Review: SUPERMAN – LOIS AND CLARK #1
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Lee Weeks
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterers: A Larger World Studios’ Joshua Cozine & Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics
Longtime DC fans rejoice! Your underwear-over-the-tights Superman is back! After the fallout from the event series Convergence, the Multiverse is now a thing again. Every previous incarnation of heroes and villains are now on the table for creators to use. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks use this opportunity to revisit the pre-New versions of Lois Lane and Clark Kent (Superman).
What went from a comic I had no interest in turned into an enjoyable read.
What I Liked
I came into Superman: Lois and Clark blind, not having read Convergence. Thankfully, Jurgens dedicates a few pages to recapping what happened during the event. Pre-New 52 Superman, along with Barry Allen (Flash), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), and his cousin Kara (Supergirl), stopped the initial Crisis and saved the Multiverse.
I was never the biggest fan of the DC Multiverse growing up. It seemed more confusing than anything. And I still don’t know the difference between Crisis on Infinite Earths or Infinite Crisis, except for which one took place before the other one. But the more I thought about it, I realized how silly that is. I enjoy time travel stories that usually introduce alternate versions of characters. Multiple Earth’s is the same thing. I love that all these other versions of heroes exist out there, available to be used by any creator with the right story to tell.
The comic opens with the Justice League’s first battle with Darkseid. The JL was victorious, but what we didn’t know was they had a guardian angel watching over them in the form of pre-New 52 Superman. Lois and himself were transported to that point in time after Convergence. So they’ve been hiding in the shadows of the New 52 all along. That’s not even the crazy part – Superman has taken the knowledge of his previous world to keep tabs on his enemies. This is a younger, different world than the one Superman came from. So he can search out the civilian names of villains, and make sure they don’t turn into the same monsters he’s fought before.
As the years go on, Lois and Clark are in seclusion, raising their son Jonathan. Lois has become a famous author, using a pen name to stay in hiding. Jonathan has grown into an inquisitive young boy. It was sweet watching him pick up small clues that his parents were hiding from him. Like how Jonathan catches his parents in a lie regarding which farm animal Clark is out fetching.
Lee Weeks is a veteran artist who is very familiar with these characters. I especially enjoyed his more mature-looking Lois and Clark. You can see the family resemblance between Jonathan and his parents. Weeks has very clear line work, along with colors from Brad Anderson.
What I Didn’t Like
The only hangup I had with this issue was the final page. It deals with something involving the Oblivion Stone. That seemed to be dropped in out of nowhere. If there was a reference to it earlier, then I definitely missed it.
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
