Superman #21
Recap
As Superman battles Mongul for the fate of the United Planets, trouble brews on the homefront as the world prepares to learn Clark nominated himself to speak for Earth's interests.
Review
I’m starting to sound like a broken record by this point but “The Truth” is a stunning arc from top to bottom. Given the central subject matter of Clark’s revelation to the world, there were numerous pitfalls that Bendis could have fallen into but nimbly has managed to avoid. This book could easily have become one devoid of action and fully a matter of ethical discourse but thanks to the visual story-telling abilities of Reis and company, it instead strikes a beautiful balance between action and narrative.
In revealing the truth about Superman’s identity to the public, Bendis humbles the character in an extremely effective way. All of Clark’s actions over the years now come under review in the court of public opinion as a god among us while Superman’s actions take the polar opposite as he becomes more humanized than ever before. There is a mastery in the character development here that rare Superman writers have managed to achieve over the course of his 80-year history.
Reis seems to very well grasp the magnitude of this particular moment in history. The layouts in particular have been breathtaking as he shifts from the typical wide-screen format one would expect to instead span the height of the page rather than the width. There is something about this particular “up, up, and away” format that seems to gesture towards new heights– in storytelling, development, etc.– while simultaneously reminding the reader that with new heights come new lows as well.
Final Thoughts
Superman #21(Bendis, Reis) continues to push the Superman to new heights as "The Truth" continues.
Superman #21: Trouble on the Homefront
- Writing - 9.5/109.5/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 9.5/109.5/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10