Review: SUPERMAN & LOIS LANE: THE 25TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: DELUXE EDITION
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern
Artists: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, John Byrne, Terry Austin, Kerry Gammill, Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, Bob McLeod, Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., Paul Ryan, Brett Breeding, Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, Kieron Dwyer, Doug Hazlewood, Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, Dick Giordano, Art Thibert, Jim Mooney, George Perez, Curt Swan, Jackson Guice, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ray McCarthy, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Albert DeGuzman
Colours: Glenn Whitmore, Digital Chameleon
Letters: John Costanza, Bill Oakley, Ken Lopez
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
Superman & Lois Lane: The 25th Wedding Anniversary: Deluxe Edition: The marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane was a special event nearly 60 years in the making! Now, a quarter century later, we look back and celebrate that historic moment in Superman & Lois Lane: The 25th Wedding Anniversary Deluxe Edition! This collects the landmark Superman: The Wedding Album, along with other relationship highlights, including the lead-up to the altar (Superman #118) and the honeymoon (Adventures of Superman #541, Action Comics #728, Superman: The Man of Steel #63), with new extras!
Positives
Twenty five years ago, DC took a bold step forward by introducing a major change to the status quo of the Superman mythos. Superman and longtime girlfriend Lois Lane were married in the pages of Superman: The Wedding Album, released on October 10, 1996. Now to mark the 25th anniversary of that Landmark story, DC is reprinting that story in a handsome hardcover volume.
This story was a milestone in DC history, but not entirely unprecedented. Other superheroes had previously married: The Flash (Barry Allen), The Atom, and Elongated Man all beat Clark Kent to the altar. But this time, it was DC’s flagship character. And DC has always been careful about changes to the status quo of their big two properties: Superman and Batman. And often when such changes happened, they were soon reversed – like Superman’s death just a few years before this story.
However, this change proved popular with fans, and so their marriage actually stuck… well until Flashpoint erased it. But luckily, Rebirth and the Superman Reborn storyline brought it back into canon. And it’s eventually led to the couple having a son, Jonathan, who is now setting out on his own career as a Superman for the 21st Century.
This story is truly a group effort. The writing chores were shared by the writers of the Superman titles of the time. And the art featured contributions of notable Superman artist past and present.
Positives Cont.
I noticed a similarity with “The Wedding of Donna Troy” in Tales of The Teen Titans #50. Like that story, there is no villain to be defeated and no crisis to fend off. Rather, it just shows a straightforward gathering of family, friends, and allies to witness the union of the happy couple. However, that’s not to say that a villain or two don’t put in a brief appearance. It’s just that they don’t disrupt the occasion.
To help flesh out the story, this volume reprints more than just the original Wedding Album special. We also get the previous story that leads into the special and the following issues that follow Lois and Clark on their honeymoon. This was a great idea, s it helps set the context of the story for readers just discovering the story. Thus readers may not be confused by references to Clark being the acting Editor of the Daily Planet or his temporary loss of his powers.
I was also quite pleased that the fold-out panorama image of the ceremony’s climactic kiss was kept intact. Any compromise of that classic Superman image would be a travesty.
There are also some great extra features, including some of the bare pencils and inks of the wedding ceremony pages. Also included are the covers of the previous reprint volumes. And as a bonus, an image of the original special’s cover with autographs from the story’s contributing writers and artists.
Negatives
It’s great that the extra issues do give some added context. However, there is still a lot that might seem confusing to those unfamiliar with that era of Superman comics. A small article written to sum that up might have been helpful. But that’s a minor quibble.
Verdict
Superman & Lois Lane: The 25th Wedding Anniversary: Deluxe Edition is a must-have collection for those interested in Superman history, especially now that this story is considered canon DC history again. It might not be a compelling purchase if you already own the original issues. But it’s still a nice addition to any collector’s bookshelf. And it will save you from taking them out of their protective Mylar bags.
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