Lois Lane #1 is due out July 3. — **Lois Lane #1** is due out July 3.

By Taylor Pechter — Lois Lane #1 by writer Greg Rucka and artist Mike Perkins is dropping in a couple short weeks (July 3!), and I could not be more excited. Not only is this the first solo series she has had since the Silver Age—granted, this one is in a more limited capacity being only a twelve-issue maxiseries compared to an ongoing—but this new book is being written by Greg Rucka. I have sung Rucka’s praises many a time on this site, whether for his work on mainstream projects like Wonder Woman or Checkmate, or for his indie projects like Lazarus or Queen and Country.

With all that in mind, it is now time to board the hype train and go into the seedy underbelly of the DC Universe with its best investigative reporter.

Not Just A Girlfriend Anymore

As stated before, Lois had a series titled Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane that ran from 1956 to 1974. While that series—as in most of the stories told in the Silver Age—largely featured fluffy science fiction tales focusing on Lois, the title had negative connotation. Describing Lois as “Superman’s Girl Friend”, while true at that time, essentially pigeon-holed her as a certain type of character. This upcoming series drops that moniker and is better for it. Knowing that this book spins out of Event Leviathan, written by close Rucka friend and fellow Portlander Brian Michael Bendis, this series seems likely to have a harder edge, giving Lois more agency.

Journalistic Integrity

Who is Lois Lane at her core? Apart from being a loving wife, and now mother, she is a reporter. Rucka has said multiple times in interviews that this aspect is going to be at the forefront of the series. It is going to follow Lois as she investigates stories, finds clues, and does the job of being the DCU’s best reporter. Rucka has also said that a challenge in this is never showing the full-on prose that Lois is writing.

So, while we’ll see Lois out in the field working as a reporter, we won’t see her full writing. This is because if there is too much prose, it could damage the pacing of the comic. Moreover though, this is not Rucka’s first foray into writing Lois. During the mid-2000’s, he had a short stint on the Adventures of Superman. During this time, he was in the middle of other seminal works, namely his first run of Wonder Woman and Gotham Central. With this short run, he heavily focused on both Lois Lane and Clark Kent as working journalists. It was within the Lois Lane plotline that Rucka put his stamp on her character: fiercely independent, forever driven to get the story, and loyal. In her story, Lois risks herself covering news in the Middle East. Clark asks her not to go, but it is Lois’ duty to find the truth, no matter how dangerous the job. Fearless, obtaining the truth is Lois’ goal, even to the point of near death.

The Slow Burn

Rucka, in my opinion, is one of the kings of slow burn storytelling in comics. I say this because while narrative is important to him, characters are what drive his books. This is paramount in this series. In interviews, Rucka has said Lois Lane will feature little in the way of typical comic book action. By this he means no large fight scenes. Lois going around punching people is just not in line with her character. Not that Lois isn’t a physical character, she is just rooted more in her reporting. With this style of storytelling, much like he did in Gotham Central, Rucka can get deep into the psychology of Lois. As we’ve seen in the snippet shown in the Leviathan Rises Special a few weeks ago, Rucka is already setting up big things. Not only that, but if you look at future solicitations, you’ll see some familiar faces (The Question(s)!).

Noir Art

Joining Rucka on art duties for the series is British artist Mike Perkins. Perkins is known for his heavily-shaded style of art as seen in Marvel’s Iron Fist a few years back and most recently in DC’s Green Lanterns. With his clean linework, heavy inks, and somewhat muted palate courtesy of colorist Paul Mounts, this book is sure to be a feast for the eyes, one that also depicts the underbelly of the DC Universe well.

Why All the Hype?

This has been one of my most anticipated books since its announcement. With the Superfamily books, especially Action Comics, and the current espionage epic Event Leviathan all being very strong at the moment, it makes my excitement reach even new heights. Moreover, having one of the highest caliber writers in the industry—one who is also known for his strong female characters—write one of the most important and interesting female characters in comics, is just so amazing.

Lois Lane #1 is due out on July 3rd.

Read more of Taylor’s writing on our comics analysis page.

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.