Alright, alright I'm back and I know as much as you guys hate my rants regarding the distate I carry for the largely unbearable Clark and Diana relationship that Geoff Johns is so eager to force feed down everyone's mouths, the latest issue of Superman -- number 14 to be exact -- left me curious about what DC is truly trying to sell.

It's no surprise to anyone that with the "rebooting" of the New 52, changes were to be made and separating Clark and Lois was the hardest hitting one of them all in regards to Superman. Now, I know some people appreciate the change, some cried out for the chance to allow Superman to stretch his legs, expand his horizons, etc -- but as of so far, little has been done to actually hold true to what they promised. For the majority of Superman's namesake title, we saw him sulking over Lois and her new "boy toy". Instead of trying to distance him from Lane as most fans would've assumed, they refused to do so and even hinted at a possible relationship between Clark and Lois' younger sister Lucy Lane. Great job at trying to distance the two characters DC and even if you tried to give them points for effort, the proposition of anything beyond friendship didn't even last beyond that last panel in Superman #12. It's kind of sad really, Clark really lacks any sort of chemistry with ALL the women that DC is trying to set him up with and the lack of build-up is quite disheartening.

Let me bring up the "relationship" that Diana and Clark have restrictively been sharing in the pages of Justice League. Besides putting aside the fact that in both Superman and Wonder Woman's main titles, each writer refuses to acknowledge the existence of said interaction between the two characters for the most part, little has been done to solidify the impact of what happened, nor does anyone really know about it. Selfishly enough and for reasons I'd rather not bring up again, it seems that Geoff Johns is eagerly trying to create this new "status quo" that he stated the two would be creating for the NewDCU and the example that everyone would apparently follow. Listen, I have nothing against Diana as a character. She's fantastically written by Azzarello in her namesake title and I'd like to keep it that way, but what Johns has been demonstrating in his Justice League title is hilariously annoying. But my distaste for John's work on team books is a story for another time.

Jumping back to Diana and Clark. Not once, in the entire series until the most recent issues (12-14), has there been any notable interaction between the two characters. A seemingly large amount of creepy stares emanating from Superman coupled with some apologetic moments and we're supposed to believe that these two can build together one of the most influential relationships in the New 52? Sorry, I'm not buying it.

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And then we have the icing on top of the cake. In issue 12 -- after Steve's dismissal as the League's liaison -- Diana takes his reaction and the entire situation poorly. Clark does what he does best and attempts to comfort her with "relatable" words. And in turn, out of the blue, with absolutely no build up or chemistry shown, a kiss is produced. The kiss that has had everyone talking since it's debut. Things were pulled back a little in following issues with Diana referencing the kiss as just a "spur of the moment" type deal and most recently in Justice League #14, we have Clark trying to comfort Diana once again and push the boundaries of their relationship by giving her a tour of his hometown and showing her the inspiration for his heroics. Unfortunately, that built up moment was short-lived again and another forced kiss was produced, this time with the always acceptable creeping from Batman.

Enough of that and finally moving onto Lois. As of so far in the New 52, even when regarding Action Comics -- which takes place five years in the past for the most part -- Lois has never looked at Clark as more than a friend but for him, it's much more than that. He's tried to win her affections and he's made it clear on several occasions. Sadly, Lois has only ever shown interest in Superman, despite having been Clark's partner for over five years at the Daily Planet before it's overtaking by Morgan Edge. In the last two issues of Superman (13 and 14), it has been clearly shown that Lois has decided to make things serious with her boyfriend; Jonathan Carroll. Obviously, this bothers Clark greatly and more than likely influenced his departure from the Daily Planet.

With Superman #14, we finally see Clark admit his feelings for Lois (to himself of course), dictating that even with the shared kiss he had with Diana, his true feelings for Lois never faltered nor weakened.

It's interesting to note this because it seems that not every writer that will be penning Superman is interested in making the relationship between Clark and Diana a priority and it's clearly evident with this most recent issue. On top of that, future writers Andy Diggle and Scott Snyder have both expressed great interest in Lois Lane as a character and a focus on her and Clark will be prominent. Of course, Diana is brought up, but it seems not everyone is exactly on board with what Johns is planning.

Anyways, back to Lois and Clark. We see some fun banter between the two characters in this issue. Lois remarking that her relationship with Clark is strictly friendship, albeit a strong one according to her. Clark calls her out on this in regards to not informing him about the move with Jonathan. Some more banter is thrown back, accusing Clark for being naggy, etc. The point I'm trying to make here is that -- in this single issue alone, several pages at best -- there is more chemistry shown between Lois and Clark than there has been in the entire series of Justice League up to this point with Clark and Diana. That's a sad fact to point out and should be a warning sign to the Editorial team at DC. Lois' feelings might try to be prevalent here, but it seems more just like a cover for something that she refuses to accept about Clark, true feelings that she might be keeping well hidden. Oh and one more thing, Rocafort draws one absolutely gorgeous Lois Lane.

But hey, these are just my useless thoughts. Everyone has their own opinions and are free to speak them. I know I'm not the only one who dislikes the forced relationship between Wonder Woman and Superman, but there also might be plenty of you who hate the idea that Lois might be returning into Clark's life as more than just a friend. Whatever the case may be, I hope DC decides to stop pulling marketing stunts and appeal to the fans once again.