In Superman Lost #9 from DC Comics, written by Priest with art by Dan Jurgens, Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Brett Breeding, Lex Luthor fantasizes getting killed by Superman.
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 #9 Review:
Lois Lane has cancer, given to her by Lex Luthor… And she won’t tell Superman, because that will potentially give Lex what he wants: getting killed?
Kicking things off, host Alex Zalben said that he loves the series and thinks it’s “really well done,” in addition to enjoying a lot of the art throughout the issue. But beyond that, he expressed some confusion about how the issue rolled out, as it was unclear what was happening in “reality,” versus fantasy sequences of other characters picturing Lex dying.
“Part of the problem here is there are so many artists on this issue,” Zalben said. “If they had switched between these imaginings that Lex Luthor is having with, say Dan Jurgens, and the rest of the book with Carlo Paguulayan, I would have been like, okay, I get it. I get what’s going on here. But that’s not what happens. And it’s very confusing.”
LePage had a more positive look, saying that “it was a cool choice to show how stressed out Lex is,” but that he felt the same as a reader. Given that Superman is in a bind, he’s fighting with Lois, and Lex is worse than ever, LePage said, “I’m having a hard time with Superman Lost right now.
“It is a very stressful series to read,” Zalben agreed. “Without spoiling it, the panel of the end is maybe the most stressful thing of all that happens, where if it turns out the way that they’re teasing, it’s the worst possible thing that ever could have happened to Superman… Comics and entertainment are supposed to get some sort of emotion out of you. They’re supposed to eke some sort of emotion out of you, and that’s definitely what this doing.”
Superman Lost #9 Official Synopsis:
As a Green Lantern from Superman’s past creates chaos in the present, Clark grapples with the idea of losing Lois for good. As her sickness rapidly escalates, Lex Luthor watches from the wings, waiting for the Man of Steel to crack under the pressure. Could karma be coming for the richest man in Metropolis?
