Superwoman Special #1: Writer’s Block

It was a dark and stormy comic… er no… her father was a stern man… that’s not it. Lois Lane and I have a couple of things in common: we have writer’s block and we love Superman. Superwoman Special #1 puts the woman of steel in the spotlight as we learn the secret origin of her powers. Written by Joshua Williamson with stunning art by Laura Braga, Nikola Cižmešija, and Edwin Galmon, and colors by Rex Lokus, this special issue is a girl’s night out as Supergirl and Silver Banshee treat Superwoman to a crime-fighting spree to help fight her writer’s block. How did Lois get her powers? And who might they belong to? Find out all of this and more in this epic special all about Lois Lane.

Joshua Williamson is a fantastic Superman writer, but an even better Superwoman writer. When I first saw previews of Lois Lane as Superwoman, I was a little hesitant. I feel like Lois works better as a character without powers, with her strength and courage coming from her heart and not laser beams. There are also so many ways to write her as helpful in taking down as villain when she is in her writing chair. However, despite my qualms, Williamson managed to get me on board and start to love Superwoman. This issue even made me sad as I realized she might lose her powers soon. This special does a great job at incorporating the aspects of Lois’ character to tell a story the way she would for the Daily Planet. The twist and turns in this issue are also exciting, and I found myself gasping from page to page. It was nice to have the issue focus on the ladies, and I’m glad we got little page time with Superman. While Williamson did a great job, I do wish this story was written by a woman to really nail the characterization and relationships between Supergirl, Silver Banshee, and Superwoman. Some of the jokes and conversations felt a little too stereotypical “ha ha I’m a girl” for my liking/ My only other issue with this special is the timeline of events. Lois got her powers after the defeat of Amanda Waller but didn’t find out until Superman was in the Phantom Zone (as seen in Action Comics). However, in the weekly Action Comics arc Superman is out of the Phantom Zone and Lois is not using her powers to help save the Earth (which is unlikely based on this story). This is comics, so the timeline is not that important, but it was something that took me out of the story.

The art in this issue was the standout, with three different artists getting to celebrate the woman of steel. Laura Braga, Nikola ?ižmešija, and Edwin Galmon all did fantastic and managed to create balanced artwork that was distinct yet unique. This issue is also full of beautiful splash pages that are so good I want to print them and frame them on my wall. We also got an adorable Clark in workout clothes, which I LOVE. This issue was a full on celebration of Lois Lane and the things that make her amazing and the art really highlights that.