Decompressed.
That's been the label applied to the comics written by Brian Michael Bendis, as he takes stories that might have been told in an issue (or less) of a Silver Age comic, and expands it so it fills several issues instead.
There are good reasons for it. It allows an expanded look at events, it allow fleshing out the characters - and it builds in a series of cliffhangers as the story cruises along.
And cliffhangers are what this issue of The Man of Steel is all about. It picks up from last issue's explosive ending, features a cosmic-sized fight to the finish between Superman and the mysterious alien Rogol Zaar.
The art is by Adam Hughes, and it's impressive work, though a bit darker and edgier than his usual treatment. It's a brutal fight, and it's a bit annoying that Superman keeps getting outmatched by his new enemy - and we're still in the dark about what Zaar has planned (and why he keeps sparing Superman's life).
Still, the story continues to build nicely to the final issue of the mini-series, and hopefully we'll get a conclusion of sorts to the three major story threads running through it (the threat of Zaar, the fate of Lois and Jon, and who's behind the mysterious fires in Metropolis).
And let me add, it's a lot easier to handle a decompressed story when the comic is published weekly.
Grade: B+
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