Superman: Earth One Vol. 2 **SPOILERS**

**super1man** · 11-05-2012, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by adkal

I'll have to go back and check, but I thought he'd already hung up and Lois had placed the file in the cabinet, not on her desk...

I don't think this Lois knows yet (the over in Family, however...heh )

Yes it was in the cabinet. Clark scans the cabinet.

**dornwolf** · 11-05-2012, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by super1man

Reading the subtexts Lois already knows Clark is SUperman and hence abandoned writing about it because of her compassion; paralleling Perry's speech to Clark. Also proved by Clark being shocked into dropping the phone when he scans Lois' desk and reads her reports on him.

I don't think she knows he's Superman, she thinks somethings up but Superman she close but not there. As for abandoning the writing out of compassion, sorry don't buy it. If it was out of compassion she would of stopped after talking with his teacher. The only thing Perry's speech did was show the comparison of Clarks story on Eddie and the one Lois was planning on Clark. She basically canned it because it was a 'feature' not actual journalism as Perry called it.

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 01:34 PM

What Perry told Clark may have also reminded her of what he told her in volume 1 when he cut her third paragraph.

**super1man** · 11-05-2012, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by dornwolf

I don't think she knows he's Superman, she thinks somethings up but Superman she close but not there. As for abandoning the writing out of compassion, sorry don't buy it. If it was out of compassion she would of stopped after talking with his teacher. The only thing Perry's speech did was show the comparison of Clarks story on Eddie and the one Lois was planning on Clark. She basically canned it because it was a 'feature' not actual journalism as Perry called it.

Guess we won't know until we see proofs in future issues but I believe she knows or at least strongly suspects.

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by super1man

Guess we won't know until we see proofs in future issues but I believe she knows or at least strongly suspects.

Based on what, though?

There's nothing she would have found that would have lead her to believe that Clark Kent is bullet resistant, able to fly, or shoot beams of heat from his eyes. All she knows is that he was a smart kid who was bullied who then did his best to be 'average' and unnoticed. Frankly, there are many out there who have had to do that (unfortunately).

**Auguste Dupin** · 11-05-2012, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by adkal

Based on what, though?

There's nothing she would have found that would have lead her to believe that Clark Kent is bullet resistant, able to fly, or shoot beams of heat from his eyes. All she knows is that he was a smart kid who was bullied who then did his best to be 'average' and unnoticed. Frankly, there are many out there who have had to do that (unfortunately).

Honestly why she hasn't realized by the end of the first book is beyond me.
I mean, she saw Clark without his glasses when he first arrived to the Planet. Then she sees Superman from a really close position, and then when she sees Clark again, he suddenly has glasses. I know she didn't really care about him at first but still.
Seriously, Lois, a kid would have made the connection by now. Perhaps you need glasses.

**super1man** · 11-05-2012, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by adkal

Based on what, though?

There's nothing she would have found that would have lead her to believe that Clark Kent is bullet resistant, able to fly, or shoot beams of heat from his eyes. All she knows is that he was a smart kid who was bullied who then did his best to be 'average' and unnoticed. Frankly, there are many out there who have had to do that (unfortunately).

Based on many things in volume 2:
1> Her obsession on finding out about Clark risking even being fired from the planet. I don't believe she would do this if she did not really thought Clark was hiding something very big. Its not mere curiosity.
2>The news anchors are shown joking about Superman not doing all these just for fame and celebrity and just for doing the right thing and laughing about it while Lois is watching the news. This type of scene juxtaposes thoughts going on in the characters mind and she has come to realization that Clark is trying to be ordinary foregoing fame, celebrity or mere recognition and preferring to stay in shadow. She has a suspicion he is doing this for the RIGHT reasons.
3>Superman has given only one interview and that to a nobody like Clark.
4>Her realization of Clark's extraordinary smarts and resolve through his teacher and her seeing Clark destroying the stapler when he heard the news of Borada. Granted she may not have seen the stapler but it must have caused some noise. From this she can also fathom his frustation when he is not able to help people in need.
5> Superman repeatedly saving the DP staffs putting himself in danger.Ok he would do this for anybody but they do not know this. SUperman is still a cypher. Furthermore he is always in time to save them.
6>Perry's conversation with Clark where he talks about compassion where I believe Lois decided not to reveal Clark's secret. She had compassion for Clark who has a very lonely existence. If she revealed this news he would be even more lonely.
7>Lois telling Jimmy that Clark is extraordinary guy who deliberately chose to live under the rocks until he came to Metropolis. I believe she is not referencing his interview with Superman but about him being Superman.
8>Lois obviously believes in Superman hence her 'saving' him and giving him a chance.
9>Clark realizing Lois suspects something after his teacher's call and scanning her cabinet where he finds the file reads it and is shocked enough to drop the phone. Superman is shocked into dropping something -that significant.
10> Clark for the first time moving towards somebody at the end. I read it as him finally approaching somebody while Jimmy looks -even Jimmy finds this odd. If there were not something important in her report Clark would not be moved to do this. He had apparently not made friends in DP yet even though that was the reason he joined DP apparently in volume one which I don't have access to right now.
11>As we see the parasite report was filed by Lois and Clark only filed the suicide case. I take this to mean that like in new52 Clark does not do much Superman reporting which raises some suspicion.
12>She is Lois Lane - the goddamned best Investigative Reporter alive.

There are other stuffs which I cannot put into words but I believe all these points that Lois knows. Some of the points I wrote may seem trivial in itself but all these points I believe raises enough suspicion.

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by Auguste Dupin

Honestly why she hasn't realized by the end of the first book is beyond me.
I mean, she saw Clark without his glasses when he first arrived to the Planet. Then she sees Superman from a really close position, and then when she sees Clark again, he suddenly has glasses. I know she didn't really care about him at first but still.
Seriously, Lois, a kid would have made the connection by now. Perhaps you need glasses.

And the same doesn't apply to Perry who actually had a face-to-face with Clark over an extended period of time because..?

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by super1man

Based on many things in volume 2:
1> Her obsession on finding out about Clark risking even being fired from the planet. I don't believe she would do this if she did not really thought Clark was hiding something very big. Its not mere curiosity.

That wasn't because of her thinking or suspecting he was Superman. That was because he was an 'anomaly'. There was absolutely no reason for Superman to give the interview he did to an unknown and that's what got her suspicious. He's a clean slate, the type of person investigators jump on because there has to be a history as to why he's so clean (usually involves some sort of witness protection situation).

2>The news anchors are shown joking about Superman not doing all these just for fame and celebrity and just for doing the right thing and laughing about it while Lois is watching the news. This type of scene juxtaposes thoughts going on in the characters mind and she has come to realization that Clark is trying to be ordinary foregoing fame, celebrity or mere recognition and preferring to stay in shadow. She has a suspicion he is doing this for the RIGHT reasons.

You're superimposing your enhanced knowledge over what Lois knows. She has an awareness that Superman is doing the things he's doing for the right reason, but she's trying to figure out why he would choose Clark.

3>Superman has given only one interview and that to a nobody like Clark.

See '1' above.

4>Her realization of Clark's extraordinary smarts and resolve through his teacher and her seeing Clark destroying the stapler when he heard the news of Borada. Granted she may not have seen the stapler but it must have caused some noise. From this she can also fathom his frustation when he is not able to help people in need.

She didn't see the stapler break, and any noise made which grabbed her attention can easily be dismissed as being caused by something else. For example, when two of the wheels on my chair at work came off as I sat down in it, it didn't mean I'd suddenly gained a load of weight instantaneously; ditto here, there's noise but it's an office (newsroom) and these things happen.

Again, you're superimposing your enhanced knowledge on to Lois.

5> Superman repeatedly saving the DP staffs putting himself in danger.Ok he would do this for anybody but they do not know this. SUperman is still a cypher. Furthermore he is always in time to save them.

He's in time to save most people. The fact that the Parasite turns up at the DP in order to lure Superman out twice, first because they're the ones who had the big interview, and secondly, because it worked the first time, doesn't really give any further credence to your supposition. If the Parasite had remained in Paris then that's where Superman would have engaged him.

6>Perry's conversation with Clark where he talks about compassion where I believe Lois decided not to reveal Clark's secret. She had compassion for Clark who has a very lonely existence. If she revealed this news he would be even more lonely.

It's a story about a reporter, 'not that anyone would write home about reporters'...

Could you imagine (ignoring your 'she knows' theory for a moment), how such a story would begin? It would likely start with reference to the mysterious (and chaotic) arrival of Superman, a being with powers and secrets and about whom we (E1-folk) know almost nothing about. A being who gave his first and only (so far) interview to an unknown, to someone who didn't have a (current) job as a reporter; someone no one had ever read and almost no one knew. She would then likely go on to describe Clark's past, the promise, the intelligence, the suppression, the disappearing into the shadows, the anonymity...and opine about how those things may be something which this 'Superman' found he could relate to, that that was why he decided he could approach this 'Clark Kent' and have him tell his story. And then it becomes a 'puff piece' or, as another poster suggested, a 'feature' piece, much like the one Clark did on Eddie.

7>Lois telling Jimmy that Clark is extraordinary guy who deliberately chose to live under the rocks until he came to Metropolis. I believe she is not referencing his interview with Superman but about him being Superman.

Supposition on your part and, again, superimposing what you know on to Lois. There was nothing (as I mentioned in an earlier post) that indicated Clark had anything like the physical abilities Superman has. As far as that world is concerned, Clark Kent is Martha's nephew whom she and Jonathan raised as their own son and, as far as we know, there's nothing that Lois has discovered which reveals that to be a lie...

8>Lois obviously believes in Superman hence her 'saving' him and giving him a chance.

Again, superimposition (and supposition) on your part.

9>Clark realizing Lois suspects something after his teacher's call and scanning her cabinet where he finds the file reads it and is shocked enough to drop the phone. Superman is shocked into dropping something -that significant.

You were right about him dropping the phone, I had forgotten that. But the shock could just as easily be from the fact that someone has been looking into him rather than what they've found out. Again, there is nothing in Clark's past to show that he has powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

10> Clark for the first time moving towards somebody at the end. I read it as him finally approaching somebody while Jimmy looks -even Jimmy finds this odd.

Of course it's odd; Clark walked into their bay and just stood there looking at Lois who was looking at the bulldog-clipped documents in her hands. It was a 'yes, Clark, you're here because..?' look. [quote]

If there were not something important in her report Clark would not be moved to do this.

You're misreading what was there - he saw the material in the filing cabinet, there was an element of fear and apprehension with regards to what she may know, heightened by the phonecall from his former teacher, but the fact that he didn't do anything more (and we had seen he can move faster than someone can see) shows that although he moved 'slowly' there was a realisation that Lois didn't know The Secret. There's nothing in Lois' 'body language' or words to show that she knows unless you, as before, superimpose your own knowledge.

He had apparently not made friends in DP yet even though that was the reason he joined DP apparently in volume one which I don't have access to right now.

No, he didn't join the DP to make friends.

11>As we see the parasite report was filed by Lois and Clark only filed the suicide case. I take this to mean that like in new52 Clark does not do much Superman reporting which raises some suspicion.

Why would that raise any suspicion? Perry told him in the beginning not to rest on his laurels, so Clark has to seek out other stories. What's suspicious about that?

12>She is Lois Lane - the goddamned best Investigative Reporter alive.

As was Perry White before her - and he is the one who had prolonged face-time with Clark, not Lois. Lois barely acknowledged his existence when they first 'met'.

There are other stuffs which I cannot put into words but I believe all these points that Lois knows. Some of the points I wrote may seem trivial in itself but all these points I believe raises enough suspicion.

Your 'points' primarily only work because of your enhanced knowledge - and it's the same with the usual 'why don't people know they're the same person'. We only know because we're privy to the information, we see the 'whole' story, they don't.

**Eivion** · 11-05-2012, 08:51 PM

I just finished reading this one last night. I liked the first volume a decent amount so I was pleased to see this one was even better. I loved Clarks charaerization. I dug the media bits and government bits discussing Superman. And I was also quite pleased to see Lois not played for a fool this time around. The Parasite side of the story did little for me, but I though it was decent and the battles themselves were nice. The ending with the luthors left me excited for the next volume. I'm really curious to see just where JMS intends to go with this fairly different take.

**super1man** · 11-05-2012, 09:00 PM

Well those are still my reasons to believe Lois know. Guess we will have to wait for future issues for proof. I don't believe Lois will be this obsessive for something less and I believe the other clues lines up too. We will see in volume three or some other future issues. Hope they arrive sooner.

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 09:03 PM

With regards to 'a Lois who knows', she certainly knows in Family (and that's been a lot of fun so far). If you haven't done so, you should check it out.

**super1man** · 11-05-2012, 09:15 PM

Yeah Family is good. Anyway Lois should know in every modern Superman tales very early. Even the creators wanted that and I think its a very logical progression of the stories.

**adkal** · 11-05-2012, 09:25 PM

No disagreement from me on that part - it's a disservice to her character when she doesn't know. I was quite looking forward to what Perez seemed to be leading with - her knowing but not telling Clark that she knew - but, alas...