Review: Superman #11

Superman #11 came out this week, The Unity Saga: The House of El part 5. With Event Leviathan around the corner, the time has come to reunite the El Family and time to finish up the Rogol Zaar storyline which began back in last May's Man of Steel.

Brian Michael Bendis has a lot of plot threads out there that have been simmering along. Rogol Zaar's history and motivations are still unknown. General Zod and Superman's visions of the future have blipped in and out. Superboy being gone and now older is just being addressed. Jor-El being alive (sigh) and deranged (sigh) has been running through this book since before Bendis took over. Most interesting is that all these plots are interwoven. So this arc seems like it is going to tie off all the plot threads into a neat bow.

As for the events of this issue, I love Superman's presence in the galaxy, a known hero who is able to shut down a battle quickly. And the last page is winner both in image and words.

This is a wide screen issue which takes place during an intergalactic brawl between four factions. There are two page splashes. There are half page panels. There are giant images spanning two pages with smaller panels around that anchor. Big action deserve big art. Ivan Reis with Joe Prado and Oclair Albert really convey the scope and size of the action.

I do feel like Leviathan is building some momentum for the DC books across the board. That said, I hope the ending of this story doesn't feel rushed!

On to the book.

We start out 'yesterday' in the Phantom Zone. You might recall that the last time we were there Rogol Zaar had laid a complete beatdown on General Zod.

Sitting around a fire, eating the flesh of some fell beast of the zone, Zaar warns Zod not to attack again. After all, Zaar is rested and fed. Zod is still recovering.

And then, oddly, Zaar asks Zod to join him in getting revenge on the House of El. After all, the El family created the Phantom Zone, banished Zod there, have thwarted Zod time and again. He knows that Zod has escaped the Zone before. So why not team up and wipe the family off the map.

As a bonus, Zaar will tell Zod why he blew up Krypton. He even says Zod would have done the same.

Now I can't imagine a nationalist and a fascist like Zod ever joining the genocidal Zaar but maybe we'll see why. Or maybe Zod joining Zaar is some elaborate feint so that the surviving Kryptonians, Zods and Els, can team up and vanquish they guy.

On a side note, Jax-Ur calling Zaar 'a delight' is hilarious.

In the present, Superman and Jon have teleported to Jor-El's ship only to find it buffeted by three different intergalactic militaries.

There are Thanagarian Black Order Squads. There is Keen-Coy, Empress Gandelo's first command. And there are Khunds. We know that all three are represented in The Circle, the group which commissioned Zaar. But I don't know why they would be attacking Jor-El in this way. Even Superman isn't sure if Jor-El is the focus of the attack or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I love this page layout (this is a portion of a 2 page spread) with the image of Superman anchoring the center, looking out on what is happening, while narrow panels flank him catching us up on the action.

How Superman knew that Supergirl was involved in Gandelo's Trilium Collective is a mystery. Maybe there were some communications off panel? Krypto sending home messages?

In the midst of all this carnage, Superman sees Zaar.

But before a confrontation can happen, Zaar takes off.

Superman surmises that perhaps Zaar wasn't expecting Kal to be there.

Seriously, I am ready to hear why and how Zaar blew up Krypton. So seeing him take off at this point of the issue irked me. I want him around!

As I said in the intro, Reis et al really let loose in this issue giving us a science fiction spectacle.

We get another 2 page spread of Superman flying through the battle, destroying weapons with a look of pure determination.

But the big thing here is how he slips into inspirational mode for Jon. He will show his son that even in bedlam like this, a Superman can shut things down without loss of life.

Since he knows the combatants, he knows how to approach them diplomatically to get them to power down.

A little bluster makes the Thanagarians agree to stop fighting ... that is if everyone else stops. I suppose that shows the underbelly of Thanagarian politics. They'll swing the mace like a boss. But they will compromise if they don't lose face.

The Khunds are different. They only know brute force. I love how the font changes to something more alien appearing as Superman threatens them.

As for Keen-Coy, she will power down. But she asks Superman to ask Jor-El why everyone is there. And she's right. He is the hub of this problem.

I have had a very hard time with Jor-El being Mr. Oz, insane and homicidal. I keep hoping that we'll get some comic book answer ... possession by Parallax, actually Jur-L from another world, something.

Can't my heroes remain heroes?

So Superman does just that. He heads to Jor-El. He knows they have a couple of seconds before this uneasy cease fire collapses. So, at superspeed, he tries to get all the answers from his father.

Turns out Zaar and Zod and all these armies showed up to kill Jor-El.

This Jor-El thinks Superman should be flattered. After all, Zaar and Zod would eliminate the weakest members of the El family first. It means Jor-El ranks behind Superman in power, at least in Zaar's mind.

But even this turns out to be a feint of a sort.

Zaar returns and attacks Superman.

Zod arrives and attacks Superboy.

I love this panel. I love Jon steeling himself and actually laying one into Zod's mush.

I think it shows just how much Jon has grown and become more confident.

But things don't look good.

Zod is more powerful than Jon. It looks like things are going to get ugly.
Superman is tied up with Zaar and can't help Jon.

For a moment, we actually hear Superman lose a little bit of his confidence, lose a little of his hope.

He talks of showing up without a plan. How the forces around them are enormous.

We rarely hear this side of Superman. But you know that he must have moments like this. He is human. And it contrasts nicely from the supremely confident hero who knew he could shut down a space battle.

But that momentary lapse in faith fades because a new player hits the board.

That's right!

Supergirl arrives! With Krypto!

And when Superman sees her, he remembers they are the House of El!

They got this.

I loved this page. It shows just how he regards Supergirl as someone who can help turn the tide. I have always wanted to see a big splashy Reis Supergirl and I got it. And I want the super-family to be a family. To hear Superman talk about the united House of El being such a force hammered that home.

What an ending, nudging this issue up in my mind a bit. Things always look darkest before the dawn.

Can't wait to read more!

Overall grade: B+