Superman Vol. 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth (Review)

After making his introduction with The Man of Steel miniseries, Brian Michael Bendis steps fully into the role of Superman's latest curator with the first volume of The Unity Saga, titled Phantom Earth. This is a hard story to read in isolation, functioning best as a continuation of the story begun in The Man of Steel. We find Clark Kent bereft without his wife and son, as Jon has gone off to travel the stars on a rite of passage with Clark's newly-returned father, Jor-El, taking Lois along as Jon's chaperone. With such a drastic shift in responsibilities, Superman's life has changed overnight, and this new dynamic offers some nice character moments for Clark early in the volume as he faces a world without Lois and Jon.

Superman Vol. 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth

But, true to comic book form, the introspection can only last so long before something goes awry—and things certainly do here, as Earth is mysteriously ripped from its orbit and transported into the dreaded Phantom Zone, an ancient and otherworldly prison that acts as home to the universe's worst threats. Bendis should be given credit for taking risks with the traditional storytelling format, as such an event would usually be reserved for the story's climax. Instead, he positions Earth's disappearance at the beginning of the story, thereby raising the stakes immensely, well before the halfway point. This move adds a level of tension that sees all of Earth's heroes working to find a way out of the Phantom Zone, a kind of ticking bomb that runs in the background that frees Bendis to focus on this story's emotional core, which is itself a doozy.

Back to settle unfinished business is Rogol Zaar, the monstrous creature introduced in The Man of Steel who claims to have destroyed Krypton and now intends to finish his Kryptonian purge by ending Superman. Zaar's origins and motivations are left shrouded in mystery here, a clear sign that Bendis intends to take his readers on a longer journey. The return of classic Superman villain Zod also brings more questions than answers, but perhaps the one answer provided in this story acts as a kind of thesis statement for what Bendis intends to do during his time with the character. As Zod, the self-righteous and self-proclaimed bearer of Krypton's future, goes up against Rogol Zaar, the monster claiming responsibility for Krypton's destruction, Superman finds himself pitted between them, and the battle that's about to unfold is for the very legacy of Krypton.

We shouldn't expect Bendis to wrap up this storyline as soon as it begins; indeed, Superman is whisked away from the Phantom Zone just as things are about to come to blows. It's a brilliant if frustrating tease, but lets us know that Bendis isn't finished with this story. Both Rogol Zaar and Zod will return, but in what capacity remains to be seen. The action in this book, like The Man of Steel miniseries, is big and loud, the scale cosmic in scope. While Superman battles to defend an entire planet trapped in the Phantom Zone, we really get a sense of how versatile and sweeping Superman stories can be. They're a kind of ultimate escapism, mythological tales that unfold on a huge canvas, with battles in which entire planets and worlds and galaxies hang in the balance.

The only trouble with stories of this scale is how easily the humanity of the characters can be lost. This is what makes stories of the "epic" genre so hard to nail when judging by modern storytelling standards. Achilles and Odysseus were great heroes, but they were legendarily flawed because of their hubris. Thus, their stories become warnings for us as much as they are entertaining, teaching us something about ourselves as a collective race of humanity as much as they delight us. Superman, on the other hand, is the paragon of truth and justice. He embodies humility, and his character is Messianic in nature. Much in the same way the humanity of Jesus, the man of sorrows, is sometimes lost in biblical interpretation, Superman can easily stumble over into a caricature of himself as the writer pens his character. Bendis wisely deals with Clark's emotional turmoil over his wife and son being gone, but when Earth goes into the Phantom Zone and the action ratchets up, a lot of this tension falls by the wayside. Part of this is done in favor of following the subplots of several Justice League members who are still on Earth while Superman battles the bad guys in space. And though these moments give us good humor, a little more focus on our titular superhero might have lent the narrative a bit more gravity, particularly when the stakes are nothing short of Kryptonian.

The art by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Oclair Albert really gives us the sense of epic scale this story requires, especially in the sequences which unfold against the darkness of space. Finding ways to make that big black void colorful and even beautiful is a continual challenge as Superman hurls the villains through asteroids. The Man of Steel is always positioned and rendered as suitably heroic, as even the smaller panels would make for good poster material. Between the writing and the art style, Superman is off to a promising start in Phantom Earth. Bendis comes charging out of the gate by hurling Earth into a colossal crisis, so I can only imagine how the stakes will be further raised going forward. The last page of Phantom Earth brings a pretty surprising twist that makes me curious to know where Bendis will take the story next.