For months, DC Comics and writer Brian Michael Bendis have promised that the publisher's flagship character Superman would publicly reveal his secret identity to the world in Superman #18, setting a bold, new future for the iconic superhero in a story arc aptly titled "The Truth." With the pivotal moment in the Man of Steel's mainstream continuity now upon us, the issue itself turns out to be no mere publicity stunt. It's a surprisingly poignant and emotionally resonant story, and the best single issue this creative team has crafted for DC since they relaunched the title last year.

As the issue begins, Superman is still dealing with the immediate fallout from a recent confrontation with his biological father Jor-El and his suddenly teenage son Jon founding the United Planets before traveling to the far-future with the Legion of Super-Heroes. With so many major life events occurring in such a relatively short amount of time, Clark Kent is concerned with the openness of his own life, and whether Jor-El's legacy of keeping a secret identity from the public is a good, honest move. This results in a series of heart-to-heart confessions leading up to an earth-shattering revelation that spins the DC Universe on its axis.

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Ever since Bendis started his tenure on the two main Superman comic book series, he has demonstrated a naturally strong grasp of the character and extensive supporting cast's voices. Without compromising the high-flying, bombastic possibilities of the mythos, Bendis has injected a concentrated amount of emotion into his take on the Last Son of Krypton, keeping one foot grounded in genuine heart as Clark continues to do what he does best.

Here, with Superman on the cusp of the biggest announcement of his entire life, Bendis has him at his most vulnerable and introspective. And with such a personal moment for the character and his supporting cast, Bendis wisely knows when to pull back and let the art do the talking.

Ivan Reis -- joined by longtime collaborators Joe Prado on inks and Alex Sinclair on colors -- delivers some of the quietest, most sentimental work of his acclaimed career here. A sequence of Clark talking to one prominent co-worker, in particular, is masterfully done and perhaps the biggest standout page in this creative team's entire run on the title.

And while the issue amounts to a series of quiet conversations, the visuals and story the team is telling is consistently riveting and accessible, both for readers that have followed along since the run's launch and new readers curious about the issue's big moment.

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The promised reveal itself is all but a foregone conclusion as Bendis opts to use it as the issue's framing device. As such, the issue isn't necessarily packed with big surprises or action beats, but it was never really intended to. Superman #18 is about bringing its eponymous superhero to his most vulnerable place and juxtaposing him against the closest members of his supporting cast as he makes the biggest decision of his entire life, with the ramifications already teased taking shape.

Ever since he took the reins on the title, Brian Michael Bendis has understood the importance of keeping sight of the man in Superman; the human side to the Man of Steel. The start of "The Truth" brings these elements to the forefront in full, with Clark being publicly open and honest about both sides of himself. Longtime fans have seen Superman's secret identity go public before -- as recently as the New 52 -- but the creative team handles it so effectively and reverently here that this is one of the more memorable moments for Superman in the DC Rebirth era yet.

Superman #18 goes on sale Dec. 11.

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