Why? Why did she do it?
We've known for months now that the person who revealed Superman's secret identity to the world was Lois Lane, but there have been conflicting hints as to why. One comic book depicts Lois' remorse as so extreme that she can barely face him. Another has her standing her ground, defending her actions and basically telling Clark to get over it.
So what's the real story? Even with the (hypothetical) best of intentions, what could possibly compel Lois to expose the Man of Steel's true identity to the entire world — and think that it was the right thing to do?
Superman #43 finally answers that question, and needless to say, it's complicated. The entire issue is spent, in fact, building up to that long-awaited reveal. If you've been following the story closely – it involves a data-trafficking villain named "HORDR" who tries to blackmail Superman – it won't come as a huge surprise when you find out why Lois did it. It makes a kind of sense for Lois; it's exactly the kind of brash, improvisational, heat-of-the-moment action you expect from her.
That doesn't make Clark okay with it, though.
But before we get that far, writer Gene Luen Yang goes out of his way to redeem Lois after her behavior over the last few issues. She shows genuine compassion for Clark, finally beginning to understand the difficulties of what he goes through every day with his dual identities (she found out his secret last issue), and he welcomes her sympathy. It's nice to see them getting along again, even if it's short-lived. The emotional thread running throughout the issue is centered on Lois still processing the fact that Clark and Superman are the same person.
Yang's writing has been consistently solid since this story arc began, and while the events that end Superman #43 feel inevitable, they're no less emotionally devastating. John Romita Jr. does his usual excellent pencil work on the action scenes, ramping up the excitement anytime there's danger and high stakes.
The problem that continues to plague Romita's otherwise stellar work is that his depictions of emotional moments lack the subtleties of human facial expressions. A story with this many conflicting emotions and motivations could have benefited from more finesse and variety. Romita's catalog – emotion-wise – seems to consist of the wry/sarcastic smile, the all-out rage face, the look of horror or shock, and the my-eyes-are-closed-while-I-admit-something-painful expression. That's really all that ever comes out of his characters.
With so much building up to this moment in the series, the big question is what happens next. That's when we'll find out if this story has been one worth telling — and if DC Comics intends to stick with this dramatic new status quo for the long term. It's been a great ride so far.
Story:
★★★★½
Art:
★★★½☆
Overall:
★★★★☆
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