Superman: Lost #9
Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 12, 2023
Cover date: February 2024
“Emmaus”
Writer: Christopher Priest
Artists: Carlo Pagulayan and Dan Jurgens
Cover: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz with Elmer Santos
Variant Cover: Steven Segovia and Elmer Santos
1:25 Variant Cover: Mike Deodato Jr and Jao Canola
Reviewed by: Marc Lax
After Lois confronts Senator McMonigle about how he resigned because he wanted to protect his assistant, we follow Lex into a coffeehouse in disguise. He figured out how Lois has kept her cancer diagnosis from Clark. No matter how she’s tried to protect Clark she can’t save him. Not from Lex Luthor. Lois and Clark have it out about how she’s been lying to him and how he in his head is still on planet Kansas and thinking about Hope. Lois talks Clark out of going after Lex and maybe they can get past all of this and be together again. Lois than goes to face off with Lex. She’s figured out that his whole cancer scheme is a hoax and wants the antidote that will cure her. We than see Clark talking to his therapist. You see throughout this issue scenes of Superman killing Lex but now we learn they were just fantasies Clark was having about what he wished he could do to Lex. The therapist tells Clark it’s normal to think this way about someone you hate. Clark tells him he doesn’t hate Lex but the therapist doesn’t buy it. Later Lois tells Clark about Lex’s scheme and how she took the antidote and it’s all over. They kiss and have a lovely moment. Which is then interrupted by none other then Bruce Wayne. He comes with some news. Before he can tell them Clark hears someone outside their window speaking in a familiar language. It’s Hope! And she’s pregnant!
Story – 3: Once again I’m being generous with this rating. The fact it centers on Lex and Lois is a big plus. And the images of Superman killing Lex are quite startling. But again it’s all for naught. Of course Lex was somehow faking Lois’ cancer. Of course there’s an antidote. Wow I didn’t see that coming. And the whole thing with Senator McMonigle seems to be resolved in one page? Why was this plot line even there? I thought once we were off the planet and focusing on Clark and Lois things would improve. Not so much. It was wonderful to have Dan Jurgens working on some of the art but even that didn’t help the issue. While the story can be confusing it tries hard to deal with how Lois and Clark are handling this situation, both together and on their own. But it just doesn’t click for me. There’s a good story in here somewhere but it’s struggling to get out, and with this being the penultimate issue I don’t think it will.Art – 3: The art throughout the issue is very good but the way the pages go from Pagulayan to Jurgens is jarring. They’re both great artists, Jurgens is of course one of my favorites of all time, it just doesn’t work well here. Wish I could be more positive.br CLEAR=”all”>Cover Art – 3: Not a bad image of Superman (and those red eyes of anger) ready to take care of business with Lex, as a worried Lois looks on. I do like the way Superman is in shadow.
Variant Cover Art – 2: Strange image of Superman seeing a giant upside down reflection of Lex. And look at that long cape.
1:25 Variant Cover Art – 4: A nice drawing of Superman looking both angry and sorrowful. Very striking.
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