After bringing a new breath of life to “Batman” in the New 52, Scott Snyder joined with Jim Lee to something much the same with the first issue of “Superman Unchained”. Here, it only gets better making this the title to be watching for good Superman stories from the New 52.
Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Jim Lee
The technological terrorists called Ascension are growing bolder with every attack, creating problems only can solve—and that’s with help from the world’s greatest detective, Batman! But the mystery that’s really got them both worried is the unknown figure that’s been shadowing Superman! And in this issue’s backup tale, Jimmy Olsen takes center stage as Metropolis reacts to an event that’s shaken the city to its core!
Last issue, Snyder and Lee opened the comic with Superman stopping a satellite from crashing to Earth in an impressive sequence showcasing Jim Lee’s art. However, somehow they’ve managed to top that here as we open with Superman trying to stop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai from falling with only nineteen seconds to do so. This accomplishes a great many things for a Superman opening sequence to work. It’s impressive, for one, showcasing the grand scale at which Jim Lee’s pencils can work as well as being able to show off Superman’s amazing physical strength. But also allows for Snyder to explore how Superman thinks in crises like this as well as show how important saving the lives of those inside the building is to him through his use of narration caption. It’s an impressive sequence that really sets the bar for the rest of the issue while topping what was set with the first issue by showing an imminent and real danger to human lives and Superman’s determination to save them. Instantly Snyder understands what has been missing from Superman in the New 52 for so long and instantly rectifies that within the opening pages.
Snyder’s writing throughout the issue is truly superb and shows a genuine effort to bring a wider view to Superman that hasn’t been applied in the New 52 thus far. Instead of focusing on alienating him as a character, Snyder brings in Batman to explore that friendship between Bruce and Clark which shows that he can aptly write both sides of that coin. He also brings in Lois and Lex Luthor in stages to just flesh out the universe of the story, slowly building subplots around the both of them. It’s a simple remedy to how limited the character has felt in the past by just allowing him to interact with other characters and even be friendly to them. While the point of the New 52 was to overhaul a lot of characters, it’s nice to see that not everything has been lost.
Snyder isn’t the only one bringing his A-game to the issue, though, as Jim Lee’s art is as impressive as ever, here. There’s nothing here that will change the minds of those who dislike his work, mind you, but it’s sure to please those who do like it. The opening sequence, as mentioned before, does impress with the scale and the power of not only Superman’s attempt to stop the world’s tallest building from falling, but also his fight with an immense bipedal construction robot. There is one two-page splash that stands out as an homage to Superman’s first appearance at the end of his and Geoff Johns’ “Justice League” #1 which opened the New 52, but here it feels a lot more… Superman-y. Even as the issue progresses, the art does not disappoint as a confrontation between Superman and the forces of General Lane, which feels like it was lifted straight from Man Of Steel, shows Superman being overwhelmed by Lane’s new anti-Superman weapons. Everything here feels like it was tailor-fit for Lee’s art and it fits like a glove.
The backup story, written by Scott Snyder with Dustin Nguyen providing the art, is possibly the only place the issue really falters. It’s only a two-page story and it feature Batman instead of Jimmy Olsen as the solicitation promised, but it felt somewhat unnecessary. For only two pages, the content of the backup might as well have been a part of the issue’s main story as it is more of an epilogue to plotlines within the main story than anything. Or, it could very well have been expanded to encompass the last few pages featuring Lex Luthor and have the main story end with Superman’s confrontation with General Lane. It’s stuck in a strange limbo between being almost too short to not matter, but being interesting enough that it warranted more space.
Overall, though, the issue only falters there. Scott Snyder is really showing that working with the New 52 Superman doesn’t necessarily mean that a good Superman story can’t be told. The character feels just as Super as ever here and thanks to being teamed up with Jim Lee, Snyder can really let loose with grand, epic set pieces the likes of which Man Of Steel would be jealous of. If they keep it up, this might end up becoming the main Superman title of the DCU.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Strong buy. Among the best DC Comics has to offer right now.
