Lois Lane #4 Preview/Spoiler Discussion

[Blue22]

Precisely, jon hasn't been with his mother for years. And reverse is true for lois. It has only been a few weeks since he saw his 10 year old. Who now is 17 year old. This interaction should be complicated, not this damn easy.
On top of that they haven't defined this jon as a character nor his relationship to lois.Jon has no plot relevance other than a cameo. This would have worked better with jon leaving a letter to lois and lois crying/distraught after finding it. Instead of this nonsense.it would have added to the internal struggle lois was going through already with cheater accusations.

While I agree that it shouldn't have been as easy as it was, I don't think I agree with Jon never confronting his mom at all and just leaving behind a letter. That's a REALLY douchey thing to do to your own mother. Especially after everything she's already been through with him. Them talking it out like this was the best way to do things. It just...probably shouldn't have been as carefree of a conversation as it ended up being.

Of course one could argue that, with this being time travel, Lois may very well not even notice when Jon leaves. He could go to the future, come back like two seconds later, and be like "Hey Mom. I was gone for like..a whole month". But then that assumes he makes it back at all. Anything can and did happen in space. Same could be said for the future.

You mean that the appearance of a character not connected to the story of a mini, but connected to the life of the main character is not inherently a waste of time. I think you are right.


However, our reception of that scene will be affected by our feelings towards that relationship.

If you like these interactions, it would be a enjoyable moment.

If you do not like these interactions, you will only feel that it is a waste of time from a limited space.

I liked the interaction. I'd even go as far as to say I loved it....but I also think it should have been more. Guess that's a testament to how well Rucka writes these two (awkward "Pa" stuff aside. Seriously. Did any of these people read the previous run?). Even when the interactions are lacking, they're still really good XD

[Superlad93]

However, our reception of that scene will be affected by our feelings towards that relationship.

Like I said, I understand the personal feelings at work here, and I'm not dismissing that. Again, that's not lost on me.

[Sam]

It’s a waste of time if Rucka has no investment in Jon or his relationship with Lois and it doesn’t add anything to the story he is trying to tell. It felt like a scene that Rucka included because Bendis asked him to, not because it really served what Rucka is trying to say about Lois. It lacked the sparkle of the Clark and Lois scenes we’ve seen in this series as well as the Lois and Montoya scenes. Those felt like they were saying something about Lois. This felt like generic Mom and Teenage Son.

Likewise I had mixed feelings about the Charlie/Montoya scenes. They were very well-written, and Greg’s love for them was clear. However, it felt like those scenes were more about explaining (or not explaining) Charlie was around and not moving Lois’s story forward. I want to read Rucka on Lois, not Rucka trying to explain DC continuity.

[manwhohaseverything]

While I agree that it shouldn't have been as easy as it was, I don't think I agree with Jon never confronting his mom at all and just leaving behind a letter. That's a REALLY douchey thing to do to your own mother. Especially after everything she's already been through with him. Them talking it out like this was the best way to do things. It just...probably shouldn't have been as carefree of a conversation as it ended up being.

No, it is not. A good interaction with jon and lois would have been a hundred times more hard for lois. Lois should still think of jon as a 10 year old kid deep inside. And Face it, for jon lois is someone he knew years ago.there will always be that distance. Jon writing a letter to lois will be like cap wrote to iron man at the end of civil war. It is a way of sparring lois the pain of interaction which would have been harder.Jon will say what he wants and lois will be spared much of the heart break.

This wasn't talking things out. This was more akin to a casual good bye or to telling your parents future plan kind of thing. Which is stupid considering the situation.

[Sacred Knight]

I don't blame Rucka for the scene being bland. He wasn't on the Superman books for the past 3 years, it was never his job to develop a relationship between Lois and her son. That was the job of others, which they spectacularly have failed up to this point. It reads flat because their relationship is flat and has been mostly ignored for the vast majority of the kid's existence. Her moments as a mom have been very sparing compared to Superman's development as a dad. With a better established dynamic, a better understanding of how the two tick together, you had a better chance of being able to get away with something quick just to tie up a loose end and move on to the main gist of the story the series is telling.

[Sam]

I don't blame Rucka for the scene being bland. He wasn't on the Superman books for the past 3 years, it was never his job to develop a relationship between Lois and her son. That was the job of others, which they spectacularly have failed up to this point. It reads flat because their relationship is flat and has been mostly ignored for the vast majority of the kid's existence. Her moments as a mom have been very sparing compared to Superman's development as a dad. With a better established dynamic, a better understanding of how the two tick together, you had a better chance of being able to get away with something quick just to tie up a loose end and move on to the main gist of the story the series is telling.

I wouldn't say that. I certainly agree that Lois and Jon's relationship was less developed than it should of been, but there is something there. I mean, Tom Taylor nailed their dynamic in two lines with today's DCeased. Even if Rucka had nothing to build off of, he writes a fantastic Lois and truly understands her character. I don't doubt that he has the ability to really highlight the qualities that a son of Lois Lane would have. What it comes down to is that I don't think his interest was there. I had no real bearing on the story or our understanding of Lois through Rucka's lens.

[Sacred Knight]

Fair enough, I haven't read DCeased, but I see no reason to doubt ya. Maybe he doesn't have an interest.

[superduperman]

Okay, after having read it, this was definitely a "You have to acknowledge what's going on in all the other books" issue. My guess is his arm was twisted and he was forced to put that stuff in there. The bigger picture stuff here is what interests me. The discussion between the two Questions was clearly meant to be part of some larger narrative running through other books. We've seen some of this with the Bat-books too with Bruce and Selina fighting over the first time they met. The people thinking there is some sort of Crisis type event coming next year may be onto something. With this being part of it. Montoya especially with her "I remember things that never happened" talk. We have characters remembering conflicting accounts of certain events. This was clearly a filler issue.

[Vordan]

Good issue. I didn’t quite grasp what that sigil under the crazed woman was supposed to represent, Checkmate? ARGUS? Leviathan? Jon and Lois needed more development of their relationship beforehand for this to have connected emotionally but it was fine for what it was. I am curious what “secrets” Lois knows about how Sage has returned and what is going on.

[manwhohaseverything]

I don't blame Rucka for the scene being bland. He wasn't on the Superman books for the past 3 years, it was never his job to develop a relationship between Lois and her son. That was the job of others, which they spectacularly have failed up to this point. It reads flat because their relationship is flat and has been mostly ignored for the vast majority of the kid's existence. Her moments as a mom have been very sparing compared to Superman's development as a dad. With a better established dynamic, a better understanding of how the two tick together, you had a better chance of being able to get away with something quick just to tie up a loose end and move on to the main gist of the story the series is telling.

If that were the case. I would have started complaining sooner. Not now. As someone said taylor nails jon and lois without much panel time. For me tomasi and jurgens had built lois as enough of a momma bear. This doesn't connect cause jon is'nt the same. I hate how lois is being characterised as a mother. This is not being tackled great or in a needed way. They just wanted a superwonder explanation.I hate that sort of thing. It was and is cheap.

[Coco Loco]

Did anyone else think that Lois was implying that Vic came from the pre-flashpoint universe? I had thought that was wiped away with Lois and Clark merging with this continuity but it seemed like the memories might remain.

Maybe. I'm now wondering if the "biggest secret in the DC Universe" teased earlier in the series relates to the various reality revisions. Could Doomsday Clock end with only Lois and Lex knowing the truth about the alterations to reality?

[seismic-2]

it was never his job to develop a relationship between Lois and her son. That was the job of others, which they spectacularly have failed up to this point. It reads flat because their relationship is flat and has been mostly ignored for the vast majority of the kid's existence.

In the Lois and Clark mini-series and then in the Supersons series when the Kents lived in Hamilton, the relationship between young Jon and his Mom was certainly a close one. Apparently Bendis thought the best way to handle Jon was to blast him into space, age him to a teenager, and now ship him off to the future. All that requires Lois to be, if not exactly estranged from Jon, then at least far less of a deeply concerned maternal character than she had been before Bendis arrived. So Rucka is just writing Lois in the Bendis mold, with respect to her role as a Mom.

[Superlad93]

Seems relevant to leave this here

https://twitter.com/BRIANMBENDIS/sta...93589556305920

Question: "Why do I think something big is about to happen with Lois lane. Rucka had her mention something that only two others in the universe know. So what I think something happened in space with John and jor-el. What is the bribe for us getting the hint."

Bendis: "You are feeling the next level that comes now that Greg, Matt and I get together every week and work on what Matt refers to as metropolis city Council. We’re building eeeeeeverything in the superman universe up in biiiiiig ways #Superman18thetruth"

[Tzigone]

Seems relevant to leave this here

https://twitter.com/BRIANMBENDIS/sta...93589556305920

Question: "Why do I think something big is about to happen with Lois lane. Rucka had her mention something that only two others in the universe know. So what I think something happened in space with John and jor-el. What is the bribe for us getting the hint."

Bendis: "You are feeling the next level that comes now that Greg, Matt and I get together every week and work on what Matt refers to as metropolis city Council. We’re building eeeeeeverything in the superman universe up in biiiiiig ways #Superman18thetruth"

Suppose that would be nice if I had any faith in Bendis' writing of Lois Lane.

[Superlad93]

Suppose that would be nice if I had any faith in Bendis' writing of Lois Lane.

*shrugs* I think he's written a great Lois since after Action 1004. Her team up with Clark as Andi and Chaz (now one of my favorite Lois and Clark ideas ever), her talk with her dad, and pretty much the lion's share of her stuff in Event Leviathan leaves me pretty satisfied. Even if Rucka's Lois is more comprehensive a take, for my money at least, Bendis has been writing a strong Lois as of late. My opinion of course.

I wonder if this has to do with Lex's mystery box? Is he the other person she's talking about? Or is this talking about Clark's identity (but then don't more than just two people know that?)? How does this link to her time in space?