RUMOR: Brian Michael Bendis LEAVING SUPERMAN Soon!
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Off Panel #257: The Energy with Brian Michael Bendis
https://sktchd.libsyn.com/
DC's New Superman Already Has Us Worried
via screenrant.com
In the wake of the final chapter of the Man of Steel, many are wondering if DC Comics made a mistake in assigning the future of Superman comics to Brian Michael Bendis. Rather than presenting a bold new vision for The Man of Tomorrow in both his lead-up to, and takeover of both Superman books, Bendis' opening act seems to have rehashed numerous elements from earlier stories, while removing several key components of Superman mythology for no reason (beyond shock value).
The comics world was rocked when it was announced that Bendis had signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics, given Bendis' prominent role at Marvel Comics (imagine Mick Jagger leaving The Rolling Stones to sing for The Beatles). Hopes ran high when it was announced that Bendis would take charge of the Superman line of books with Action Comics #1000. The early advertising for the new line promised big changes and shocking revelations regarding the real reason Superman's home world of Krypton was destroyed.
Sadly, the reality of "The Coming Of Bendis" has been far from magical in the eyes of many Super-fans, devoted or casual. In Bendis' new mythology, Krypton was destroyed by Rogol Zaar, an alien with a genocidal hatred for the Kryptonian people. While the idea of a crazed, racist strongman is not a bad start for crafting a villain, Bendis never gave Rogol Zaar any further definition or motivation for his actions.
He did, however, attempt to establish Rogol Zaar as a worth enemy by having him destroy The Bottle City of Kandor. Effectively, there was little difference between Rogol Zaar and Doomsday from The Death of Superman, apart from Rogol Zaar being more articulate and arming himself with an axe.
There is one final oddity regarding Bendis' Superman run so far that merits discussion. The Man of Steel miniseries was promoted as an entryway for those who wanted a good place to start reading the Superman comics (specifically, as a buildup to Bendis writing both Action and Superman). Despite this, the plot of Man of Steel was heavily steeped in the continuity of earlier stories, referring to events centering on Superboy in Teen Titans and Super Sons as well. Bendis' script made little effort to explain these points, or how exactly Jor-El is even alive, and has a less-than-loving relationship with his son.
Despite all of these issues, the biggest problem with Man of Steel is how it cuts out much of the heart of its main character. By eliminating Superman's family from the title, and minimizing Clark's role as a journalist to focus on his being Superman and fighting new, stronger villains, Bendis emulates the biggest mistake many writers have made when handling Superman.
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