Mild Mannered Reviews - Superman Comics

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Superman #15

Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 11, 2019

Cover date: November 2019

"The House of El" - The Conclusion: Part Two

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Inker: Joe Prado
Cover: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Variant Cover: Adam Hughes

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel
Click to enlarge



Rogol Zaar is in a stasis prison.

Adam Strange arrives to meet Superman and delivers the heartbreaking news that Jor El has been sentenced to death.

Clark's mind wanders to the arrival of the Legion and the announcement of Unity Day. Zod and his family vow to ensure Krypton's legacy lived on a new planet as part of the United Planets negotiations. The Zod and El family finally make peace.

Jon vows to respond to the invitation offered by the Legion but for the moment, the El's travel home.

Jor El is an anomaly of time, he was never meant to live beyond Krypton's final moments. His sentence was to be transported back to to Krypton to die as he should have. As Krypton crumbles he sees his past self and as they both die he reassures him that Kal El did fulfil his destiny...

To Be Continued...

4Story - 4: Finally some pay off.

The dialogue is much better and the humor is welcome and adds to the characters.

Editing is a mess and Superman #14, Supergirl #33 all showed different narratives.

For example, when does the scene with Kara returning home with Krypto happen?

The alliance of planets felt more natural now there was time for the writing to breathe but one decision was perplexing. Jor was revealed as the 'creator' of Rogol Zaar and sentenced to death. A scene which was genuinely beautiful and heartbreaking.

Zaar however was placed in a stasis prison despite committing universal genocide?

Despite the plot holes this issue was pretty good.

However I think the Group Editor might need to be reigned in because the synchronicity of the books isn't working as it should.

The next issue title brought some joy too... The Return of The Super Sons!

3Art - 3: The art was a bit like box of Lucky Charms.

Some bits were bland, plain and felt like they didn't belong, but some sweet parts are in there if you look for them. To be fair there is much more eye candy in the ratio but the panels that really pull you out of the action look rushed and not as well thought out.

4Cover Art - 4: All sentiment and nostalgia here. The comedic scenes and joy from the young teens translates really well here. There is genuine cheer in this cover. I'm not a massive Legion fan so I'll be honest to not knowing who many of them here but those that I do recognize do make me smile.

I know a lot has been talked about regarding the membership twist but it is nice to see a scene where Superman isn't showcasing gritted teeth, glowing eyes or clenched fists.

5Variant Cover Art - 5: Something sorely missed from the Superman books for a while is the boded of Lois and Clark. Here Hughes shows us he hasn't forgotten. The cover may only show a hand but it shows just how strong the bond between these two icons is.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2019

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019

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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2019.