Superman Unchained #6 Review

Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Jim Lee
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 19, 2014

Mattresses, Delay and Disappointment

Man, it seems like months since the last issue of Superman Unchained. Wait a second, it HAS been months. Three whole months to be exact. Luckily, Scott Snyder gets the reader up to speed pretty quickly, but by the end you can't help wonder, "That's what I waited three months for?" Throw in the fact that the series is ending after three more issues (which may take a year to come out at the current pace) and a book that had the potential to be something special has quickly turned into a bit of a disappointment.  However, I'm not here to judge...oh yea, I guess I am.

Superman Unchained #6 starts with a crazy little monologue with Superman talking about his hate of a  late night mattress commercial and worrying about the amount of nuclear missiles the World Powers have at the ready. You see, the Man of Steel can't sleep at night.  Responsibility and all.  It's a good thing he knows how many there are because all of them have been launched.  Now it's up to him and Wraith to stop them.



Scott Snyder is a great writer.  Not a good writer.  A great writer.  I wish he had the time to tell the full story he set out to do.  Hopefully he'll be able to wrap up what he's given us so far.  This issue we get Superman versus Wraith and after the buildup, it's a bit of a letdown.  Granted, I haven't been a big fan of Wraith, but I expected more.  Throw Ascension in that hat as well.  Lots of buildup, not much payoff.  It's strange to say a book delayed this much still feels rushed.

I also was really hoping for some Lex Luthor/Jimmy Olsen action, but alas, that also wasn't to be.  We do get some awesome Lois Lane and Batman scenes though.  Lois is strong and sassy (like she should be), but there is also a hint of romance with her and Superman.  Although that seems a bit strange with what's going on in the New 52 (Wonder Woman is watching!), I actually like it.  Batman is awesome. Snyder not only shows that the Dark Knight is a great best friend, but without a single word of dialogue had me laughing out loud.

What I wasn't a fan of was Jim Lee's art.  Maybe it's the long wait between issues, but I expected more. Seriously, the delays are one thing, but the quality of the art has gone backwards with each issue.  Granted, when you're Jim Lee the bar starts off pretty high, but it's still disappointing.

Disappointing seems to be the theme this month.  Disappointing that this book couldn't come out on time, is being rushed to end and won't get to tell the story it deserves.  The cliffhanger promises some more action to come, but I can't help feeling...disappointed.

Bits and Pieces:

Superman Unchained #6 is a letdown.  Scott Snyder is doing his best to tie things up before it's untimely end, so it's no surprise this issue feels a bit rushed.  That's weird to say because it took an extra couple of months to come out.  Jim Lee's art is the culprit for the delay, but the extra time doesn't seem to show. That my freinds is just disappointing.

6.8/10