In Superman Lost #8 from DC Comics, Superman starts to deal with his sadness, just as Lois Lane deals with her cancer diagnosis.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Superman Lost #8 Review:
Written by Christopher Priest with art by Carlo Pagulayan, this latest issue deals with the fallout of the last… Superman is home, but can’t stop thinking about the people he left behind to die in space. Meanwhile, on Earth, Lois is dealing with her deadly cancer diagnosis by not telling anyone. And Lex Luthor is growing more and more frustrated.
Host Alex Zalben compared this to a Tom King book, but paced “more quickly, and in terms of how they’re hitting the beats, is much more clear… We’re getting these very calculated moves with Superman, with Lois Lane, with Lex Luthor as we get towards the end of the [book].”
Zalben was particularly struck by this issue’s recurring visual motif, of Luthor standing by a painting and waiting for an angry Superman to burst through… Yet because Lois isn’t telling Clark about her cancer, it doesn’t happen. That is, until the end. “That palpable anticipation of, what is Superman going to do now that he does know “gives so much tension going to the next issue.”
Tyler deferred from making the King comparison but agreed the book “sets up ideas and then pays them off in a more direct way. With the same big emotionality… I think this is great. I’m going to be sad when this series is over.”
Pete LePage was less of a fan, saying he liked the book better before it went “the cancer route… This is getting less and less enjoyable.”
Finishing up, Zalben noted that his suspicion from the previous issue, that “the title is less about Superman being lost, and more about Superman losing… I think that’s where we’re going with this.”
Superman Lost #8 Official Synopsis:
CAN LOIS OUTSMART LEX? Superman experiences a breakthrough on his path to recovery with the help of Supergirl, as the Els bond over being survivors living with the guilt of leaving behind doomed planets. Meanwhile, Lois attempts to outsmart Lex Luthor to save herself and Clark!
