The Man of Steel is able to blend action and emotion in this week’s issue.
Last week’s issue of The Man of Steel went for the heartstrings of its readers. Rogol Zaar is an ancient warrior, responsible for the destruction of Krypton. He believes that Kryptonians are a threat to the galaxy and swears to put an end to all of them. When he had heard of the survivors on Earth, he proceeded to make his way to the planet, finding the Fortress of Solitude. He proceeds to put his plan into action by destroying the Fortress, as well as the bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor. By the time Superman and Supergirl find out, the deed has been done and Kandor is destroyed. They find Rogol waiting for them in the heart of Metropolis, ready to finish the job he started. Will there be justice for Kandor?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
This story is divided into two halves. The first half of the issue is a devastating battle between Rogol and the Man of Steel. It shows off how skilled a warrior Rogol is as he is five steps ahead of Superman the entire fight. Superman notes how Rogol waits for him and Supergirl to slip up due to an emotional reaction. It just goes to show that this character might be the most dangerous adversary to the Man of Steel so far in the Rebirth era.
The second half of the story is where the emotion is. Where the first half is a comic book fight, this half has our Kryptonians feel the impact as the anger settles. It is done very well through Supergirl, someone who was more connected with the lost city. There is a tremendously emotional moment at the very end of the issue when the man of steel goes to try to talk to his father through his computer but realizes that Rogol destroyed that too. In the span of four issues, Brian Michael Bendis took apart Superman’s whole world. Bendis has me intrigued, but I worry about where this goes next.
Art:
Kevin Maguire is the main artist on this issue, and I’m not a fan of it. I couldn’t get into the art as much as I’d hoped I would do to it feeling flat. With a comic like this, the characters should look like they’re able to pop right off the page. This comment, however, despite some cool action, there wasn’t that pop necessary. Add that to strangely drawn faces, and we have the weakest art entry to the series.
Conclusion:
Despite the art, this issue of The Man of Steel is still very well done. We have some kickass action mixed with heart-wrenching emotion in the world of the man of steel, and I just can’t get enough. We have two issues to go, and this reviewer can’t wait to see how this all wraps up.
