Superman Unchained 3
Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
Jim Lee continues to be unrivaled in the realm of superhero comics. His artwork is nothing short of breathtaking. And the added bonus of a script by expert writer Scott Snyder is just one of many things that make Superman Unchained an enjoyable read. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this feels like the only true Superman comic on the stands these days. It’s fresh, new, and exciting. Even though I love Grant Morrison, his run just seemed so out of place, almost as if it were a series of unrelated Elseworlds one-shots. I am enjoying Greg Pak’s Batman/Superman, but I feel like it’s because of the Jae Lee artwork and the fact that it’s more of a Batman title to begin with. And even though I love writer Scott Lobdell, his version of the various Superman characters is just a little, well, boring. This is the flagship Superman title. I don’t care what anyone else says. This is the one that feels the closest to home for this lifelong reader.
The story continues to unfold in the third issue, which is a little slower than I would like, but the artwork is so beautiful that I don’t really care. And the dialogue between Superman and Wraith (not to mention the fantastic scene where General Lane actually makes sense as to why he hates Superman) is absolutely perfect. The fights are great. The Lex Luthor escape is creepy and unique. And the fact that Lois Lane is not worthless for the first time since the reboot is really making me feel like Lee and Snyder are creating something special for us. Then we get that cliffhanger ending, with Superman and Wraith teaming up to save the day, only to find out that Wraith will unfortunately be trying to kill Clark after it’s all said and done. After all, he is a threat, according to both Sam Lane and, well, common sense.
The biggest strength in this issue is the teamwork between Lee and Snyder. Both are great in their own right, but this is the first issue where I felt like they are actually working as a team to support one another and really tell a great story. The words and the pictures are really meshing nicely and I just hope that this title continues down it’s amazing path. As far as I’m concerned, this should be Action Comics, and DC should just go ahead and cancel Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl completely. There is simply no need for a Superman family in the New 52. Especially when Clark, Lois, and Lex are written so eloquently in this title. It just makes the other titles look like lesser products. Needless to say, I cannot wait until the next issue hits the stands!
My Rating: 4/5
