Brian Michael Bendis to Write ‘Man of Steel’ Miniseries, Take Over ‘Action Comics,’ Relaunch ‘Superman’

Brian Michael Bendis will follow in the footsteps of comics legend John Byrne later this year, as he launches a six-issue, status quo-altering miniseries titled Man of Steel, followed by a stint as writer of both Superman (which will relaunch with a new #1) and Action Comics.

Every step of that — excepting that Byrne both wrote and drew his books, and his miniseries was titled “THE Man of Steel” rather than just Man of Steel — was something that Byrne did during the 1980s, when the Last Son of Krypton was reinvented for the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics continuity.

As first reported by ComicBook.com, Bendis will make his DC Comics debut in a short story with artist Jim Lee in Action Comics #1000. Beginning with #1001, Bendis will take over comics’ most storied title, along with relaunching Superman with a new #1.

Both Action Comics and Superman will take June off to make room for Bendis’s six-issue, weekly Man of Steel series, which will feature a rotating gallery of artists.

Bendis, who has been one of Marvel’s best-selling writers for 18 years, has long been rumored to be eyeing the Superman titles.

A first look at the post-Man of Steel status quo will come in the form of a short story written by Bendis and featuring the art of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, which will appear in DC Nation #0, shipping the first week in May.

Featuring six interconnected covers by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, Bendis’s Man of Steel will 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.

Per DC’s official statement, 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.

With a six-issue miniseries and six pencillers named, one might assume that each of them will draw an issue, giving Bendis a full issue each with some of DC’s most notable talents. That was not specified, though, and could be a misconception, especially since Reis doing the interconnected covers means they could credibly include him without his taking time off from his other work to do a full issue on Bendis’s Superman.

Man of Steel #1 will be in stores on May 30. The Bendis-penned Superman #1 will be in stores on July 11, followed by Action Comics #1001 on July 25.