Superman & Lois: Earth-Prime Gives Arrowverse New Wave of Classic DC Characters
Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Earth-Prime: Superman and Lois #2.
The latest issue of DC Comics' Earth-Prime series is devoted to Superman and Lois and confirms the existence of several Superman villains in the Arrowverse. This is notable because the history of Superman in the shared reality of the CW superhero shows is shockingly underdeveloped. While certain key facts have been established, such as Superman being an active hero for nearly 20 years, very little has been revealed about just which villains he might have fought in that time.
The first story in Earth-Prime: Superman and Lois #2, "The Anniversary," by Jai Jamison, Adam Mallinger, Andrew N. Wong and Tom Grummett offers a glimpse at the early days of Clark Kent and Lois Lane's marriage in the Arrowverse. The story, largely told in flashback, finds Lois and Clark explaining to their sons Jordan and Jonathan just why they always celebrate their wedding anniversary four days after the actual date of their wedding. The short answer is that it took them that long to actually celebrate their first anniversary, due to their work getting in the way. The long answer involves a farcical series of events, which introduce the Arrowverse versions of several classic Superman villains.
Lois and Clark's dinner plans on the second night after their first anniversary are thwarted when Clark is forced to face Nuclear Man, a character originally created for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. One night later, it is Lois' turn to be late for their date, as she infiltrates a meeting of Intergang operatives overseen by Toyman. One of the more notable faces in the assembled crowd is Sleez, a villain from Apokolips with mind control powers, who is infamously remembered for his sinister scheme to force Superman and Big Barda to star in a porn movie together.
On their fourth attempt at an anniversary dinner date, both Lois and Clark end up getting waylaid by their work. In Lois' case, she winds up in the perfect position to go undercover and prove a connection between a local politician and Intergang crime boss Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, who has been mentioned before in Supergirl and Superman and Lois, but never shown on-screen. Clark has an even better excuse for being late, having been abducted on the orders of "some redhead broad." This is almost certainly a reference to Maxima, warrior queen of the planet Almerac, who was obsessed with claiming Superman as the perfect mate. For extra added comedy, Superman's abductor is none other than The Main Man himself, Lobo, who stops off for popcorn shrimp on a distant asteroid on the way to delivering his bounty, giving Clark the chance to escape.
"The Anniversary" proves to be a perfect encapsulation of Clark and Lois' romance. It is also a solid examination of Arrowverse history, which hints at the larger universe in a more effective manner than the series itself usually manages. Unfortunately, DC Comics fans can probably forget about Lobo showing his face in Smallville in Superman and Lois season 2.