In the first pages of Lois Lane #5, Lois finds herself in a conversation with a seatmate on an airplane about the trustworthiness of journalists. After Lois, her new temporary friend, that journalists are not simply allowed to make stuff up, she’s asked: “who keeps you from doing it anyway?” It’s a good question, and it’s one that helps make Lois Lane one of the freshest, most politically relevant books on the stands right now.

After last issue’s detour into the larger DC Universe, Lois Lane #5 gets back to its focus on old-fashioned investigative journalism (or just old-fashioned investigation). Lois goes back to researching the current administration’s policies of separating children from their parents at the border. He spends most of the issue reassuring a whistleblower in Washington DC of her privacy as Lois pursues the lead. Back in Chicago, The Question (Renee Montoya) continues investigating the assassination that Lois was caught in the middle of a few issues ago. Renee is from Gotham, she reminds us, and has picked up a few tricks of the trade.

Greg Rucka’s writing on this book continues to soar. He understands both Lois and Renee intimately, and he uses their personalities and drives to ask larger questions about the world around us. That he does all this while still crafting a gripping thriller is more than impressive.

Mike Perkins’ art (with colors by Gabe Eltaeb and letters by Simon Bowland) is excellent as well. Perkins makes the action of the Renee Montoya sequence thrilling and hard-boiled. Even more impressively, the sequence of Lois walking around Washington with her source manages to be visually stunning as well despite being just a conversation between two people. 

It’s thrilling to see as powerful a team like this one tackling as iconic a character as Lois Lane. They really are creating the comics equivalent of a prestige cable drama, and it really is one of the best books on the stands. Highly recommended.

Grade: A+