Lois Lane searching for Superman is hardly an unusual thing. Indeed, many classic comics had the plucky reporter chasing the Man of Steel to get a scoop. However, things are slightly different in the Absolute Universe, as the preview of Absolute Superman #4 reveals.
Written by Jason Aaron, with art by Rafa Sandoval, Absolute Superman #4 opens with a familiar situation. Lois Lane is trying to find Kal-El of Krypton and questioning people he saved as to his whereabouts. However, this Lois Lane is not a reporter. She is a special agent of the Phenomena Field Team of Lazarus Corp and she is no friend to the Man of Steel.
The cover and first five pages of Absolute Superman #4 may be viewed below.
How Absolute Superman changes Lois Lane
The Absolute Universe setting is a darker take on the original DC Comics universe. Inherently corrupted by the will of Darkseid, this world has warped many of the familiar faces of the Earth-Prime DC Universe. In the case of Kal-El of Krypton, this Man of Steel spent at least some of his childhood living with his birth parents and is nowhere near as powerful. However, he is still an idealist, who fights the same corruption that ultimately doomed his home planet.
The first issue of Absolute Superman hinted at how Lois Lane had been changed in the Absolute Universe. A career soldier, she was also the daughter the General Sam Lane of Earth-Prime always wished for. She almost brought down Superman, though he still protected her even as her fellow soldiers nearly killed her trying to hit him.
Far from grateful, however, she still wants to capture Kal-El of Krypton. However, unlike the rest of Lazarus Corp, she does not believe he is a danger to their profits. She is more concerned about him being a danger to the people he is helping. However, there is some suggestion her opinion may be changing, though her fighting spirit remains unchanged in this reality.
Absolute Superman #4 arrives in comic shops everywhere on February 5, 2025.
