Is anyone still enjoying the Lois Lane maxiseries?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I was so excited for this series when it first got announced, but I have become more and more disillusioned with each new issue. Rucka has always been hit or miss with me, but I thought him writing a Lois Lane comic was going to be a slam dunk. Unfortunately, it has turned into an impenetrable mess for anyone who isn't extremely familar with Greg Rucka's DC stuff. I have no idea who most of these characters are or why I'm supposed to care about them or what the significance of any of the last two issues have been to the over-reaching story, which I can't even remember at this point.

Now, the months long pandemic delay probably didn't help, but the writing has been so self-indulgent that I don't really have much interest in going back to re-read the early issues, nor can I recommend this to literally anyone who is looking for a good Lois Lane story.

Please, DC, take another crack at doing another Lois Lane comic, but with a new creative team.

[Caivu]

I very much don't like the multiverse aspect that cropped up almost out of nowhere. That's so beyond the scope of what the series was pitched as. Someone on Twitter today described the series now as just a floaty, directionless thing that keeps bumping into stuff, and it's hard to argue.

Something that's particularly irritating to me is that in the space of two issues now, Renee has been shown being more intimate with other women (even if only visions or what have you) than she has with her actual girlfriend in the space of almost two years. I'm not even convinced that Rucka knows, after over a year of working on this, that Renee isn't currently single. It's so deflating to see and read that. At this point I'm just settling for Rucka not breaking them up.

This is all made worse due to the Religion of Crime being brought into the newest issue and no apparent intent to use Batwoman in conjunction with that. If the situation were different, that wouldn't be an issue, and I'd have zero expectations of seeing Kate in this at all. But when her quintessential writer has a book featuring her current love interest as a main character, and then brings in some of her classic foes... it's not asking too much to expect that, right? Guess we'll see what #12 has in store.

[DragonPiece]

I get your complaints, it has been hard to keep up with what's going on in this book because of the wait between issues. That said, i did enjoy the first half a lot so I can't complain too much. I think Rucka nails Lois when it comes down to her character and I am glad he was able to convince DC give her a series where she is a investigative reportor and there isn't some catch like she has super powers or it's a trick to do a lana lang comic .

I feel like it was Bendis who pushed so hard to give Lois such a big role recently with event levithan and this maxi series though, so I'm kinda doubtful DC will try another Lois book if he is leaving...

[Yoda]

I think it is still a good book, so I'm enjoying it for what it is. The first six issues were solid, with issue #6 being the highlight for me. It's just not the Lois Lane book I expected or wanted. I wanted something in the vein of Rucka's Adventures of Superman run, not Checkmate 2.0.

[Vordan]

I am but I will admit that I can’t recommend it to anyone who wants a Lois Lane stand-alone story anymore. This has become another part of Rucka’s big Renee epic that he’s told across multiple franchises. It’s enjoyable for me, but anyone who hasn’t read 52 or Checkmate or his Batwoman, or pretty much all of his DC work is going to be completely lost.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I am but I will admit that I can’t recommend it to anyone who wants a Lois Lane stand-alone story anymore. This has become another part of Rucka’s big Renee epic that he’s told across multiple franchises. It’s enjoyable for me, but anyone who hasn’t read 52 or Checkmate or his Batwoman, or pretty much all of his DC work is going to be completely lost.

I read 52, but I have only dim memories of the Rene/Batwoman/Religion of Crime stuff (which was among the weakest stuff in my view). I'm pretty well versed in DCU stuff, but I can't make heads or tails of most of what Rucka is doing here. What's more is that he seems to have absolutely no interest in explaining any of this to new readers or trying to show why the things he's reintroducing are something cool we should care about.

Are hardcore Rucka fans enjoying this?

[K. Jones]

One issue left and I can tell that it's not going to be what anyone hoped when announced or expected to see.

It's a weird scenario where I like "what has happened in this title" but it's definitely not just a book called LOIS LANE about a news reporter in the DCU, it's basically Prelude to Checkmate, the Sequel to The Question Immediately Pre-Flashpoint. I still think pairing Lois with Renee is a smart call because news reporter with cop/information getter/tough ass lady with legacy from vigilante news reporter really works conceptually. But maybe Rucka really couldn't figure out how to crack that nut and get cozy with the characters beyond that until he untangled the crap out of all the Flashpointing and Rebirthing bullcrap they've all been saddled with. Like he wants to set up Checkmate but does not want to set up New Checkmate without being able to play with his toys, which are all stuck in the cat-poop part of the sandbox. Or it feels like the wrong sandbox. Either way, I'm glad to see a chunk of continuity clean-up but it's a bummer that a 12 issue maxi-series has to be used to do that just to set up these characters to actually be in fun stories.

You know, just in time for a new summer event Crisis to kick off and jack up everything all over again.

[Robanker]

The first half was solid. The back half has become a plate spinning exercise to promote his other stuff.

It's actually souring me on Rene because I bought this hoping for Lois Lane to star and it become a Question team-up. It wouldn't be a big deal if this was ongoing or we got a lot of Lois books, but it isn't and we don't. Rucka has made it clear before he has his pet characters at DC and this is more proof of that. I liked Rene in Gotham Central/52, but ever since then she's been diminishing returns for me and this has kind of put me over the edge on her, at least under Rucka's pen.

Real shame. Lois Lane is among my favorite characters at DC, but it appears the people behind this book think she's not as interesting as the other Question. Here's to hoping the next mini she gets in 15 years has a writer really interested in writing Lois Lane.

[K. Jones]

Additional;

I'm pretty up on a lot of Rucka Question stuff but I have no idea where Elicia is from. I presume Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood, because it's the story I remember the least. I remember the bald lady because she turned back up in Batwoman ... Sister something, don't remember the name. Cult of the Rock. I remember that Renee won the day because she beat the hell out of that lady and everyone was like, "well, okay, she beat the hell out of her ... I guess Renee is the boss now." I also remember that the premises of the five books took different virtues and then showed Renee investigating cults based on their inverse negative opposites, so context leads me to believe Elicia was from the ... antipathy or hate issue? The uncaring bit?

That last page sure looks like a White Queen's Bishop, Knight, Rook and Pawn, though, yeah? Good nun, evil nun, witch, vigilante philosopher spy, and investigative journalist. Throw in our post-OMAC Sasha Bordeaux from Wonder Woman, our Steve Trevor also from Wonder Woman, and so on? Christ give me a minute and I'll even figure out who I'd want to be what Chess Piece.

[titansupes]

I dropped it after issue four or five, sadly.

[Coco Loco]

I read 52, but I have only dim memories of the Rene/Batwoman/Religion of Crime stuff (which was among the weakest stuff in my view). I'm pretty well versed in DCU stuff, but I can't make heads or tails of most of what Rucka is doing here. What's more is that he seems to have absolutely no interest in explaining any of this to new readers or trying to show why the things he's reintroducing are something cool we should care about.

Are hardcore Rucka fans enjoying this?

Yea I like it but I agree with the criticisms of it. The Kiss of Death person was from the Crime Bible series that came out after 52. It was a *seriously* deep cut that I had to go back and look up, and there's literally no explanation in the book of who she is. The plot threads of Lois losing her WH access and the Russian journalist being murdered seem to have been forgotten entirely. (Did Kiss Last kill the journalist maybe? Why?).

It is cool to see Rucka write Renee again. His take on Lois is very solid. So there's some good stuff here, for sure, but it's definitely all over the place.

[rpmaluki]

This LL fan is so disappointed. I enjoyed the first half of the maxi but now it's a slog to get through. I had no idea who Renee was before this and I don't particularly care to know now. I haven't gotten what I have paid for. I hate to wast money but since I like to finish what I started, it would be a crime to stop one book short from its conclusion.

[rpmaluki]

I dropped it after issue four or five, sadly.

If I knew this is how it would have turned out, I would have stopped at #6.

[superduperman]

I gave up on it a couple issues back because it required reading a bunch of other titles to follow what was going on. Now it just looks like it's Renee and her sidekick Lois. We get it, Rucka wants to write a Renee Question series. Which is a shame because I usually love Rucka and the artwork is incredible. This just seems like an excuse to sell a bunch of other series instead of a stand alone Lois book where she solves a mystery. When this is collected, it's going to make absolutely no sense to anyone who buys it if they didn't follow what was going on at the time. And it certainly won't age well.

[JAK]

I'm still enjoying the characterization, even if I don't know all of the players involved here.

And since character is most important to me, I'm good with it. I'm curious to see where this goes - and hoping that it might lead to Lois having a larger role in the DC universe beyond Superman.. that could be pretty cool.