Superman #18

Truth

Brian Michael Bendis Writer

Ivan Reis Pencils

Joe Prado Inks

Alex Sinclair Colors

Dave Sharpe Letters

Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Alex Sinclair Cover

Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair Variant Cover

Jessica Chen Associate Editor

Mike Cotton Editor

Brian Cunningham Group Editor

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Supergirl based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel.

By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.

Our cover is simple, direct and effective. Superman is revealing his secret identity. It's a pretty momentous event, and the plain, white background was the right choice for it. Plus, it's done by one of my favorite artists, Ivan Reis (I really wish he was on Action Comics, instead, since that's where Young Justice has more appearances). All in all, this is a great cover.

The story is exactly what the cover states. Superman holds a massive news conference to tell the entire world that he is Clark Kent. He did tell a couple of people close to him beforehand, such as Perry White and Jimmy Olsen, prompting emotional and funny reactions. But for the most part, this issue is Superman giving a lengthy speech, while heroes and villains around the world watch. And from the heroes, there seems to be an overwhelmingly positive reaction — especially from the Flash and Impulse.

And that's basically it. The issue ends with a thrilling shot of Lex Luthor silently absorbing this information. And, of course, only time will tell if this moment leads to any lasting change. As for Young Justice ... well, this is yet another example of Bendis ignoring his own continuity. Young Justice just barely came back home, only to have Superboy promptly be sent away to another planet. So they really didn't have any time to sit around and watch this press conference on Tim's phone. Anyway ... this was certainly an ... interesting issue. I don't know. This isn't a Superman blog. So let's call things here and check out the new ads:

There is no justice without truth. Superman: Year One.

The Batman Who Laughs vs. "Apex" Lex. Hell Arisen.

And the DC Nation page is a spotlight on the aforementioned Hell Arisen comic.

Well, that's it for 2019. Next time will be the Year in Review, before we come hauntingly close to catching up to real time.