Superman, Vol. 4: Mythological

Superman (2018)

by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis (Artist), Kevin Maguire (Artist)

Superman continues to aim for peace in the galaxy, and the United Planets could be the perfect solution. But an old enemy is about to return to force Superman to fight with everything he has in order to protect it! It’s the Man of Steel versus Mongul in this epic fight to save the United Planets and the peace it will ensure—and Superman is determined to win.
If Superman fails, it means the fall of the United Planets.
And old foes give way to new ones as Superman is confronted with deadly warriors from the real of magic and the furthest reaches of the cosmos. Introducing Xanadoth and Synmar!

Collects Superman #20-28.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superman, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

184 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2021

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

These issues of Superman just fell really flat. It's all big bombastic battles with voiceovers from Lois or Lana Lang as they try to get to Superman's truth when he can't really be bothered after revealing to the world that Clark Kent is Superman. I honestly felt cheated, that Bendis dropped that bombshell and then just kind of ignored it in typical Bendis fashion.

This collects the 2nd half of the Truth storyline which is just one big fight with Mongul with the United Planets caught in the middle. Then a team up with Dr. Fate which was surprisingly the best part of this book. Then in the last 4 issues, yet another alien, comes after Superman. Bendis spends a ton of time with this alien race and I still don't understand their deal or what was going on with this Synmar Utopica. He attacks Superman and won't explain why. It's really some awful writing. Oof, this was disappointing.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Bendis' final nine issues of Superman are collected here, and they sure are nine issues of Superman, I suppose.

We start with the end of The Truth arc which should have been in the last volume. The reactions from the other members of Superman's supporting cast are far more engaging than the battle with Mongul, which boils down to pages and pages of Superman hitting him until he gives up. There's little to no consequences to the United Planets assembly despite Mongul having murdered half of them, and even the subplot about the FBI being worried about Superman announcing himself as King Of Earth goes nowhere since Cameron Chase just sweeps it under the rug.

The two issue arc about Xanadoth (Bendis absolutely sucks at naming characters, I swear to god) fizzles as well. There's a good few pages where Superman and Doctor Fate have a nice chat, although I didn't realise being pre-med made you a qualified psychiatrist, but again the actual monster fight goes nowhere, does nothing, and is just pages of punching aside from one little twist that was kinda neat.

Then there's the final four issues, the Mythological arc of the title, that brings in the Synmar Utopica (again with the names!), a manufactured super-being that wants to beat up Superman because...something about inspiring the planet he's trying to conquer because they lied to him? Or something? I don't know, I don't think Bendis even knew at this point. Again, the subplot about Lois dealing with the fallout of Clark revealing his identity is far more compelling, but the final issue overlays Lois' inner monologue over an already wordy explanation of what's supposed to be going on on Synmar, and neither plot strengthens the other. Then it all just...ends.

The art's great though. I have no idea how Bendis manages to get all the best artists, but most of this volume is drawn by Ivan Reis (and it all came out on time, somehow), while Kevin Maguire does some fill-in work. When Kevin Maguire's your fill-in artist, you know it's a good looking book.

Bendis' Superman has struggled from the beginning, trying to balance too many things and not actually executing half of them properly. The first half of the run was more about setting up his ill-fated Legion spin-off than Superman himself, and this final volume doesn't manage to land any of the plot points it tries to set up. I don't even know what Bendis is trying to say about Superman as a character half the time, but it definitely looks good. Switch off your brain, look at the pretty pictures, and ignore the words, and you'll get a lot more mileage out of this one for certain.

[Christian Zamora-Dahmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s this thing with Bendis and the pacing he gives to each story that is a bit unnerving, mostly when you realize nothing really happens, or nothing that actually matters, happens. Anyway. This book, unlike Action Comics, gave us a deeper Superman with some fun moments, but... the Mongul storyline may have been the most generic Mongul storyline ever, and that’s just a lot. The Doctor Fate one had its really fun moments. Curiously the most interesting part happened when Dr. Fate and Superman talked about everything going on in Superman’s life. That was fun. This new super-villain was so meh. And Lois Lane’s subplot was actually annoying.
An entire set, one magnificent scene, the rest was just forgettable.
I revisited this set since, later on, I realized I was still missing the four later single issues. Well, let's just say that those books took away one of the two stars I originally gave to this collection. Bendis loves to build up, but he doesn't deliver in the end. After all the fireworks when he joined the Superman line, his closing was a bit embarrassing.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved: Ivan Reis’ and Co. pencils and covers.



Tolerated: Pretty much everything else.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

With Superman sharing his secret identity as Clark Kent to the world, one could only imagine what was to happen next. With such a life-changing decision, it was only a matter of time before the consequences of his actions come sweeping in, putting all that has been done and is to come in perspective, leaving only one person to even know how to deal with it all: Superman. Unfortunately, many ideas were put into play and it was time for writer Brian Michael Bendis to bring it all to an end, but will it all take place as he envisioned it all? Collecting Superman issues #20-28, this volume closes up writer Brian Michael Bendis’ time on this canonical comic book series only to hand it over to writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson.

What is Superman: Mythological about? Now that Superman has unveiled his identity to the world and assumed the role as the leader of Earth amidst the congregation developed for the United Planets, the world is now shaken up by the repercussions of this truth. Unfortunately, the Man of Steel neglectfully leaves all the human trouble in the hands of his beloved wife while he swooshes away to protect this new united vision as an old enemy looks to ruin the trust and peace established by the United Planets. If he is to fail, the fall of the United Planets would be imminent. As if that wasn’t enough, new deadly warriors from the realm of magic and mayhem, known as Xanadoth and Synmar, come looking for more trouble as the world has yet to find any calm or stability with recent drama and chaos.

As writer Brian Michael Bendis looks to put in his final word count for his Superman comic book run, he ends up, in this race to the finish line, delivering an amalgamation of his ideas that accumulates into a poor farewell to his time as the lead creator. With very little cohesion or any hint of an attempt to showcase a guideline that might justify the multiple ideas he ridiculously jumbles together, this volume ultimately touches upon too much in too little time. Not only does the story fall upon its knees under the pressure to cover all the gaping holes left behind by Superman’s untimely decision to reveal his secret identity to the world, but it also crudely introduces new characters that send Superman outside of Metropolis, far from home, and into uncharted galactic territory only for every little detail to be forgotten as quickly as they were shown.

Luckily, the artwork alleviates the numerous flaws displayed by the messy narrative, giving this volume a chance to somehow stand on two feet. With the occasional bombastic and electrifying action sequences, the story finds ways to give these moments the chance to display the brute force hidden within the gentle yet powerful superhero. Unfortunately, the narrative often centers around the importance of communication and the futility of violence yet barely backs the idea throughout the story at hand. Oddly enough, writer Brian Michael Bendis also shoehorns as many words as possible into the dialogue, sometimes also making certain speeches truly inauthentic, and creating highly-convoluted pages with meaningless noise instead of letting the artwork take over. From start to finish, it can be deduced that there was no thought or care put into the character’s journey as each controversy stacked up throughout Bendis’ time on this series.

Superman: Mythological is a jarring and insignificant finale to writer Brian Michael Bendis’ run on this series as he sends Superman left and right throughout the universe without a care in the world regarding his future.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good thing about this volume is the continued responses to Clark's revelation that he's Superman. Lois has to clean up some after it, which is great characterization for her. Dr. Fate gaslights Clark a bit by asking why he revealed the truth. Steve Lombard worries if the Planet is vulnerable. Then Lois and Lana have a heart-to-heart. (Wait!? Lana no longer was told Clark's secret when he left Smallville?? I HATEHATEHATE DC continuity, or rather the lack thereof.)

It's not really resolved, it doesn't need to be resolved, it just needs to be followed up on and respected by the next author. And we need to keep suspending disbelief that people can really interact with Clark as Clark, because that's a pretty hard pill to swallow.

The bad thing? A pointless fight against Mongul, continued from last volume (why was "The Truth" split across two volumes!?). A pointless fight against a bigger than ever chaos guy. A pointless fight against some super-powerful alien guy that never makes much sense. C'mon, there's more to Superman than hitting things (or in the case of that last arc, spending long issues trying not to hit things).

[Mike Jozic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never let it be said that Brian MIchael Bendis told a story in a reasonable amount of pages.

What literally could have been four or five issues total, Bendis spends no less than nine finishing up his Superman run. If I am being fair, he was supposed to finish his run with issue #24 but DC asked him to do four more issues to take readers to the Future State event that is running currently as I type this review. Therefore, it doesn't really surprise me that the last four issues feel like he's just spinning his wheels somewhat, but there are pages and pages of people talking, repeating, talking, and repeating again just waiting to reach his page count. The ideas that he is trying to put forward are good ideas, mind you. Bendis has a nice handle on Superman. He just doesn't know how to tell a story efficiently or without a lot of dead air. He shoots for the trade. He creates stories to fill a certain amount of space and that means a lot of wandering, meaningless dialogue and protracted plotlines.

Kind of a recommend and kind of not. I'm kind of hoping that Bendis' Action Comics run ends on a higher note than this otherwise his revitalization of the Superman family of books over the last couple of years will have ended flatfooted for me.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superman winds up trying to balance his life and it's not going well.

This volume is okay. Superman trying to balance his frustration with villains attacking him, his son being gone, his reveal of who he is to the world, and more is starting to weigh on him. I think the fact Superman deals with real issues is pretty clever and helps us connect to a basically god being. On top of that the art stays stylish and the fights are great. There's some great character moments too.

But overall storylines are okay. Mostly villain shows up, does bad things, superman beats them. This sounds like the plot to any superhero book but it feels feel cliche here. I never worry about Clark or anyone around him really. I liked they tried to change it where Superman tries to talk things out instead of fighting but in the end...he fights.

So yeah it's not bad, it's solid, but it could be better. I think I'm okay with Bendis finally stepping off this title. A 3 out of 5.

[Derick Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure where to review the whole thing so I’ll do it here. If I could give this a 3.5 I would. It’s dumb fun that I enjoy in the comic book. What could’ve been done better is the fact it kinda drags just a little after the fight volumes with mongul. I feel three is to low and four is too high but I’m gonna be generous.

[Darik · Rating 1 out of 5]

... Jesus Christ, this is the worst volume yet.

Brian Michael Bendis' overlapping dialogue schtick reaches its nadir here, becoming the literary equivalent of a speech impediment. All three of his storylines in this volume feel aimless and perfunctory-- conflict that arises because evil bad guys decide to do evil things because they're evil, and then Superman not only has to stop THEM, but also take charge with the frightened general populace (presented repeatedly as easily cowed children who need to have a big, strong authority figure take charge before they hurt themselves). Supes just keeps getting put into positions of greater and greater authority over humanity, and we're supposed to accept that he deserves them because he's presented as the only level head in a universe of weak, sniveling buffoons. It's Randian horsesh*t.

And new villain Synmar may be the greatest indictment of all of Bendis' motives with this run. Essentially pitched as "what if space Communists decided to create their own Superman?", Synmar is initially just as blank a slate as Rogol Zaar was; even though we see his origins, we have no idea what's motivating him to attack Superman once he shows up on Earth. And when we finally DO find out... well...

Synmar was created by his people, the Synmar (I know, I know) to be a champion like Superman to protect them, should they need it. But because he is unused to the power that he's granted, and the way it sets him above the others in his largely-egalitarian society, he becomes overwhelmed by impostor syndrome and demands to know why he was chosen. Upon discovering that he was created, not just to be a champion, but to potentially protect the Synmar FROM Superman as a weapon, he ends up going bad-- deciding to fulfill his purpose by conquering his home planet and then setting out to kill the Man of Steel.

Now... Think about it. Synmar comes from a world where all people are roughly equals and governance is done by committee. He has to be granted power because no one in his society has power by default... but when granted power by the consent of the governed, he can't handle it because he has no experience with power-- so it HOPELESSLY CORRUPTS him. Apparently, an everyday person-- even a seemingly GOOD one-- is incapable of wielding power for noble ends if he's not accustomed to it.

... But who, Bendis asks, CAN wield power safely and fairly? Someone BORN into power. NATURAL power. INDIVIDUAL power. Power that they assert over others freely, rather than being beholden to the ideals and the agendas of the ones who granted it. An übermenschen. Someone like... Superman.

It's bad.

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice follow up to the last book and enjoy seeing the actual repercussions from the identity reveal. Some more dull side stories but still good overarching following of Superman.

[Pochodnia fandomu · Rating 1 out of 5]

ngl kompletnie nie czuję tego czytając zeszytami, także może jak nadrobię n52, to zrobię reread rebirth i dalej, żeby ogarnąć to jako jedną całość. we'll see

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bendis does some decent character work with Lois, Clark and Lana, but the plotlines and villains were generic and pretty uninteresting.

[Mariano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending to a great series, continuing the exploration around the secret identity reveal, with some punching here and there. And, as a bonus, some awsome Kevin Maguire art ♥️

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some decent stories in here with some good art, but the last story is incredible and my favorite story from Bendis' Superman run

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

After announcing his identity to the world, Clark has undertaken a huge mission in space, leaving Lois to deal with things. But... their love is strong and can make it through anything.
Highlights (on this huge GN):
- Mongol crashes a meeting of the United Planets. Superman has to fight him, but long-standing paranoia and tension causes infighting amongst the nations. As Superman tries to ease tension, Mongol leaves... and then Supes leaves too because Mongol is about to attack Earth! The United Planets will survive though...
- Someone from the inaugural meeting of the United Planets sent video home to Earth where Superman declared himself the representative for Earth. In the all-too-real and totally crappy way that things work, people in positions of power start losing it. "Who made him speak for all of us?" and such. DEO/FBI agent Veronica Bissette tracks down Lois and issues the ultimatum. There will be no punishment, but this is the last time Clark, Lois, or Jon can ever screw up or there will be consequences. And the entire time this conversation is taking place, Superman is fighting Mongol on Venus, having diverted him from Earth.
- Clark has a lot on his mind, so he goes to see Dr. Fate, where they have a kind of a therapy session. Superman needs someone to talk to about his issues. Their session is interrupted by Xanadoth, the original Lord of the Lords of Chaos, who had been recently released from his prison accidently by Agent Bissette. Together they are able to re-contain him, but the Agent has glowing eyes in the hospital, so I am sure we haven't seen the last of him.
- The latter half of the book deals with Synmar, an alien being (also the name of the race and the planet he is from) who's prime function is to stop Kryptonians from being exposed to yellow suns. Knowing that it boosts their power dramatically, he heads off to Earth to stop Superman. Once they are able to show each other that Clark is not a threat, the Synmar get his help to stop a baddie on their planet.

and with this Volume, Bendis' run on Superman ends. Good while it lasted, but eager to see where Superman goes heading into Future State, especially after all his changes in Death Metal.

Recommend.

[Alek Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well nothing about those book was bad. But it was definitely pointless!

To start, issues 20-22 were the most frustrating to me. The Daily Star gets sent footage (which is never revealed by who) of Superman saying "he'll represent Earth in the United Planets". And this is interpreted as "Superman declared himself King of Earth". It all just felt so very Fox News. I mean I could just see Tucker Carlson screaming to the masses "that Superman was infringing on our rights by daring to represent our planet on an intergalactic council!" Yes representative and ruler both start with an "R", but they mean two different things. All this fuss is stirred up during these issues and in the end its all resolved by an FBI agent threatening Lois, "that her and her husband cant make a mistake anymore or there will be consequences". Just bullshit.

The next 2 issues are complete and utter filler episode. Clark has a heart to heart with Dr. Fate inside the Tower of Fate, where they can pause time so Clark can vent about his problems without having to worry about wasting time for not working on said problems. Its mainly meant to be a recap of what all has happened but of course because this is also a superhero universe; there is a pointless battle with a chaos lord that has to happen.

Finally we get to the end of Bendis's run. Issues 25-28. Now 25-27 had honestly restored my interest. The Synmar seemed to be a very interesting concept I was waiting to see fleshed out. And Superman's reaction to encountering this unknown was very refreshing. But then I read the final issue.

The leading up issues set up this idea that the Synmar are a highly advanced species on the edge of the galaxy that have been monitoring Superman since Krypton blew up. At first, worried that he would be a threat they chose one of their own to be their defender in the eventuality Superman chose to become a ruler. Of course Superman would never be a villain so this defender just becomes their champion. And he's honored to be one, until their leader drunkenly lets it slip that he was a weapon designed for a now dumb reason. This for some reason sends the guy spiraling. Then he gets an urgent call telling him the leaders of his world were under attack. And this brings us to him attacking Superman. With all that I was left wondering who attacked the Synmar and sent their champion gunning for Supes. Did he somehow see The Star's media coverage that "Superman was the King of Earth"?
None of this is answered really or shown to us. Instead it's revealed/told to Superman, that there was a small civil war amongst their leadership over whether Superman was an actaual threat. Resulting in them killing each other apparently. When the champion discovers this, he decides to take over his planet just like they feared Superman would and then he goes after Superman so he can kill him in front of his planet for some reason. It was a complete 180 I feel, because during their battle on Earth the audience and Superman both believe that this guy is good and mistakenly thinks Supes is the evil one. So for there to have been no misunderstanding and the Synmar was just crazy evil felt like a very stupid twist.

At the start of Bendis's Superman journey I felt it was clear he was steering Superman into stepping up as a world leader and bringing Earth into the Galactic conversation. I mean we got to see the actual creation of the Legion of Superheroes, so it seemed obvious that this was going to be a continuity relevant run. But I guess someone at DC chickened out. Nothing that resembles an actual over arcing story happens after issue 15. Instead its all just aftermath issues of Superman dealing with the Unity Saga, but nothing good comes out of it. Superman came out as Clark not to be a world figure but simply because he was stressed and revealing his secret identity was his equivalent of dyeing his hair electric blue. He helped form the United Planets but then returns to Earth and acts like he's not responsible for it. The most insulting thing about the final issue was that its main dialog consisted of Lana Lang quoting Lois Lane talking about "Superman's Truth". And that is that Superman needs humanity to remind himself to be good!! Disappointing.

[J.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really cool things about this volume: the fight scenes, and the new villains, Synmar and Xanadoth. Also, most of the story about Synmar is really good.

But there are a lot of things that just don't work. The battle with Mongol is great, but this whole United Planets deal is getting old. So is Superman telling the world his secret identity. So is this whole "Superman's telling HIS truth" as if there are multiple versions of the truth out there.

Also, I wish Bendis would stop slicing out significant story chunks. I really liked Synmar, and was waiting to find out more about him. Never did. Turns out he was taking over his own planet? Since this happened in between issues, with no clues as to why Synmar would do this, and no character development, it just leaves us to assume that he wanted a world of Supermen on Synmar. Literally at the end of one issue Synmar is standing around the dead bodies of the council trying to figure out what happened, and is super confused and at the start of the next issue he's off flying towards Earth to fight Superman. We never find out who killed the council by the way.

Imagine, if you will, writing a book about WWII. At the end of Chapter One, you write that Hitler gained power in Germany. Then at the start of Chapter II, you're writing about D-Day and casually mention that Hitler's taken over a bunch of countries and part of France.

And its also completely ridiculous that Superman would go to the new Dr. Fate (Khalid Nassour) to clear his head. This is a guy that hasn't been a stable Dr. Fate for over a couple months, and Superman just goes to him for a counseling session? What? Not Wonder Woman, who has the wisdom of Athena? Not the original Dr. Fate? Martian Manhunter? Black Lightning, who is actually a teacher/councilor? Ray Palmer?

[Justin Partridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We need. We all need. Need is one of our biological programs. Need means we’re part of a society. We count on each other.

My husband likes to remind people that kindness is not weakness. As it is often mistaken to be. Same with need. So, if a normal person needs as much as we know we need each other…

How much does a Superman need?”

I’m bumping this a whole ⭐️ for a truly stellar finale issue and a Xa-Du appearance. Thus closing the book on the penultimate volume of The Bendis is Coming! Era.

I’ll say, despite some truly stellar artwork here from Kevin Maguire and the regular team of Reis, Prado, and Sinclair and the really good finale issue of this title, this was likely my least favorite volume of the bunch.

It’s got some interesting stuff going on with SuperFate and the Lana Lang of it all, but everything else just kinda fizzles out and that’s a real disappointment. We don’t really get much settling into Clark’s new status quo aside from some more bits and bobs. We don’t really spend that much time on Earth really; which I did enjoy for the most part but I can’t really get a handle on the second new villain Synmar? Also, WHEN is the LAST arc of your Superman series the time to introduce not one but TWO new villains to the series?! Boggles my mind.

But ultimately, I’ve enjoyed Superman far, far more than I expected to. I think the final volume of Action might solidify it is my favorite of the Bendis Era but I’m happy I got around to this all the same. It’s nice to be reminded just how nice and cool and ultra operatic this title can be when it wants to be and I think this might be a run that only appreciates with age.

Onward! For #SuperSummer!

[Greg Callahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first started reading comics a decade ago, sticking solely to DC's New 52 and Rebirth before finally branching out, just a few years ago, into the Marvel world of the past where I first discovered Brian Michael Bendis and fell in love with his quirky and a little too wordy writing style. And when I heard he was coming to DC Comics I was ecstatic. That said, I've found his run on Superman and Action Comics to be a little lackluster. There've been good moments, but this last volume here has been quite disappointing and a little confusing to get through. Specifically the Mythological arc where Superman spends a lot of time talking to himself about how he doesn't want to just punch and punch his unknown opponent - a never-bef0re-encountered alien (at least for Superman, I guess) named Synmar Utopica - yet in the end finishes the fight by doing just that. It felt like a half-hearted story without much creative drive behind it. That said, still excited for Bendis's continued run in the DC Comics world, this was but a small dip on the path, I'm sure.

The saving aspect of this volume for me was the artwork by Ivan Reis. I liked Kevin Maguire's artwork, as well, but Reis' was what really pleased the eye. I don't know, I'm not really one to critique the artwork for, as long as it's compelling and beautiful, which it nearly always is, I've nothing to complain about. They make the medium superb.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm..... I kind of have a love/hate relationship with this book. I liked that Superman's mental health was actually the focus. The theme that everyone needs a break, that everyone needs to breathe and take a step back, even Superman was powerful, poignant, and important. That was well-written and engaging and, like I said, IMPORTANT, but...that was kind of the only part of this book that I really liked. The rest... I don't know. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems like a lot of the newer DC books I read just... lost their heart, for lack of a better term. I didn't get lost in this one like I have others. (And I'm still not happy about them aging Jon up. I mean... what is the point of giving Superman a kid if we don't get to see him raise his kid?) I don't know... something just feels off in recent comics. A lot of changes, none of which seem necessary or deserved from a story standpoint. Reading shouldn't be a chore.... but with modern comics, I feel like I'm checking off a to-do list more than a to-read list. I think it's time to go back to older comics for a while; I'm not sure what's going on with DC, but reading is supposed to be fun, right? And these... just aren't hitting it for me. Call me crazy, but I'm going to read what I enjoy.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic plot: Superman battles various baddies while he and Lois also deal with the fallout from revealing his identity to the world.

This arc has so many lovely pieces to it: people dealing with the new knowledge, Superman's relationship with Lois, introspection with Dr. Fate, just Superman's humanity and relationships in general. It is frustrating that the writers feel they need to include giant, earth-shaking battles in the middle of all this good storytelling. First Mongol, then the Lord of Chaos, then a being apparently called the Synmar Utopica (that story was a confusing mess). Each one felt half-told, like it was only setting up part of a battle for later down the road. The battles were all about battle,, too,, not so much about any kind of meaningful story. The art was all over the place, too- mostly good, but some jarring stylistic changes, sometimes within a single issue.

Overall, this was a great book that kept getting in its own way.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Omg, I'm done with this run! Finally!
I slogged my way through, and sadly was not rewarded at the end with a great parting volume. This book was a bore.

Plot: Mongul starts a war with the United Planets (just to F with Superman) & Superman is in some hot water back home for declaring himself the representative of Earth with the United Planets. But Lois takes care of it (?).
There was a fine team-up between Superman and Doctor Fate against this ancient god thing called Xanadoth.
And then an alien storyline about a planet called Synmar where they made their own Superman, and all the action between the alien and Superman have the "voiceover" text boxes from Lois's new book about Superman (shared with Lana Lang). And while I liked the Lois book bits, I didn't particularly like the storylines here with Mongul, Xanadoth, and Synmar. And that was the book.

So... That's the end of that. The end. (Finally.)

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superman Vol. 4 Mythological collects issues 20-28 of the DC Comics series written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Ivan Reis, Kevin Maguire, and John Timms.

While Superman is off world fighting against Mogul who is threatening the future of the newly established United Planets, the Daily Star learns that Superman has nominated himself to speak for Earth in galaxy matters. Hoping that this will lead to a juicy story, they ambush Lois Lane in her apartment for a soundbite.

There is a lot of action in these collected issues of Superman and not as much fallout from Clark revealing his secret as I had hoped. I did enjoy the arc of Superman visiting Doctor Fate and having a very personal and human moment. That was unexpected and touching. I wasn’t a big fan of Superman’s battle with Synmar Utopica. It just felt like it was retreading similar ground as the Mogul storyline earlier in the volume.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Superman issues #20-28

I typically enjoy Bendis' writing, and this one was, overall, pretty good, although I didn't love the final story arc. While that final story arc had an interesting premise, something about the writing/dialogue was off - I found it physically hard to read/decipher what was going on.

The early parts of this collection were great, though, and I think Bendis' characterization of Superman is very solid.

I believe this is the end of Bendis' run on this title.

[Adam Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 9-issue book wraps up Bendis' run on Superman and it's...not horrible. It features a lot of people talking about Superman, analyzing Superman, Superman even gets analyzed. The first few issues are kind of blah. A big problem is raised with the United Planet, it becomes the focus of reporters and federal investigators...and it's kind of handwaved away.

And then we get the main mythological arch which is kind of interesting but is really not the sort of story you end a run on, although I do like some of the sentiment and character stuff for Lois.

So overall, not bad, but still kind of disappointing.

[Will Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This thing only gets two stars because of the Dr. Fate issues. When Kevin Maguire draws, the issues get funnier. But the Truth arc this collection begins with is boring and then the Mythological arc is very bad.

The Synmar Utopica is a...alien thing that has to (wants to?) attack Superman because...and that's about as much as I understood from that insane writing. There are no competent reasons given for anything happening in this.

[Chloe Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story in this issue is pretty boring tbh, I think "Chaos" with Dr Fate might have been the best, which is sort of like a therapist session for superman given all the changes and shocks he's had and it was interesting. I liked the last one Mythological for the podcast with the theme being why Superman needs earth and humans more than the other way around. I thought the fight scenes mixed in with all the text made it a little hard to concentrate on either though.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book sees Bendis finish out his time on the Superman title and it’s not good. First we get the conclusion to the truth arc from last volume. It’s not satisfying, it just has Mongul job to Superman and makes the entire United Planets concept look better than it already was. Then we get a three issue arc that features Doctor Fate where Superman talks about his feelings. Bendis tries to explain the insert reveal here but it wasn’t satisfying and felt lazy. We end with the four part Mythological arc which was terrible. A planet heard of Superman years ago and so they create their own superhero and now he’s gone crazy and kidnapped Superman. It just went nowhere the entire time and felt lazy and like Bendis was just spinning wheels. Ivan Reis still delivered some beautiful art, especially the final page of Lois and Clark dancing while flying. Bendis overstayed the very little welcome he had and I’m incredibly glad this ended his Superman title.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, the thing about the Mongul is, as a villain, he feels a bit like Rogol, but not as scary. I didn’t really enjoy the Dr. Fate story. It just didn’t grab me. But the best one was the Mythological one. The villain and his whole culture were really cool. I did get a bit confused about why he was doing what he was doing, but I appreciate that they didn’t bring back something like the Mongul battle again.