Superman #12 - A Beautiful Family Reunion

Another wonderful chapter in Brian Michael Bendis' run on Superman. He's truly building something wonderful for the Superman family that we've never seen done before.

***Spoilers Ahead***

As Rogol Zaar continues to be a thorn in his side, Superman is trying to make sense of everything happening. The mystery behind his father, the truth about the destruction of his home planet, and why General Zod is working with the Kryptonian killing Zaar.

In the last issue, we saw Superman and his son Jon get involved in a three-way intergalactic royal rumble and Jor-El was the prize. As they try negotiating their way out of it, Rogol Zaar and General Zod appear with an army to ambush the El family. Superman and Jon both do their best to keep everyone at bay to give Jor-El an opportunity to prepare a way out of the mess. But Zaar and Zod prove too much for Superman and Jon until help arrives!

Kara and Krypto jump in and turn the tide of battle!

Kara holds Zaar power staff, as she took it from him during a previous encounter. She used it to track down the truth about Zaar's claim that HE destroyed Krypton. As they battle, Zod grabs Superman and enters super-speed so they can have a conversation in-between spaces. He tries to convince Superman that he's using Zaar for now but will need Superman's help in defeating him. Skeptical, Superman tells Zod the next time they meet, he'll need something more than words to prove he can be trusted.

When Jor-El gives the signal, the super-family boards his ship and they all unleash a blast of heat vision to provide the window they need to escape. Finally having a moment to breathe, Superman drops to his needs in a loving embrace with his son, cousin, and dog.

Jor-El watches from a distance. Left out of the reunion as his return hasn't exactly been received very well. His purpose is to bring unity and peace to the galaxy but it seems there are a lot of races that aren't interested. Their resistance puts a target on Jor-El's back that Superman doesn't understand. Jor-El explains that Kal-El's time on Earth, while beneficial, has jaded his view of what's important to the rest of the galaxy.

Kara reveals that while the reunion has been fun, she needs to confront Gandelo; the leader of "The Circle" who helped cover up the truth that Rogol Zaar did, in fact, destroy Krypton. And she's taking Jon and Krypto with her. Much to Superman's protest, he understands that Jon should go so he can be left to deal with Jor-El, Zod, and Zaar. Jor-El admits to being a part of "The Circle", revealing that he knew Krypton was to be destroyed which is why he had time to get Kal off-planet and make an escape for himself.

Then they arrive at their destination: Krypton.

This issue brought us one of the most beautiful images of the Superman family. As they stand on the deck of Jor-El's ship we're given a wonderful image of Kal, Kara, Jon, and Krypto in a warm embrace. It melts my heart to see it as a Superman fan because up until Bendis' run, we haven't really seen a lot of unity for a character built on the foundation of strong family values. It's so nice to see them get a moment, even though they can't hold onto it for very long. We are on the cusp of learning the TRUTH about the destruction of Krypton and how Kal-El was sent away while Jor-El made his own escape.

Ivan Reis has elevated himself as THE artist for Superman. He has provided so many beautiful images that capture the power and dynamic movement of the most powerful hero in the universe. On that same note, he also depicts Superman in a gentle fashion when it's needed. The facial expressions and the poses of the characters bring life to every panel. His level of detail in background work is off the charts! Every fight scene and explosion feels unique and fresh. He has also given us that amazing image that will be shared all over social media and will quickly become an iconic image.

If you've ever been a fan of Superman, you should be reading this title as we're getting brand new material with the "Unity Saga" that will define Superman for years to come!