Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Superwoman - A Phil Jimenez/Emanuela Lupacchino production

Lardy and Cobie both suggested that a new thread for this upcoming title (in stores August 10th) would be a good idea, so here it is!

On writing and co-penciling, Phil Jimenez, famous for Wonder Woman, Tempest, Legion Academy, JLA/Titans, Invisibles, and the unfairly neglected (and yet to be completed) Otherworld.

On co-penciling, Emanuela Lupacchino, who is IMHO the best of the recent wave of Italian sequential artists to hit American shores.

And in the spotlight, Lois Lane with superpowers.

How can it possibly fail?

(Don't anyone answer that.)

(Not yet, at least.)

There's a lot going for this series: Phil! great art! DC having a return to form in storytelling! The Super-books generally all being great so far! Lois-Superwoman having a pretty interesting status quo going into this series!

I'm definitely looking forward to #1!

So I didn't read the Darkseid War stuff, so I'm unsure of the status here. Is this the pre-52 Lois currently appearing in Action and Superman? Is it the New 52 Lois, whose status I'm unaware of? Or is it the Earth-3 Lois (Superwoman) who was running around pregnant last I saw her?

(I assume it's not the Earth-2 Lois, who's now Red Tornado, wherever they are now))

Earth-3 Superwoman was obliterated near the end of Darkseid War.

We haven't seen anything of Nu52 Lois since Rebirth started, so I'm guessing it's her. There's been no build up of Lois Kent having powers.

I have no clue really of what's come before (and frankly, don't even want to know). I think its been confirmed that its New 52 Lois, the one who's Superman died. And I believe they explain how she got her powers right in #1--in fact, it's already been shown in previews, but I don't actually read the previews anymore.

I don't even want to think about Darkseid War, as in my mind, none of that stuff even happened.

My sentiments exactly!

Darkseid War? Superwoman of Earth 3 is dead? What?

Sigh. This is what happens when I skip most of the 52. Such is life.

I have no idea which Lois this is, since I just found out with Rebirth that there were more than one around (shades of pre-COIE!). I'm hoping that it doesn't borrow too much from Jane Foster/Thor.

I'm really looking forward to this book. It has a lot of promise, and like Cobie said, much of the Rebirth stuff has been solid, a few real highlights, and not a whole lot of mess (yet).

I love Phil Jimenez's work and he's said that he's really doing his own thing on the book - without a lot of editorial restrictions. He should be able to really let things fly.

That's great to hear. Much as I love Phil's Wonder Woman run, sometimes I can't help but think how might have been even better without the editorial interference.

Damn! I forgot to bring a copy home with me from the store.

Still, I wasn't expecting the reveal about Lana.

Neither was I.



I could do without Lana's extra-salty new personality, though. And her apparent refusal to wash her hair. (That said, I confess I haven't read a Superman franchise comic since the end of Morrison's Action Comics run. Is this the way Lana has been since the New 52, or is it all-new?)

I also could have done without the villainess dismembering the scientists, even if it mostly left to the imagination.



Lois, on the other hand, is wonderfully portrayed in Jimenez's script IMO. She was easily my favorite thing about the first issue.

A promising start, then. In my opinion.

So I really liked #1! I had no real clue what I was walking into, and was therefore pleasantly surprised by the roles both Lois and Lana played in it. Phil's writing was on point and the art was spectacular.

All the little twists really worked--very clever as Fanfie says. The Lois / Lana dynamic is fantastic, and the scenes with Lex were good too.

I'm looking forward to #2!

Thanks, Cobie.

I think we may be in for the coolest female friendship in a superhero comic since Patsy and Val in the late-1970s Defenders.

What a surprise! Prepared to skip it, but followed your recommendations and actually liked it lots.

The friendship angle is good, not easy, not without the old sniping back and forth, but trusting and growing. Their source of rivalry is gone, they're not going to fight over Lex.

It's also good to see the writer explaining the effects of the different superpowers - or at least providing some logic to them.

I don't see how the secret identity/blurry face thing is going to work, but will leave it in the capable hands of Mr. Jiminez.

Yay! Glad to hear that, FC. Comments like yours above always make me feel good.



Beautifully put.

The other side of the coin (I haven't read the issue myself, so I can't comment):

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08...m_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

My computer can't handle Bleeding Cool or any other comics industry site because of all those damn adverts.

Could you please sum up the gist of the article, Dave?

It's pretty long, but the gist of it is: We've waited so long for a good Lois story and you bait and switched us for a Lana one instead (followed by a lot of discussion as to why Lana's not as good a character as Lois).

Basically, the writer REALLY likes Lois and was looking forward to a Lois series and feels betrayed.

Aha.

Thanks, Dave.

I actually said pretty much the same thing in my previous posts in this very thread, although I imagine the person who wrote the article is probably harsher on Lana and more worshipful of Lois than I.

To reiterate, it's not so much Lana herself I have a problem with, but rather the stereotypical corn-pone portrayal of her. And again, since I hadn't read any Supes-related comics between Morrison's last issue of Action and Jimenez's first issue of Superwoman, I have no idea whether it was orignally perpetrated by Jimenez or by whoever was writing Lana during the Nu52.

I don't think it was Phil. From the issues I looked through, Lana was indeed still living in Smallville long before Superwoman #1.

Okay. Thanks, Sarky.

Heck, that goes back to Byrne's MAN OF STEEL mini, where Lana was living in the Kent's old Smallville house...

Stalker Lana? Or just taking care of a friend's property?

FC, LOL

Pov, that's true, but in Byrne's "Man of Steel" Lana wasn't portrayed as a sneering hayseed who didn't wash her hair.

Okay, so, sophomore slump. No need to panic and drop the book right away, it happens a lot.

OTOH, having Lois disappear for an indefinite amount of time and trying to have Lana temporarily carry the book alone was not a wise move on Phil's part IMHO. I would rather it have been the other way around, and it's just this kind of misstep that makes me worry that Captain Jimenez is not guiding the Good Ship Superwoman with as sure of a hand as I'd hoped for.

The inking is not as good as last issue, either. There are two inkers credited, always a sign of a last-minute rush to finish. And even though one of them is Sarky's talented friend Joe Prado, it pains me to say that I'm unable to distinguish whichever pages he worked on from those by the other inker. Sorry, Sarky. But I'm sure Joe will be back on form in no time.

In the issue's defense, it's always nice to see John Henry Irons and his niece Natasha. And Phil writes them well. And it's the Irons who provide the issue with its one golden bit: