The Truth!...... And Other Stuff
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Danny Miki, Julio Ferreira, Oclair Albert, Alex Sinclair, Andworld Design
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 22, 2020
It's time to see the ramifications of Superman telling everyone his secret identity and if it's anything like when this happened a couple of years ago...... it's not going to go over so well. I don't expect a rehash of that though because what would be the point, but I am curious to see how Brian Michael Bendis plays with Lex Luthor when he finally confronts the Man of Steel about this revelation and I'm curious to see how much of a target our hero has now put on the backs of his friends and family. Let's jump into this issue and see what's what.
Alright, so let me tell you right off the bat that this issue is broken up into two stories. The first and best part of the book is the Daily Planet's reaction to Clark telling everyone the truth and while there is a bit of Brian Michael Bendis speak in here..... overall, it's a decent part of the book that I found quite enjoyable. Yeah, it feels a tad off in that there doesn't seem to be any ramifications to Superman's reveal, just a lot of hugging, but it did lead to a nice moment where Clark saw the acceptance from his peers and the idea that for the most part..... his life isn't going to change at all for the moment.
As for the second leg of the story, where we head off back to space to continue dealing with Unity Day, which feels weird for how big the Truth story was supposed to be to only deal with it for half the issue, we see that some aliens can't get along when confronted by Mongol, but overall, this part of the story felt weird where aliens were saying things that felt like they weren't supposed to be their dialog or where the art didn't match the dialog and ultimately, didn't do a real good job of establishing that these different alien races can't get along because you can understand that there would be a bit of panicking when someone like Mongul shows up and beats the shit out of Superman, when our hero finally arrives.
All in all, the first half of this book was enjoyable just for how calm, cool and collected everyone was about the truth situation, even if it didn't make for an action oriented part of the story and while some of the dialog felt off at times, I could look past most of this for just how nice the scene was played out. The second part of this book though felt like it came out of nowhere and just felt like it lessened what we were just dealing with because who cares about Unity Day when Superman has just dropped the biggest bombshell of his life?..... Especially when it's here just to show that everyone isn't down for unification. Thankfully though, the art was enjoyable throughout and I can only hope that we get more from the Truth side of things as our series progresses because that's the interesting part of this book right now because if things continue they are from this issue, it really makes this whole Truth thing feel like it's just a gimmick for sales that doesn't matter.
Bits and Pieces:
The Truth is here, but sadly besides for a nice first half of this book, it's barely dealt with and doesn't show any signs of ramifications for our hero's actions. That's still better than going off and dealing with Unity Day out of nowhere, which just made this issue feel off for what we were dealing with, but thankfully the art remained consistently strong throughout the issue.
Release Date: January 22, 2020
It's time to see the ramifications of Superman telling everyone his secret identity and if it's anything like when this happened a couple of years ago...... it's not going to go over so well. I don't expect a rehash of that though because what would be the point, but I am curious to see how Brian Michael Bendis plays with Lex Luthor when he finally confronts the Man of Steel about this revelation and I'm curious to see how much of a target our hero has now put on the backs of his friends and family. Let's jump into this issue and see what's what.
Alright, so let me tell you right off the bat that this issue is broken up into two stories. The first and best part of the book is the Daily Planet's reaction to Clark telling everyone the truth and while there is a bit of Brian Michael Bendis speak in here..... overall, it's a decent part of the book that I found quite enjoyable. Yeah, it feels a tad off in that there doesn't seem to be any ramifications to Superman's reveal, just a lot of hugging, but it did lead to a nice moment where Clark saw the acceptance from his peers and the idea that for the most part..... his life isn't going to change at all for the moment.
As for the second leg of the story, where we head off back to space to continue dealing with Unity Day, which feels weird for how big the Truth story was supposed to be to only deal with it for half the issue, we see that some aliens can't get along when confronted by Mongol, but overall, this part of the story felt weird where aliens were saying things that felt like they weren't supposed to be their dialog or where the art didn't match the dialog and ultimately, didn't do a real good job of establishing that these different alien races can't get along because you can understand that there would be a bit of panicking when someone like Mongul shows up and beats the shit out of Superman, when our hero finally arrives.
All in all, the first half of this book was enjoyable just for how calm, cool and collected everyone was about the truth situation, even if it didn't make for an action oriented part of the story and while some of the dialog felt off at times, I could look past most of this for just how nice the scene was played out. The second part of this book though felt like it came out of nowhere and just felt like it lessened what we were just dealing with because who cares about Unity Day when Superman has just dropped the biggest bombshell of his life?..... Especially when it's here just to show that everyone isn't down for unification. Thankfully though, the art was enjoyable throughout and I can only hope that we get more from the Truth side of things as our series progresses because that's the interesting part of this book right now because if things continue they are from this issue, it really makes this whole Truth thing feel like it's just a gimmick for sales that doesn't matter.
Bits and Pieces:
The Truth is here, but sadly besides for a nice first half of this book, it's barely dealt with and doesn't show any signs of ramifications for our hero's actions. That's still better than going off and dealing with Unity Day out of nowhere, which just made this issue feel off for what we were dealing with, but thankfully the art remained consistently strong throughout the issue.
6.3/10
This issue drove me crazy. It is so uneventful. Clark doesn't wear glasses and everyone knows he is Superman but he still acts meek and mild mannered. It is pathetic and boring. This comic needs action and more entertaining drama with a coherent direction. It's like Bendis is always trying to portray how chaotic and busy Superman's life is. What Bendis fails to realize is that a good writer should never make the reader feel that the story is as chaotic and unfocused as the character might be at any one time. The failure to have a focus is why I do not look forward to reading Superman anymore. I know from the last 1.5 years worth of Superman stories that no plot point really matters or is ever really addressed. There is still no evidence on the horizon that Jor-el's innocence will finally be revealed (because he is innocent of destroying Krypton and of 'intentionally' time travelling. The true culprits are still out there and Superman HAS TO KNOW THIS! Superman is not asking the right questions about his father's past and Bendis does not seem to realize this GAPING plot hole!)
ReplyDeleteall of this is surface level nonesense and just end up meandering. I am afraid we will never get back to the Jor-El bit and it will just hang!
DeleteSo the first part of this story ends at the Hall of Justice and I saw Cyborg, Starfire and Jessica Cruz there. Does this mean JL Odyssey will be getting a conclusion soon? Maybe Tamaran is now out of the Ghost Sector and that's how Myand'r is there? It's not easy being a DC fan who's obsessed with continuity.
ReplyDeleteIt also apparently takes place when Harley Quinn is a full-blown hero and allowed in the Hall of Justice.
Deletea very odd pick of characters that just points out that nobody is really paying attention but the readers!
Delete