Not long ago, the comic book world was knocked on its collective rear upon hearing that one of Marvel’s greatest stalwarts, Brian Michael Bendis, was finally packing up and leaving town to work exclusively with DC. Granted, most big name creators hop between both major publishers at various points throughout their respective careers and we knew the day would probably come for Bendis, but the news was no less shocking.
Now, it’s only understandable that fans and journalists alike speculated as to which titles Bendis would actually pen. Having charted new territory for the likes of the Avengers, X-Men, and Spider-Man during his stay at the House of Ideas – in addition to being the chief architect behind many of their major crossover events – one would naturally expect him to take over a top tier title, and that’s exactly what’s happening as he’ll soon take the wheel at both flagship Superman books.
As you may recall, it was recently confirmed that Bendis would be one of several all-star creators contributing to Action Comics #1000, but it turns out that is only the tip of the iceberg. You see, on May 2, he’ll be joined by artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez for a story to be included in the DC Nation #0 preview sampler that’ll serve as a launching point for Man of Steel, a six-issue weekly miniseries that’ll feature interlocking covers provided by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado (be sure to check out the accompanying gallery for a first look at the pencils).
In short, that book aims to “shake up the classic story of Krypton’s final days and Kal-El’s path to becoming an iconic hero, introducing a new villain that knows a terrifying secret behind the destruction of Superman’s homeworld. Bendis’ story will feature an incredible lineup of artistic firepower, including Ivan Reis, Evan “Doc” Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes and Jason Fabok.”
Beyond that, the situation gets even more interesting because, as we said earlier, Bendis will take over as series writer on both Superman and Action Comics! On July 11, DC will launch a new Superman #1 with Reis serving as the artist, with Action Comics #1001 arriving in comic shops on July 25. When it comes to that title, expect to see Patrick Gleason lending his pencils.
According to DC, Superman will explore the consequences witnessed in the Man of Steel miniseries, while Action Comics “will deliver stories that are more character-focused, introduce new characters (both heroes and villains) and spotlight more of Clark Kent and his role at the Daily Planet. Action will also take a closer look at how the actions of Superman impact the DC Universe.”
Also of note is that Bendis’ Jinxworld line is now shifting to DC, and he’ll curate a custom imprint that’ll unite some of his favorite characters from the DC Universe with all-new creations. As of now, details are scarce on the latter, but it sounds somewhat similar to what Gerard Way did with Young Animal.
