Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Superman #2
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Ivan Reis
Inks by Joe Prado and Oclair Albert
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Letters by Josh Reed
The Tamaranians are some of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. So when the Thanagarians decide to invade, the king of the Tamaranians readies his forces to take on the invaders. Poised for victory, when the king sees Rogol Zaar at the head of the Thanagarian forces, he immediately calls for a retreat, but it is too late. As a way of showing the ferocity of Rogol Zaar, this is effective, but he still hasn’t resonated to me as an interesting character yet.
The story break up into two different narratives as Clark tries to determine how the Earth got transported into the Phantom Zone and who is behind it. As he tries to clean up the damage the move has caused and help his friends find a solution to the planet’s problem, Rogol Zaar is dealing with something else. His assertion that the Phantom Zone is a repository for Krypton’s trash is brought to life with the emergence of a character from the Superman movie universe who was arguably the worst aspect of a bad film.
It’s a fun aside to bring into the story and a great nod to the Donner universe of Superman stories, but there doesn’t seem to be much to this issue other Superman playing galactic cleanup.
Bendis is telling an interesting story for Clark and the history of Krypton. I enjoy the fact that the narrative more humanizes the man of steel and that there is a sense of doubt and distraction in the hero. His concerns become more interesting as the reader reconciles the power of the persona vs the powerlessness of the man himself. It’s an interesting duality that Bendis is crafting. Unfortunately, I find myself still unimpressed with Rogol Zaar. I enjoyed the Tamaranian interlude at the beginning of the issue, but I still don’t care that much about the character.
Ivan Reis’ art is amazing. I love how vibrant every panel looked from the composition to the colors. Everything celebrated the power of Superman and the art does a great job of driving the story and keeping me interested in what happens next.
Superman #2
