The flashback here, as they have been, were handled by Dustin Nguyen, and he does a great job at setting these apart from the modern day story. There's a lot of power and subtlety needed in these flashbacks and Nguyen really nails it. John Kalisz's colors really set the scene. The gold colors take the power within Clark and unleash them with his anger. Read Full Review

While this may not be the original ending Snyder and Lee had in mind when this series started, it was a fitting one nonetheless.  The combination of story and art is second to none which only makes this finale all the more bittersweet.  However, I will focus on what we got instead of what could have been because what we got was so damn good. Read Full Review

The culmination of so many diverse elements make Superman Unchained #9 as satisfying a conclusion as anyone could hope for without enduring more delays. It makes all the right personal and emotional connections without getting too melodramatic. It's only real shortcoming is that the aftermath of this beautifully crafted conclusion is somewhat lacking. We don't get to see how Lex Luthor or General Lane react to Superman's thorough rebuke of their criticism. We're just left to assume they're all banging their heads against the wall in frustration. It might not be the most poetic ending, but it will still feel as sweet and satisfying as any piece of chocolate. Read Full Review

Wraith proved to be a phenomenal antagonist because he challenged Superman on such an innate psychological level that you almost forgot about the big brother physical strength he had over him as well. While it may be back to the mediocre storytelling for the Last Son of Krypton, this series is a perfect example of how to portray him in 2014. Read Full Review

The conclusion brings symmetry to the nine-issue story, as the explosive ending to the battle recollects the Nagasaki bombing shown in the arc's opening scene in issue #1, and brings The Wraith's involvement in both to a redeeming and positive close. "Superman Unchained" #9 brings the entirety of the series to a positive close, as well; a series that has consistently outshined the other Superman titles during its run. Read Full Review

When you mix great writing and superb artwork, you're left with a strong series that I'm sad to see end. The good news is I have all nine issues so I can relive this adventure again and again. Read Full Review

Superman Unchained #9 is a mostly satisfying conclusion to Scott Snyder's tale of the modern Man of Steel. The themes he's been playing with throughout this series find their way home in this conclusion with an apt explanation of Superman's modern day modus operandi. Unfortunately, some aspects of this conclusion just feel a little too neat resulting in a somewhat deflated conclusion. Jim Lee's pencils help to sell the explosive action sequences found in this issue, and really help to aid to the overall success of this issue and the series as a whole. Read Full Review

With the conclusion finally in your hands, Superman Unchained #9 represents the closing of a stylish narrative loop that demands a bit of thought and a lot of compassion from the reader. Snyder and Lee have done Clark proud. May they be appreciated for it by all who hold this Kryptonian near and dear to their hearts. Read Full Review

But I do feel that these last two issues were almost too fast, barely explaining the intricacies of what was happening. 'Aliens are responsible and they are going to attack. Let's blow them all up.' That fast resolution flies in the face a bit to the slow, simmering, suspenseful unfolding of the early issues. Still. I will miss this book. Like Lex's candle, it burned brightly and then went out. Read Full Review

Overall I really liked the story and loved the art, but it was off-putting that DC could think it could push back issues for as long as they did. Superman Unchained was a good story and had it been left alone to the timeline it might have been great. Read Full Review

No surprises on how solid the finale is, but on how it could have been so much better. Read Full Review

I did enjoy this issue, and I worry that I have been too harsh on it. As a series overall I would give it a 9/10 (and you should definitely pick the collection up when it comes out next month), and with a re read I may feel more generous towards this issue too with the rest of the story more fresh in my mind. It is still a decent end to a great series, and I wish that it was going to carry on as an ongoing (just without the delays!). Check this out at your LCS or digitally. Read Full Review

So, nine issues and lots of 'splosions later, we don't know anything more about Superman and his cast - except that they're all lovely to look at. Read Full Review

Still, after waiting over a year for a nine issue series to end, it could have turned out a lot worse. The issue is still an exciting finale to the series that makes great use of Jim Lee as an artist not just to create an insane level of scale in the action scenes, but also to slow things down and create some really poignant scenes. Dustin Nguyen, honestly, was rather misused for this series as his artwork was often relegated to backup stories and only got to create the flashback scene that finishes here in two of the issues, but still created a beautiful scene that contrasted nicely with the style of Jim Lee's artwork. The biggest disappointment of "Superman Unchained" is that fact that this issue showed the potential of the series more than any other as Scott Snyder used the world-ending threat present in the story to really dig in deep and explore how he views Superman. It's just a shame that it was buried under more subplots than a nine issue series can handle. Read Full Review

That's not to say Superman Unchained is without merit. Lee and Nguyen's work here is outstanding. That message is being borne out by other critics though and is self-evident given the body of these artist's work. The problems found within the story of Superman Unchained is too obvious and too troublesome to not be drug out and examined though. If this were a simple action romp, perhaps it would be easy to ignore, but that's not the case. It has been presented as an "important" Superman work from significant creators. It's a comic that treats itself as being significant. Given any sort of serious examination, Superman Unchained #9 quickly falls apart. It is revealed to be a calorie-free romp that hides very ugly moral positions beneath magnificent artwork. Read Full Review

Generally I was very pleased with this mini-series.First of all the art was stunning, Jim Lee was really at his finest.About the plot, maybe had some downs but still was clever and emotional, even the flashback story was meaningful and the twists left me satisfied.

Scott Snyder did something he does so often: following up really tense plot buildup with a finale that goes poof! Luckily, while Jim Lee's art was about the big explosive action sequences, Snyder's writing was not. Throughout the series, he had questioned the existence of Superman and he gave a resounding conclusion that only reaffirmed my trust in his writing. Which reminds me, read Wytches. Even if you don't like horror. Wytches may very well make you like horror.

Fine, but forgettable