Superman #12
Cody White
Recap
Kara and Krypto arrive and unite the remaining members of the House of El in battle for the first time. Their arrival quickly thins the battlefield, leaving only Rogol Zaar, Zod, and the rest of the Phantom Zone escapees. 
After a brief encounter between Kal and Zod (which is later revealed to a conversation at super-speed), the House of El retreats to regroup. Kara spins the rest of the family up on her discovery of a massive conspiracy to cover up the intentional destruction of Krypton and recruits Jon and Krypto to join her in hunting down more answers.
Left alone with his father, Kal seeks answers as to Jor-El's prior knowledge of and possible involvement in the destruction of Krypton, as was speculated by Zod in the prior super-speed conversation that managed to loosely ally Zod and Kal in the fight to destroy Zaar. Jor-El promises answers as the father and son duo arrive at the remains of Krypton.
Review
Bendis’ vision for Superman is beginning to come into focus with this issue as he further travels down a road of reinvention and revitalization of the Kryptonian mythos. To echo Jurassic Park, however, nobody stopped to ask if he should. While this current “Unity” arc has been entertaining in a number of ways, this arc also has all the hallmarks of “change for change’s sake” stamped all over it. Bendis is making Superman his own, for better or worse. I suspect time will reveal whether any of these changes were actually productive but for now, at the very least, it is entertaining.
There is a moment in this issue in which Kal reminds the reader that, not that long ago, Jor-El was going by the moniker “Mr. Oz”, a thread that seemed to be dropped quickly upon revelation. I’m not positive we’ll ever get sufficient answers as to what all that was about really, with the various shake ups in creative teams and vision but I’d like to lodge a minor complaint regarding the design of Jor-El. That eye. That mangled, slightly glowing eye he sported at first reveal appears to be healing, despite allegedly being an old injury. It could be explained away having something to do with prolonged exposure to a yellow sun or something yet the story continues to just ignore it as Jor-El’s appearance continues to morph into something that looks a bit more Cab-El. Otherwise, Reis’ art is a strong as ever and his ability to manipulate imagery and layout remain among the best in the business. Reis was born for space operas and Bendis is giving him one, a certain win for fans.
Final Thoughts
"Unity" continues as the entire House of El stands against the Phantom Zone escapees in Superman #12.
Superman #12: As One, Stand Together
- Writing - 7/107/10
- Storyline - 6/106/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
