Superwoman Vol. 1: Who Killed Superwoman? Review

Superwoman: Vol. 1 Who Killed Superwoman?

Writer: Phil Jimenez
Artist: Phil Jimenez, Emanuela Lupacchino, Jack Herbert, Joe Prado, Matt Santorell, Ray McCarthy
Colorist: Jeremy Cox, Hi-Fi, Tony Aviña
Letterers: Rob Leigh, Dave Sharpe, Josh Reed
Publisher: DC

A review by Hafsa Alkhudairi

Who Killed Superwoman is the basis of the narrative, making death a theme for the whole volume. The story starts by following Lois Lane as she fights with the superpowers she got exposed to. However, she does not last long into the narrative as a living character. Right after the introduction of the second Superwoman, Lana Lang, she dies. The quest of the narrative is to figure out who killed her and for what purpose, revealing a convoluted plan by Lena Luthor pushed by Lex Luthor’s misogynistic (in my opinion) love.

The story was interesting and enjoyable in terms of diversity of the background characters who had important speaking roles and the nuances of the main characters for their strengths and weakness. The best display of weakness is the way in which Lana grieves for Lois, making the character seem vulnerable beyond the fact that she is dying as well.

The art of Who Killed Superwoman really does complement the narrative showing busy panelling and art during the fight scenes reflecting the urgency of the moment. Other moments, especially the memories, are pastel and slow reflecting a more peaceful time, even if some memories address more difficult subjects. Those difficult subjects change the tones slightly to ensure consistency between the different artists, colorists, and letterers. The gravity of the narrative exists throughout the story and exhibited in the artistic and stylistic side of the comic. Still, my favourite part of the art is the character’s compositions because they seemed softer, to counteract the heaviness of the content, and created an amazing juxtaposition between the two.

The Verdict
Wait and See. Parts of the Who Killed Superwoman story is very interesting and exciting, especially with the different team ups of superheroes. However, the arch kept on falling short of my expectations. Although the narrative is completely packed, there were many areas that felt rushed or lacking in exploration. This is reflected in the art as well. There many points where the art was too busy or too quiet, though I was more satisfied with the artistic and stylistic choices than I was in the narrative. However, I still very much enjoyed reading this Superwoman comic and appreciate the amazing characterizations presented. Who doesn’t love Lois creating headlines and Lana showing extreme competence at every turn?!