I called it. I seriously called this one. When I heard that
Brian Michael Bendis was coming over to DC, I wrote here that I hope they
didn’t throw him on Superman first. Whelp, I think something screwed up with in
the atmosphere or something because BMB came and did some Superman. Was it
everything I was hoping? Dreading? Both? Meh? You’ll find out below.
For those not in the know, Brian Michael Bendis made his
career with Marvel for a majority of the 2000’s. For whatever reason (I’ve
heard various rumors), he left his exclusive job at Marvel and came over to DC.
I think everyone was shocked by this especially me. I’m a BMB fan, but even
I’ll admit that he has his low moments. Remember Civil War 2? While he was on
the Superman books, he also helmed his own event (Event: Leviathan), revamped
the Legion of Superheroes, and handled a
line of teen superhero comics (Young Justice, Naomi, and others). Anyway, his
time on Superman came after what some would call a good period for the Man of
Steel. His history was back, his marriage was back, and he had a heroic kid in
tow. So, how does Bendis screw all that up? Well, he didn’t… sorta.
Here’s how it all panned out:
- Action Comics #1000 – a small side story that set up a new
villain and the return of Superman’s other ally… his trunks.
- Man of Steel (not to be confused with Byrne nor Zach Snyder)
– This set up the status quo with the Daily Planet and with the new villain, Rogol Zaar, an alien
who has a hatred for Kryptonians. We also have Lois and Jon Kent leave the book
to hang out with Jor-El Debarge… yeah, I’m sticking with that name for this
version. I talked about this mini last year.
- Superman #1-28 – With this book, Bendis pretty much goes cosmic on
us. If you want Superman in space kicking butt and taking names, this was the
book that had him on those adventures. First, we get “The Unity Saga.” Here, we
get a Phantom Zone story that deals with Rogol Zaar and more recognizable Superman
villains. Next, we get what is one of the first controversial moments with
Superboy Jon Kent. The saga then concludes with the fate of evil Jor-El as well
as some space shenanigans. After all that fun, we get The Truth (I touched on
that here), more Mongul, a team up with Dr. Fate, and some more space fun.
- Action Comics #1001-1028 – As for Action Comics, it was more grounded and
city-based. We get a lot of the Daily Planet here as well as a plot involving a
gang called the Invisible Mafia. We get to see more of the new faces that were
introduced in Man of Steel. While Clark is trying to figure out who the
Invisible Mafia is, we also have Clark and Lois (who returns) go through some
relationship woes. Add in a major tie-in to Event: Leviathan, and the return of
Rose/Thorn. Next, we get a major fight involving the Legion of Doom, Leviathan,
and Red Cloud (a new villain) in Metropolis, the meeting of the two Superboys
(Conner Kent and Jon Kent), and John Romita Jr. unfortunately returning to
Superman.
- Superman: Heroes and Superman: Villains – These two
one-shots were basically the reactions of the different heroes and villains to Superman
outing his double life.
- Superman: Leviathan Rising – This one-shot was basically another
prologue to Event: Leviathan and other Superman-related titles.
