Superman: Vol. 1 – The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth

I read the 1000th issue of Action Comics last year. It’s impressive that Superman has made it that many issues and remains a huge part of popular culture. It’s also interesting to see Brian Michael Bendis writing in the DC Universe. I absolutely loved his work for Marvel, especially the Daredevil run he did.

The last book was good so I decided to dive into this series.  Unfortunately, I seemed to have read the wrong one. I didn’t know that Bendis was writing two Superman titles; the original Action comics line and this self-titled line as well. So far, this series if off to a great start.

In this story, the entire planet Earth has somehow been transported to the Phantom Zone. The planet is unable to take the stress and earthquakes are starting to happen more frequently. Even the members of the Justice League are being affected in negative ways. Unfortunately, one of Superman’s foes who had been trapped in the prison realm might have something to say about that.

Superman: Vol. 2 – The Unity Saga: The House of El

I haven’t been following Superman comics recently so I was unaware that Superman’s father, Jor-El, is alive and well. I also didn’t know much about Superman’s son, Jon. So, it was interesting to see the two characters interacting in this volume. Jor-El wanted to spend some time with his grandson and took him into space. Unfortunately, Jor-El might not be the best influence. He’s hiding something big and it is hard for me to say much more without spoiling the plot. Needless to say, things get pretty heavy,

Superman: Vol. 3 – The Unity Saga: The President of Earth

Superboy has a grand idea that will fundamentally change the course of history for the next thousand years. That is why it’s not surprising to see the Legion of Superheroes travel back in time to witness it. They try to recruit him to their leaugue and bring him to the future with him, but he has his doubts. His friend, Damien, and son of Batman, tells him that he needs to go. It would be like going away to college.

Meanwhile Superman is struggling with the lies he had been told his whole life. He wants to be open and transparent and is about to make a choice that might even see him rise to a position he never wanted, President of Earth.

The cover image above is not the final art for this soon-to-be-released graphic novel. I have to admit that I read this series in single issue form. I decided to present it this way because I much prefer to read the collected editions and have a sense of what books I have read over the course of a year. I hope that wasn’t too confusing.

Shaking Things Up

Brian Michael Bendis and Ivan Reis are really shaking things up with their run of this title. With twenty-one issues under their belts, it has been quite the trip and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

My List of 2020 Reads – coming soon!