This issue had me hyped up even as I knew it was rapidly running out of pages. Bendis, Reis and company are making good on the promise to take Superman to an exciting new level with different challenges and threats. Read Full Review

The writing is fast and funny. Bendis is killing it here again and is firing on all cylinders. The art by Reis is tops. This is a great comic that has another fantastic chapter here. Keep it up, guys. Read Full Review

The story is building nicely and the tension escalates quickly. Read Full Review

Ivan Reis and the rest of the creative team deserves so much love for the art in this comic. It's just beautiful. Given the opportunity to play around with Earthly backgrounds and Phantom Zone landscapes, the art does not disappoint in any regard. The colors, faces, and everything else all pop with a level of expertise that immerses you in the story. This book is just a glorious display of creative ability. Read Full Review

I haven't mentioned the art individually in panels but we are given excellent splashes of Zaar beating up the thugs and a close-up of the troops heading to the Planet. And throughout, we see such iconic shots of Superman you understand why he is such a presence. Great stuff. Okay, I don't quite understand the Phantom Zone yet. And I still don't love Zaar. But everything about this issue seemed to click. I think Bendis 'gets' Superman. Read Full Review

I cannot wait for more of this. Bendis has me (someone relatively apathetic about Superman) excited for the next issue. If you are a fan of Superman, I'm sure you'll love it. And if you were like me and a little on the fence about the Man of Steel, I urge you to pick up this new run of SUPERMAN because I was pleasantly surprised by it. Read Full Review

This story continues to grow in complexity as Bendis adds layers to the Rogol Zaar character and pulls in characters from Superman's rich history. One can only hope with great anticipation that Bendis will be able to stick the landing when this conflict blossoms to full impact as this story arc inches toward its conclusion. Read Full Review

It doesnt seem like its going to be one for the ages, but its very much a solid Superman story, one that wont disappoint long time fans. Read Full Review

Bendis' time on Superman is off to a great start. With the entire Earth in peril, there's plenty of high-stakes action. Throw in a bunch of guest-starring heroes, some nods to DC history, and a dash of humour, and you have the perfect recipe for a first-rate Superman tale. Read Full Review

Superman #3 continues what has been a refreshing start to this run. I like Bendis take on Supes and Reis, Prado, Albert, Sinclair and Reed deliver strong visuals that are quintessentially Superman. The total package is an enjoyable chapter in what has been a solid arc so far. Read Full Review

Im stilltrying to reconcile Superman with Action Comics. Both are written byBendis, but there seems to be two individual storylines taking place. Perhaps Ivemissed allusions to one or the other, or maybe it will all make sense later on.Im willing to be patient " for now. Read Full Review

While I'm digging Bendis' run in Superman as a whole, the frustration of world-shattering events like this within the book – and from the outset – just rankles me even after all these decades of reading comics. I didn't expect it to be as small as it was with the fires and everything but I dislike the whole go super big thing from the get-go. While the Superman/Justice League side didn't do much for me, I enjoyed what we got out of Jax-ur and how he was trying to handle the strange creature that is Rogol Zaar. It made for some good dialogue, a bit of appropriate snark, and a setup for what should be a crazy bit of action the next time around as we get a cross-Zone invasion going on. I'm still iffy on Bendis at times with this book but Reis and Prado deliver some great stuff out of the ideas Bendis is coming up with. Read Full Review

Superman #3 has plenty going on and captures Superman's voice and approach perfectly as it slowly builds to something bigger. Read Full Review

SUPERMAN #3 find its strongest aspect within its phenomenal imagery. However, the work's struggles to characterize its titular hero and establish a dynamic pace contributes to another installment that feels static and repetitive. Read Full Review

Superman #3 expands on an increasingly epic story with beautiful artwork and a growing threat of war. Although it requires an understanding of events in both the Man of Steel miniseries as well as the Superman ongoing, its well worth the read for those following this large-scale story. Read Full Review

Zaar continues to be an over-the-top cartoon of a villain, and the dialogue from many of the cameos is off. It looks fantastic, but nothing in the issue is as compelling to read as the one tragicomic scene featuring Adam Strange returning to where Earth should be and coming out very confused. Read Full Review

Brian Michael Bendis tries to show off both the speed and thoroughness of Superman as he flies from scene to scene, but the issue ultimately feels disjointed, even while Ivan Reis and inkers Joe Prado and Oclair Albert do some amazing work. Read Full Review

Ivan Reis' art is great and I love the level of detail in the characters, especially their facial expressions. The art complements the story really well and there are some definite moments where the action and drama are elevated in the art. A really great paced and rendered issue that kept me interested in what's to come. Read Full Review

The current arc of Superman may look pretty, but leaves much to be desired in terms of story. Read Full Review

The Last Son of Krypton shines in "Superman" but the shadow of the bland Rogol Zaar keeps this good book from being truly great. Read Full Review

While there were some glimpses of a story that I could really get behind, I still don't understand how the things in this issue can be going on.  Problems are just thrown out there willy-nilly and I don't understand the issues explanations to them while waiting for explanations to other matters at hand.  What I'm getting at is, there are some fun moments to this story and some amazing art, it's just that not everything is coming together to make a cohesive whole. Read Full Review

Superman continues to fail to impress. The story is basic, the characters are simplistic, and only the occasional insightful bit or amazing art keeps the series above water. Read Full Review

THE GOOD:

-Ivan Reis' art is perfect. An incredibly talented artist, you can tell he pours his soul into this issue, and that deserves recognition.

-I like this series better than Action Comics (not a popular opinion, I know) mostly because Bendis is much better at writing this kind of epic story. And this issue is no exception.

-I really like the supporting cast of recognizable faces, from both the hero and villain crowd, mostly because of Reis' depictions of them.

-Slowly but surely, Rogol Zaar is becoming a good villain. He has the menace down, as proven in this issue. My advice for Bendis, if he wants to make this a classic villain, is to make him more than a villain. Step into his psyche a little. I won't take off points for that though.

-The Adam Strange page was perfect. Definitely the funniest moment from Bendis's run so far.

THE BAD:

-I just have a very, very small nitpick, and it's that I wish the issue had a few downbeats. I think Bendis should veer from what he seems to be geared towards currently. 100% epic, huge stories for Superman, 100% smaller, more ground-based stories for Action Comics. Technichally speaking, a great comic has an equal amount of both elements. more

Despite not enjoying Bendis' Man of Steel miniseries, this and Action Comics are a pleasant surprise. I'm slowly warming up to Brian's dialogue and characterization of Clark, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. The reintroduction of classic Supes villain Jax-Ur and the incorporation of sidelined characters like Blue Beetle, Will Magnus, the Atoms, and Adam Strange are just icing on an already delicious cake.

Bendis and Reis's impressive run continues. Bendis's Superman is as spot-on as ever.

Just for the last panel alone, this issue is worth getting, in my opinion. And you can trust me, the story is equally good - I love how Bendis incorporates many different characters into his run, showing that Superman's world is not just Metropolis, but more. Way more. Justice League members have their 5 minutes, or a panel, to be specific, showing how the main events affect the entire planet. There's Bats, and there's Flash, Mr. Terrific, and there's even Livewire, whom I warmly welcome after period of absence.
Now when I think about her, she could use a haircut, because while spiky blue hair can look awesome (ask Goku and Vegeta), her current look makes me wonder if all the time she wasn't featured in comics, she's spent playing in a hair metal band. Yeah, I digressed a bit.

Back to the story - Bendis aside from incorporating so many side characters, manages to add layers of depth and development to Rogol Zaar, squeezing as much as he can into this book. And I love that. Rogol started out as a pretty simple character - maybe not as one dimensinoal as Doomsday, but I've seen these two being compared. With every next issue, however, he's becoming only more interesting, and we have an opportunity to see his more intelligent side, contrasting to his typical brute warrior first look. To a degree, you could compare him to General Zod (some versions of him, at least).

This issue has my definite sign of approval. Highly recommend it, especially to those who up to this point weren't convinced Brian Michael Bendis was the right writer to pick up Superman's comics. You may be positively surprised with #3. more

Probably my favorite issue so far. We find out what caused the current crisis, the tension is ratcheted up with the Justice League being taken out of the equation, Rogol Zaar forms an alliance with Jax-ur (which surely can't last given Zaar's feelings about Kryptonians) and launches an attack on earth with only a Superman who is slowly losing his powers to stand in the way. The scene with Adam Strange would be funnier if I wasn't wondering how he was breathing in space. The reason Earth is in the Phantom Zone is mundane. It would have actually been cool if Livewire's attempted robbery had been the reason the experiment went haywire. I'm enjoying this story so far and the title shows improvement in each issue though there is something that holds it back each issue as well. This kind of story is not Bendis' strong suit but it is better here than other times he has attempted it. more

"S'not funny"

Earth is still trapped in the Phantom Zone. And while Superman tries to contain the situation and find a cause of it, Rogol Zaar is making some new friends. Among them "worst criminal in Kryptonian history".
Turns out that not every catastrophe that befalls planet Earth, and there is a lot of them, is a result of some big plan or grand design. Sometimes it might just be an accident.

Although this issue is kept in a rather serious tone, Bendis offers a few moments of levity. Not through dialogue or jokes but through just showing some funny situations, that are even better thanks to the amazing art. The page with citizens looting a store is hilarious.

Keep it up, Mister Bendis. I really enjoy your take on the Man of Steel. more

just kind of meh.. not bad at all. will keep reading. but.. meh.

from a base of 6, this gets a rating of: 6.

Some nice art but what is this nonsense? Action Comics is actually pretty decent right now but this is like a satire of a bad Superman story. There's no humanity in this.

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RBL - Sep 15, 2018

I feel you were a bit too generous with your score

VanillaCone - Sep 19, 2018

I went with a 5 to give the artist some credit but you're probably right!

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Ivan Reis deserves a better writer to work with. This is the best Bendis has to offer? Really? What happened to comics? 90% of them aren’t worth you’re hard earned money.

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RBL - Sep 15, 2018

bendis is by far the worst person to ever have shaping the future of the Superman family, that is clear and he has barely even started his run. I hope it’s cut short for the character’s sake.

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This story of this book is undeserving of the art that goes with it. Unlike the writing which maintains a standard of terribleness, the art is actually great, the covers in particular are fantastic and serve to lure in the reader to an underwhelming experience.

Story: Throughout the entirety of the issue Superman is portrayed as a blunt, no-nonsense taking jerk, far from the Big Blue we know. Rather than try to reassure people in what is a planet-wide crisis and maintain order, he just angrily shouts back at them as he attempts to control the situation. This however has nothing on the wordt attempt of a joke the issue starts out on, it missed the mark by miles.

Once again bendis clearly shows his disregard for all consistency in characterization as his generic alien warlord villain, Rogol-Zaar, engages in conversation with Jax-Ur, a kryptopnian villain. As a being shown hell-bent on the eradication of kryptopnians, why would he even entertain this when he was perfectly content with eliminating a planet just to claim the lives of 3 members of said species? His choice to lead Jax-Ur and his fellow prisoners is equally as ludicrous for an individual first portrayed as some sort of galactic peacekeeper.

The second “joke” in the issue, delivered by Adam Strange, when he travels back to Earth only to find the planet missing encapsulates the humor in this writing “ s’not funny.”

Showing multiple of the greatest minds in the DC Universe freaking out and unable to properly respond to the current predicament they face, having faced much worse multiversal threats, also diminishes these characters.

Due to this the ending leading up to an imminent battle of massive proportions just falls flat and fails to generate any anticipation for what’s to come.

Art - The art is great, without a doubt does more to carry the story than actual writing. Effectively the one good quality of this book.

bendis continues to deliver a half-assed product that seems more an affront to the Superman family than a worthwhile follow-up to the book’s past volume. Yet people continue to rate it 7/10 or higher, I find this bewildering. Such a score is easily double what the book actually deserves and change will not happen if so-called “critica” continue to be complacent and rate such poor work as highly as they do. more