Review by Karl Verhoven
Christopher Priest co-plots Lost with artist Carlo Pagulayan and they open with a creative showing of who Superman is and what he can do. He’s at home with Lois Lane when an emergency occurs causing him to fly off. She falls asleep at the keyboard, and when she wakes Superman is staring out of the window and says he’s been gone for twenty years. On a mission with the Justice League he was the only one equipped to investigate a threat, which resulted in his being transported across the galaxy. Despite the Justice League segment being ordinary, it’s a strong opening statement. “You collapsed a quantum singularity. And lived to tell about it?” an alien asks admiringly, “You. Just you and your cape.”
The problem for Superman is that he has no idea where he is. There are no focal points of familiarity and the universe is a very big place. Priest and Pagulayan emphasise that throughout. The third chapter opens with Superman figuring he’s heading in the direction of Earth, but even flying as fast he can it will take him seven months just to cross the galaxy he’s in. Flying as fast as he can isn’t the usual proposition either as he’s nowhere near a yellow sun, so dependent on a form of spacesuit.
His reactions to his situation result in some known faces and more prominent new creations designed to test Superman and have him question himself and his values. Pagulayan supplies suitably expansive art bringing home the wonder of the locations and the power of Superman. At times the wonder is greatly enhanced by Jeromy Cox’s colouring, but it begins with Pagulayan, and a brave move is dressing Superman in white for much of the story. Lee Weeks contributes a brief interlude about Superman’s future, and Dan Jurgens more pages as Superman takes on Luthor, both good artists producing good art.
The thought put into Lost isn’t just about creating new places, it’s extended to consideration of what state Superman would be in after twenty years away from home, despite only a few hours having elapsed on Earth. How will he cope with everyday life? How will he cope with masquerading as Clark Kent again? Will his relationship with Lois suffer?
Under a title with several interpretations, much of Lost is spent in a single location around a dying sun, with the consequent weakening of Superman’s powers. It features contradictory political systems, and one extremely weak piece of plotting where a character just disappears as far as Superman is concerned, but it’s fascinating for the most part.
Eventually Superman returned to Earth becomes the leading narrative, and while it adds another meaning to the title, it’s where Lost slightly derails. The events causing Superman to battle Luthor have an improbable and overly sensational prompt, although the writers wriggle their way out of that well enough. Better is the way the news story mentioned at the very start runs throughout, and as ever, so much depends on the ending. Priest and Pagulayan pull it off. Lost is one thing this graphic novel should never be.
