Comic Review: Lois Lane #6

Lois Lane #6

DC Comics

Writer: Greg Rucka

Artists: Mike Perkins and Gabe Eltaeb

Lois Lane #6 takes a detour from its overarching plot in favor of dealing with the fallout of Event Leviathan. That’s not a sentence that inspires much confidence, but considering the ramifications that the book has for Lois, it would be even stranger if this book never touched upon it. So, despite my negative knee-jerk reaction to the idea of a “tie-in” issue, this is actually a spectacular standalone story.

Obviously, there are spoilers for Event Leviathan ahead.

Sam Lane is dead. This issue deals with Lois’ grief, as well as her history with her father and how it contributes to her current head-space. The story flashes back and forth between Sam’s funeral and several different points in his relationship with Lois. Needless to say, it’s quite the tough read.

The present-day scenes are somber and emotional with sparse dialogue, while the flashbacks are intriguing and add quite a bit of weight to Sam’s death. They brilliantly demonstrate the complex relationship that Lois has with her father. They love each other but have trouble finding a way past the many roadblocks that their respective paths present. Then, just when they may have a way to find common ground, he’s taken away. It’s unfair and, frankly, all too real. Real to the point of bringing me to tears by the end of the book.

Mike Perkins deserves just as much credit as Rucka for making the book so genuinely emotional instead of the tone-deaf version it could easily be. So many of the present sequences are done with little to no dialogue, leaving the storytelling entirely on Perkins’ shoulders. Its sullen mood is constant throughout the book, but Perkins contributes so much subtlety. It’s in the facial acting, the pacing, and the layouts. The characters’ reactions are often portrayed purely through body language with no dialogue, and it allows the reader to take in the essence of the story at their own pace rather than muddying the waters with unnecessary dialogue. It’s just great comic book storytelling.

The issue works because on top of the impressive craft from the creative team, it’s a genuine and complete story on top of that. It isn’t style over substance, nor vice versa; it’s the exact right amount of both. It also doesn’t take the easy way out and say, “Look, they really did have a great relationship all along!” It commits to the idea that these two characters never got along, and that makes the pill more tough to swallow, both for the reader and for Lois.

Lois Lane #6, despite the complete disconnect from the other issues, is an important and effective chapter. In fact, it’s quite possibly the best issue so far because it’s based entirely on something we can all relate to on some level. It’s a mature look at death and the messy nature of the grief that follows.

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