Superwoman #18 Review and **SPOILERS**

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The Power to Not Have Powers Was Inside of You All Along

Writer: Perkins 

Pencils: Max Raynor 

Inks: Jaime Mendoza and Scott Hanna 

Colors: Hi-Fi 

Letters: Carlos M. Mangual 

Cover: Phil Jimenez with Stephen Downer 

Cover Price: $3.99

On Sale Date: January 10, 2018

**SCORE AND NON SPOILERS AT THE BOTTOM**

I just wrote a review for Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner’s final issue of Harley Quinn, but that series will continue under the keyboard of Frank Tieri and, ostensibly, whoever writes it in this future. Superwoman, on the other hand, is ending. And this is the last issue! I wonder if we’ll feel relief or regret. You can find out how I feel in my review of Superwoman #18, right here!

Explain It!

Eric and I had high hopes for this series when it debuted. Jim was more reserved, but Eric and I put away our skepticism over the first issue and hoped this would be a cool series. For one thing, we wanted to see Lana Lang back in the mix again. For another thing, we knew that the pre- and post-Rebirth Lois Lanes being on the same planet was a conflict that had to be resolved. And it was, in part by Lois’ death in Superwoman #1, and in part by the head-scratching mess that was Superman: Reborn. Point is, I saw a lane (heh) for Superwoman, and I’d hoped it would be adequately occupied. And then the first arc, which wound up being aggressively horrible.

There have been a few times that this series got my hopes up. When Lana shed her powers and was tromping around in some souped-up armor courtesy of Steelworks. When Atomic Skull joined the Metropolis Police Department and was hilariously dangerous. Any of the many times Lana seemed to learn that she has people in her life that love her and upon whom she can rely…only to be the stubborn loner again in the next issue. Maxima showed up at one point. Natasha and Traci 13 were shaping up to be a pretty cool techno-spooky duo. All of these dangling threads, and we really got nothing out of it.

For the final issue, Lana is able to save Metropolis and its denizens, including her boyfriend John Henry, from the magnetic vortex known as Nightmare, by somehow having Nightmare occupy the same brain as Lang. Lana controls the movements, but Nightmare feels the emotions, and—do I really have to go through this shit? It’s absolutely moronic. Nightmare learns to feel and becomes a Real Little Boy, then offers Lana the opportunity to set Midnight free by clasping hands. Despite this eliminating Lana’s powers, Lana complies with editorial mandate and the issue ends with Lana smiling. Which is a rarity in this series, I admit. Ever since she caught the flat end of New 52 Superman’s solar flare, she’s been a real screwface.

And maybe that’s the best we get for the final issue of Superwoman, the implication that Lana Lang will become a character we want to read about again. That would be a welcome change, since she’s been so selfish and crabby for most of the last 18 issues. The story is otherwise contrived, its resolution insulting, and the convenience of re-setting the narrative table could have been done off-panel. Let’s us not mourn the death of this comic book series. it was a mercy to character and reader alike.

Bits and Pieces:

The final issue of Superwoman hits the ol' reset button on Lana Lang, and that's probably the nicest thing it could have done. Let's move past this series and speak of it no more.

3/10