Review: The Man of Steel #1
“Bendis is coming! Bendis is coming!” has been the chant from many a DC advert over the last few months, in much the same way the Yankees advertised that “Giancola Stanton is coming” prior to the start of this season. Much the same way that the Yankees bought Stanton to protect their biggest hitter, the Judge, DC went out to get Bendis to protect possibly their biggest icon, Superman. So now that he is here, what does Bendis bring to the table?
The issue starts with an alternative look at the fall of Krypton, building on the threats shown a couple of months back. Still, with Superman, there are threats from within and without, with an arsonist, a deputy fire chief and that’s not counting the problems Lois and Jon can bring to the game.
Brian Michael Bendis is a true comic book great, with a talent for writing serious stories about serious characters. It could be argued that with Superman he is taking on a character that it less damaged than he usual writes. Yet Superman’s issues may not be as obvious as, say Jessica Jones’, he still does have them. Regardless of his powers, at his core, Superman is always Clark Kent, the son of a farmer, corn-fed to believe in doing the right thing. The world in which he lives is very often not up to his standards, although Clark always believes that it will be. The idea of him feeling guilty because he overhears a girl singing is a priceless hint of Clark’s humanity. The introduction of a greater, previously unheard of, threat to Krypton may well be a step too far for some readers who bemoan the need to further complicate the classic origins of our heroes, but it does serve a point, with a more sanguine Guardian on hand to allow the passing of a fixed moment in time.
The art for the majority of the book is by Ivan Reis, who has been compared by some to Alan Davis and Neal Adams, both of whom have a classic style. What better style to use on such a classic character then? Reis’ carries a level of dynamism that looks great on Supes; the level of detail starts out great, with the fire situation and the deputy chief interaction deftly handled, with a level of subtlety that belies the move obvious elements you would expect to see in a Superman book. Joe Prado adds his inks to mix, giving a polished look to Reis’ pencils. Still, just when you thought all was good, the wheels comes a little bit until, like a shirt buttons popping on a pulled apart shirt, Jason Fabok steps in to again deliver such a high standard of art, I again question why he isn’t on a regular book! Colors are provided by the superlative Alex Sinclair, who may well be DC’s tour de force colorist.
So with all the hoopla surrounding Bendis, does his writing work in the DC Universe? In my opinion, Bendis, like Stanton, may be starting off slow, waiting to get the bases to get loaded before hitting the grand slam. I guess we will have to wait a few more innings to find out.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Ivan Reis, Jason Fabok and Joe Prado
Colors by; Alex Sinclair
Publsihed by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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