Writer: Greg Rucka / Penciller: Mike Perkins / Colour Artist: Paul Mounts / Letterer: Simon Bowland / Editors: Jessica Chen, Mike Cotton, Brian Cunningham / Collects Lois Lane #1 - #12 / DC Comics
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24th November 2020
The Pitch: She uncovered the most dangerous secret in the DC Universe...now she just has to prove it! After a press briefing at the White House -and carrying a secret that could disrupt Superman’s life - Lois Lane embarks on a harrowing journey to uncover a threat to her husband and a plot that reaches the highest levels of international power brokers and world leaders...
Truth. Justice. The American Way.
What's the most important part of that sentence? As journalism and those who practice it undergo more and more scrutiny, Truth becomes a malleable concept. How should our fiction tackle this? Indeed can this medium – comics – tackle the war on truth? Luckily for us, Greg Rucka seems to think so. There's always been a strong journalism sub-plot running through the Superman stories and the books work best when this is so. Here, Rucka and Perkins bring today's headlines into the mix, subtly updating the world of Metropolis and bringing it into the realpolitik. But does realpolitik help when it comes to journalistic ideals? Can you have both? It's hard to say. Rucka leans towards idealism. The journalists of the Daily Planet have always been slightly too good to be true. They're out there, fighting the good fight. Would there be any place for the type of journalist that the Leveson enquiry exposed – the type who spent their time breaking into celeb's flats and bugging their cell phones?
IT BEGS THE QUESTION: IN JOURNALISM, HOW DOES THE DIRTY WORK GET DONE
It's interesting because when you look at Lois Lane, you just know that at one time or another she's been exactly that type of journalist. She may have needed to go down to the dark end of the street to be able to do what she does now. And I don't think for a minute that Clark Kent came along and made a bad girl good. I think Lois was on that path before Smallville showed up. But it begs the question: how does the dirty work get done? Well, as we find out, that question gets answered by The Question. Renee Montoya, at Lois' beck and call. It's a team-up worthy of the World's Finest. But Rucka doesn't just bring back Montoya to his shady world. Like all good creators, he wants to remind you of his best creations. So we get the trace elements of Checkmate. It is, frankly, glorious. Watching Lois move the chess pieces to approach her own checkmate and speak truth to power... It's the kind of stuff that makes the DCU sing. Rucka and Perkins aren't content to splash through the muddy waters of DC's espionage realm. Where Lois goes, so goes the big blue boy scout. Only here, his actions actually cause more headaches for Lois, with even his secret identity getting in the way of Lois doing her job.
Rucka and Perkins manage to take in the 'me too' movement, Russian political interference, Trumpian politics and journalistic exile. All in a story that operates within the wider capes and fights side of the DCU. Rucka creates a realistic patter for his characters and an expertly-woven plot. Perkins’ art etches a dark world that feels like our own. The moods and emotions that play on the character's faces are lifelike, and soulful. They speak of their mistakes as much as their successes. Paul Mounts’ colours the whole thing like he's Gordon Willis. Smoke and mirrors are a speciality. Especially the smoke. Simon Bowland's lettering gives everything a suitably gritty tone. You can really hear the scepticism in Lois' voice and the harshness of her tone when she's scolding Superman for interfering in her investigation. Lois Lane is a great book that will hopefully lay the groundwork for more comics like this, that look at the darker corners of the DC Universe and use fiction, to tell the truth.
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