Superman

• Title: Superman #19
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
• Artist: Ivan Reis

Superman #19 offers a follow-up to last month’s issue in which Superman revealed to the world that he and Clark Kent are the same person. There’s not much fallout here, other than Clark getting fired from The Daily Planet (for all of about 10 seconds before being re-hired) and some awkwardness of his co-workers getting used to the new normal. Superman still hits the streets to save the day and look to the stars to take on intergalactic threats.

The folks at the Planet, in Metropolis, and in the Hall of Justice seem totally onboard with the reveal suggesting it may be a bit before any possible negative consequences raise their heads.

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• Title: Superman #18
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
• Artist: Ivan Reis

What’s so interesting to me about Superman #18 isn’t how it fundamentally changes the character going forward in a major way but how well writer Brian Michael Bendis presents the idea as a natural evolution for Superman. While the issue jumps around a bit here and there, including nice moments of Clark Kent’s separate conversations with Jimmy Olsen and Perry White, the main focus in a press conference Superman calls in front of The Daily Planet revealing his dual identity to the world. That isn’t to say Clark Kent is going away, he’s remaining at The Daily Planet, it’s just now his co-workers (and the entire world) know that he’s also Superman.

A staple of the super-hero genre since it’s inception, the alter-ego has been used to allow heroes to lead something of a normal life while not in tights and to protect their loved ones who might become targets from their enemies. Let’s face it, Lois Lane is already getting into life-threatening situations and the realization that she’s married to Superman should actually make her safer. As for a normal life, that’s the interesting twist which Bendis delivers here centering on the character’s internal moral compass and the first word in his slogan “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”

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