Review: Lois Lane- Enemy of the People

Quick Summary

Pros: The focus on Lois Lane is well done. The main narrative explores an interesting and tense investigation. The volume addresses the modern landscape of journalism in a way that is worthwhile to see. The artwork is great and suits this comic well.

Cons: Readers unfamiliar with events from Superman comics may be frustrated by intrusive plot points from those comics. 

Overall: This is a highly enjoyable read centered around great characters and meaningful themes. The narrative here is interesting, exciting, and backed up by beautiful artwork. It makes for a great Lois Lane showcase and an equally entertaining detective story. The biggest problem is that readers unfamiliar with what is taking place in other comics may be confused at some points. In the end, this book will appeal to fans of Lois Lane or readers looking for DC’s take on detective-style journalism.

Story

Lois Lane: Enemy of the People, by Greg Rucka, is a story about a journalist tackling big issues while responding to an array of personal problems and dangerous situations. The centerpiece of the book is Lois Lane, a character who typically plays a supporting role but who excels as this book’s lead. Watching her navigate her way through this volume’s storyline creates a tense drama and will be a treat for any fan of her character. Plus, the entire narrative perfectly encapsulates the current zeitgeist surrounding Lois’s profession, journalism, and handles it in a meaningful way. The volume’s chief problem comes from intrusions from plotlines in the Superman family of comics, yet even these will not be problematic as long as fans are familiar with these events as well. All in all, this is a great comic and a wonderful showcase for Lois Lane.

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The main narrative in Enemy of the People follows Lois Lane as she explores the nature of the DC Universe, investigates political corruption, dodges assassins, and manages her personal life. Each aspect of her story is interesting and gives her a chance to shine. This can occur through intense bouts of drama, like when she uses her journalistic knowhow to bring a criminal back from the brink, or through emotion, like when she spends time with her family or reacts to the death of her father. In all of these situations, Lois is handled well and comes across as the compelling lead character fans can appreciate.

Lois Lane: Enemy of the People is also a comic with many themes, many of which work well together. The volume directly responds to problems present in the real world. It addresses the dismantling of the free press, literal attacks on journalists, and America’s specifically cruel treatment of refugees. It also addresses issues within the world of comics, like the way in which less popular characters are lost amid continuity reshufflings. This allows the book to respond to the zeitgeist in both the real and fictional worlds. 

The biggest problem in Enemy of the People is the lack of focus when it comes to the book’s storytelling. The volume’s themes pair well together but the narratives surrounding them are mostly separated into the first and second half of the book. In addition, both of these narratives are often interrupted by interjections that update Lois’s situation in regards to what is happening in the Superman and Action Comics series. If you’re familiar with the situation in these books, these interjections add a bit to Lois’s story but if you are not, they feel intrusive.

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Art

The art in Lois Lane: Enemy of the People is beautiful and is a perfect complement to the storytelling. Art from Mike Perkins and colors from Andy Troy immediately set the tone for this book. The dark and gritty visuals pair well with the story of a dedicated journalist and several tough detectives. It gives the comic a noir-style feel to it that makes the whole experience better. It also helps that the artwork simply looks nice. The level of detail is solid, the layouts are well done, and the characters all have a great sense of personality. There are a few small places where facial expressions come off a little weird but this is pretty rare. Overall, the artwork here looks great and definitely adds a lot to the reading experience.

Continuity

Lois Lane: Enemy of the People is a mostly standalone miniseries that does not continue the story from any other specific comic. However, the events of this comic take place after the events of The Man of Steel (Review) and often tie-in to what is happening in the Action Comics and Superman series.

The story from this volume does not directly continue in any specific volume. However, Lois Lane continues to appear throughout the Action Comics and Superman series.

This volume also references the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Lois was in space with her son and Superman’s father in The Man of Steel (Review).
• Lois was seen kissing Superman in Action Comics #1003, collected in Action Comics Vol. 1: Invisible Mafia (Review).
• The original Question’s death was shown in 52 #41, collected in 52 Vol. 2.
• Superboy’s recent adventure in space ended with him being offered membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes. This happened at the conclusion of Superman Vol. 2: The Unity Saga: House of El.
• Lois Lane #6 follows up on the aftermath of the Event Leviathan (Review) (Reading Order) event.