Action Comics #1004 (spoilers)

[Supermutant2099]

Eh. Sue me for actually like a character, and not a uni-dimensional "independant woman, but not really because she has to come and be saved by Superman all the time, and must ask him permission to do anything".

Because that's what you guys seems to want Lois to be. And what she has been for me since forever.

Lois hasn't been one dimensional for a long time.

[Korath]

And that's someone she's rarely ever been in modern continuity

Come on man, I just went to bat for you, the least you can do is show I was justified, this isn't the thread to throw Lois under the bus

I'm not. Currently, she is an independent woman, very much in love with the man of her life. Who stumbled upon something massive, something she needs to work on, something which will change her life, and everyone's (apparently) once it'll become public, but her husband's even more than anyone else. I don't know what was that, I don't know what she thinks she need to do, but she came to the conclusion that she needed time alone to be able to at least start shape into something to present to Clark.

She has an agency, a very independent one, one where she struggles because she loves her husband. If she didn't care about Clark, if she was thinking about breaking up with him, why would she care about how it will affect him ? Why wouldn't she just reveal to the world "Hey, there is this and that out there, I saw it!" and offer substantiated proofs to back it up ?

Now, I'm not a blind follower of Bendis : I hate the idea of Lois revealing that she has "used" Clark to hide that she was married to Superman, I feel it would be terrible. For both character, but especially Lois. I honestly don't know how Bendis want to shake things up, I hope it won't be something like that. But so far, it isn't the purge that some peoples are apparently believing it is.

[misslane]

There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this issue, especially by the brilliant Nelliebly. I'm with her and those critical of how this was handled because it fails on every level of good writing. It's more tell than show. It is out of character and contrived with no legitimate basis in how these people have been written in the past, particularly in REBIRTH. It is vague and nonsensical with some of the worst dialogue coming out of the characters' mouths.

[GreatKungLao]

I just want to remind about Action Comics #965, where Lois and Clark talked about her coming back to her old life and how she can do it while remaining a mother and a wife at the same time. More importantly she talks about that she wants to be an example for her son. How being an example for her son is working while he is with Jor-El? Talk about inconsistency. #ReleaseDanJurgensCut

[Sacred Knight]

I don't need that either. I don't need the super-couple that can juggle everything with absolutely no troubles and no consequences. Rebirth was a whole lot of sappy platitudes and no payoffs because there were never any stakes relationship-wise (and no, stakes don't automatically equal soap-opera). As far as I'm concerned that's another extreme. In a general sense, Bendis has the superior idea. Just that as of issue #1004, he hasn't gotten to a good start on the set-up of that changed dynamic.

[Rakzo]

But you guys don't get it, Lois is a kid! Of course her behavior is not going to be consistent!

[Lvenger]

I’m almost glad Bendis didn’t pull his usual sthick of a grand status quo altering change to the marriage like he used to at Marvel. However, the end result is an issue overhyped to be a game changer that ends up being much ado about nothing. Bendis tries to both go for both and play it safe at the time which makes for a disjointed, disastrous story.

His dialogue continues to make cringe inducing moments with Lois’ overuse of the word ‘baby’ to Clark being particularly excruciating. She has other pet names for him like Smallville Bendis, perhaps read up on the character you claim to like so much. Also, a whole bunch of plot holes ruined any suspense such as the lack of any consequence for Superman kissing Lois Lane in public. There is a dude taking a picture of Lois in Superman's arms and you know if Superman flew down and kissed some woman in the street, social media would be on fire and someone would recognise Lois locking lips with Superman. Ignoring that obvious possibility only weakens the writing. Also Jon being ‘safe’ in space with a former mass murderer, kidnapper and terrorist who happens to be Superman's biological father is a heavy contradiction to say the least.

But chief among all the many flaws was Bendis trying to make an omelette without breaking eggs by trying to keep Clark and Lois happily married whilst shaking up the status quo. By essentially separating them in all but name, Bendis has knocked the family dynamic that was the definitive highlight of the Rebirth Superman era. Even if that wasn't his intention, Bendis has shoved Lois and Jon to the sidelines with only repeated promises of him planning to use them in some capacity again. I keep seeing people say this was some grand affirmation of their love but all their interactions amounted to was Lois saying she needed some space spaced between two sessions of sexy time with Clark. It flies in the face of the Super Family's characterisations and thus I thought Action #1004 was essentially saying a lot whilst actually showing very little. There are ways of creating stakes whilst maintaining the family dynamic that Tomasi, Gleason and Jurgens developed as well.

But so my post isn't entirely negative, Sook's art was gorgeous. I appreciated the panels of Superman in flight more than the Lois kiss but the colours and facial expressions were very strong.

[Vordan]

Great art this issue. Overall I liked this issue, but the pacing needs to pick up. Bendis is juggling Red Cloud and the Invisible Mafia as well as Clark’s family relationships and he needs to start delivering the payoff. I actually enjoyed the happy Rebirth couple but I certainly don’t want them to be some sappy “we’ll beat anything with the power of looooove” couple forever. That’s not interesting to me.

However I will say that Lois’ reasons for wanting a change are pretty weak, since they boil down to essentially “just trust me ok?”. Well done for now but I’d like some more exploration beyond just that. What’s going to change? How? Why? I hope to see more exploration soon. And swap out some of those “baby”s with “Smallville” please.

But you guys don't get it, Lois is a kid! Of course her behavior is not going to be consistent!

Oh wow you’re still butthurt about that? Lmao.

[Jackalope89]

I’m almost glad Bendis didn’t pull his usual sthick of a grand status quo altering change to the marriage like he used to at Marvel. However, the end result is an issue overhyped to be a game changer that ends up being much ado about nothing. Bendis tries to both go for both and play it safe at the time which makes for a disjointed, disastrous story.

His dialogue continues to make cringe inducing moments with Lois’ overuse of the word ‘baby’ to Clark being particularly excruciating. She has other pet names for him like Smallville Bendis, perhaps read up on the character you claim to like so much. Also, a whole bunch of plot holes ruined any suspense such as the lack of any consequence for Superman kissing Lois Lane in public. There is a dude taking a picture of Lois in Superman's arms and you know if Superman flew down and kissed some woman in the street, social media would be on fire and someone would recognise Lois locking lips with Superman. Ignoring that obvious possibility only weakens the writing. Also Jon being ‘safe’ in space with a former mass murderer, kidnapper and terrorist who happens to be Superman's biological father is a heavy contradiction to say the least.

But chief among all the many flaws was Bendis trying to make an omelette without breaking eggs by trying to keep Clark and Lois happily married whilst shaking up the status quo. By essentially separating them in all but name, Bendis has knocked the family dynamic that was the definitive highlight of the Rebirth Superman era. Even if that wasn't his intention, Bendis has shoved Lois and Jon to the sidelines with only repeated promises of him planning to use them in some capacity again. I keep seeing people say this was some grand affirmation of their love but all their interactions amounted to was Lois saying she needed some space spaced between two sessions of sexy time with Clark. It flies in the face of the Super Family's characterisations and thus I thought Action #1004 was essentially saying a lot whilst actually showing very little. There are ways of creating stakes whilst maintaining the family dynamic that Tomasi, Gleason and Jurgens developed as well.

But so my post isn't entirely negative, Sook's art was gorgeous. I appreciated the panels of Superman in flight more than the Lois kiss but the colours and facial expressions were very strong.

Good art is maybe 30% of why I read comics. The rest is about characters going on adventures.

I don't know who these characters are that Bendis is parading as Lois and Clark though.

[Rakzo]

Oh wow you’re still butthurt about that? Lmao.

Nah, I just like to make a joke that is perfectly appropriate.

[Sacred Knight]

Appropriate how? It shouldn't need to be said but having complaints about other characters in a certain issue does not invalidate the defense of the characterization of an entirely different character in entirely separate issues.

[Last Son of Krypton]

I haven't read the issue yet. but I'm sure the convo here is more entertaining than it.

[Miles To Go]

I haven't read the issue yet. but I'm sure the convo here is more entertaining than it.

Nope, it was pretty good.

An article on the issue

https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/...on-comics-1002

[Bendis and Sook’s take on two partners — who just happen to be a superhero and his superhero-adjacent wife — renegotiating their family is exactly the kind of close character work that a reader will remember about a superhero story, even years later. Clark eagerly asks Lois when he’ll get to read her new book, and Lois needles him for never learning to ride a bicycle (for obvious reasons). It’s a serious scene that manages to be romantic, funny, heroic and sexy all at the same time — and it’s a good reminder of why Lois Lane and Clark Kent aren’t just the oldest romance in superhero comics.

They’re one of the best.

[Rakzo]

Nope, it was pretty good.

An article on the issue

https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/...on-comics-1002

As a whole it does connect with what I said about how their romantic relationship was handled.

It doesn't justify all the sh*tty characterization that Bendis has been doing for the rest of the Kent family not named "Clark" but it was still well-handled when you ignore all of that.

[misslane]

What's odd is how this issue read to me as a reversal of the problem Bendis created in the first issue. Then, it was Jon who was feeling insecure. Now, after traveling, it's Lois who has been made insecure; yet it's not being treated that way. She never felt like she wasn't needed, that they were forcing or faking normal, or that she wasn't doing enough with her career before Bendis came along. But one trip in space and she comes to doubt everything about herself. Her insecurity and her impulsive response are treated as a positive epiphany and a constructive solution, whereas with Jon his insecurity was treated as the problem. I read this issue, and aside from how out of character it is, it makes Lois come across as disturbed (not crazy, but not in a good head space either). She's basically saying she needs to imprison herself in a lonely room, limiting her interactions with loved ones and leaving her job. Clark, for his part, doesn't push back nearly enough, and he doesn't seem nearly as distraught about missing his son, or his son's well-being, as I think he should be. Nothing this heartless could be remotely romantic or sexy. It's just too bizarre and sad.