Is Bendis' run worth a read?

[EsotericFailures]

I haven't read Supermna comics in a while and I've previously liked most of Bendis' Marvel work (most of what I've read was his street level stuff like Ultimate Spider-Man, not Avengers or anything). Is the current run worth reading? And how do you read it in trade?

[Miles To Go]

Bendis has his hiccups, but it's generally beleieved his run on Action Comics is leaps ahead of what he's done on Superman so far as a lot more plot has been advanced over the last few months compared to how slow everything is on the other book. I'm trying to give it a fair shake, but I'm not keen on the new rules he has for Lois and Clark and there is of course the matter of what's been done to Jon.

[Superlad93]

I recommend it.

For your tastes, I'd maybe recommend Action Comics 1001 and on because that's pure street stuff. But I do think you might greatly appreciate Superman because that has a lot of really focused character work in the same taste as Ultimate Spider-Man and his street stuff. It's scale is huge, yes, it's anchored by keeping us in Clark's head via internal monolog. You'll also likely really dig his Event Leviathan book coming up that spins out of Action Comics. It's got Lois as one of the main leads, but Superman is off-world.

The first trades for both Action and Superman are out now, I think. Well, I know Superman is, but I'm slightly unsure if Action is. Start with the Man of Steel (2018) trade (6 issue long prologue with great art), and then get Superman, Action, or both.

Hope you have a good time with whatever you decide on.

[Yoda]

I'd recommend it as well. If you're more a fan of Bendis' street level stuff Action and the upcoming Leviathan will be right in that niche. And if you're not a huge prior Superman fan, you'll probably have little to no issues with some of the more controversial elements of his run.

There are trades out of the first 18 issues, and it definitely reads better in trade, though they all kind of abruptly end without really resolving any of the main mysteries. All three are really set up arcs for his storylines. Man of Steel 1-6 is in Man of Steel. Superman #1-6 is collected in Superman: Unity Saga Vol. 1, and Action Comics 1001-1006 is collected in Action Comics: The Invisible Mafia.

[manofsteel1979]

I'd strongly recommend it. It's not without it's faults and hiccups,but Bendis is doing some of his best work since his early Ultimate Spiderman days.Plus you have a heck of a roster of artists all over his run..

[Celgress]

I'm lukewarm on his run thus far, but sure it is worth a look I'd say.

[Jon Clark]

I haven't read Supermna comics in a while and I've previously liked most of Bendis' Marvel work (most of what I've read was his street level stuff like Ultimate Spider-Man, not Avengers or anything). Is the current run worth reading? And how do you read it in trade?

Since you haven't read Superman in a while it might read better to you than it does for longterm readers. Most of my problems with it are personality shifts from what came before and some of the transition between status quos. If you aren't attached to young Jon Kent then Bendis' use of him might not be a problem. If you don't have a set concept for Lois' voice you won't be pulled out of the story by the dialogue between her and Clark.

The stories aren't great in my eyes and some of that is just Bendis-being-Bendis, but if I was approaching this the same way I approached his Ultimate Spider-man and not as someone messing with my favorite character I can see these stories being more enjoyable.

[Slim Shady]

Recommended. Both are pretty good.

Superman for the big, super adventures. It’s been fun.

Action Comics for Metropolis thrillers. One of the best titles DC is putting out.

The different directions for each title is fantastic. You get a little bit of everything and they both have their own feel.

[bigstupidjellyfish]

I recommend it as well. The art is beautiful and worth the price of admission alone, but Bendis is also killing it on both.

[Jackalope89]

It really depends. Those that liked the Rebirth dynamic of Superman and the family, became pretty put off by the drastic shift Bendis threw in on multiple levels. Those that were neutral or not excited about the Rebirth direction of the Super books seemed to have bought into it.

Personally, as someone that had never read Bendis before, and gave it a shot, I was really put off by all of the changes he made. Many of which were unnecessary in the grand scheme.

[Robanker]

Start with Action #1001. Superman is dealing more with the previous status quo and how it factors into the present, but frankly Action is the superior book. The first six issues were just released in trade so you can get them all in one neat package off your local store or preferred online retailer.

I'm really enjoying it thus far. For what it's worth, I loved what happened before Bendis and I've been a fan for a long time. It's different, but so far it's been a solid ride. The one hitch thus far is Lois, who Bendis hasn't mastered the voice of and Bendis occasionally lapses into the oft-mocked "Bendis speak," but that's not exclusive to his Superman work so just be aware his usual quirks work their way in from time-to-time.

[Ascended]

I recommend it.

Its definitely his best work in years. He has a great handle on Clark's voice, and amazingly he's actually getting the sci-fi/cosmic stuff right, which I've rarely seen from him. He uses Clark's powers in interesting ways, and the art is top notch, as Bendis' titles always are. He's done more with Metropolis than anyone has since the 90's, and he's made the supporting cast matter again. Action is the better book, but Superman really gets into the crazy cosmic stuff, and between the two I have a well rounded and interesting Superman to read about.

I dont think he's got Lois' voice quite right, and I've questioned a lot of his creative choices. And his main villain still hasn't impressed me. But Bendis is still selling it and doing right by Superman and his mythos, as far as I'm concerned.

Your mileage may vary of course.

[SiegePerilous02]

I'd recommend it.

It's not perfect: Lois's voice is dodgy but has been improving from what I've seen and Rogol Zarr is still "meh." But everything else has been solid to great. Superman is a great larger than life book, and Action is great for the street level stuff. And his set up is allowing for Rucka to write a Lois book, and I am totally there. Jimmy getting his own series is wonderful too and we (again) wouldn't have it without Bendis.

I read the first two trades of Rebirth, and it didn't catch my interest. I am therefore not that attached to Jon and think Jor-El even being alive is stupid as shit, so I don't mind him tooling around with the former and cannot blame him for the latter.

[lotchj]

I think Lois living in a hotel room and not living with her husband is just plain wrong!!

[James Hunter]

I'm not reading SUPERMAN but I am reading ACTION COMICS, I went in to it very cautiously, actually expecting to be disappointed (after he seemed to become jaded by his Marvel work) but I've been pleasantly surprised at how well he is writing the title.

I aso like the WONDER COMICS imprint and wonder if a change has breathed new life into Bendis' writing.