising start. Not much happens in this issue, but not much needs to. Instead, we’re treated to tender moments between Lois and Clark as well as biting political commentary.

With this issue, Rucka perfectly demonstrates how to write Lois Lane. She’s courageous, intelligent, and refuses to back down until the truth is known. In our current world of unending information twisting by both government and news outlets, Lois is just as much a hero as Superman. With the exception of the genuinely sweet Lois and Clark moments, the briefing scene is my favorite part of this issue. Not only is it topical, but it also shows Lois at her best, facing injustice unflinchingly.

I only have one minor gripe with this issue and that comes down to the scene in Moscow. I’m not entirely sure what was happening outside of The Question taking out some guys. Other than that, this issue comes highly recommended.

Art – 4: Perkins’ work here is quite good. Characters are easily identifiable and staging is solid. The shower scene is incredible in that I can actually see the love in Lois’ eyes. It’s such a small thing, but conveying subtle emotions through drawings is the sign of a talented artist. The only complaint I have is that there’s occasionally a face that looks a little off.

Cover Art – 3: With how interesting the actual issue is, I’m surprised that the cover is so boring. Just to be clear, the art itself is fine. Perkins continues to display his talents, but my issue comes down to the blandness of the cover. Nothing particularly pops and the black and white color scheme doesn’t help.

Variant Cover Art – 3: Much like the standard cover, this variant isn’t anything spectacular. Frison’s art is good and I like the pulpy feel of the image, but medium closeups are hard to make visually interesting.

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