WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Checkmate #4, on sale now from DC Comics.
It's only fitting that Lois Lane's family be just as complicated as Superman's. Both husband and wife have had to recently reconcile what kind of people their fathers were, but Lois, in the course of her work alongside Checkmate, has stumbled upon a shocking discovery. It turns out she has had a secret half-brother this entire time. The revelation is shocking, but could actually provide Lois with a much-needed adventure. With her husband going off into space and her son taking up the mantle of Superman, Lois could use this to keep herself busy and build a real relationship with the brother she never had growing up.
Lois had already been propositioned by Mark Shaw's Leviathan to join, but she had flatly refused -- though in the process, came to suspect that she had been exposed to some kind of secretive brainwashing technology. Retreating with her husband to the Fortress of Solitude in Checkmate #4 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev and Dave Stewart, Lois underwent numerous medical examinations to make sure everything was fine. During the wait, she took the opportunity to talk to Clark about everything she had been dealing with, including her hatred for Mark Shaw, her fears about where the world was heading, and how frustrating her father's last words could be.
He told Lois about the "snowman's ticket" a phrase Lois did not understand at all. But when she discovered a little snowman figurine among her father's possessions, she couldn't brush it aside. Lois carried it with her all the way to the fortress but was no closer to understand its meaning. That is, until Clark revealed that there was a slip of paper inside the snowman.
Popping off its head, Lois and Clark took turns examining the paper. It was a birth certificate for Leonardo Lane, better known as the Daemon Rose. His father was listed as Samuel Lane, but his mother was someone as of yet unknown. This confirms that he is in fact Lois' brother, one hidden from her all her life. But it also raises many questions. Why was he hidden? Who is his mother? And most important of all, how will Lois handle this new information?
Her home life is already incredibly complicated. She and Clark are still grappling with losing so much time with their own son because of Jor-El, but there are many recent events impacting them as well. She's still dealing with the grief of her father's death. And most recently, Superman's decision to take the fight to Mongol on Warworld. Adding a massive family secret on top of all that might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
And yet, Lois Lane has always thrived under pressure, so an adventure might actually be what she needs right now. Lois has been acting as support for her husband and son, but hasn't had the chance to pursue her own adventures until recently.
A quest to find her long-lost half-brother would be right up her alley as it would require all of her investigative skills to track down a master spy. Both Lane siblings are ordinary people in a world full of extraordinary people. As much as she loves her husband, there are undoubtedly parts about her experience that he just can't understand. Having a brother in the same situation could be very useful in the future.
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