An unlikely friendship is formed between Lois Lane and Lana Lang in the wake of the New 52 Superman’s death. Determined to protect the legacy of her heroic friend, Lois takes to the skies with newfound powers and abilities, as Superwoman!
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As far as I was concerned, [easyazon_link identifier=”B01G2F1ID4″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Superwoman #1[/easyazon_link] was a book coming out of left field. The solicits did little to convince me that this was anything more than an unnecessary addition to the Superman line, and would only serve to bloat the brand. Needless to say, I was not excited about this series launch. I should have been. Within a few pages I had already decided to add Superwoman to my pull list. The Superman family of books are easily the most convoluted to come out of DC’s Rebirth initiative. They are somehow the most consistently impressive as well. I honestly have not read a bad Superman book since Rebirth started, and Superwoman #1 is no exception.
On the very first page we are treated to Lois Lane holding a tractor over her head with one hand while having a chat with cowboy hat and overalls clad Lana Lang. Lois is as nonchalant and seemingly careless as ever, yet maintains her pragmatic career-focused agenda as she tries to coax Lana into giving her material for a story. Of course, at this point Lana has repeatedly refused the request, but Lois won’t take no for an answer. This page is an excellent showcase of the reluctant friendship these two have been forming since the death of their mutual friend, as well as firmly displaying the mastery of these character’s voices that writer Phil Jimenez clearly has.
Jimenez’s spot-on characterization becomes even more apparent by the time the third star of the issue shows up, Lex Luthor, “sociopath and billionaire”. Lex seems to be popping up a lot lately, ever since he decided to claim the mantle of Superman for himself. He never seems to get tired of referring to himself as such, and he clearly displays satisfaction when people feed into this. Luthor has decided that the solution to protecting Metropolis involves building a state of the art battle cruiser to float around near the city. Clearly nothing bad will come of this. Especially not as early as the same issue that the ship is introduced.
Not content to simply write an exemplary first issue, Phil Jimenez feels the need to supply his top tier art talent as well. Superwoman #1 is a delight to look at, each panel filled to the brim with energy. Jimenez truly achieves the grandiose scale that every Super title so desperately needs. Lois’ costume design is a much needed triumph for a publisher that has had so many design missteps in recent years. It’s modern enough to appeal to recent DC sensibilities, yet simple enough to recall classic costumes of yesteryear.
There probably isn’t a colorist out there that could have topped Jeromy Cox’s work on this issue. There is so much blue. It seems like almost everything is some shade of blue. Lois and Lex’s costumes, numerous fighter planes, the abundant amount of water on display, the sky, and even Lana’s overalls are all blue. Cox somehow manages to differentiate all of these and make them exciting, matching Jimenez’s energy on every page.
The Verdict
[easyazon_link identifier=”B01G2F1ID4″ locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Superwoman #1[/easyazon_link] is a more than worthy addition to the Superman family, as well as the Rebirth lineup in general. Fans of Lana Lang and Lex Luthor will find this issue a must buy, and any comic fan will be better off for buying this book. The story fits nicely as a companion piece to the other Superman titles, but functions perfectly well on its own.