Mild Mannered Reviews – Lois Lane #3

Lois Lane #3 [of 12]

Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 4, 2019

Cover date: November 2019

“Enemy of the People: Part Three”

Writer: Greg Rucka

Artist: Mike Perkins

Cover: Mike Perkins

Variant Covers: Nicola Scott

Reviewed by: Mario Bennese

Click to enlarge

Lois Lane is being questioned by the police regarding the death of Mr. Agger. Faster than the eye can see, Superman searches the bar for clues before hovering outside of the building. As Lois and René Montoya head back to their hotel, Lois begins to reprimand Clark. Superman arrives and requests a private conversation with Lois. Montoya leaves for the hotel as the couple go for a flight.

Back at the hotel, Montoya is followed by The Question. The two engage in a fight in a restricted area before they reach a draw and reveal their identities to each other. Montoya is surprised to find her old mentor Vic Sage is alive and well. Atop a building, Lois and Clark have a serious discussion. Lane calls her husband out for making his presence known. While he saw his presence as a statement of protection, his appearance only added fuel to the scandal fire. Clark admits to his mistake and Lois declares that she’s going to get to the bottom of this crazy story. Before dropping her off, Superman tells his wife that he’s got something to take care of in Metropolis, but he’ll make it quick.

Back at the hotel, Lois gets undressed and prepares to take a shower with Clark. To her surprise, she pulls back the curtain to find her son.

Story – 3: This issue feels like connective tissue. There’s nothing wrong with that, but nothing major happens here that moves the plot along. Instead, we get a decent issue in which Lois and Clark have a minor spat. It’s resolved a little quickly, but it’s refreshing to see that even
Superman makes mistakes. Though, to be honest, I don’t think Clark would have appeared without taking into account how his presence would have affected the scandal rumors. I know it’s common for him to be written as the strong and moral one, but he’s also pretty smart. He’s a top journalist AND a leading member of the Justice League for crying out loud! He should know better than anyone about how his presence can impact public perception.

On the whole, the issue is fine. It was nice to see René and Vic reunited again, and I’m always down for moments of character development, though I did find the last sequence a bit tacky.

Art – 3: For the most part, the art is solid. There’s a real noir feel that permeates the book, and that really lends itself well to the story that Rucka is telling. Occasionally, there’s a face that looks a little wonky, but everything is largely drawn well.

I would have given the art a higher rating, were it not for the two instances of art swiping in this book. The pieces in question appear at the beginning of the flight sequence. The initial splash and the first panel on the page that follows are almost directly lifted from pieces done by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praise be his name). The image in the splash is a modified swipe of a piece of Garcia-Lopez’s named “The Soaring Eagle.” The other is a swipe of a piece done for one of DC’s style guides.

As far as I can tell, they were not borrowed for an homage. They’re modified enough that it isn’t downright plagiarism, but Superman fans with a keen eye will be able to spot them.

Cover Art – 4: like the concept a lot. It’s simple, but effective. The eye is immediately drawn to the center of the image, then down to the bloody typewriter. The red against a black and white image really pops and raises intrigue. I just feel that the top half of the image is a little empty.