Superman #12: As One, Stand Together

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.