#spoilers
Well… it’s gone and happened again… serious Civil War vibes in this issue. The cover doesn’t lie: Superman reveals his identity to the world, and he does it via press conference (I’m not kidding, the echoes to when Spider-Man revealed his identity are real). The entirety of the issue showcases Superman sharing his close friends (namely Perry White and Jimmy Olsen) in on his secret before he takes to the mic and shares it with the world. That’s all fine, but then you get the inevitable foreboding cliffhanger that lingers on Lex Luthor and his cohorts being faced with the reveal, the final splash page is particularly crisp.
You know, besides the fact that this spells a lot of problems for Supes in the coming issues, and perhaps the rest of his life, I actually really enjoyed this comic – a lot more than most of Bendis’ recent stories. It felt like a step in the right direction and the way he handled the reveal and the way it occurred for Clark’s friends was spot on. Perry’s reaction was actually quite touching and Jimmy’s as to be expected from “Superman’s Pal.” Altogether it’s a very well-written standalone that makes for an excellent character piece.
Still… revealing Superman’s identity? I really hope they stick with it. If this gets turned around in the next year or two it’ll be another check for the problems with comics these days. For once I’d like to see them commit to such a tremendous move in the character’s progression and not chicken out.
TL;DR Score: Superman makes fun of Adam Strange for being behind on the times over the joke that Supes’ alter ego is Batman…. then I guess I’m as far behind as Strange is.
TL;DR Comics 