Man of Steel

Brian Michael Bendis made a big name for himself as a writer for Marvel.

He made his name by making a new impact on “Ultimate Spider-Man,” “Daredevil” and “New Avengers.”

So, moving to DC, Bendis took on the biggest cheese in the superhero world: Superman.

“The Man of Steel” collects his first story arc with Superman.

With “The Man of Steel,” with artists Jason Fabok, Jim Lee and others, Bendis creates a cinematic Superman via the printed page. 

Lois Lane and son have left The Daily Planet and Clark Kent. Editor Perry White and The Planet are facing the 21st century struggles of newspapers and the situation is not helped by the loss of star reporter Lois Lane.

Meanwhile, an executioner from the cosmos wants to execute Superman. The creature destroyed Krypton and wants to kill Superman, Supergirl and the residents of the bottle city of Kandor to finish the job.

Bendis juggles multiple time lines with deft suspense. He juggles and weaves characters and storylines seamlessly.  

After 80 years and thousands of stories, it’s hard to imagine anything new for Superman. A character that is also referred to as the big blue Boy Scout.

But Bendis finds new angles to Superman. He takes relationships in new directions and commits to events that topple long-standing Superman traditions.

Bendis’ work continues in the monthly title and more story arcs have been collected and published.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman by Brian Michael Bendis.

Definitely worth a look.