Superman Wonder Woman #10 Spoilers/Discussion

[Lokimaru]

She probably a wiz at wing commander and tie fighter or some other flight stick game, who knows.

[DochaDocha]

Just to add some anecdotal fodder to the argument, in high school my friend said that someone let him fly a small airplane once they were already in the air (and, incidentally, flying over my house).

[misslane]

Just to add some anecdotal fodder to the argument, in high school my friend said that someone let him fly a small airplane once they were already in the air (and, incidentally, flying over my house).

Was this person flying in ways that required sophisticated moves? Because Lana wasn't flying a spaceship in peaceful air with a trained pilot by her side ready to assist. They were in a chaotic situation. Would your friend have been allowed to fly that plane if it was in the middle of an air raid, for example?

[DochaDocha]

Was this person flying in ways that required sophisticated moves? Because Lana wasn't flying a spaceship in peaceful air with a trained pilot by her side ready to assist. They were in a chaotic situation. Would your friend have been allowed to fly that plane if it was in the middle of an air raid, for example?

Of course not! But hey, if you have a two-person crew, and the other guy's attention is needed elsewhere, and it's a time of crisis, you gotta make due with whatever personnel you have. I'd also note the dialogue in the first couple of panels:

Lana: Steel, if you can't get us clear (emphasis mine), we're done (emphasis the book's)!

Steel was doing the primary steering (get an anime character to say that three times fast).

I think it's kind of silly that Lana was there in the first place, but once you accept that premise, having her take the [auxiliary or support] controls doesn't particularly come across as extra bothersome. This sort of stuff happens all the time in these types of stories.

[hellacre]

Of course not! But hey, if you have a two-person crew, and the other guy's attention is needed elsewhere, and it's a time of crisis, you gotta make due with whatever personnel you have. I'd also note the dialogue in the first couple of panels:

Lana: Steel, if you can't get us clear (emphasis mine), we're done (emphasis the book's)!

Steel was doing the primary steering (get an anime character to say that three times fast).

I think it's kind of silly that Lana was there in the first place, but once you accept that premise, having her take the [auxiliary or support] controls doesn't particularly come across as extra bothersome. This sort of stuff happens all the time in these types of stories.

That's what I thought as well. And her being there is no sillier than Lois getting 12 level intellect telepathic powers and getting Brainiaced for this arc. They now get to both be in the heart of the action is how I see it, which is what happens all the time. Heck wasn't Lois right in the thick of action when Superman and Doomsday were wrecking the place in the 90ties? No one would be allowed but the military and heroes if we want to be realistic.

[hellacre]

That's an interesting speculation and would make a bit more sense with most of Diana's dialogue, but there isn't anything in the comic that would lead me to believe that is the case. I also thought it strange that Diana just watched Lois fly away. She didn't try to stop the woman. That made zero sense to me. Lois is now clearly a threat, whether Diana can explain what is going on with her or not. She should've detained her. BTW, do we know whether Diana knows of Brainiac?

And, by all that is merciful, I'll be glad when this crossover is finally over. It started off with a bang, but it has quickly fizzled out for me.

But she can't detain her because I think plot again. Unless Diana and Lois cooked something up together that we haven't seen yet. ie Lois is playing along to get more info etc. I mean she is a 12 level intellect or some thing so she's supposed to be very smart and she got psionic powers. Some of the dialogue is suspect like "I will help you if I can...if you need help"...Is she asking Lois if she needs help? I mean it's clear she would if she is possessed by an alien AI entity. Then Lois makes some strange statements that Brainiac took both our men. Diana says, that doesn't make sense....Brainiac didn't....then she stops. So I am wondering really if this interplay between Diana and Lois isn't more than it seems.

[misslane]

That's what I thought as well. And her being there is no sillier than Lois getting 12 level intellect telepathic powers and getting Brainiaced for this arc. They now get to both be in the heart of the action is how I see it, which is what happens all the time. Heck wasn't Lois right in the thick of action when Superman and Doomsday were wrecking the place in the 90ties? No one would be allowed but the military and heroes if we want to be realistic.

Lois isn't part of the action at all during this arc. She's basically in a coma while an alien entity using her body as a meat puppet. Lois is MIA. It's not silly at all for sci-fi story to use possession as a plot device, however. It is silly for an electrical engineer to suddenly be capable of co-piloting a spacecraft that is in the middle of heavy fire within the gravitational pull of a large planet. Lana's entire presence in space with Steel makes no sense, since she wasn't necessary to relay the message about the coma signals. In fact, Lana had told Wonder Woman the same information about the comas before Wonder Woman spoke to Superman following the Hessia debacle. Superman even spoke to Wonder Woman at that time about Lois's odd behavior, which is even after Wonder Woman had the suspicious news about Lois's glowing eyes way back in the first SM/WW Doomed issue. Lana and Steel are risking their lives to convey a message to Superman that Wonder Woman should have already conveyed, especially after she told Lana following the coma transmitting into space reveal that she was "on it."

During the original Doomsday arc in the nineties, Lois and the DP crew were covering the fight via the air. Journalists have covered dangerous news events from the air for a long time now. It's hardly out of the ordinary.

[hellacre]

Lois isn't part of the action at all during this arc. She's basically in a coma while an alien entity using her body as a meat puppet. Lois is MIA. It's not silly at all for sci-fi story to use possession as a plot device, however. It is silly for an electrical engineer to suddenly be capable of co-piloting a spacecraft that is in the middle of heavy fire within the gravitational pull of a large planet. Lana's entire presence in space with Steel makes no sense, since she wasn't necessary to relay the message about the coma signals. In fact, Lana had told Wonder Woman the same information about the comas before Wonder Woman spoke to Superman following the Hessia debacle. Superman even spoke to Wonder Woman at that time about Lois's odd behavior, which is even after Wonder Woman had the suspicious news about Lois's glowing eyes way back in the first SM/WW Doomed issue. Lana and Steel are risking their lives to convey a message to Superman that Wonder Woman should have already conveyed, especially after she told Lana following the coma transmitting into space reveal that she was "on it."

During the original Doomsday arc in the nineties, Lois and the DP crew were covering the fight via the air. Journalists have covered dangerous news events from the air for a long time now. It's hardly out of the ordinary.

I don't think the military would allow anyone air or not to get that close to a Doomsday level threat to be honest. And according to DC Lois plays a role in this story...so when it ends I'll judge if she was wasted or not. Pak says she has an important part to play come Action Annual. I do think giving Lois powers doesn't exactly enhance her character because Lana has none and she's been cool from the start.

[misslane]

I don't think the military would allow anyone air or not to get that close to a Doomsday level threat to be honest. And according to DC Lois plays a role in this story...so when it ends I'll judge if she was wasted or not. Pak says she has an important part to play come Action Annual. I do think giving Lois powers doesn't exactly enhance her character because Lana has none and she's been cool from the start.

Did the military have tight control over the area? Is Lois one to let that sort of thing stop her? Anyway, so far Lois -- actual Lois Lane, not Brainiac -- has yet to play a role in this. Maybe she'll have a moment or two by the end, but she's been wasted so far as far as I'm concerned. Being useful in the Annual isn't the same as missing out on developing and having an impact on the plot as herself during a major Superman event across a few months and several issues of comic books. Lois and Lana don't need powers, I agree. It's a shame Lois and Brainiac had to be combined instead of them both acting as separate characters during this arc.

[Deniz Camp]

A bit oddly paced, but thematically it's a pretty genius issue, and with a lot of pathos.

The whole issue is filled with good men and women, tragically subsumed by something other -- Superman and Doomsday, Lois and Brainiac, Corben and Brianiac and Lois, Zor El and Cyborg Superman, even Wonder Woman and "War".

Likewise, I enjoyed the juxtaposition between Lois and Wonder Woman, thought it was an interesting study of both.

[misslane]

The whole issue is filled with good men and women, tragically subsumed by something other -- Superman and Doomsday, Lois and Brainiac, Corben and Brianiac and Lois, Zor El and Cyborg Superman, even Wonder Woman and "War".

Likewise, I enjoyed the juxtaposition between Lois and Wonder Woman, thought it was an interesting study of both.

If Lois is subsumed by something other than herself, how can it be a study of her at all?

[Flash Gordon]

I did. After the complaints about Lois landing an ordinary plane in Unchained, which I can't recall if it was just a couple critics or more than that, I was wondering if anyone would be stunned that Lana would be written to do such a feat. She's an electrical engineer, but that doesn't provide a sufficient rationale for that kind of expertise. At least Lois in Unchained was written to explain that she'd had flight lessons. It was also bizarre how easily Superman just accepted the explanation for why Lana was brought onboard. If I recall correctly, it was only said that Lana knew about the comas in Smallville. Unless she was doing some sort of calibration to locate the source that no one else could do, then I don't know why she had to go along. It reminds me of the criticisms of Lois boarding the plane in Man of Steel just because she had used the House of El key before and was somehow needed to be involved in using it on baby Kal's spaceship.

Wow, we're in total agreement for once!

I didn't really have a problem with Lois boarding the ship in MAN OF STEEL, because SUPERMAN was with her and I thought it was cool that she got to meet Jor-El for a brief few moments.

I just can't see any plausible reason for Lana to be on board a space ship. It's hard to even believe John Henry Irons knows how to operate one, since he's never been seen doing so...but he's a superhero so I can kind of shrug it off. Lana in space just seemed absurd, but then again this whole story is kind of absurd.

[Deniz Camp]

If Lois is subsumed by something other than herself, how can it be a study of her at all?

Because none of them are completely subsumed. As Lois herself states, even she doesn't know where Lois ends and Brainiac begins. That's what makes it tragic.

[misslane]

I didn't really have a problem with Lois boarding the ship in MAN OF STEEL, because SUPERMAN was with her and I thought it was cool that she got to meet Jor-El for a brief few moments.

To be clear, I was talking about when Lois was on the army plane later in the movie with Hardy and Hamilton. They were trying to get Kal's spaceship's hyperdrive activated so it could be used to send the Kryptonians away. Just like Lois really didn't have to be on the plane to tell people how to put in the key in Man of Steel, Lana didn't have to go into space to tell Superman that the comatose Smallvillians were linked up to something in space. Even weirder is the information they were conveying was information Wonder Woman already had from Lana BEFORE she brought Hessia to Superman and before they shared a final conversation as he was preparing to leave for space. In other words, Wonder Woman should have already told Superman what Lana knew and had told her.

Lana in space just seemed absurd, but then again this whole story is kind of absurd.

Yep.

Because none of them are completely subsumed. As Lois herself states, even she doesn't know where Lois ends and Brainiac begins. That's what makes it tragic.

Then you really can't tell what's Lois and what's not, so you can't be sure if you're learning anything truthful about her. That might make it an interesting mystery, but it's not a character study.

[Blacksun]

So Lois and WW talk, and they talk about boyfriends? Not pass the bechdel test
even Corben not making any sense. why would brainiac care for little things like this? he is not a soap opera villain