Brian Michael Bendis’ The Man of Steel, the writer’s debut at DC Comics, may not have been dazzling, but it laid some important groundwork. Superman is not only one of DC’s most important characters, he is one of the most important characters in all forms of literature. After over a 100 years of stories about the hero, keeping things fresh and interesting can prove a challenge to any writer. Even Bendis is bound to struggle with the task at first. He may not have provided a particularly interesting villain in the first issue, but you likely will not care once you read this week’s installment.
Bendis’ ability to write dialogue is nearly superhuman itself. He brings the same kind of quippy heightened speech that can be found in the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is, however, much more difficult to make this kind of dialogue work on the page. All the tone and inflection of the characters must be assumed by the reader. All that is there to guide them is Bendi’s dialogue and the art. Somehow, this works.
Superman is always the most interesting when he is most vulnerable. Too often, the character is represented as a perfect being. That has been used effectively to increase the depth of other characters, but it always leaves Superman as the least interesting. It’s not quite fair. Bendis does a great job in finding Superman’s humanity. A constant parallel is drawn between his impenetrable body and his child-like emotional intelligence. Seeing Superman hurt is not easy or fun, but it’s endearing. Bendis knows exactly how to work his audience.
The only time this issue slows down is when we are brought back to the villain’s side of the story. Perhaps this will no longer be a problem once the two meet, but staying interested in Zaar is an almost impossible task. There’s too much mystery and not enough about him that is uniquely threatening to Superman. While you’re on Earth with Clark Kent and the Daily Planet staff, however, none of that really matters. It’ll make you want to take an assignment from Perry yourself and grab Jimmy Olson on an adventure in Metropolis. The fictional city almost breathes under Bendis’ control.
The next issue is likely to be the big showdown that was teased at the end of Action Comics #1000. A large action set-piece will be a nice change of pace, but one can only hope that The Man of Steel manages to maintain this emotional depth during the violence. We are left here with more questions than answers, but far more of a reason to come back next week.
Final Score: 8/10
10 DC Comics Heroes That Should Be In The Next ‘Justice League’ Movie
The Justice League is DC’s premiere superhero team. These characters are the biggest names in the DC Comics universe. Zack Snyder’s Justice League movie introduced six members to audiences in the form of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash.
Despite the first Justice League film underperforming, there appears to be a sequel in some form of active development over at Warner Brothers. Based on the first film’s post-post scene, the team could be facing off against the Legion of Doom, so it appears the Justice League may need some extra assistance. Luckily there is a wide array of DC characters from the comics to pull from to strengthen the team’s roster.
Here are ten DC Comics heroes we would like to see in the Justice League sequel. Click Next to get started!
The post The Man Of Steel #2 Review: Bendis Keeps Superman Human appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.
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