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Lois Lane #11 hits readers with a bombshell reveal that had even me as a long time The Question and Renee Montoya fan knocked to the floor with surprise. This is the penultimate issue of the series and things have really come to a head. Everyone is really coming to terms with who they are and their inherent flaws while also banding together to deal with the larger threat. Lois Lane #11 really knock the socks off of me and here is me explaining why.
Renee and Lois’ Relationship
At the end of Lois Lane #10, Renee was shot in the stomach and was bleeding out. Greg Rucka is one of my favourite writers and I know Renee is practically his baby, but if he is known for one thing that is that he never pulls his punches. I was worried that Mike Perkins and Greg Rucka were really going to do it, killing off my second favourite fictional character of all time. Thankfully they didn’t, but instead, they handle her death much like her best friend and mentor, Vic Sage, handled his first death.
Renee dies for just a few moments and is resurrected by the intervention of the would-be assassin that had struck the final blow, the Kiss of Death. I will get to her in a moment and that reveals her identity, but first I want to focus on what this means for the characters of Renee and Lois. At first, Lois begins to panic, thinking that her plan has fallen apart, and she got her newfound friend killed accidentally. She makes a gamble on the Kiss of Death’s identity and is right, thus saving the life of Renee. Meanwhile, Renee has a literal death and rebirth experience. I love that conversation that Renee and Lois have at the end where they admit their mistakes.
Lois is a reporter, she believes the truth must come out, but also knows that the truth can be twisted to fit many narratives. So while there are some truths she keeps locked away as secrets, she sees this as necessary for the greater good. But her keeping the secret of the Kiss of Death from Renee nearly cost her Renee, and she admits this is a problem she must learn from. Meanwhile, Renee has learned to be a little bit less reckless in her actions. Trust has been built, further strengthening this team-up that you never knew you wanted until now.
The Kiss Of Death’s Real Name
The big twist in Lois Lane #11 is the identity of the Kiss of Death. This mystical assassin is actually Elicia Sanchez from a previous Greg Rucka penned Renee story called Crime Bible: The Five Books of Blood. This miniseries from nearly fifteen years ago was about Renee tracking down the remnants of the Religion of Crime after the events of 52. While she was doing this, the Religion of Crime itself was testing Renee with various trials based around the seven deadly sins.
Crime Bible: The Five Books of Blood #2 was based around the sin of lust and featured a character named Elicia Sanchez. She was a high-end prostitute that was hired by the Religion of Crime to corrupt Renee and seduce her. While she did manage that, she also fell in love with her target and Renee fell in love with her as well. This caused complications in their plans, so they captured Elicia and performed a magical ritual that cursed her. We were never given the specifics of the curse until now. The way Greg Rucka masterfully weaves in some of his old plot and character developments from before the New 52 reboot is amazing.
He uses the fact that Rebirth happened as an excuse to bring in his old ideas and play with them. The idea of memories from other universes slipping into the minds of the current DC universe is fascinating in its own right, and now he’s doing this to take it to the next level. The fact that as the Kiss of Death, Elicia figures out she is killing the woman she loves so sacrifices her anti-life force to save her is a great emotional moment. The Kiss of Death has become a new being in a way, a Kiss of Life if you will.
Lois Lane #11 Had My Jaw On The Floor
Lois Lane #11 was an amazing read. This once again proves that this series is just Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins’ little sandbox to play with the DC universe as they see fit. For many Renee fans, the touches to old continuity that I thought had long been forgotten is much appreciated. I can’t wait to see how this maxiseries wraps up.
