Writers & Artists Include John Byrne; Jerry Ordway; Roger Stern; Dan Jurgens; & Others
SUMMARY:
DC Comics released this 191-page compilation in 1994. The cover art depicts actors Dean Cain & Teri Hatcher (as Clark Kent & Lois Lane) from the ABC TV series, which ran for eighty-eight episodes from 1993-97. Yet, the book’s stories aren’t TV episode adaptations; instead, they’re nine reprints from 1986-1990.
Amidst Superman’s mid-80’s makeover following DC Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths, writer-artist John Byrne produces the first five stories. Byrne also supplies an introduction. Other Superman regulars like Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Jurgens craft the remaining four tales, with artistic help from Glenn Whitmore and Albert De Guzman, among others. Lois & Clark’s contents consists of:
- Page 4: John Byrne’s Introduction.
- Page 7: “The Story of the Century” (from Man of Steel # 2 – 1986).
Note: The 1986 Man of Steel # 1-6 mini-series heralded Byrne’s official re-vamping of Superman.
Writer & Penciller: John Byrne; Inker: Dick Giordano; Colorist: Tom Ziuko; & Letterer: John Costanza. Lois Lane is re-introduced; she doggedly pursues the first exclusive interview with the mysterious Superman, now patrolling Metropolis. Told mostly from her point-of-view, Lois resorts to a damsel-in-distress ploy.
- Page: 29 “Tears for Titano”(from Superman Annual # 1 – 1986)
Scripter/Co-Plotter: John Byrne; Penciller/Co-Plotter: Ron Frenz; Embellisher: Brett Breeding; Letterer: Albert De Guzman; & Colorist: Tom Ziuko. Lois’ compassion precipitates a clash between Superman and an endangered chimpanzee mutated by radiation from illicit medical research.
- Page 67: “Metropolis – 900 Mi” (from Superman # 9 – September 1987)
Story & Pencils: John Byrne; Inker: Karl Kesel; Colorist: Tom Ziuko; & Letterer: John Costanza. Toying with a married, small-town waitress, Luthor condescendingly propositions her that she spend a month with him for a million-dollar bribe. Pre-dating the 1993 film Indecent Proposal, this short tale ponders the good-hearted wife’s dilemma of prostituting her dignity for the promise of instant wealth.
- Page 74: “The Name Game” (from Superman # 11 – November 1987)
Story & Pencils: John Byrne; Inker: Karl Kesel; Colorist: Tom Ziuko; & Letterer: John Costanza. Lois is smitten by suave Ben DeRoy (who curiously resembles Marvel’s Beyonder from its Secret Wars II mini-series). Re-introducing Mr. Mxyzptlk, this quirky tale is a homage to his Silver Age antics.
Note: Byrne goofs on a thought bubble. On page 94, Lois tells herself how “after all these years,” Clark may finally be winning her affection. Yet, Byrne’s revamp implies that Lois & Clark have only known each other for weeks or a few months.
- Page 96: “Lois Lane” (from Action Comics # 600 – May 1988)
Plot & Script: John Byrne & Roger Stern; Inker: Jerry Ordway; Penciller: Kurt Schaffenberger; Colors: Petra Scotese; & Letterer: Bill Oakley. After single-handedly taking down a hoodlum gang, Lois is disheartened by rumors of Superman’s hook-up with Wonder Woman.
Note: Byrne’s Lois again references her relationships with Clark and Superman going back “years,” so this tale is inconsistent with his own reboot.
- Page 104: “Headhunter” (from Adventures of Superman # 445 – October 1988)
Writer/Penciller: Jerry Ordway; Inker: Dennis Janke; Colorist: Petra Scotese; & Letterer: Albert De Guzman. Jimmy probes the disappearances/subsequent homicides plaguing Metropolis’ homeless community. Lois might pursue a relationship with wheelchair-bound Jose Delgado. Superman returns to his Smallville bedroom struggling from a recent crisis of conscience. When Brainiac returns (in Milton Fine’s human form), Jimmy and a drunken Cat risk a gruesome fate. Note: Ordway throws in a sly Three Stooges reference.
- Page 126 “Homeless for the Holidays” (from Adventures of Superman # 462 – January 1990)
Writer: Roger Stern; Penciller: Dan Jurgens; Inker: Art Thibert; Colorist: Glenn Whitmore; & Letterer: Albert De Guzman. At Christmas time, Clark is leaving for a new editorial post elsewhere. Lex Luthor is held captive by Brainiac. Clued into why The Daily Planet gang will miss him, Clark discovers that his colleague, Alice, is homeless and living in an office storeroom. Perry inspires his staff to aid the homeless; Superman, helps out, as the Kents & Lana Lang make brief appearances.
- Page 148 “The Limits of Power” (from Adventures of Superman # 466 – May 1990)
Story & Layouts: Dan Jurgens; Finisher: Dan Giordano; Colorist: Glenn Whitmore; & Letterer: Albert De Guzman. It’s a horrific spin re: what Marvel’s Fantastic Four might have been. Superman confronts four irradiated astronauts seeking LexCorp technology to cure their terminal conditions. Clark makes a decision re: his feelings for Lois.
- Page 170: “Survival” (from Action Comics # 655 – July 1990)
Writer: Roger Stern; Artists: Bob McLeod & Brett Breeding; Colorist: Glenn Whitmore; & Letterer: Bob Oakley. While Jimmy’s night out with Lucy Lane bombs, a worried Superman searches for a missing Lois. She is busily staking out, commando-style, a dangerous arms merchant.
REVIEW:
This compilation’s depiction of Lois & Clark is inconsistent (no surprise), as it hardly exudes Teri Hatcher & Dean Cain’s Generation X romanticism. As the cover concedes, these stories merely helped inspire the TV series. Still, is this book DC’s effort to cash in on Lois & Clark, or will readers get timeless insights into Clark/Superman and Lois?
It’s really far more the former than the latter. Readers get plenty of pages, but this joyride stumbles through inconsistent plot holes. Primarily, even John Byrne has trouble adhering to the new status quo within his own reboot. For that matter (at least, for this era), depicting Lois as a hard-edged commando capable of dispatching street thugs as easily as Batman makes little sense.
As Byrne’s creative contributions are mostly consistent, his storytelling ages the best for this particular compilation. Despite not igniting the Clark-Lois romance, his last scene for “The Name Game” is a rare reversal re: which one has inadvertently hurt the other’s feelings. It adds welcome depth to Lois, in terms of deflating her usual self-involvement (prior to hooking up with Clark). Similarly, the eyerolling “Lois Lane” is salvaged only by a wonderful Lois-Clark moment to finish up the tale. It’s really Byrne’s closest approximation to Hatcher & Cain’s youthful charisma, which is so seldom glimpsed in this book.
Unencumbered by Byrne’s reboot, the other six stories revert to Lois & Clark’s bland pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths dynamic. Despite good intentions, “Tears for Titano” and “Homeless for the Holidays” are heavy-handed message stories. Between them, “Homeless” merits extra credit for demonstrating examples for aiding the homeless. Dan Jurgens’ “The Limits of Power” is intriguing, in spite of its derivative nature. More significantly, Jurgens scores a major coup over Byrne for depicting Lois & Clark’s first significant kiss. Jurgens, in that sense, generates this book’s don’t-miss gem.
The artwork quality predictably varies, but it doesn’t descend into the awful range. Of them, the best-illustrated are “Lois Lane” and, ironically, “Headhunter,” in spite of its grisly inferences. Combined, these nine tales offer okay reading, but it’s a bait-and-switch for readers expecting a whimsical romantic comedy similar to the TV series.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is Byrne’s insightful three-page introduction, as well as an appreciated table of contents. What is inexplicably missing are the individual nine covers for these stories, making them seem incomplete.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
