Man of Steel #5
Story by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Adam Hughes, Ivan Reis, and Jason Fabok
Colours by Adam Hughes and Alex Sinclair
Letters by Josh Reed

We’re almost at the end of the line with this story arc, and not a lot has been revealed as of yet. Resurrected fathers, new enemies, old friends coming together, a new threat, all together in a little package that seems a bit too difficult to resolve in the next issue.

Bendis is great with telling us things that seem to make no sense, only to be shown in later issues and come back cohesively to us and enrich the story that’s been told. He’s in it for the long run, and while at times it could feel confusing, it’s something refreshing when all makes sense and things look clearer than before.

It’s not difficult to wonder how Bendis is going to tie it all together in the next and last issue, as there seems to be a lot going on and so little space left to be resolved. However, I trust that whatever Bendis is pursuing will pay off in issue #6.

In this past five issues, the pacing has been flowing in huge waves, pouring information all over us instead of giving it to us in a steady way.  Mixing past and present pays off in the sense of clarifying things and presenting others to be explained later.

The art changes as the story changes, and it’s great that so many different and amazing artists are working on this arc, as they make it more diverse and colourful than what it could’ve been with just one artist. Normally, seeing different artists can be hurtful in the long run, but so far Man of Steel has not only made it work, it has made it part of what the book is and richer all the same.

With no spoilers on the fold, I’ll just say that while last week it was all about terror and doubt, this week’s issue is all about the consequences those acts had and the fallout it will have in our heroes. There’s no explanation in Rogol Zaar’s actions, but maybe there is.

There are a lot of subplots that seem to be tied to nothing, but as I’ve said before, we’ll just have to wait and see what Bendis is planning for the characters we all know and love. Everything is there for a reason, we just have to see the bigger picture.

All in all, we give Man of Steel #5 an 8 out of 10 Kryptonians on the hunt.