Something For Your Pull List

Have you been hankering for a really good Lois Lane story?  Well, get down to your local comic shop and have them put Superman: Lois Lane #1 on your pull list.  Don’t have a pull list or a local comic shop?  Then be sure to either subscribe or pre-order it digitally.  On February 26th, Lois Lane will get a 48 page one-shot written by Marguerite Bennett with art by Emanuela Lupaccino.

Lois Lane is known for chasing down stories — but what happens when the story is her family? As her father gains more power in the government, Lois’s sister Lucy has become involved with a deadly drug scene! Meanwhile, Lois thought she was rid of the influence of Brainiac, but now she finds that the the computer tyrant of Colu is calling out to her again!

Here’s what Ms. Bennett has to say about Lois and her book:

Lois’s tale is an adventure story—a sci-fi noir, if you will. Lois Lane is the first lady (queen? khaleesi?) of DC Comics, and I was in fits to offer up a story worthy of her. There’s an elegance to the structure and a poignance to the plot that I hope won’t strike a nerve so much as twist it, and leave our readers avid for more.

For Lois, I had envisioned not the clean, bright, idealized superhero art of Superman, but a deep, rich, and somewhat darker human world and underworld. Not the grit and grime of Gotham, naturally, but a place of depth, texture, emotion, and consequence—a place where things must be seen with their scars, and not from high above.

Regarding her favorite thing about Lois:   Oh, Lord, just one? May I say her general magnificence? May I say her audacity in the face of danger? May I say her willpower, when all the world is going to hell? May I say that she is neither a believer nor a cynic, but one who will face the world on the principle of truth and truth alone?

I love the conviction in Lois, how the same woman can maintain such calm and resolve and yet be so invested in the world and all its struggles. She cares so completely as to plunge into the fray, a war journalist or investigative reporter, because she knows that the truth must be brought to light, no matter how ugly, no matter how terrible. Yet she doesn’t permit the darkness, corruption, or trauma of the world she has seen to sully her. It can try and try and try again to dig its hooks into her, but she is fiercer and filled with more conviction than any human or superhuman foe can break. Within her discipline and self-reliance is, I believe, an inherent compassion—an understanding of our suffering, and a trust that the truth will better us—a trust that we will better ourselves.

Thanks to G-Man at Comic Vine for the exclusive interview.

This is the queen without a crown, the first lady of the DCU. Her resolve is legendary, but that same resolve has its consequence. Even in her youth, Lois was called upon to be the example, the good soldier, the mother to her younger sister, the lieutenant to her father. Her complexity is phenomenal, but it has a price as much as a reward.

This is the woman who has stood toe-to-toe with gods and watched them blink first. This is the human heart of an increasingly superhuman world, its center of conviction, compassion, and resolve.

This story is hers. She is no one’s supporting cast member, and her very foundations are rising up against her. I have read and loved reading Lois, from Lois the girlfriend to Lois the war reporter, but for this moment in time, I felt she deserved a story about her family, her friendships, her relationships, her mess, her struggle, her climb. (Things explode, too, but the story is a poignant one.)

For familiar characters, you’ll find Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent, Lucy and Sam Lane, and Lois’s mother, as well, in addition to several original characters (one for whom I have high hopes).

The complete interview with Vaneta Rogers at Newsarama.

Hold on, there’s more from the Newsarama interview:

With Lois, however, if there is fan enthusiasm for the concept, and if the sales turnout is strong, Dan DiDio has told fans that a Lois series would be there for them. It’s entirely within the hands of the readers, though. For my part, I hope they love her as much as I do, because I would be overjoyed for fans to see what she can do.

Let’s get our girl her own mini-series or ongoing!

As of this writing Lois has psionic powers (see Brainiac reference in the bolded solicit under the cover), is interrupting the fauxmance, and has the Parasite after her.  Superman: Lois Lane #1 will be coinciding with Superman #28 (same month as Lois’ book).  General Sam Lane has become US Senator Sam Lane who is investigating something called The Tower (mentioned in Superman #26 and Action #27).  With her current psionic powers she knows Superman and Clark Kent are one-in-the-same, but that could change with Superman #27 later this month.  And Clark Kent apparently will be making an appearance in her book.  He’s gone back to writing and pining for the Daily Planet.

Lois is the key!  The big giant key like Superman used to have at the Fortress of Solitude.  Marguerite Bennett knows it and let’s make sure DC Comics sees we know it, too.   A strong, visible Lois Lane always inspires Clark Kent to be a better Superman.

So are you ready?  Let’s get the word out about Superman: Lois Lane #1.

If you are on twitter, use the hashtag #GoLois! in your tweets.  We want to get the buzz and the info out there.  Prepare your local comic shop and let DC Comics know, there will be a demand for this book!

#GoLois!

Please feel free to use the banner above to get the word out.   Thanks to kiki!

Lois Lane Gets A One-Shot, But Why Stop There?

Put Superman: Lois Lane #1 on your pull list NOW

Lois Lane fans can rejoice (albeit temporarily), she’s getting her own book!  On February 26, 2014, Lois Lane will have a double sized issue of a one-shot story.  Written by Scott Snyder protege, Marguerite Bennett, with art by Emanuela Lupacchino.  In an exclusive interview with Comic Vine, Ms. Bennett states that the release date for Superman: Lois Lane #1 was moved up to be earlier than originally anticipated.  (More thoughts about that later)  She also refers to our beloved intrepid reporter as the First Lady (Queen, Khaleesi) of DC Comics.  Sounds like Lois couldn’t be in better hands, heart or mind.  Go read the article now!  Have a little squee time.

Superman and Clark Kent may not make an appearance in the story which is fine.   Me personally, I’m offended his name is even on the title.   Despite what those people who can’t get their heads out of the Silver Age (or  their asses) think, Lois Lane as a character can stand on her own.  She is a pillar of the Superman mythology, and has been from day one, Action #1, 1938.   Good creators know this even if decision-making executives don’t.

Lois will be dealing with family problems as well as an alien menace who still has a hold on her.  All that while relentlessly searching for the truth, no matter how ugly or vile or damaging.  Lois Lane eats the truth raw for breakfast and that’s why we love her!  And it should be why Superman loves her too, but  . . .

There’s always one of those, isn’t there?  New 52 Superman (not including Superman Unchained) is not truly Clark Kent.  He’s battling alien.  Clark Kent is not even a blogger let alone a journalist.  Scott Lobdell (writer of continuity Superman) had Clark Kent leave the Daily Planet because he thought they were doing infotainment instead of hardhitting news (and because Lois was reluctantly moving in with her boyfriend).   Cat Grant partnered up with Clark to start a blog.  Clark’s only contribution to it has been to fry competitor’s digital tablets so Ms. Grant could get an exclusive infotainment fluff piece to keep the blog solvent.  Journo Clark will never substantially exist while Superman is dating Wonder Woman.  Thus no Lois.

The Powers That Be or Diane Nelson (along with Jim Lee and Bob Harras) are bound and determined to keep shoving this fauxmance down our throats until we like it.  Smallville fans will recall the dreaded train wreck of a season 7 – “We’re giving them another shot.”  Speaking of Lana . . .

Greg Pak has taken over Action Comics.  He ‘loves’ Lois, but won’t be writing her.  He’s writing Lana Lang as Lois Lane.  Let me clarify that.  Lana Lang is as strong as Lois Lane, as determined to have her own career and thinks exactly like Clark.  Pak hearts his Lana.  He obviously has forgotten the first rule — Lois Lane cannot be replaced.

What Lois Lane fans may experience in the coming months in Action and Superman is Lois Lane not in the picture with Lana Lang being a Lois imitator and Wonder Woman in the Superman book.  The fauxmance has never been in Action so Lobdell will probably do Harras’ bidding in Superman.   Most Lois Lane fans aren’t purchasing Action or Superman and that will probably not change.  These ‘superbooks’ have had ever decreasing orders each month and if executive-interferring creative decisions continue to rule over what fans want, they will continue to fail.  Action and Superman are dangerously close to the 40,000 mark of iconic books going bad sales-wise.  With the decision to double down on the fauxmance and bring Lana in as a substitute Lois, book orders are just going to continue their plummet.

But fear not, there is some light . . . surprisingly from a unexpected source.   Tom Taylor, writer of Injustice: Gods Amongst Us, is now writing Earth 2 – and to his credit and perhaps his redemption in Lois Lane fans’ eyes, he is bringing Lois back from the dead.  No, not as a zombie — that’s Johns’ thing.  In Earth 2, Clark and Lois were married (as were Bruce and Selina, who had a child), Darkseid came and killed Lois (we’re not sure what happened to Selina).  Superman ‘died’ thinking his Lois was dead.  (a moment of bereavement for one and all)   BUT . . . (yep, there’s another one) . . . as we know death is a plot device in comics.

Superman has been Darkseided and has returned to Earth (2).  Some fans may recall 1989’s Action Annual which had a similar premise.  Earth 2’s story will be better.  We recommend it.  Here’s a quote from Taylor’s interview with USAToday on November 5th:

A new female Red Tornado is in town, too, and is going to be integral to the whole world and the coming war, Taylor says. “People will probably understand exactly how important Red Tornado is by the end of page 5. As far as I was concerned, Superman couldn’t come back without this.”

And here she is.  A gynoid (female android) who can transform to human, not your Ma Hunkle, but we’ll take it.

So Lois fans do have some books to consider even if they are not the ‘superbooks.’   Superman Unchained (which will probably end in March, 2014 unless Lee pushes it back farther), Earth 2 (Lois possibly as the resurrected hope), Smallville Season 11, and sometimes the Adventures of Superman (digital first).   And then there’s the one-shot in February, 2014.  Yes, yes, I know you want MORE!

Fight the powers!  Fight the powers that be!  (Everybody dance)  DC Entertainment seems to be determined to yet again leave money on the table.  Why?  Who the hell knows?!  So what can we do about it?

We know from Dan Didio, because of the success of the #LoisLane75yrs tweet-a-thon, DCE ‘caved’ and gave us the Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years book, due out November 26th.  Have you pre-ordered yours yet?  Some of the story selections for the book are a bit ‘strange’ but amazingly, the stories in the Superman 75 years book are often Lois related.   So think about getting both, but definitely the Lois one.

Also Didio told us that after ‘a couple of bad stories’ they would start building up Lois Lane and that he thought ‘they’ had pushed Lois down too far.  So maybe the one shot and it’s earlier release date is because he, at least, has heard the fans.  But why stop there?

If DCE caved once, they’ll do it again.  Let’s make our DEMANDS loud and clear.  They can keep their damn superbooks with the non-Lois (and thus, non-Superman mythos) stories.  Let them fail.  But . . .

WE WANT A LOIS LANE ONGOING SERIES!!!

Make DCE cave by making Lois Lane #1 a smash hit!  Show them they continue to leave money on the table.  DCE is a business and how do businesses profit and stay afloat?  By giving the consumers (that’s us) what they want.

GIMME GIMME