(Image: Action Comics #19)
I commend DC Comics for realizing that the New 52 was a huge mistake and relaunched with Rebirth. However, I feel they took the lazy way out with Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Instead of fixing the horrendous problems they created for Lois and Clark, they simply got rid of them.
I can honestly say that I don't miss the New 52 Superman but that boils down to how poorly he was written throughout the reboot. However, near the end right when he was dying you saw this glimmer of the hero he was supposed to be but by then it was too late. It should not have taken five years for them to finally figure out who Superman was supposed to be. I guess killing him off was the only way they could see getting out of the mess they created.
Now as for Lois they took every opportunity they could to destroy nearly everything about her character from her journalistic integrity to her personality. It's as if there was this unsaid protocol to ruin Lois Lane, case in point that Truth arc really did a number on her and brought out the worst in some of the fans. DC Comics did nothing to dial back the negativity and harsh criticism Lois was receiving from some fans for revealing Clark's secret. Instead they seemed to thrive on the vitriol from those fans and used it as a way to continue to promote that terrible arc.
Although it's wonderful seeing the pre-New 52 married Lois and Clark along with their son Jon, I feel like readers were shortchanged. Mainly because the problematic issues with New 52 Lois and Clark never got resolved. It's no secret that the reboot pretty much destroyed the interpretations of these two characters and got rid of so much of what made the world of Superman great. So far there is still no word on whether Jonathan and Martha Kent will ever return. I guess for now they will just stay dead but as a fan I miss seeing that connection Clark had with his parents.
In a way, it's weird that the books are still in the New 52 world but the Rebirth tweaked it a bit resulting in Wally West returning, Dick Grayson back as Nightwing, Wonder Woman realizing that her life (during the New 52) had been a lie and much more. But I guess New 52 Superman and Lois Lane were so screwed up that all the creative teams could think of was to get rid of them. Superman died right before Rebirth and Lois died in the first issue of Superwoman.
The New 52 was a waste of so much potential and even more so when you look back at the treatment for Lois and Clark. What irritated me the most in regards to Lois and Clark besides the bad writing and poor portrayal was the missed opportunity to show their friendship grow into romance. It would have been nice to see Clark and Lois finally go out on a date but fans never got that. Instead what readers got was this underlining of fear on Clark's part keeping him from furthering any sort of real friendship let alone romance with Lois. Instead he developed a romance with Wonder Woman that was based on fear instead of love. Those two were only with each other because they were too scared to pursue a romance with the ones they truly were interested in (i.e. Lois and Steve Trevor).
Even though I'm really enjoying Rebirth I can't help feeling disappointed by the demise of the New 52 Lois and Clark. That reboot was a disservice to all the characters but even more so to Lois and Clark. With the writing they received, those two never got a chance and that truly was wasted potential.
(Image: Superman #51)
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