When it was announced in late 2012 that Scott Snyder and Jim Lee would be working on a new Superman book to coincide with "Man of Steel"'s 2013 Summer release, I was really excited. I've loved Lee's work since "Batman: Hush" and Snyder's run on "Batman" has earned him a place alongside Dennis O'Neil, Paul Dini, and so many others as one of the best writers of the character. Since I only just started reading Superman, I was eager to see what these creators would do with the character. Instead of collecting it issue by issue though, I decided to trade wait. I'm glad I did that too, because due to art delays, the nine issue series ran from June 2013 to November 2014. So for a story that was meant to commemorate Superman's 75th anniversary, it took nearly a year and a half to finish, but thankfully the series more or less stood on its own. So now that I've read the whole series in one setting, since jumping on to Superman at the start of the New 52, I can say that this is the best story I've read for the character of this or any era.
It's needless to say that Jim Lee delivers on the art like always, though I think this is probably his best work in a long time as well. When he was working on "Justice League", I couldn't help but feel that being on a monthly schedule for a flagship book kind of made him rush. But with "Unchained", I could tell that he took his time, and though I've complained about art delays hurting books' momentum, it was probably worth the wait. Then again, I read the whole story in one setting, so I might have complained if I was reading one issue at a time and having to wait months for each. Whatever the case though, Lee proves again why he's one of the industries' best artists.
But while Lee brings the story to life visually, it's really Scott Snyder's writing that makes this book so good. Reading his work on "Batman", you can tell that he likes to take a cinematic approach to his comics, that he even though you're reading words and looking at pictures, he wants you to feel you're watching a movie. Going from the more grounded Batman to the powerhouse of Superman, Snyder writes a story on a global scale and shows he has a handle on the Man of Steel as much as he does the Dark Knight.
Snyder does a good job writing all the characters in this story. With Superman, we get a look into his thought process, like how he needs to use his powers and whether or not his action or inaction will put others in harm's way. That's been done before in other recent Superman stories, but it keeps getting hammered in too much in my opinion. Snyder's able to do that in a way that feels natural. I won't spoil how, but something that really stood out to me was a very creative way Superman was able to a building from falling over. We even get some flashback scenes to when Clark was a boy in Smallville that's chilling but almost made me cry by the end.
Snyder also does well writing Lois Lane. Like many Superman stories, she isn't just there to serve as a damsel in distress to be saved (hell, I doubt I'd even consider her that here), but she actually helps contribute to discovering villains' plans and helping Superman overcome them. The interaction between the two is also the best I've seen written out of all the New 52. I read before that Snyder was working on this story for years, so he may have had to change some things to fit the new timeline since Clark and Lois were married prior to the reboot. But despite that, you can really see the connection between the two, and part of me was hoping one of them would say "I love you". It actually kind of feels that was supposed to happen, but then again, the changes for the New 52 probably brought about changes to the original story. I'll just blame that on the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship.
I mentioned before how Snyder takes a cinematic approach to his writing, and that said, this is one story that I hope is adapted into a new Superman film set in DC's upcoming film universe. Reading this, I could definitely see the actors of the films playing out the scenes. Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Sure Batman and Wonder Woman are part of the story, but they don't take away focus from Superman (to clear something up, even though all three are part of the "Dawn of Justice" movie, it really has become more than a "Man of Steel" sequel at this point, so that criticism is moot). I mean, you have Iron Man and Black Panther in the next Captain America movie, but it's still going to be Cap's movie. Affleck and Gadot can make appearances in that vain as well should "Unchained" be adapted.
Another thing that I think would make this a good film adaptation is how different it is from other Superman stories. While there is another alien powerhouse to fight and a potential alien invasion near the end, a good majority of the antagonists in this story are human based, between a branch of the US Army led by General Lane, Lois' father, and the cyberterrorist group Ascension that wants to give the human race a fresh start, and since I'm really trying to go full spoiler mode during this review, I won't say how they try to do it.
Overall, Snyder and Lee have produced the definitive Superman story for the New 52 as well as a new classic to stand alongside other great Superman epics throughout the years and will certainly be part of future recommended reading lists for new readers. It really makes me wish Scott Snyder would have continued this book in some way, even without Jim Lee. Maybe he'll return to Superman someday, and I'll be there waiting.
So if you're a fan of Superman or Snyder's work on "Batman", this is a story you definitely don't want to miss out on as another classic character is given some new life.
STORY RATING: 10/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 10/10
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