FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PICK UP 'THE MAN OF STEEL'

DC Comics have recently released a brand-new ‘Man of Steel’ collected edition, which brings together issues 1 to 6 of this explosive miniseries. Priced at £19.99, this 144-page hardback was written by Brian Michael Bendis, and illustrated by Ivan Reis, Evan Doc Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes, and Jason Fabok. More importantly, though, this book also comes with an adventure so moving, so powerful, and so jaw-droppingly good, that I feel compelled to tell you five reasons why you should pick it up! Want to know more? Then please check this out…


The Man Of Steel (Hardcover)


1) THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT KAL-EL: Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a comic book character that’s so iconic and versatile he’s been in constant circulation for over 80 consecutive years. In fact, he’s so God damn popular, even my parents and my dead cat have heard about Superman! So, you know, there must be something to him that makes him stand out from the crowd. Could it have something to do with his good looks, perhaps? Or could it be something associated with his strength, his broad range of powers, or his overall wholesome personality? Either way, at the end of the day, it only goes to show that Superman is a relatable character that many of us care for and wish to follow, otherwise, he’d be as dead as his explosive home planet. Which reminds me...

2) DON’T CRAP ON KRYPTON: One of the most interesting aspects associated with Superman partly relies on his duel-heritage. On the one hand, he’s a down-to-earth farm-boy from rural Kansas who’s managed to make his way to the big bad city in order to fight for truth, justice, and that type of thing. While, on the other, he’s an orphaned alien from a faraway planet who can only learn about his despondent heritage via pre-recorded messages he stores away and reads, views, and listens to whenever the need arises. So, to me, this makes Superman both super and a man, a real man, because I’m sure many of us can relate to living in a country that we truly love -- sometimes, anyway -- but still feel slightly removed from due to historical and emotional factors. What’s more, those science-fiction based elements which revolve around his origins also opens him up to a wider range of possibilities and story ideas that aren’t always available to more urban-themed heroes, such as Batman, for instance, along with the rest of his clan.

3) YOU ARE WHO YOU MEET: This point brings me quite nicely on to something else we usually associate with Superman: Namely, his cast of characters. While some of them are obviously on the side of the angels, such as Lois Lane (his wife), Jon Kent (his son), Jimmy Olsen (his pal), and Supergirl (his cousin), some others are a right pain in the ass, including Lex Luthor (his headache), General Zod (his neck-ache), Mister Mxyzptlk (his spelling mistake), and Brainiac (his IPad). In many ways this just demonstrates that Superman is a pretty broad character who can interact with a diverse cast who either intend to test him or help him out, depending on the situation. In ‘Man Of Steel’, he comes face to face with a brand new villain named Rogol Zaar, who's a remorseless killer that will stop at nothing until he slaughters every single Kryptonian. What a tit!

4) THE LIFE OF BRIAN: Now, what can I say about Brian Michael Bendis that hasn’t been said before? I mean, really, what can I say? Should I start off by mentioning all of the different awards he’s won, specifically, his five Eisner Awards, his four Wizard Awards, and his three Comics Buyer's Guide Awards? Or should I just forget all that stuff and kiss him on the forehead? Yeah. Why not! Everyone seems to be talking about him nowadays, so it’s about time someone reached out and planted a peck. After all, he was the prime architect behind the Ultimate Marvel Universe, launching the ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ title in 2000, and lets not forget he also orchestrated a number of their multi-part cross-over events, such as "Secret War", "House of M", "Secret Invasion", "Siege", and "Age of Ultron". So, yeah, let's embrace the ace and see what interesting ideas he can bring to the DCU that other writers can’t.

5) DON’T BE SMART WITH MY ART: If you look around this article you will notice a couple of images which highlight some of the scenes depicted inside this book. So go ahead, have a look, a long hard look, and tell me what you see! Do you see a selection of clearly defined visuals which illustrate a sequential narrative? Or do you see a potato? Go on, tell me, which one is it? Is it a sequential narrative or is it a potato? Keeping in mind that you eat a potato and you read a sequential narrative. But then again, maybe this is a pretty stupid question! Especially when you take into consideration that the artists assigned to draw this book are the best in the business. This includes Ivan Reis, from Brazil, who hit it big after drawing the Green Lantern title; Evan Doc Shaner, from Michigan, who has a nostalgic style of art that’s very modern in it’s composition; Kevin Maguire, from New Jersey, who famously drew Justice League International; Adam Hughes, also from New Jersey, who is great at drawing women; Ryan Sook, from San Jose, who’s best known for his moody style of art; and as for Jason Fabok, yeah, he’s good too, despite drawing Batman and coming from Canada. So, all in all, a great bunch of artists who can draw a great bunch of characters. Need we say more?

Now for any more information please don't hesitate to pop on over to the DC Comics website, facebook, and twitter pages. Or better yet, why not pick up a copy via Amazon.