Official : Bendis gets both books

[Vordan]

Yeah. The Special closes out Leviathan Rising at the end of May and has the Rucka and Fraction Lois and Jimmy lead ins. The Year of the Villian book is the $0.25 one shot for Free Comic Book Day.

It was solicited last month.

https://www.cbr.com/superman-jimmy-o...reg-rucka/amp/

Oh whoops that’s right thanks for reminding me.

[rpmaluki]

Lois can most certainly take care of herself. However, I don't believe she knows how to handle every situation she faces with that tough as nails attitude. She will chase down stories and place herself in the line of fire for the the story/truth which never involves her getting personally attached. She can don a bat suit to protect Jon from an alien A.I. easy. What she saw on that ship with Jor-El is almost like something she's not used to facing first hand, so her faltering under that immense emotional pressure...I can buy it. It reminds me of that one shot about Clark's glasses that came out about a month ago, how she can look at story for just that, a story but Clark sees the people and empathises on a level that she doesn't/won't/hasn't learnt to at that stage. Bendis may have been a bit blunt about it because he wanted Jon out in space without his parents and sadly fumbled the ball just to get the story where he wanted. I'm not saying Lois is incapable of feeling or that she is somehow cowardice in anyway, just that over the course of consuming Superman stories in every medium, Lois has not always been shown to be super in touch with her emotions and how they guide her actions. She most certainly feels but spends most time compartmentalising them to do what she must for the greater good. Meeting Clark, certainly thaws some of that tough exterior she tries to exude.

Looking back to that scene on that ship, there was nothing she could do to help those people, at least not in that moment, with her go-to skill set which is to write. It's different for Clark and now with Jon too. It reminds me of the General's line in Smallville during the Thanksgiving episode, Superman is a "man of action" and she "reports" it. Superficially, it seems like she doesn't do much because she's not always jumping into action at the drop of a hat but she does help in her own way. If she could have helped those aliens by staying, I'm sure she would have. I'm not excusing Bendis' faux pas/dropped ball/missed opportunities/ooc behaviors along the way but I'm also not trying to throw the baby out with the bath water at this stage. It hasn't all been a dumpster fire, all things considered.

[TomariS]

Lois can most certainly take care of herself. However, I don't believe she knows how to handle every situation she faces with that tough as nails attitude. She will chase down stories and place herself in the line of fire for the the story/truth which never involves her getting personally attached. She can don a bat suit to protect Jon from an alien A.I. easy. What she saw on that ship with Jor-El is almost like something she's not used to facing first hand, so her faltering under that immense emotional pressure...I can buy it. It reminds me of that one shot about Clark's glasses that came out about a month ago, how she can look at story for just that, a story but Clark sees the people and empathises on a level that she doesn't/won't/hasn't learnt to at that stage. Bendis may have been a bit blunt about it because he wanted Jon out in space without his parents and sadly fumbled the ball just to get the story where he wanted. I'm not saying Lois is incapable of feeling or that she is somehow cowardice in anyway, just that over the course of consuming Superman stories in every medium, Lois has not always been shown to be super in touch with her emotions and how they guide her actions. She most certainly feels but spends most time compartmentalising them to do what she must for the greater good. Meeting Clark, certainly thaws some of that tough exterior she tries to exude.

Looking back to that scene on that ship, there was nothing she could do to help those people, at least not in that moment, with her go-to skill set which is to write. It's different for Clark and now with Jon too. It reminds me of the General's line in Smallville during the Thanksgiving episode, Superman is a "man of action" and she "reports" it. Superficially, it seems like she doesn't do much because she's not always jumping into action at the drop of a hat but she does help in her own way. If she could have helped those aliens by staying, I'm sure she would have. I'm not excusing Bendis' faux pas/dropped ball/missed opportunities/ooc behaviors along the way but I'm also not trying to throw the baby out with the bath water at this stage. It hasn't all been a dumpster fire, all things considered.

Oh, trust me. All the points you've made are clear and understandable. What I've noticed is that it's been hard for the fans to believe that Lois would leave her son, and hide from everyone after she was back (and it's still hard for them to believe that, because they try to reconcile what they read in the past, and Rebirth versions with the current one). We know that even though Lois can help in certain situations, she has her limits. Stuff like that (IMO) are causing a "lack of trust."

[rpmaluki]

Oh, trust me. All the points you've made are clear and understandable. What I've noticed is that it's been hard for the fans to believe that Lois would leave her son, and hide from everyone after she was back (and it's still hard for them to believe that, because they try to reconcile what they read in the past, and Rebirth versions with the current one). We know that even though Lois can help in certain situations, she has her limits. Stuff like that (IMO) are causing a "lack of trust."

I hear you and it does suck that DC has basically pushed the fandom to this point.

Because so much is still a mystery, like how Jor managed to break away from Manhattan is what's making this story off putting to some, I'm a bit more optimistic about it. One, I don't want Jor to be a villain and Bendis is approaching the character from that angle at least imo. Two, we don't really know how much time has passed between Jurgens' Dr Oz arc and Bendis' MoS, so I'm assuming the relationship between Kal and his father was in a much better place than we actually saw. What hasn't helped matters is how "quickly" it appears for Lois to just "leave" Jon with his grandfather. Bendis seems allergic to any form of a coherent time line and compressing everything inside two/three weeks is just sloppy writing at best. Too much happens in such a small space of time to make it seem believable and is thus fueling the resentment. However, I still doubt it could have been better received had he stretched out the time by another month or so before Lois came back. Keeping Lois secretly hiding away, practically unnecessarily was likely the death knell. She really should have come straight home or at least be frank with Clark about needing the space to write (a plot thread that will obviously be dealt with later) He's a reporter, he could have understood her need for space. I'm all for L&C not being joined at the hip in every book or arc, it happens ALL OF THE TIME, especially from Clark's end. It's much better for them to be on the same page as opposed to two ships in the night, even if their busy lives may keep them separate for a period.

[TomariS]

I hear you and it does suck that DC has basically pushed the fandom to this point.

Because so much is still a mystery, like how Jor managed to break away from Manhattan is what's making this story off putting to some, I'm a bit more optimistic about it. One, I don't want Jor to be a villain and Bendis is approaching the character from that angle at least imo. Two, we don't really know how much time has passed between Jurgens' Dr Oz arc and Bendis' MoS, so I'm assuming the relationship between Kal and his father was in a much better place than we actually saw. What hasn't helped matters is how "quickly" it appears for Lois to just "leave" Jon with his grandfather. Bendis seems allergic to any form of a coherent time line and compressing everything inside two/three weeks is just sloppy writing at best. Too much happens in such a small space of time to make it seem believable and is thus fueling the resentment. However, I still doubt it could have been better received had he stretched out the time by another month or so before Lois came back. Keeping Lois secretly hiding away, practically unnecessarily was likely the death knell. She really should have come straight home or at least be frank with Clark about needing the space to write (a plot thread that will obviously be dealt with later) He's a reporter, he could have understood her need for space. I'm all for L&C not being joined at the hip in every book or arc, it happens ALL OF THE TIME, especially from Clark's end. It's much better for them to be on the same page as opposed to two ships in the night, even if their busy lives may keep them separate for a period.

Same here, I don't want Jor-el to be the bad guy. And yeah...it looks like there's no coherence within the story as to where they are in terms of the past version (Rebirth). I guess it's a mix of everything, impatience, lack of trust due to these OOC moments with the characters and maybe a sense of not knowing where the story is going with the Super Family.

[Yoda]

I hear you and it does suck that DC has basically pushed the fandom to this point.

Because so much is still a mystery, like how Jor managed to break away from Manhattan is what's making this story off putting to some, I'm a bit more optimistic about it. One, I don't want Jor to be a villain and Bendis is approaching the character from that angle at least imo. Two, we don't really know how much time has passed between Jurgens' Dr Oz arc and Bendis' MoS, so I'm assuming the relationship between Kal and his father was in a much better place than we actually saw. What hasn't helped matters is how "quickly" it appears for Lois to just "leave" Jon with his grandfather. Bendis seems allergic to any form of a coherent time line and compressing everything inside two/three weeks is just sloppy writing at best. Too much happens in such a small space of time to make it seem believable and is thus fueling the resentment. However, I still doubt it could have been better received had he stretched out the time by another month or so before Lois came back. Keeping Lois secretly hiding away, practically unnecessarily was likely the death knell. She really should have come straight home or at least be frank with Clark about needing the space to write (a plot thread that will obviously be dealt with later) He's a reporter, he could have understood her need for space. I'm all for L&C not being joined at the hip in every book or arc, it happens ALL OF THE TIME, especially from Clark's end. It's much better for them to be on the same page as opposed to two ships in the night, even if their busy lives may keep them separate for a period.

This is really my major criticism of the whole storyline. The compressed timeline and the speed at which he's making things happen has severely undercut his story. And in a way that seems wholly unnecessary.

Lois' arc actually, from my point of view, would be supportable if the timeline was stretched and there were more incidents like the one we saw in Superman #7. I laid this out in detail a while back in the Bendis thread, but what we see there is really unlike anything Lois has experienced. Seeing the galaxy as such a dark and unjust place and then seeing that her family is seen as essentially messiah figures could be a shock to her system. I think Busiek said that Lois uses her intellect to hide her heart, so seeing that type of suffering and seeing that her family is seen in that way to people really should be enough to make her reconsider things. She's seen things on Earth that are similar, but here she has no means to counteract it, she doesn't have a voice in this the way she does as a reporter on Earth. And really Superman isn't portrayed that way on Earth. Someone wearing a Superman costume isn't going to be asked for help like that. One off, it losses most of its impact. But had that been seen repeatedly, it could drive that point home.

I still believe even with the poor set up, her book is a response to that scene and a call for Clark to be more proactive. His reluctance to have that conversation with anyone, as shown by the Martian Manhunter scenes and the baby clothes conversation with Jor EL, really set that up. So it makes sense that she would need some space from Clark to go at that issue for herself and put it in a way that Clark would be receptive to - her writing which he obviously has an incredible amount of respect for. I can understand her needing space for that at first and then letting Clark back in the way she has while still needing the distance. I think you get a hint of this when she says he needs to go save everyone he can get his hands on.

Additionally, stretching out the time with Jon and Jor El and seeing both that Jor El had their safety in mind and was trustworthy along with how well Jon was able to handle himself could justify her returning alone as well. The only problem with it is the timeframe.

And it's not like this would require an extended arc. It could be accomplished just with a few variations on the scene played out and without the characters locking in the ridiculous three week time frame. Jon's return aged up would be just as shocking after 3 months as 3 weeks.

I'm not a real fan of the Fury storyline actually, I think it was done as a kind of response to the criticism that Lois had been reduced to basically a mom and a housewife in the Tomasi & Gleason Superman book, which I do also agree with to an extent. You don't need to write her into these type of situations or give her powers to make her relevant or prove her worth. The people who criticize her for being a "damsel" aren't going to be convinced by these scenes anyways because they are relying on 50 year old stories and tropes to begin with.

[DragonPiece]

Greg Rucka on his Lois Lane comic: "I think it's got more spiritually in common with Gotham Central than anything I've done in the DC Universe since Gotham Central."

"Nowhere in this book is she going to kick anyone, punch anyone, shoot anyone, she will not develop a Canary cry at any point. This is the story of Lois Lane being a reporter."


https://twitter.com/TheInspecter/sta...47806092140544

This sound so exciting, glad there won't have to be a gimmick like her being superwoman or something and we can just get Lois reporter stories. Surprised DC would actually sell a title like that though, it must be one heck of a story Lois is doing.

[Yoda]

Greg Rucka on his Lois Lane comic: "I think it's got more spiritually in common with Gotham Central than anything I've done in the DC Universe since Gotham Central."

"Nowhere in this book is she going to kick anyone, punch anyone, shoot anyone, she will not develop a Canary cry at any point. This is the story of Lois Lane being a reporter."


https://twitter.com/TheInspecter/sta...47806092140544

This sound so exciting, glad there won't have to be a gimmick like her being superwoman or something and we can just get Lois reporter stories. Surprised DC would actually sell a title like that though, it must be one heck of a story Lois is doing.

Exactly what I wanted to hear. So excited for this. DC needs books like this, Image has tons. There's room for these! I hope we get an official announcement on this soon.

And you all should go read Gotham Central if you haven't. One of the best books DC put out.

[Sam]

Greg Rucka on his Lois Lane comic: "I think it's got more spiritually in common with Gotham Central than anything I've done in the DC Universe since Gotham Central."

"Nowhere in this book is she going to kick anyone, punch anyone, shoot anyone, she will not develop a Canary cry at any point. This is the story of Lois Lane being a reporter."


https://twitter.com/TheInspecter/sta...47806092140544

This sound so exciting, glad there won't have to be a gimmick like her being superwoman or something and we can just get Lois reporter stories. Surprised DC would actually sell a title like that though, it must be one heck of a story Lois is doing.

Yeah, I'm absolutely down for that. I was hoping it would be Gotham City-like.

[Yoda]

Here's a link to the podcast. He goes over the pitch. The first story arc is called "Enemy of the People" and will go into her being attacked personally for her reporting through the photograph of her kissing Superman and how she's taking the brunt of it. She's seen as essentially the temptress who corrupted Superman by the public and how an affair can't be Superman's fault because "he's Superman" and how the public will personally attack a woman who doesn't know her place or speaks out on things.

http://geekinthecity.com/2019/03/21/...-lazarus-rise/

If this was anyone but Rucka, I'd be pretty worried. But I'm pretty confident he can handle this in a good way. He does say how it's challenges she's going to face so I hope she'll meet and exceed them!

[Superlad93]

Greg Rucka on his Lois Lane comic: "I think it's got more spiritually in common with Gotham Central than anything I've done in the DC Universe since Gotham Central."

"Nowhere in this book is she going to kick anyone, punch anyone, shoot anyone, she will not develop a Canary cry at any point. This is the story of Lois Lane being a reporter."


https://twitter.com/TheInspecter/sta...47806092140544

This sound so exciting, glad there won't have to be a gimmick like her being superwoman or something and we can just get Lois reporter stories. Surprised DC would actually sell a title like that though, it must be one heck of a story Lois is doing.

Here's a link to the podcast. He goes over the pitch. The first story arc is called "Enemy of the People" and will go into her being attacked personally for her reporting through the photograph of her kissing Superman and how she's taking the brunt of it. She's seen as essentially the temptress who corrupted Superman by the public and how an affair can't be Superman's fault because "he's Superman" and how the public will personally attack a woman who doesn't know her place or speaks out on things.

http://geekinthecity.com/2019/03/21/...-lazarus-rise/

If this was anyone but Rucka, I'd be pretty worried. But I'm pretty confident he can handle this in a good way. He does say how it's challenges she's going to face so I hope she'll meet and exceed them!

I actually don't think I can be happier with this book at this stage.

Yoda, I gotta imagine this is best case for you, huh? Like you theorized before, Lois is dealing with the lopsided "blame the woman" culture, but Bendis was totally just the set-up guy. He's been leaving stuff around his run for Ruka to pick up and in his Lois book.

Now I totally stand by the theory that Ruka basically requested/collaborated with Bendis on all this Lois stuff, and that he's is 100% handling Lois' novel. I imagine Ruka likely even goes into what she felt in space.

[Yoda]

I actually don't think I can be happier with this book at this stage.

Yoda, I gotta imagine this is best case for you, huh? Like you theorized before, Lois is dealing with the lopsided "blame the woman" culture, but Bendis was totally just the set-up guy. He's been leaving stuff around his run for Ruka to pick up and in his Lois book.

Now I totally stand by the theory that Ruka basically requested/collaborated with Bendis on all this Lois stuff, and that he's is 100% handling Lois' novel. I imagine Ruka likely even goes into what she felt in space.

Yeah, if this was what they wanted to do with it this is probably the best case scenario on how it could be handled. He says Bendis set her up with a lot of obstacles to overcome right out of the gate and how this will be one of the bigger ones. So it does sound exactly like her book is making waves and then this photo of her and Superman kissing is floated around to undercut and attack her for it. Leaving this for Rucka to handle is definitely one of my best case ways for this to be addressed. Taking this on directly instead of it being a status quo or background noise for Clark to deal with is definitely something I'm more comfortable with.

He also makes a little off handed comment about her time traveling which made my ears perk up, though I think it was just a joke because one of the hosts said she'd corrupted the Man of Tomorrow.

He doesn't mention collaboration beyond how Bendis set him up great for the book with Lois having several challenges to face, not the least of which is the affair rumors, but I think you're definitely right that this was something they broke together and likely bounced back and forth.

[Frontier]

Greg Rucka on his Lois Lane comic: "I think it's got more spiritually in common with Gotham Central than anything I've done in the DC Universe since Gotham Central."

"Nowhere in this book is she going to kick anyone, punch anyone, shoot anyone, she will not develop a Canary cry at any point. This is the story of Lois Lane being a reporter."


https://twitter.com/TheInspecter/sta...47806092140544

This sound so exciting, glad there won't have to be a gimmick like her being superwoman or something and we can just get Lois reporter stories. Surprised DC would actually sell a title like that though, it must be one heck of a story Lois is doing.

This makes me wonder if there is any action at all in the book. I don't expect Lois to have superpowers or martial arts training but I expect her to get into dangerous situations and know how to acclimate herself.

I guess she can still get in those situations without needing to throw a punch at someone.

Here's a link to the podcast. He goes over the pitch. The first story arc is called "Enemy of the People" and will go into her being attacked personally for her reporting through the photograph of her kissing Superman and how she's taking the brunt of it. She's seen as essentially the temptress who corrupted Superman by the public and how an affair can't be Superman's fault because "he's Superman" and how the public will personally attack a woman who doesn't know her place or speaks out on things.

http://geekinthecity.com/2019/03/21/...-lazarus-rise/

If this was anyone but Rucka, I'd be pretty worried. But I'm pretty confident he can handle this in a good way. He does say how it's challenges she's going to face so I hope she'll meet and exceed them!

This sounds like a really important story to be telling right now.

[Ra-El]

Here's a link to the podcast. He goes over the pitch. The first story arc is called "Enemy of the People" and will go into her being attacked personally for her reporting through the photograph of her kissing Superman and how she's taking the brunt of it. She's seen as essentially the temptress who corrupted Superman by the public and how an affair can't be Superman's fault because "he's Superman" and how the public will personally attack a woman who doesn't know her place or speaks out on things.

http://geekinthecity.com/2019/03/21/...-lazarus-rise/

If this was anyone but Rucka, I'd be pretty worried. But I'm pretty confident he can handle this in a good way. He does say how it's challenges she's going to face so I hope she'll meet and exceed them!

I am rewatching Lois & Clark, in the episode 4x13 that's basically the setup of the episode.

[Ascended]

Man, these are all the right words to use to make me super excited for Lois' title! I mean, they basically had me at "Rucka" but its good to hear that he seems to be bringing his game with him. I am all in.