Good for Brian Michael Bendis. He not only silenced the critics but he has created an amazing direction for a character that deserves the best. Read Full Review

So far, it's been very good. I'm especially happy to see the return of "smart" Superman - the hero works best when he isn't just depending on his muscles to solve problems. Read Full Review

As soon as I heard that Bendis would write a Superman book, I knew that someone would die, go missing or change drastically. I never imagined that my view of Superman would change because I would be made aware of his weakness. It's how Bendis tells the story that kept me engaged: I believe what I've learned about the hero. Superman's lifestyle, fighting bad guys and ignoring his family has consequences. In addition, Superman's departure from Krypton at a young age means that he didn't learn about his home planet or his family's traditions. It makes sense that Jor-El would be the one to teach Jonathan. I highly recommend this book to fans of Superman and DC. Read Full Review

Brian Michael Bendis and Jason Fabok deliver a spectacular finale to the miniseries. The focus on Clark as a father really tightens the series together, though it is frustrating that Rogol Zaar is still a complete enigma. Read Full Review

I was worried Bendis would ruin a great thing with Superman, but Man of Steel proved he's a strong fit for the character. If this mini-series was any indication, Superman is in good hands and readers are in line for some great stories. Read Full Review

Whether you love Superman, or just action comics, this book is for you! Read Full Review

I applaud Bendis paring down the current Superman lore without making controversial and irrevocable decisions (irrevocable being a rather fluid concept in the world of comic books). Taking Lois off the stage may have been a tough sell, but ultimately, I suspect it will be worth it. The era of Lois & Clark has been put on hold indefinitely, allowing a return to Superman " which is what we read the comics for, is it not? Read Full Review

Brian Michael Bendis delivers an entertaining and heartfelt conclusion to his miniseries with THE MAN OF STEEL #6. While the plot leaves you wishing for more, Bendis' grasp of the character of Superman is more than ever on display here. Combined with the power of Jason Fabok and Alex Sinclair's art, Bendis is able to deliver a terrific end to a Superman story. Read Full Review

Man of Steel #6 has some flaws, but the overall book was an exciting and explosive ending to the first Brian Michael Bendis Superman arc. Bendis, Fabok, and Sinclair did excellent work in this ending, and the book comes recommended. Give it a read. Read Full Review

With the final issues, Jason Fabok is the sole artist and it definitely looks great here under Alex Sinclair's color design as we really get into the heart of the family matters and wrap up, for now, the battle that has dominated the run. Read Full Review

The Man of Steel miniseries comes to a beautiful, action-packed close. Read Full Review

With all that said, Jason Fabok draws this issue like his life depended on it. You could print out any page he drew and hang it up as a poster. He really makes this issue worth reading whether you like the story or not. Read Full Review

Superman's new status quo leaves him and his family in a peculiar but exciting new position for the coming stories Bendis plans to tell. Who's been starting the fires? Why does Jor- Elwant Jon? When the hell does any of this take place inThe Man of Steel'scontinuity? Now that we finally know the answers to these questions, it is clear that Bendis has crafted an effective intro to his Superman run. Filled with levity, amazing character work and expressive art from Jason Fabok, thisinstallment is exactly the finalethat this series needed. Hopefully, Bendis will effectively capitalize on the work done here in the months to come. Read Full Review

The Man of Steel has been an exciting and fun book to read with plenty of action, suspense and some surprise reveals. Bendis has really proven his love for Superman, taking the best stuff from the Rebirth Action Comics and Superman books and adding to the established mythos in a meaningful way. This series has shown the humanity and love for his family that keeps Superman grounded and relatable, and that's exactly why the super powered Boy Scout continues to endure. This may be the end of this miniseries but Im willing to bet Bendis is not done yet and I couldnt be more excited to see what comes next. Read Full Review

The sixth and final issue of Brian Michael Bendis's The Man of Steel, featuring art by Jason Fabok and colors by Alex Sinclair, provides a coherent, reasonably satisfying conclusion to the meandering mysteries of the miniseries, sets up a potentially interesting new status quo, and largely succeeds even while none of it feels particularly awe-inspiring. Read Full Review

The Man of Steel #6managed to stick the landing and salvaged the series for me after a couple lackluster issues. Not all my criticisms were addressed, but Bendis does some good and intriguing character work that make the future of his series very interesting. The only thing missing is that family dynamic, but hopefully Bendis will bring Lois and Jon back sooner than later. Read Full Review

The first arc of Brian Michael Bendis' new DC run concludes with a mixed bag of an issue that sets the stage for some interesting subplots while also teasing us with what could have been. Read Full Review

This was the conclusion to an interesting and well done arc that established some intriguing mysteries for Clark and company moving forward. Unfortunately, the final conflict felt rushed. Read Full Review

    Its a good comic that sets up several things for the future, but its not as good as it was building up to be and thats a disappointment. As a whole, The Man Of Steel did a lot of things right and proves that Bendis can be a good fit for Superman, that he can mostly transcend a lot of the negatives in his work, and that he can set up things that may provide great stories down the pipe. This issue shows that he can still falter sometimes, though. Its a good comic in an otherwise great miniseries. So, sure, its a disappointment, but its a disappointment in that it wasnt as well done as the other five issues, but is still a worthwhile read. Read Full Review

What Bendis has laid out here is the potential for greatness as his run further accumulates, and there's already enough of a strong authorial handle to feel he's capable of achieving that - tics, quirks, and all. Read Full Review

In short, this mini-series has too many bells and whistles for me, while the narrative itself was stripped down to its bare dry bones. It did just enough to introduce a few new characters and a dope villain. Read Full Review

Our burning questions are answered, and we're left with the feeling that it was more interesting not to know. Isn't that always the way? The character Superman seems to be in capable hands going forward, but it looks like these stories may be taking the scenic route. Read Full Review

This is a prequel in every sense. It's setting up what's to come in Bendis' run and there's a lot of balls in the air. There's the fire storyline. There's Jonathan and Lois' adventure. There's Supergirl's quest. But hopefully, Bendis focuses on Superman/Clark home alone and a bit lost. His strength through this entire miniseries has been the heart of it all. While no individual issue really stands out, the package as a whole is an entertaining read. Read Full Review

While I still think Jor-El being alive is one of the stupider story elements DC has introduced in recent years (and, when you think about that, it's say a lot), Bendis does make use of it here to isolate and reset Superman to where he wants the hero heading into his new series. I'm curious to see where things go from here. Worth a look. Read Full Review

This was not the grand finale Man of Steel needed to salvage its self-indulgent pacing. It did not instill great confidence in the adventures continuing with Superman #1 and Action Comics #1. The story it was trying to tell was finished in a technically proficient manner, but the charm of a sympathetic Superman was lost halfway through the mini-series. Readers are left with a kind of sadness. While this may be what was intended, I have relied on Superman to be a beacon of hope in desolate times. I just want better for the Man of Steel. Read Full Review

An issue that feels like housekeeping, putting Superman in the back seat as others make all the hard decisions for him, and mostly setting up the writer's preferred new status quo. Read Full Review

Like I said before, some fans may want to continue reading Bendis' Superman after reading this issue since it sets up several factors that still need answering. However, some fans may feel indifferent or cheated about the events that folded out since this issue serves as nothing but a cliffhanger. All in all, The Man of Steel is a prelude for Superman and Action Comics, a prelude that caught my interest but could have done more. Read Full Review

Bendis' Superman prologue ends with more whimper than anything else, setting up nothing particularly interesting or exciting for the proper relaunches of Superman and Action Comics. Read Full Review

What could've been a stellar finale, feels very lackluster. But at least the cliffhanger hooks us in for what's next. Read Full Review

I'll probably read the upcoming Superman and Action Comics series out of morbid curiosity and my sense of duty as a critic to see how this all finally pays out. That being said, I wouldn't pay money for this book and neither should you. Read Full Review

So some major perplexing moments with Lois and Jon. So perplexing that I think they simply overshadow the Kara-tharsis I got. Maybe I would have felt better if we got more information about Zaar, a feeling of some closure within the mini. But we didn't even get that. Read Full Review

I don't know whether this was because the whole issue was drawn by Fabok, who is by all means one of my favourite artists, or Bendis actually improved from the last couple issues, but I really enjoyed this issue. It did give an ending to the story, which can be picked up again anytime (and it seems it will happen a lot sooner than later), as well as it gave a heads up to the upcoming storylines. I still don't know whether I will be reading the new Bendis' books, but if they're as good as this issue was, then it's all going to be fine.

I wrote the whole review, then the site went bonkers on me when I wanted to save it. The whole thing went to... well you get the idea.

So, bullet points:

- good writing (no awkward dialogue or characters acting silly)
- gorgeous art (Fabok's Superman looks majestic)
- family drama that felt emotional and real (as real as it can with a being that can fly and take a planet to the face)
- promise of an interesting story in both Action Comics and Superman

The art is great, and Bendis continues to understand Superman. And the new status quo might be very interesting. But we never come near to the truth about the big bad, and I am not quite sure why we need to have Lois and Jon off the board. I will be reading one of the Bendix series, but I don't know for how long.

It's a decent end of one thing, and a tease of another. We don't get answers to all of our questions, which I really like, actually, since they'll lead us to events in Superman #1 and Action Comics #1001. There was couple of revelations, not only the fate of Lois and Jon, but also, what will most likely face very mixed opinions, the huge arson plot twist at the very end of the issue.
Finally, when it comes to writing, I can not mention one thing I've been criticizing the run in the past - Kara's personality. Sufficed to say, I'm not a fan of that take on her character, and expect way more from her.
At least Bendis did really good job humanizing Superman, as well as providing him some interesting relations with his father and son. That's when the comic truly shines, in my humble opinion. more

Bendis literally tore Superman down to the bare minimum, even removing Kara from the equation to top it all off. I was ok with this issue, the storytelling was coherent and consistent, although I'm still not a big fan of Rogol Zorr. He seems like another generic alien villain hellbent on destroying worlds. We have at least a dozen of those already. Jor-El's recent developments still seem out of character. In short, I'm conflicted about the direction Superman is headed in.

Not a fan of what Bendis is doing. I was afraid that he would end up destroying some of the things that make Superman unique and great, and it looks like, I was right. He doesn't know how to deal with Superman having a wife and child, so he finds a way to get them out of the picture, while avoiding the backlash he would have received for permanently getting rid of them.

i liked the series for the most part. everyone being ok with jorel, a guy who hates humans, just taking the family on a space safari seems pretty stupid. but it didnt damper my feelings towards the series. why?

because supermans been a little bitch for a while now. theyve basically rewritten continuity to include his pussyass personality. plus, DC has no one editing or overseeing these stories. writers are allowed to not read canon and write whatever the fuck comes to mind. as long as social issues are blatantly addressed, no one gives a shit about canon.

SPOILER WARNING!!! (Or I'll send you with Jor-El)

Man of Steel is finally over and not a second too soon. Maybe it was the weekly format or Bendis already suffering from having to write so much (feels like he's writing 6 books currently looking at the solicitations) but I wasn't feeling this book. Whilst it started out great for the first issue, it dropped off majorly into a pile of caca poo poo, which is how I would sum it up. It has recovered slightly for this issue, but it feels like a band aid solution and issue at that.

Jor-El wants to take Jon to space with Lois after forgetting about Dr. Manhattan and Jon is concerned for his future of him committing mass murder using a solar flare. But, Jon doesn't have to worry, he has Jor-El who can train him and Lois agrees to come with Jor to assist Jon and remind him of home, whilst also writing a book that might raise questions from readers wondering how the author got into space. Clark talks with Lois before Jon listens in, and we also get a reason for why Supes is wearing the trunks again. Just forget all the times he wore them in Action Comics 1000. Superman and Supergirl also fight Rogol Zaar (which is a stupid name, but who am I to judge with Kal-El, Jor-El and Kara Zor-El being in the same issue) and imprisoning Zaar into the Phantom Zone, which we all know will end well. We finish with the league igniting lanterns to remember those in Kandor which seemed to be just to increase the stakes and go for shock value. Can't wait for that retcon for when someone wants to use Kandor in their Superman or Supergirl story. Ultimately this story can be skipped as everything will be summed up in Superman and Action Comics, which I am now worried about after seeing this arc.


Pros:
Art - Like always Jason Fabok's art was glorious throughout, especially with the Jor-El scenes.

Some emotional moments - Namely the Lois and Clark talks, Jon's motives and the lanterns for Kandor.

Cons:
Bendis Speak - Like all issues's in this arc, Bendis Speak was a problem with characters talking out of character and just filling pages. Whilst notably not as bad as issue's 4 and 5's "That Boy? This Boy? Me Boy" and the already mentioned "caca poo poo", the issue still suffers from it and lingers on topics for too long.

Bandaid Solution - Sending Rogol Zaar to the Phantom Zone, in which everyone knows he will escape.

Issue Summary: We solve our issues by either talking them out or teleporting them into prison where they will inevitably escape.

Arc Summary: Caca Poo Poo

Score: 6/10

Arc Score: 4/10 more

Well, I liked about half of this series. Unfortunately, it was the first half.

There was nothing particularly wrong with this series. There was also nothing particularly right about it. It was about as cookie cutter an intro to a run on Superman as we could have expected. This is "The Great One?" This was nothing. Meanwhile King's Batman #50 was everything and is being roundly trashed by readers. Some fans just like their comics simple, I guess. Never rock the boat and they're happy. Not I. Bendis has proven to me he's not worth my time or money as a reader and the hype created such a letdown. At least there really is a truly great writer redefining a major character in Tom King's Batman. I will never understand fan culture.

It was underwhelming. Marvel musy have a real laught, with Bendis Gone.

+ Like • Comments (1)

•

RBL - Jul 5, 2018

You’re being far too kind.

Sign in to comment

Maybe it’s an exaggeration to call this issue disastrous as it’s decently written and has spectacular art. But it gets Superman and the Superman family all wrong.u
How stupid it is that Superman lets his recently resurfaced father take his son on a trip to the galaxy? Yes, the boy wants to go, which is also totally out of character for Jonathan, who has as good a relationship with mom and dad as can be. The whole Tomasi run was built on that sense of trust and family.
Ok, Lois goes to deep space to take care of the kid but will stay connected with Clark through a flimsy device which gets destroyed in the Fortress of Solitude. And now terrible dad Superman can’t talk to his wife and kid, who, for all purposes, are lost in space.
Bendis’ slow paced, wannabe adult, ruminative style is badly suited for Superman and DC made a big mistake in putting him in charge of the character. The whole miniseries could have been taken care of in 2 issues. To think we will have to take at least 2 years of Bendis im Superman is depressing. more

Tl;dr The art, coloring and lettering were good and earned the only full points this issue merits. The story of this entire mini however, despite what others would have you believe, is absolutely abyssmal and filled with egregious affronts to continuity and characterization where characters will say/do whatever is required of them to advance the plot as bendis sees regardless of how out of character it may be or how unnatural it feels. The .5 is because mercifully this mini-series is finally over.

A full breakdown of my key issues with the storyline follows.

Firstly I want to address the fact that his original villain "generic poorly designed alien warlord" or Rogol Zaar, was presented as an experienced warrior who fought for the peace and safety of the galaxy who saw the Kryptions as a threat to its wellbeing. This presumes he has a code of honor and is not engaged in wanton violence, yet he suddenly decides to eliminate an entire planet and its population of billions just to eliminate what could be a handful of Kryptonians he was perfectly capable of besting in combat? That is nonsense and already shows a complete shift in character, mind-boggling seeing as he has only existed for 6 issues.
An additional note on this character, fully showcasing how bendis is just keen on fully altering established canon, is he claims to know Jor-El. Like I stated in a previous review of this series, by the time of Jor-El the Kryptonians were no longer a spacefaring race. His development of a vessel able to cross the atmosphere was an incredible feat of science and engineering that no other individual in the planet had achieved in decades, despite this Rogol Zaar saw the Kryptonians as a threat to the cosmos at this point in time and for this destroyed their planet. That is poor form to say the least.

Another aspect of the overarching plot is how bendis dealth with the Superman Family. Jor-El appearing within the Kent Household uninvited and being faced in a more defensive manner is shocking, not to say the least because the last time he faced his son he was trying to cause death and destruction on Earth to prove to his son the humans were not worth saving and make him go agains the values he holds dear. Suffice to say by the end of this encounter Jor-El and Kal-El were in a conflict, both physical and ideological, and were not able to come to a resolution before Jor-El was taken and eliminated by presumably Dr. Manhattan. Yet he appears in his sons home just startling them, his son not taking up arms when they were opponents when they last met and upon his stating he wishes to take his son with him on a journey. A man Clark does not trust, fought as an enemy in their last encounter, and has done nothing to prove he is deserving of being the mentor of his son. Jor-El having the gall to try and state how Superman should raise his son is something that far from just being an exchange of worlds would merit being struck, as these were individuals IN OPPOSITION TO EACH OTHER. I found this to be a plotline that is just not believable or sensical in any way.

On to the most egregious offense this miniseries does, how it presents Superboy. Superboy who in the pages of Action Comics, Super Sons, and Superman was built up to be an optimistic youth who cares dearly for his family and looks up to the ideals they stand for. He clearly states he one wishes to be like father and be a defender of Justice and hero to the people like he does. Here, he completely disregards the feeling of his family in favor of going with Jor-El, due to knowing a potential future where a loss of control of his powers leads to destruction and his failure to join the Teen Titans.
Tackling first his decision to go with Jor-El, while he does build a rapport with his paternal grandfather it is not so that he would immediately be trusting of the man to the point he contradicts his parents, as even when he broke the rules in the other books he constantly worried over disappointing his parents and strove to respect their established rules for him.
Secondly, this takes the stories of Tomasi and Jurgens and completely trashes some of the development they built up just for the convenience of bendis' story. While Superboy was indeed disappointed after the Titans decided not to recruit him, he was still in a partnership with Robin who fully supported him and both had risen up to face great challenges and prove themselves to their parents. Superboy had grown as an individual and a hero since then and did not present this failing as something he held close. It goes without saying the Teen Titans themselves were shaken after the Super Sons of Tomorrow story and realized they needed to reevaluate themselves as seeing Tim Drake their former leader lose himself to a darker nature was distressing and the rift caused in the team between those who supported him and those who did not established they were not as close to each other as they believed, making the decision to take on another member who was as-of-then unproven be unwise.
Finally, regarding the alternate future where Superboy due to his uncontrolled powers causes great devastation. Through interacting with Mr. X (Jor-El), Boyzarro, and through the Super Sons of Tomorrow arc he learns that there are different perspectives through which to see things and that despite similarities changes in upbringing and experiences can have significant effects on how an individual develops. He knows he is not predestined to wreak that havoc and as Superman himself states in this issue he needs to worry about the now and not the ifs and whens. That exchange was one of the few that holds true to the previous portrayals of the Superman family. However his decision to follow Jor-El is something that by all accounts should not have been taken and is what a see as a grave mistake on DC's editorial staff who allowed bendis to do so. While it brings up potential for future storytelling, it runs contrary to all portrayals of his character so far, it was not organic or well-built in any way and Lois choosing to allow this and follow them is as nonsensical as anything else. In fact this flashback arc only served one purpose and that was to explain why Superman is once again wearing his suit with the red trunks; if you tell me there were way better ways to handle this.

Lastly, those who follow bendis or DC in social media know he is utilizing the Nuclear Man from the lacklust Superman IV: The Quest for Hope as a villain in his upcoming books, so having a child state "Superman" is causing the fires is in my opinion a foreshadowing of his introduction. That said, I don't believe anyone would really confuse a blonde man who uses a mostly gold and black outfit with a cape with Big Blue. That's just common sense. But as he oft does, bendis will make characters do anything that is required no matter how off-character it is or how ridiculous it might be all for the sake of being able to tell whatever story he wants. That is not a trait of a good writer and if this series is any indication the upcoming volumes of Superman and Action Comics will be considerably worse than the ones that just ended.

This is barely "passable"storyline; just because bendis is writing something that is not complete and utter trash as he did for Marvel in recent times and that this being is first DC story does not mean as readers we should cut him slack and praise him, yet so many people are giving this 7+/10 reviews. This is poor writing and should be acknowledged as such.



more

+ Like • Comments (3)

• Likes (1)

• Jon Comics

Show all comments

myconius - Jul 4, 2018

i definitely agree with you on the mishandling of Superboy. this did not feel like the same character Tomasi built up within the pages of Super Sons.

RBL - Jul 5, 2018

Yeah, his take on Jon is a far cry from the great character a far better writer built up and developed. It reads as if bendis purposely misconstrued the work of more able people to force a ludicrous idea to fit into this book. I only hope his tenure on Action Comics and Superman is short.

myconius - Jul 5, 2018

Bendis's take on Jon is just horrible!!! did not like the treatment at all. it is pretty sad that Jurgens and Tomasi rescued Superman from the awful interpretation we were getting from the New 52, only to each be booted off their books at the 50 issue mark. any idea what they are planning to do with Tomasi or Jurgens now that they are no longer writing Superman?

Sign in to comment

I'm really glad it's over.