I’m sure you saw last week’s announcement that DC Comics is unveiling a new line of Young Adult novels based on their iconic superheroes including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Catwoman. The expansion of these well loved characters into the YA space is an exciting development and an example of the continuing impact and appeal of these comics to new generations of fans. I wanted to make sure you were aware of one of the first superhero entries into the space – the Lois Lane series from Gwenda Bond, released by Switch Press, the Young Adult imprint of Capstone. Following the 2015 success of the first book in the series, Lois Lane: Fallout, Gwenda is returning with Lois Lane: Double Down a new story of the adventures of a teenage Lois Lane, as she begins to discover her passion for journalism and become the character loved by generations of fans.
Lois Lane has been an integral part of the cultural landscape since her first appearance in Action Comics #1 in 1938, which also introduced the world to Superman. A superhero without superpowers, the character has been featured in a dizzying number of comic books, films, and television shows. In a starred review of Lois Lane: Fallout, Kirkus writes: “This first in a planned series gets plenty right. Lois is as fully rounded as she is in the comics, headstrong, capable and equipped with a solid moral compass . . . [a] lighthearted and playful tone permeates the novel, making for a nifty investigative mystery akin to Veronica Mars or Buffy the Vampire Slayer … a spectacular prose start for DC Comics’ spectacular lady.”
“Lois Lane is an icon, one of the most well-known and enduring figures in American pop culture–and for good reason,” says Bond. “She’s a hero all of us can relate to. It’s been a tremendous honor and a great pleasure to get to write about her in an all-new way, as a modern teenager, and I’m thrilled to be continuing her story in Double Down.”
In The Comics Journal, comic book historian Tim Hanley writes: “Bond’s Lois is a distillation of the most compelling traits of past incarnations of Lois Lane. She’s got the brash ambition of 1938’s Lois, the crusader for truth and justice qualities embodied by Margot Kidder, and the snark and smarts of Dana Delany’s animated Lois. While she may just be a high school student, she’s very much the Lois Lane that fans know and love.”
Lois Lane: Double Down will be released on May 1, 2016. Lois Lane: Fallout was released in paperback on March 1st – Gwenda did a great piece for The Guardian on the evolution of Lois Lane over the decades: http://bit.ly/GwendaGuardian
