Mini-Views-Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1 of 3.
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Illustrated by Eddie Nunez
Cover by Eddie Nunez, Sandra Hope, and Hifi.

This one--in terms of concept alone--was just neat. The idea of taking two of comics most enduring females (Lois Lane and Wonder Woman) and setting them in opposition to one another is just plain genius, and the creative team of this series took a notion that I've had for years and played it to the hilt. That notion?

Lois Lane is a frickin' badass.

Yes, yes, all too often her typical portrayal has been that of the classic damsel in distress, but think about it. She's a crusading journalist out to bring the truth to the people, she's one of the first to leap into action (admittedly not always with a lot of forethought, but still) and try her best to help the underdog, and she's the one woman on the face of the planet who Superman struggles to keep up with. She is a gold mine of untapped storytelling potential, and in an alternate reality where the guy in the red cape with the spit curl is nowhere to be found, Lois has a chance to shine, and boy howdy does she.

In the world of Flashpoint, Europe is a mess. Themyscira (Paradise Island/The home of the Amazons for the uninitiated) has been sunk beneath the ocean waves and the native Amazons have conquered the United Kingdom, now New Themyscira under the reign of Queen Diana (Wonder Woman). After an attack by Aquaman leaves Paris a ruin, Lois Lane finds herself rescued by the Amazons and taken to the conquered UK, finding herself picking up where her late and lamented colleague left off as an agent of the United States government. Her goal? Contact the burgeoning resistance movement in New Themyscira and open a dialogue with them. In a totalitarian regime with few allies and inhumanly swift and skilled enemies, can our intrepid reporter escape the clutches of her warrior captors?

Fun. That's what this book is. It's an adventure story, it's a spy story, it's a pulp adventure/resistance fighter tale. It's Lois Lane vs. Wonder Woman! Writers Abnett and Lanning hit the ground running, writing this debut issue with the quick clip of an action movie while still allowing for small moments of characterization amidst the set pieces. Lois feels like the best parts of her cinematic and animated incarnations, and without the man of steel we quickly see that she's a character in her own right, not just the Woman Who Superman Rescues. We don't see much of Diana in this issue (we don't see her at all, save for some news footage), but that confrontation is coming and I for one can' wait. The art by Eddie Nunez is good, though a bit rough in spots. I do like his style overall though in that it reminds me of Todd Nauck, an illustrator of no small talent. The cover is great, putting it's mission statement out there for all to see: Lois Lane. Bad. Ass. Consider me in for all three issues.

Recommended.

Stac