The Daily Planet and Lois Lane, and she's putting her authority to the test in new cover art by living legend Ramona Fradon. This exclusive variant cover puts Lois and Fradon front and center, just as they deserve.
Ramona Fradon provides the pencils for a Golden Age-themed and Lois-focused variant cover of Superman #4 (the issue itself is by Joshua Williamson, Nick Dragotta, Jamal Campbell, Frank Martin, and Ariana Maher). Fradon, Sandra Hope, and Trish Mulvihill set a chaotic scene in this exclusive variant cover: Lois Lane, the new editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, stands tall in a crowd of her employees. Whether they're online shopping, gossiping, or setting fire to their trash, it's clear they're not working, and it's even more clear Lois Lane isn't happy about it.
Ramona Fradon Cover Celebrates Lois' New Status
The cover's dressing - including the Superman logo, the DC stamp, and even the caption reading "the Daily Planet bullpen is in shambles!" - evokes classic Golden Age superhero comics. All that speaks to Fradon's vintage style and iconic history. Born in 1926, Fradon began drawing for comics in the late 1940s and early 1950s, going on to co-create characters like Aqualad and Metamorpho during the Silver Age. Now, she brings her iconic style to another iconic DC woman: Lois Lane.
Lois Lane Runs the Daily Planet
In its efforts to revamp and refresh the Superman line of comics, DC has been putting more of a focus on the Superman Family of characters instead of just the Man of Steel himself. This refreshing change of course includes Lois Lane, who recently got her first Daily Planet promotion in decades. After Perry White suffered a heart attack during the events of Action Comics #1050, Lois was promoted to (interim, for now) editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, where she famously works as an investigative reporter. Though Lois certainly misses working her beats and writing the news, she's been taking charge as the Planet's head honcho (and therefore her alien husband's boss).
Ramona Fradon & Lois Lane Are Titans of DC
Lois Lane was destined for the editor-in-chief role from her first appearance in Action Comics #1 - she has, after all, been around for just as long as Superman himself. Though Ramona Fradon hasn't been in comics for as long as Lois herself, it's a fairly close race, and it's beyond delightful to see Fradon continue to contribute to her ongoing legacy with a cover as joyfully goofy as this one. This Lois-focused variant is already pitch-perfectly charming in its zaniness and spoofiness, but it's made all the more pitch-perfect knowing Fradon's history with comics and DC in particular.
Lois Lane is a fictional legend, but Ramona Fradon is a living legend. Her contributions to comics and to DC in particular are essential - there's a reason she was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006. For better or for worse, this Superman #4 variant is a 1:50 exclusive ratio variant cover, meaning it will likely be hard to find, but Lois Lane fans everywhere should be grateful to have such a fun, Lois-starring cover by Fradon, a woman who is still making a truly meaningful impact on the world of DC Comics.
Check out Superman #4, available now from DC Comics!
