Lois Lane & Brainiac's Mind Control - Consequences and Discussion

[misslane]

Following Xarek's suggestion and Gaelforce's recommendation to free the Action Comics #32 discussion thread from so much back and forth on a specific issue, I thought I'd make this thread to discuss that specific issue as it's been handled in such books as Superman, Superman/Wonder Woman and Action Comics. I've used Xarek's suggested thread title too.

So here let's discuss Lois Lane's arc this past year. We can discuss others' responses to her situation, the consequences to her and to other characters, as well as speculate about how much of Lois Lane's behavior is Brainiac and how much of her behavior is just her. It might also be interesting to share not only our hopes, but also our expectations (positive and negative) for how this arc will proceed and ultimately be resolved. To facilitate the discussion and kick it off, here's a gallery and a quote filled rundown of the topic.

Superman Annual #2

LOIS: My dad would be more disgusted with me than he already is to learn that I trust Superman more than I do any other person on the planet.

SENATOR HUME: From this began Brainiac's dual mission of collecting cities from the list of doomed worlds to his search among them for a race that could also serve as the vessel for his people's consciousness. [...] But world after world -- city after city -- all his machinations and manipulations came to naught. That was until five years ago. In taking Metropolis, Brainiac infected some of us. At a touch of his alien technology, he elevated the brains of twenty random humans to the 12th level and doing so we gained psionic abilities. [...] Now it is up to you. You have to get the truth out there. You need to let them know he's coming back for us.

Superman #23 | Lois wakes up from her coma with a jolt and glowing purple eyes to say "Superman" before she slips back into her coma.

Action Comics #24 | Lois Lane's boyfriend, Jonathon, reports Lois' bizarre and brief moment of consciousness to doctors who dismiss his account as the hallucination of a tired and concerned man. At the end of the issue, Lois Lane arrives as an astral projection to save Superman from the Psycho Pirate who is corrupting Superman's memories so all he feels is rejection and sadness.

Superman #24

LOIS: I'm scared, Superman. I don't know what's happening to me!
CLARK: I remember feeling that way myself. You'll be okay, Lois. I know it!

SUPERMAN: I'll be around. Maybe I can find a cure for Lois back at the Fortress. The city's returning to normal. But Hector Hammond, the Queen, and the Psycho Pirate are gone without a trace. And somewhere out there -- behind it all -- is Brainiac. Add to that the fact that both the Pirate and now Lois know my secret identity, and things just got a lot more complicated.

Superman #26

"Until a week ago, Lois Lane was like any other star reporter for the Daily Planet. A nose for news and a talent for prose. But an encounter with only a sliver of the intergalactic singularity known as Brainiac and she has become something much more than human. More. Perhaps a little less."

CLARK: I was going to tell you on my own someday.
LOIS: I know that. I can see it in your heart. I can see it in your mind. That's the problem...I can see "everything." It's like whatever is happening to my mind--it's too much for me to handle physically right now. But my mind...there's no door that is closed to me. No wall I can't look through. I've spent my entire life seeking the "truth" Now there's no such thing as a secret--not to me--and I'm afraid. It might be driving me crazy. Please, Clark. I know I found out you're Superman by accident, it just...I need you to tell me everything is going to be okay.
CLARK: It will be, Lois. I promise.

CLARK: You know who Superman is. Are you going to tell that story some day?
LOIS: If by "some day" you mean the instant I'm out of this coma? Absolutely, Smallville.

SUPERMAN: Shay, what did you learn about Lois being in stasis while she's healing?
SHAY: I'm sorry to say I've never seen readings like this in my life. And this from someone who swam in the mote of God's eye. She's not healing. She's transforming.
SUPERMAN: Into what?
SHAY: God only knows, Superman.

Superman #27 | Superman contemplates using Parasite to cure Lois: "How much could he drain off if the contact was longer? Can't believe I'm even contemplating this, but is Parasite the key to curing Lois? But that's a little crazy, isn't it? Even if I let him try -- how can I be sure I can stop him before he goes too far?" He does it anyway.

Superman #28 | Lois is embedded with MetPD and as criminals shoot at the cops, Lois' eyes glow green and she gets them to stop shooting with a thought. Lois reacts to this with fear. Clark checks on Lois at the police station and expresses concern for her. Even after she says she's fine, he does't seem convinced.

Superman #29 | Lois sits alone in her apartment in the dark on the floor. Before Jonathon arrives as she speaks to nothing, saying "I understand. Places of origin." Jonathon confronts Lois about her odd conversation with nothing and about the fact that Superman risked her life with Parasite. Lois tells Jonathon that "Superman did what he had to do," and commands Jonathon to "forget the whole thing."

Superman #30 | Citizens of Smallville have been made comatose. Cornfields read "Doom" and Superman meets the Eradicator who prophesies the end of Earth at Superman's hands. Meanwhile, Lois is at the Planet mysteriously ignoring her coworkers and making them stop what they're doing so she can converse with Brainiac. She says, "They're ready, my Lord. It won't be long now." Captions say, "While her body is in the Daily Planet, her mind is countless light years away. For in recent weeks, she has begun changing against her will into a 12th level intellect. Lois Lane has been psionically bound to the most dangerous creature the omniverse has ever known. An unspeakable union that may spell the end of all life on Earth." Brainiac tells Lois, "You have done well, my bride." She responds, "It is an honor, collector." At the end, it's said that the Bottled City of Kandor that Superman got after his first defeat of Brainiac has started to come back to life after being dormant.

Superman Doomed #1 | Lois shows up in Smallville to cover the story for the Planet. She seems to act normally until she checks on the coma victims, her eyes glow purple, and she says with purple text, "All bodies accounted for...all brains functioning." Then the purple speech oddly trails off, "Initiating neural bore. Prepare for uplink. What--?...Ha. NO...They have no idea." Superman's fight with Doomsday ends in Smallville where Lana and Lois are.

Action Comics #31 | Lois and Lana are still in pursuit of answers in Smallville, but Lois goes from trying to persuade a soldier to talk to telling him to look into her eyes to force the answers out of him. Lois reveals that Superman ditched the place days ago and says there are rumors that the people of Smallville are infected with whatever powered Doomsday. She feels that Smallville is dangerous and suggests that Lana come with her. Lana believes everything's fine and takes off her protective gear.

Superman/Wonder Woman #8 | Diana calls Lois hoping she knows where Clark is. Soldiers from the base Lois had been at catch up with her. Diana arrives and uses her mind control powers to find out what Lois did. A soldier informs Diana that Lois was "caught breaking into a military mainframe at the base." They don't know why she did it, but those who caught her said "her eyes were glowing." Diana's first thought is, "Glowing? Odd."

Superman #31 | Superman asks Lois to visit him in prison, and he asks her to inform the public that he can't be trusted. Lois arrives and tells Superman, "I'm not afraid, Superman. I just want you to realize whatever you're going through, I'm rooting for you." When he insists, Lois says that "no one will ever believe" that he's not trustworthy, and she personally "won't believe he can't get better." Then in Superman's mind we can see that a Brainiac form of Lois belittle Superman for his concern for humanity. Brainiac then pushes Superman to leave the prison to show the world the "nightmare" he's become. As Lois leaves, Batman tries to question her. Her eyes glow purple and she commands him to let it go. He does.

Action Comics #32 | Lois speaks at a televised press conference after her father, and tells the world what Superman wanted her to: he's not to be trusted. Lana informs Diana that "the brains of the coma victims are sending electrical signals into space." Back with her father and the military, Lois tries to get Corben to believe in himself and his free will and then asserts that he was right to hate and fear Superman: "You're not under anyone's control. Not Brainiac, my father, or...me. You're just Sergeant John Corben. And you can decide for yourself if you're ready for this job my father's going to offer you. But I have to tell you, you were right all along about Superman, John. He's shown his true colors." Lois increases Corben's antipathy and willingness to die for his cause by pumping him with thoughts and images of Superman hurting her. "She follows you and time and time again, she nearly dies. [...] Today she's finally going to be free," Corben tell Superman. Corben succeeds in his suicide mission: kryptonite kills enough of Superman to unleash Doomsday.

Discuss.

[Trevel8182]

I think it's pretty cool!

[Blacksun]

They really need to left it clear she is completely being controlled, because from what they are showing she still has some control from what she is doing.

[UltraWoman]

So no "Clark Kent" remains in Super/Doomsday and Lois is nearly subsumed by Brainiac (almost entirely). I said pre-reboot of the forum that I though Superman wasn't the only one doomed and thus far it seems to have confirmed it.

[Blacksun]

So no "Clark Kent" remains in Super/Doomsday and Lois is nearly subsumed by Brainiac (almost entirely). I said pre-reboot of the forum that I though Superman wasn't the only one doomed and thus far it seems to have confirmed it.

the only difference, is that Superman get all friends concerned...Lois is all by herself...pretty sad. And Superman is clear that isn't himself

[misslane]

They really need to left it clear she is completely being controlled, because from what they are showing she still has some control from what she is doing.

I agree, but I also think that partial control is really no control at all. I mean, in a sense someone whose blood alcohol level is lower on the scale should be more self-possessed than than someone else who's way over the legal limit, but there's still impairment on some level. Superman is fighting his demons too in this story, and that's played out with him having intermittent lucidity and control. When it's random, it is so difficult to tell who's in control when; hence it is vital, as you say, to help distinguish how responsible Lois is for her own actions. It's just so odd for her to go from one extreme to the other:

"I trust Superman more than I do any other person on the planet." -- Superman Annual #2

"She has become something much more than human. More. Perhaps a little less. [...] She's not healing. She's transforming." -- Superman #26

"I have to tell you, you were right all along about Superman, John. He's shown his true colors." -- Action Comics #32

I really hope it's fully explained at some point and, if not, that people won't assume that all the bad Lois did was all her and not Brainiac. It's actually made me wonder if, by some strike of fortune these creators actually treat Lois' character with respect and the culmination of this arc as worthy of resolving and processing fully, if we'll actually get to see a cured Lois react in horror at the things she did. Will she feel remorseful? Should she feel remorseful, if she wasn't herself? I also wonder if the public will know that she was Brainiac possessed, because otherwise Lois might feel like she has to clear her name.

[Blacksun]

Pos-doomed, who will deal with that? Johns seems to be really looking forward, I doubt he will deal with that. Pak probably will be writing Lana in his action comics. I think Lois probably will get ignored, could be a great character development btw. But the way new 52 handles her, I get some big doubts.

the way she talked with corben, she felt his dead. that really made it look that she has some control, maybe more than she should. it's really difficult say when she is or not in control.

[Sacred Knight]

the only difference, is that Superman get all friends concerned...Lois is all by herself...pretty sad. And Superman is clear that isn't himself

Only because no one knows Lois is in trouble. The whole world on the other hand knows what's happening to Superman.

[misslane]

Only because no one knows Lois is in trouble. The whole world on the other hand knows what's happening to Superman.

Wonder Woman sort of does, but she's too preoccupied to deem Lois worthy of her concern so far. Aside from that, it's just a sucky situation in general that should make anyone with a heart feel for Lois as she, unlike Superman, copes with her problem alone after just getting out of a coma no less.

[Blacksun]

It's really hard to people pick what's wrong with Lois, because the chances are they could just get mind wiped by her.
the only person to know something could be wrong is WW, and she ignored it completely without telling anyone.

[JackDaw]

All these long drawn out stories over different comics with different writers and editors are the main reason I don't expect I'll read much in continuity Superman ever again.

[JackDaw]

Okay pondered main outline of story elements over breakfast.

If it's seen through consistently it could have some interesting permanent consequences. (By permanent I mean lasting for as long as DCNU continuity lasts.)

First Wonder Woman is not covering herself with glory. Hard to imagine anything lamer than just ignoring Lois's plight. So it could lead to Superman and Wonder Woman split. Leading to restoration of natural order of things on relationship front.

Second Lois could be left with some useful permanent powers.

Third, Superman having seen danger of mind control could come up with solutions to make sure it never happens to him again.

Will any of that happen? First well could...but doubt that second and third will. And that's a real pity because both of those offer possibility of a lot of newish possibilities while the first one doesn't. We've seen a load of Superman/Lois romance, but we haven't seen Lois as an ongoing Meta.

[exile001]

I am just wonder when this is going to end. I can't say I've been enjoying the Lois/Brainiac sub-plot and would like it resolved asap. It's Lobdell's baby, so maybe he'll get a mini-series to resolve it? Does anyone know?

On the question about no-one knowing Lois is in trouble, that's because she's barely been fleshed out at all in the New 52. The editorial edict was that the marriage is over so separate Lois and Clark as much as possible. To this end, she doesn't seem to have any ties to the supporting cast (except a boyfriend and father who comes and goes when convenient to a story), no bond with Lucy, Perry, Jimmy, Ron or anyone at the DP, MPD or even trusted sources.

Lois will forget Clark is Superman, that's for sure. Everything will be back to status quo as soon as this is over, as though it never happened.

[Blacksun]

I am just wonder when this is going to end. I can't say I've been enjoying the Lois/Brainiac sub-plot and would like it resolved asap. It's Lobdell's baby, so maybe he'll get a mini-series to resolve it? Does anyone know?

On the question about no-one knowing Lois is in trouble, that's because she's barely been fleshed out at all in the New 52. The editorial edict was that the marriage is over so separate Lois and Clark as much as possible. To this end, she doesn't seem to have any ties to the supporting cast (except a boyfriend and father who comes and goes when convenient to a story), no bond with Lucy, Perry, Jimmy, Ron or anyone at the DP, MPD or even trusted sources.

Lois will forget Clark is Superman, that's for sure. Everything will be back to status quo as soon as this is over, as though it never happened.

Lobdell gaining a mini seems unlikely, Action comics should be enough to deal with pos-doomed. Johns seems that he will ignore, and others will have to catch up with him.

Lois lost too much in the reboot, if her name was Kate it wouldn't make difference, she is not in any way recognizable.
The only relationship with a good development was with her sister in the one-shot. out of it, a big mess of things being told but never shown. Lois really is Clark best friend? noting on the story shows that.

I don't really doubt Lois will lose her memory for the 3rd time that clark is Superman and things will stay the same. It's the 4th crossover? this crossover just showing the disconnect between the different teams.

I wouldn't be against Lois showing some residue of her powers, that with time would fully dissapear and Superman would help her and they could have some scenes together showing some friendship. of course it won't happen

[Sacred Knight]

There's nothing yet to suggest Johns is going to ignore anything in point of fact. Telling your own tale does not go hand in hand with completely ignoring everything that came before, case in point being Jimmy's dialogue in the preview. It immediately references a past plot point that was not Johns' own. I know his reputation, but that at least was a promising sign that his run will at least fit into proper continuity a hell of a lot more than, say, Unchained did.