Action Comics #1001: What's Lois Lane's Big Secret?

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Action Comics #1001 by Brian Michael Bendis, Patrick Gleason, Alejandro Sanchez and Josh Reed, on sale now.

In Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason's Action Comics #1001, Clark Kent continues to investigate the rash of apartment fires in Metropolis, while also dealing with Superman being falsely accused as the arson suspect. Having begun to deal with Lois and Jon's departure in Superman #1, Bendis' story can now focus on the task at hand. But the end of the issue provides a shocking and potentially devastating reveal.

Lois and Jon were last seen, except in subsequent flashbacks, vanishing with Jor-El for parts unknown across the cosmos in Man of Steel #6. Jon's final words to his dad upon leaving assured him "we'll be back before you know it," and were immediately echoed by Lois. The final page of Action Comics #1001 shows that those words have turned out to be at least partially prophetic. While there's still no sign of Jon, Lois is shown, back on Earth, and secretly typing out the passages of what appears to be her new book. She's definitely back, and yes, it's before Clark knows it.

The Secret Return of Lois Lane

Why would Lois return to Earth alone, after refusing to let Jon leave with his Kryptonian grandfather without her tagging along? Well, keep in mind that Lois wasn't all that keen on Jon going in the first place, but seemingly changed her mind pretty quickly – after texting her lawyer, in Man of Steel #6, and receiving word of her book deal. That's right – Lois agreed to let Jor-El take her son, if she could come along, and in typical Lois Lane fashion, get a story out of it.

It certainly looks like she might have gotten it already, based on some of the cryptic-sounding book titles she's jotted down on a notepad. Attention-grabbing and almost salacious monikers like "I Married an Alien from Outer Space" and "Truth, Justice and the Kryptonian Way" indicate that she has some kind of story to tell. Those titles, though, don't necessarily sound like any kind of experiences she might have had out in space with her son and father-in-law. In fact, they point more towards some sort of exposé based on her time together with Clark – one that stands to not only expose Superman's identity, but also forever change the dynamic between Lois and her husband.

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Superman's Blabbermouth, Lois Lane

The brief but notable development certainly foreshadows DC Comics' own solicitations for future issues. Would Lois really shatter her own family for the sake of a potential bestseller, though? And would she really abandon her own son, as it appears she did, so that she could compose her story in seclusion? It sounds a little harsh, admittedly, but it's not like such actions on her part are totally without precedent.

In "New 52" continuity, Lois took it upon herself to reveal Superman's identity to the world in order to prevent a supervillain from using that knowledge to blackmail him. That move, though, proved extraordinarily problematic for Clark from that point on. It took some storytelling trickery in conjunction with the advent of Rebirth to put that genie back in the bottle.

Yes, that "New 52" incarnation of the character wasn't "this" Lois. Neither was she the pre-Crisis Lois, who during the peak of the Mort Weisinger Silver Age era, seemed at times to have no reason to exist other than to try and expose Superman's other life. Regardless of any continuity changes, Lois just seems destined to be that thorn in Superman's side regarding his secret identity.

Reporters Should Answer Questions, Not Create Them

Was this Lois' endgame all along? Was her willingness to go with Jor-El and Jon motivated by her freshly-awarded book deal, solely as a means to provide her an alibi with Clark so she could write it on the sly? And does she really trust Jor-El enough to leave Jon alone with him, possibly with no means to ever get him back?

There's no shortage of questions surrounding Lois' unexpected return. Lois was clearly seen disappearing through Jor-El's portal, so there's no doubt that she didn't stay behind. But if she had motives beyond, or even besides, keeping an eye on Jon, her disappearance would convince Clark she was gone – but there would be nothing to prevent her from immediately returning. It's not like Jor-El wanted her to come along anyway – if she had asked him to turn his transporter around and drop her off somewhere, he likely would have been all too willing to do so.

There's a Good Reason for This – Right?

Of course, the amount of time elapsed since she and Jon left with Jor-El is unclear, so it's possible that she might have actually been gone for quite a while. It's also possible that Jor-El might have taken her somewhere where time moves differently – perhaps more time has elapsed for Lois than for Clark. If so, she may have gathered plenty of stories to tell, although why she wants to keep it all from Clark remains a mystery.

She might have fair reason to be upset with Clark, albeit through no fault of his own. The communicator provided to Clark by Jor-El was destroyed shortly after Lois and Jon left, making any kind of contact between them impossible. Not knowing this, Lois might be harboring ill will that Clark never contacted her, or that he never responded to her own communication attempts. If more time in fact has passed for her than for Clark, she might have built up a fair amount of resentment. Whether that's sound reason to write a relationship-destroying exposé, though, remains debatable.

Action Comics #1002 goes on sale August 22, and readers will see if the issue clarifies the mystery of Lois' return. In the meantime, Superman #2 will hit shelves on August 8.