Superman Unchained #2

Superman has had a rough week.  However, thanks to the magic of comics, Superman Unchained #2 exists before/after the continuity of Trinity War.  Sometimes this facet of the comic industry can be annoying, but other times it gives us access to great stories without the burden of acknowledging the goings-on of other books featuring the character.

Last month's debut issue was very well received by fans, but that brought up the important question of whether or not the bar had been set too high.  I admit issue one brought out my inner fanboy.  The combination of classic Superman from Snyder and Jim Lee pandered to me.  After the high eventually wound down,  though, I was worried.  Would the creative team be able to maintain this pace?  Would I eventually realize I was looking through rose colored glasses, seeing what I wanted to see?  Thankfully, I was mistaken.  Issue two continues the trend while moving the plot forward and embracing Snyder's writing style.

We are treated to more of what made the initial issue work so well.  We see how Superman deals with a crisis, how much he cares about saving lives and the super-powered thought process that goes in to his actions.  He's bigger than life, and Snyder's approach to putting a god in the mortal world works.  The problem that is inherent with Superman is how to threaten him.  There are the standard approaches of kryptonite and magic, but we are introduced to a new character here that does a good job without the standard tropes.

I loved the interactions in this book.  The standoff with General Lane was perfect.  We already know Snyder can handle Batman, and we get  glimpse of that camaraderie.  I'm glad this issue didn't fall too much into the sophomore slump.  We got to see more of what made the debut issue work, but I hope in future issues Snyder finds new ways to show the reader how Superman thinks.  The approach to handling the crisis is great, but could become stale unless new life is breathed into it.

Jim Lee is Jim Lee.  Love him or hate him, he's a top-tier talent.  He has an obvious style that doesn't change much.  His set pieces here are great and just the right degree of epic.  His design on the assorted black hole weaponry of Lane's is solid and fits well into the almost sci-fi approach Snyder seems to be taking to this title.  I hope this direction is expanded on in future issues.  Snyder's characteristic darkness is beginning to seep in as well, so I'm very interested in where this story might be going.