Posts Tagged ‘ Lois Lane ’

As expected, in the DCnU Clark Kent and Lois Lane are no longer married. In fact, they were never married.

And, as big a fan as I am of the marriage (and I’m a huge fan of it), I’m okay with that.

Why?

Because unlike the dissolution of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane marriage, this isn’t the result of a story point that makes no sense and is only shoe-horned in to get rid of the marriage itself, this is as a result of a line-wide rejigging of titles which is effecting change on multiple levels.

One of those changes is the nullification of the Lois and Clark marriage and the introduction of a new, admittedly douchey on first impressions, boyfriend for Lois.

And that’s okay. It’s okay to refresh the Lois and Clark relationship every now and then because it offers new creative teams (and okay, George Perez was also a Superman writer early on in the post-Man of Steel years) the opportunity to tell stories with a single Lois and Clark, and also because you know they’ll get together in the end.

The Lois/Clark relationship is, at this point, virtually pre-destined. Everyone who’s seen an adaptation of Superman in the past sixty years, or read a Superman comic, or has even a passing familiarity with the characters, knows that Lois and Clark will, at some point, end up together. It’s so strong that it will last until the 853rd century.

But, while the characters are single, I’m okay with them dating other people. Wonder Woman, Jose Delgado, Cat Grant, Lori Lemaris, Jonathan Carroll, whoever. I don’t much care, because the relationships that characters have move stories forward and eventually – spoilers – Lois and Clark end up together. Because they always do, and they always will.

Even when he has a mullet.

I mean, if she can get past that hair, you think a little continuity is going to stop her?

I’ve been quite open about enjoying the majority of the Flashpoint stuff that DC has been putting out (although the Flashpoint: Reverse Flash one-shot read like a left-over Rogues spotlight issue from The Flash book, and didn’t even make sense in terms of the current story since Barry Allen’s mother is alive in the Flashpoint world), but I feel compelled to point out something that cropped up in another book this week.

The first page of Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance does a quick recap of the year running up to the start of the story:

See? Something’s amiss. A closer look:

Aren’t we missing something?

Like, I don’t know, Wales and Scotland? (Not sure Grant Morrison will be too happy with that…)

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are also missing, but I can understand that if the Amazons chose only to conquer the main island. But honestly, between editors, artists and writers, shouldn’t someone have caught this?

Unless of course in the Flashpoint world there is no Wales, or Scotland. Yeah, that’s the ticket. If DC gave out No Prizes, I’d be all over that…

It sounds like Zack Snyder has found his Lois Lane – and she’s Amy Adams.

I have no problem at all with this casting as Adams is pretty damn cute and, more importantly, can do drama and comedy with equal aplomb. She’s a great choice – and I know that some people will complain that she’s a redhead and so would be better as Lana Lang, but let’s face it: hair color only matters to geeks like us.

Although part of me would like to see Amy Adams as the Insect Queen.

In any case; great choice. My next Superman-related question, though, is how long Zack Snyder is going to be linked with Nolan’s Superman given the critical and financial drubbing that SuckerPunch took over the weekend…

I have to hand it to Smallville - and Superman shows in general – they know how to wink at the past.

In Lois and Clark (a show which gets a bad rep; I enjoyed the earlier seasons immensely), Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher)’s mother was played by Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the 1940s and 1950sPhyllis Coates, who played Lois Lane in the 1950s George Reeves Adventures of Superman series before being replaced by Noel Neill, who had played Lois before her in the Kirk Alyn serial (not that that’s convoluted!).

Smallville - which has featured the 1970s/1980s movie Lois and Clark (the late Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder) in prior seasons – will feature current Lois (Erica Durance)’s mother in some video tapes she finds.

Playing her?

Teri Hatcher.

Fricking genius.

Via

- For your own safety!

Ah, comics. Just when I think I’m done with you, something comes along and reminds me why I’m not.

And it’s usually Goddamn Lois Lane.

…wasn’t the one in Superman’s face in the JMS-penned prelude to his upcoming run on the character.

No, it was the one in the face of longtime Superman readers when he penned such a weak set-up to his new run, starting properly in next month’s Superman #701.

Why is it weak, you ask? It’s weak because of the reason that the nameless woman in question is angry at Superman, the reason that is supposed to haunt Superman and send him on his trek across America. That reason?

Her husband died from an inoperable brain tumor.

That’s tragic. It happens in reality, and it’s tragic. But to inject it into a comic book – and specifically a comic centered around an alien who looks human, but can fly, move planets and leap tall buildings in a single bound – that’s not tragic. That’s manipulative. It’s crass. And it pushes the boundaries of the suspension of disbelief that comics universes operate under.

Why?

In the real world, if Reed Richards or Tony Stark or Lex Luthor existed, they would have cured cancer by now. We’d be living in a high-tech utopia that Steve Jobs only dreams of. But, of course, we don’t take that logical step in the fictional worlds of Marvel and DC because it would distance their world from our world too much.

The thing is, bringing our world into the superhero world doesn’t work either – because it makes it seem like the heroes in question are selfish for not focusing on real world problems in favor of whaling on the villain of the week.

An additional question is when, exactly, did this woman get the impression that Superman was a doctor? That he routinely went round eliminating brain tumors with his heat vision? I must have missed that.

And aw, look at Superman’s sad face.

Bad enough that we get the motivation for Superman’s walk across America from a nameless person in this manner when it would have made much more sense in the DCU for the man’s death to be from a rampage by the Atomic Skull, or the Prankster or whoever while Superman was off planet – but additionally, we’re driven further along this path by the fact that Superman was nowhere when this man’s death happened; he wasn’t on Earth where he was needed.

Which I guess means he wasn’t needed to try to prevent the war with New Krypton instigated by Sam Lane. Well, I guess we didn’t need the past couple years worth of stories then, did we?

Additionally, let’s just assume that Superman doesn’t have the strength of character to recognize that hoary old Star Trek line that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one’ is actually true. That he doesn’t have the moral fibre to say to the woman, “I’m sorry your husband died, but millions more would have died too if I had been here to operate on him – which is something I don’t do anyway. Sometimes, people just die.”

More irritating to me as well – and I know at this point that I’m just pissed off with the entire storyline that is only just starting – is the fact that Superman’s finally moved into setting off on his big walk by a memory of Pa Kent’s words of wisdom.

That Pa Kent, he was certainly wasted as a farmer wasn’t he? The man could have made a fortune on the self-help lecture circuit.

Using Pa’s sage advice as an instigator for Superman’s actions feels like something Bad Jeph Loeb would do (that’s the Jeph Loeb of, say, Superman/Batman as opposed to the Good Jeph Loeb of…well, any collaboration with Tim Sale).

Finally, the preview ends with Superman starting his walk, and a watching child saying he must be doing ‘something important’.

Lord knows it must be ‘something important’ because we’ve been hammered over the head with that phrase ad nauseum in this story – because clearly, ‘something important’ is happening in the upcoming story, and ‘something important’ hasn’t been happening in all those regular old supehero comics we silly people buy.

I think Straczynski is a good writer – but I don’t think he plays well with other people’s toys in a shared sandbox. There’s a quote from his interview on Newsarama that I find particularly interesting.

The iconic elements of the character — Metropolis, the Daily Planet, Lois, Jim — are there for a reason: They work. But a little time away will make all of that more vital and freshen it up.

This is true. It would be even more true if we hadn’t just spent over a year with the Planet staff – and especially Lois – consigned to the background, if they were visible at all. My problem here is that JMS doesn’t seem to want to write a Superman story; he wants to write a story that happens to have Superman in it.

That’s fine – but from what I’ve seen, from what I’ve read, that’s not something I want to read.

I want to read about a Superman that works at the Daily Planet. A Superman that’s more comfortable as Clark Kent than he is as Superman sometimes. A Superman that’s married to the smartest, ballsiest reporter in the room. A Superman always somehow stymied by the schemes of Lex Luthor. A Superman that has the confidence in himself and his abilities to know that while he won’t always win, he will always do his best. A Superman that has people point up in the sky and ask that immortal question – “Is it a bird? Is it a plane?” – and then have Jimmy Olsen tell them not to be silly – it’s Superman.

I hope that JMS’s run sells well – I just won’t be buying it. And, after all this ranting (and yes, I know it’s ranting) if you still don’t see where I’m coming from, I suppose you can boil it down to one simple, sarcastic reason:

When Superman: The Movie was advertised, it wasn’t with the tag line ‘You will believe a man can walk’.

I’ve been dropping a lot of books from my monthly pull list recently, but two of the books I was sure I was going to carry on picking up were Superman and Action Comics.

I’ve dropped both before, more than once. I first started picking DCs up regularly round about the time INVASION! came out, back when Superman was suffering a psychotic break and running around as Gangbuster in his spare time. I left the books a few months later after Superman returned to Earth from his space exile when I dropped all DC books.

I checked in on Superman from time to time, picking up the Death of, World Without A, and Return of trades before coming back to DC proper with Zero Hour which, for all its flaws I still love unreservedly. After that, I stuck with the mulleted Superman through the Battle and Fall of Metropolis, Dead Again, the Death of Clark Kent before finally giving up again just prior to the Trial of Superman – only to be lured back again by the also excellent-and-grossly underrated Final Night (and just why the HELL isn’t that collection in print?) and I’ve stayed ever since.

Even through the ElectroSuperman/Superman Blue/Superman Red stuff.

But…I think I’m done as of next month.

It’s not that I don’t want to read JMS’ take on Superman, it’s that I have an inkling of where he might be going from various interviews, rumors and solicits and I’m not that interested in it. I know that JMS can do epic and mythic, and I know that he can do alternate takes on Superman, and I know that he’s a talented writer; and I’m looking forward to reading his Thor once it’s all collected, even if I’ve heard it ends badly.

However, if there’s one thing I’ve decided about JMS, it’s that he doesn’t play well in the sandbox with others. Put him on an out-of-continuity Superman or team-up book and I’m there. But put him on the main book and I can’t help but think he’ll (a) ditch the supporting cast (much like he did on Amazing Spider-Man run); (b) introduce elements to the character that I either find unnecessary or just plain don’t like (*cough*spidertotem*cough*); and (c) have him functioning away from the mainstream DCU somewhat.

My first assumption – regarding the supporting cast – is somewhat borne out by that fact that Paul Cornell’s Action Comics run starring Lex Luthor is going to include Lois Lane as, and I’m quoting him here, ‘his girlfriend’. Now obviously Lois isn’t going to be Lex’s actual girlfriend. Rather I suspect that she’s going to be traveling with him on his quest for power (as he now seems to be pardoned and back in charge of Lex Luthor) to document it and, probably, scupper it on the sly. But her being there at all means that she’s unlikely to be in JMS’ Superman run – where, if rumors are to be believed – Superman may be trying to reacquaint himself with America.

As a rule of thumb, a writer should only attempt that kind of mythic America thing with Superman if they’re partnered with Tim Sale – and that’s already been done perfectly.

I could be completely off-base; I hope I am; but I have too many bad memories of For Tomorrow floating around my head to make me want to risk JMS’ work on Superman on a monthly basis, so I’m done for now.

Similarly, as much as I like Paul Cornell’s work and Lex Luthor – not to mention my favorite DC character, Lois Lane – I’m going to pass on that too, I think, at least until reviews are in; then I may pick up the trade.

So that leaves Red Robin, Batgirl and Supergirl as monthly pulls from DC for me. And honestly, I’m tempted to let them slide to trade too.

…KRYPTONIAN karate!

via

(Yes, I’m too busy to blog today)

Sanctuary‘s Emilie Ullerup has apparently been cast as Cat Grant in the upcoming season of Smallville.

She’s pretty.

The role appears to be for one episode only at the moment, so hopefully this version of the future Daily Planet gossip columnist can avoid the pitfalls her comic equivalent fell into; ie, poor choice in men, a murdered son, and huge breast implants.

Ullerup’s not the first to play Cat Grant – Tracy Scoggins played her in the first season of Lois and Clark, before being dropped by the network when they decided to concentrate more on the superhero aspect of the show and less on the romantic aspect of it.

There’s a pretty interesting brief history of the show here, including what happened when Disney bought ABC and decided they didn’t like it.

Not that that’s relevant or anything…

Found this over on today’s scans daily but I had to just use a couple of panels to illustrate why Lois Lane remains my favorite character in comics.

Setting the scene…Lois is heading for the shower to wake herself up after pulling an all-nighter on a story – when she has an unwelcome interruption!

Does she call for Superman? Cower in the corner? Panic?

No, she’s all business – Lois’ army brat training kicks in!

Still, after all that excitement, better call the police, eh? Or at least shout for Superman to come by?

No…

…the lady’s got a shower to have!

And that’s why Lois is one of my favorite characters – an ordinary, if tough, woman in a world full of superheroes, but she doesn’t let that stop her from (a) kicking ass; (b) standing up for what she believes in; and (c) looking good doing it.

DC: Lois Lane book, please.

You can read the whole story here.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to do an in-depth posting on last night’s Smallville finale like I did with Fringe and Lost (here, here and here), mainly because I’m nowhere near qualified to.

I haven’t watched any of this season apart from the first episode, I only saw two of the previous season and I’m currently playing catch up on DVD on season six. I have to say though, I like the dynamic of Tom Welling and Erica Durance playing reporters in the Daily Planet.

But last night’s ep was a whole lot of fun. Granted, it suffered the usual Smallville faults of throwing too much into the mix, having fights be over too quickly, and generally suffering from a lack of decent editing, but it was still fun, with some unexpected (to me) events.

The Clark-Doomsday throwdown I knew about from all the ads I’d seen this year, so no surprise there – although it was far too brief.

Lois being zapped into the 30th Century should be fun next season while it lasts – presumably Saturn Girl will just wipe her memory and drop her off when all’s said and done. Also I guess Lois’ scenes confirm that my crush on Erica Durance is still alive and well. Sigh.

But killing Jimmy Olsen? I didn’t see that coming! And just after he learned Clark’s secret to boot (something that I thought should have happened years ago in the comics). Still, at least they left the way open for Jimmy II, cub reporter in the 19th season, with Jimmy’s younger brother getting his camera and wearing a bowtie.

And I guess from the end that Zod – the real Zod – is back in town, and without residing in a baldy surrogate body this time?

Cool. Maybe I’ll try and catch up on the past three years by the time Smallville returns for its’ ninth season – after all, they can’t leave Clark out of the tights forever, can they?

I’m sure I’ve seen that ‘Clark Kent is dead’ stuff somewhere before though…

You know, once in a while even Clark Kent suffers a crisis of conscience (sounds like a DC crossover, eh?):

Hmmm…how does that disguise work exactly? Slouch a little, change your voice, act clumsy? Nah, there has to be more to it than that.

Hypnotic glasses perhaps?

Perhaps not. Maybe Superman distracts from his true mild-mannerdness by being an ass?

But no, eventually even Clark Kent must realize…

…”it’s the dumbest disguise I’ve ever seen!”

In this week’s comics, a marriage disappeared as though it never was, and so did a baby. Sound familiar?

When it happens to Spider-Man, it’s a big deal – because he’s so recognisable and has his own line of books, of course.

But when it happens to supporting characters, it’s less of a big deal – although this particular relationship could be construed as a bigger deal in a way, as it’s one of the few interracial marriages in comics.

Don’t worry, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones are still married – but Lois Lane’s sister, Lucy, isn’t.

Better than that, however was the rise of a true hero to challenge Atlas on the book’s last page – and this harks back to what I liked about Robinson’s first issue on the book…

Wait till she starts throwing the Kryptonite that you just know she has stashed away somewhere…

Further to the commitment made here….
You just know who wears the trousers at home!