Lois Lane #8, published by DC Comics, is written by Greg Rucka, with art by Mike Perkins, colors by Gabe Eltaeb, and letters by Simon Bowland. In this installment to the Lois Lane mini-series, Rene Montoya attempts to prevent an assassination attempt on Lois Lane’s life by someone codenamed ‘The Kiss of Death.’
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DC’s 12-issue Lois Lane mini-series has been inspiring and such a joy to read. Greg Rucka’s take on Lois is very reminiscent to that of Margot Kidder’s take mixed with a 21st Century twist. At a time where journalists and the media are too often declared ‘an enemy of the people, it’s arguably more important to see stories about true heroes like Lois Lane delivering truth to power.
In the DC Universe, the world is now aware that *spoiler alert* Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same. This means that Lois Lane has even more attention being thrown her way by both the media and Superman’s many enemies. This is exactly the case where this issue picks up, with Lois and Rene having to fend off against an assassin. The book really kicks off the action right from the start, grabbing the reader’s interest and providing a captivating series of panels which helps bring the fights to life. Perkins does a brilliant job of showing the momentum of the fight in his medium, creating an intense fight sequence that makes you want to keep reading.
Not being one to stay out of the fight, Lois joins in and wounds her would-be-assassin before they take off. Rene and Lois discover that the Kiss of Death was utilizing a white-noise machine in order to mask the struggle from Superman. Rucka is brilliant at creating a realistic world for these characters to reside in and the notion of the white-noise machines is a great way of silencing the ‘why won’t superman just save her?’ arguments. It also helps add to the world-building of this post-reveal world for Lois and Clark, where their enemies are using new nefarious techniques to cause harm.
As mentioned previously, Rucka is the perfect choice for writing a realistic Lois who isn’t afraid of getting into these reckless situations because of her dedication to the truth. She also retains her sense of humor, adding some levity to the script when it’s needed. Clark and Lois’s relationship as always continues to be a highlight, showing how they both trust each other in these various situations – such as their own ‘celebrity.’
Perkins’ art is the perfect complement to Rucka’s script, bringing a more realistic world to life while also grounding the more fantastical elements of the DC Universe, namely Superman himself. Rather than his many abilities or place in this world, it’s actually Clark and Lois’ relationship that is at the forefront. Perkins helps depict these characters effortlessly from Clarks’ chiseled chin all the way to Lois’ wry smile.
Eltaeb’s colors and Bowland’s letters also help establish a world closer to ours. For example, the realistic color tones help make the DC universe feel like our own except for when contrasted by the brighter color palette displayed when Superman arrives, with his blue/red shining off the pages. Bowland also helps ‘The Kiss of Death’ stand out by utilizing a black and red speech bubble with a distorted font, creating a distorted voice in the readers’ minds.
Overall, this was another excellent entry into Rucka’s ‘Lois Lane’ mini-series and should hopefully alert DC that audiences are eager for more stories about our favorite intrepid reporter,
Lois Lane #8
TL;DR
Lois Lane #8 this was another excellent entry into Rucka’s ‘Lois Lane’ mini-series and should hopefully alert DC that audiences are eager for more stories about our favorite intrepid reporter.
