Superman: The Truth Revealed

Superman. Clark Kent.

Readers and the general public have known Superman is Clark Kent for decades … for generations.

But in the comic book world, with the help of a pair of glasses, pushed back hair and few bumbling steps, no one realizes that mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent is the Man of Steel Superman.

Until now.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis continues upending Superman’s world while mining it for new storylines and angles by bringing possibly the biggest change of all … arguably even bigger than the “Death of Superman” saga a quarter century ago.

Superman reveals he is Clark Kent.

In the trade paperback collection, “Superman: The Truth Revealed,” Supes decides it’s time to come clean. 

After all, Clark is married to Lois (though cameras have caught her “cheating” by kissing Superman), they have a super son who aged several years while being gone in space for only three weeks on Earth, and the argument that he needs a secret identity to protect the ones he loves no longer flies because it’s general knowledge that everyone close to Clark is also close to Superman – Lois, Jimmy Olson, Perry White and the whole Daily Planet newspaper team.

So, Superman reveals he’s Clark Kent. 

“The Truth Revealed” deals with the ramifications of the announcement: A kid thanks Clark Kent for saving his life; Batman is jealous of Superman’s ability to have it all; Lex Luthor is a laughing stock because his genius could never deduce that Clark Kent is Superman, Clark no longer wears the glasses, trying to figure out if his reporter byline will still be Clark Kent or Superman …

The newspaper aspect is the most unrealistic point in the storyline – well, other than a man can fly. The Daily Planet keeps Clark/Superman on staff with the caveat Clark can no longer quote Superman as a separate source. 

But that is a point that would likely see him fired from any newspaper – Superman or not. Clark lied for years and essentially quoted himself in numerous stories while pretending he was someone else.

The Daily Planet would have to let Clark Kent go to even begin to recover its credibility as a reliable and independent news source.

That said, “The Truth Revealed” is a great read and an important one for anyone who has ever read Superman.