Review: Superman #4

Synopsis:

Part four in the Unity Saga. Earth is trapped in the Phantom Zone and the last son of Krypton is desperately trying to find a way to restore the Earth to its rightful place in the Universe. If it’s not restored soon, it will be destroyed and most of the Justice League is down, leaving Superman to have to find the way all by himself, or will he?

The Creative Team:

Brian Michael Bendis continues his fresh take on the Man of Steel with part four of this series, he keeps us guessing and what draws the reader into this story is the feeling of desperation, as the opening narration tells us, he can’t defeat Rogol Zaar in physical combat. But Kal-El is taking on the creature that theoretically destroyed his homeworld. It’s intriguing because having his adoptive planet of Earth eaten up by the Phantom Zone is a situation that we’ve never seen in 80 years of Superman storytelling. We see a Man of Steel that is quick thinking and uses what resources he has, few as they may be, to his advantage. Great stuff includes the heart to heart conversation Superman has with his son, John Kent and his use of the Justice Leaguers who have not yet been taken down.

Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Oclair Albert give us some awesome visuals of the Phantom Zone and its strange creatures. Their panels are overloaded with Phantom Zone creatures and the action is superbly rendered. They have an awesome ability to transport us to this alien universe and their Superman art itself is some of the best ever! Highlights include the breathtaking opening splash page and The final surprise splash which sees Superman locked in combat with Zaar.

In Conclusion:

This is a can’t miss issue which pits our hero against an antagonist he apparently can’t beat. The fate of the planet is in the balance. Can Superman muster enough of what’s left of Earth’s resources to save our world? Are the few remaining Justice Leaguers up to the task of helping Kal-El in the ways that he needs them too? Just when it looks like this will be the final chapter of this tale, an unexpected guest star leads us… to be continued. **** (8.9 rating)

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Writer – Brian Michael Bendis
Art – Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert
Color – Alex Sinclair
Letters – Josh Reed
Publisher – DC

Author Profile

Kevin Given

Kevin Given has studied with â€œ Longridge Writers Group â€ and â€œ Writerâ€™s Boot Camp â€ a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the â€œ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter â€ franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of â€œ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter â€ # 1 and â€œ Files of Karl Vincent â€ # 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series â€œ Dracula Rising â€ (working title) and developing â€œ Foul Blood â€ into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given