tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post3389453882379828038..comments2024-03-27T19:22:03.112-04:00Comments on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary: Review: Lois Lane #12Anjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-7398981256509483682020-07-16T16:26:21.229-04:002020-07-16T16:26:21.229-04:00I had high hopes for this series, which I clung to...I had high hopes for this series, which I clung to throughout most of the run. But yeah, this was a train wreck. I think TN gets it right that a lot of it pivoted on the editorial changes... but I'm not sure that I'd go so far as to say the problem was that Holzherr just didn't rein Rucka in. I think there's also a chance he (and his superiors) shoehorned in the multiverse thing, and Rucka was left to make sense of it... which he did by using Renee's status quo as illustration, rather than Lois's -- since DC editorial would be more likely to vacillate on which way anything in Lois's continuity would shake out. In the meantime, a lot of things that Rucka had genuine interest in -- the immigration status of the maid, the murder of the Russian journalist -- got sidelined.<br /><br />tl;dr: I don't think Rucka would have brought the multiverse into it unless he'd been directed to. That's not where his interests lie. I suspect he's every bit as frustrated with this series as we are, albeit for slightly different reasons.Rob S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07331286524477806963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-13687484546959316132020-07-15T09:10:34.371-04:002020-07-15T09:10:34.371-04:00I thought I’d commented on this yesterday... oh we...I thought I’d commented on this yesterday... oh well, I said then that I agree, this was disappointing, a Lois book in title alone. Compare it to the Mindy Newell/Gray Morrow Lois ‘micro series’ from the Nineties. Like the just-finished series, ‘When it rains, God is crying’ engaged with real world issue - in that case, missing kids - but it was all about Lois and her world; her relationships, her work... heck, she was doing actual investigative reporting!<br /><br />And compare Rucka’s Lois to Fraction’s Jimmy book, they’re night and day in terms of ambition and success. I look forward to your review of the Jimmy finale. Martin Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574149543260175962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-91137236438945548152020-07-14T16:39:33.437-04:002020-07-14T16:39:33.437-04:00Lots of things to be disappointed about:
- RENEE ...Lots of things to be disappointed about:<br /><br />- RENEE (and all of her developments). Not her place and - I assume - not a friendship that'll be carried forward. I surely didn't feel there's a lot of real work put into it and/or that their bond had anything special going for it. I mean, tbt, she practically "stole" the investigation part of Lois' character.<br /><br />- Jon. I hate the aging thing and everything after that, and I don't know if it had any effect on Rucka's usage of the character, but if one were to pick this up without any prior acknowledge of the status quo, they'd never guess Lois was a mother of a until-recently 10-year old (save for that tie-in issue). It just rubs me the wrong way that such an important element of current Lois gets practically ignored in what's supposed to be a seminal work.<br /><br />- The Bendis status quo. There wasn't really a reason to Lois to be in Chicago, was there? All it did was take Lois further from the Daily Planet and the Metropolis setting. Which takes me to the next point...<br /><br />- No supporting cast. No Daily Planet, no Lucy (their fight in issue #6 was left unresolved for God's sake!), Sam Lane barely there (and only there because of the event Leviathan tie-in, mind you), no new or old Lois supporting characters. I had hopes Jackee would finally be given a more proeminent role as a sort of Lois' confident/friend, but both Rucka and Bendis didn't even acknowledge her character (apparently, only one black woman's allowed in the Daily Planet). Seriously, her first book in decades and there's no element that one can pick and claim, "that's from the Lois Lane book!"<br /><br />The only thing you could say that Rucka achieved was a positive representation of Superman and Lois as a couple, but that's something you can find in any Superman content (look no further than the Vendetti Superman stories). What a waste of opportunities this book was.C.H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-38521029746408710252020-07-14T09:16:56.993-04:002020-07-14T09:16:56.993-04:00This book started strong... but didn't end tha...This book started strong... but didn't end that way.<br /><br />Something I noticed on the last page - the editors gave thanks to Jessica Chen and Mike Cotton, and that reminded me I'd seen an article that had mentioned a shakeup in editing at DC.<br /><br />https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dc-comics-group-editors-batman-superman-dcu/<br /><br />So I did some research into the published credits.<br /><br />Lois Lane:<br /><br />Mike Cotton was editing, assisted by Jessica Chen. (Chen assisted on Lois Lane, Superman, Action, and Jimmy Olsen, and was lead editor of Supergirl.<br /><br />#7 - a transitional issue - Brittany Holzherr was credited as an additional associate editor. (She is evidently on-boarding here.) This is the issue where Sister Clarice is introduced, and Kiss of Death pulls off her mask and blows up the hotel room.<br /><br />#8 - Holzherr takes over as editor for the rest of the series. This issue has the search for the housekeeper, and more of the occult kicks in.<br /><br />Holzherr inherited this - this was Rucka's story, as developed under Cotton. But maybe Holzherr could have reined it in?<br /><br />This actually leads me straight to -- Supergirl!<br /><br />Jessica Chen joined the Supergirl team as Associate Editor with #12 and #13, then was the lead editor from #14 to #36.<br /><br />#36 - Supergirl got infected. This is the last issue with Andreyko and Panisca. Can't blame the infection on Chen as that was bigger than one book.<br /><br />#37 - First issue with Houser and Stott. Last appearance of Ben. Final issue edited by Chen. (Why show Ben in #37 and then never see him again? Chen might have had different plans that were never realized.)<br /><br />#38-#42 - Brittany Holzherr took over as editor and remained till the end.<br /><br />The final 5-6 issues of both series went off the rails.<br /><br />It's probably an unfortunate coincidence for Holzher. For all we know, Chen and Cotton left the messes for Holzherr to clean up, and they got out just in time!<br /><br />Still, the editorial musical chairs did not seem to be kind to these two books.<br /><br />T.N.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com