Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Doc Shaner, Steve Rude, Jay Fabok
Colours: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Cory Petit
Release Date: 6th June 2018

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Superman returns in the second weekly issue of The Man of Steel and things are not going well for Clark. The arsonist is continuing to burn down Metropolis, his own co-workers at the Daily Planet are giving him a hard time about Lois, and a danger is approaching the likes of which even Superman himself hasn’t faced.

Bendis spends a lot of this issue filling in the blanks from the opening chapter, giving us a long, hard look at the events leading up to the destruction of Krypton and clarifying exactly who pulled the trigger and let Rogol Zaar off his leash. Meanwhile back at the Planet, we can feel the tension from the entire crew there as they all struggle with the sudden disappearance of their star reporter.

The book continues to show its heart with some good-natured jabs from a Justice League colleague and, of course, Clark’s pal Jimmy Olsen, but there is also a much darker undertone running throughout the tale. The disappearance of Lois and Jon at the end of last issue has still not been explained with Clark very much still trying to get answers to that mystery on his own.

Fabok, Rude and Shaner illustrate the adventure with action-packed, detailed panels featuring everything from a dramatic battle against a giant robot to the concerns of editor-in-chief Perry White about the state of news reporting today. These are two very different scenes but both are given the same excellent attention to detail that ensures they both get the elevated importance they deserve.

Sinclair keeps the art consistent by once again, bringing his colours to the book and really breathing life into the events. As before, the book has a vivid and vibrant appearance which really help the series shine regardless of the medium it is being displayed on.

The mystery surrounding the Kents and the impending battle between Supes and Rogol Zaar (as previewed in the pages of Action Comics 1000) is likely to really heat up next issue and I couldn’t be more excited. Bendis has already proven how well he can handle a plot-heavy narrative woven around an action-based adventure and we are really starting to really get a glimpse of that this issue. The artists working on this book have been doing Superman justice and I have to admit despite the concept being truly ridiculous, I have really been enjoying the return of the iconic red shorts.

Superman’s newest venture continues to move forward adding urgency and intrigue as it trucks along. This is likely to be an important addition to Superman and Krypton’s back story and I am looking forward to seeing just how much of the current status quo changes as a result. Any fan of Superman should have this title on their weekly list already, as it’s shaping up to become the one book comic book fans everywhere will be talking about for a long time to come.

Rating: 5/5.

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[PREVIEW ARTWORK]

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The writer of this piece was: Dave MacPhail
Dave Tweets from @ShinKagato

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