Superman's secret identity is a thing of the past. News broke recently that writer Brian Michael Bendis will have the Man of Steel publicly reveal his secret identity to the world in the pages of Superman #18-#19. DC has released a first look at the beginnings of that decision and the effect it will have on people close to Clark Kent.
The Washington Post has the first look at Superman #17, out Nov. 13, which sees Kal-El opening up to Supergirl about his monumental upcoming choice. Of course, Superman has trouble admitting what he wants to do, which leads Kara to make jokes; but Superman is in no laughing mood for what's about to happen next.
Bendis promised this massive change regarding Superman is real. It's not a magic trick, a dream or simply being done for shock value. Rather, Bendis believes it's the best story he can tell with the character. And given Bendis was responsible for unmasking Daredevil years ago -- a choice that lasted for a considerable amount of time -- it's safe to assume this is really happening.
But what should readers expect from Superman's announcement now that he's telling his friends and family? Bendis' goal is to use the decision to analyze the changes in Clark Kent's life and what they mean for his current reporting job.
"How it affects business. How it affects the Daily Planet. How it affects how gets stories. How [will] people perceive his stories? Does he have to give his Pulitzer back? All of these things are going to be addressed very quickly," Bendis said.
The upcoming storyline is called "The Truth" and will have long-lasting ramifications across the DC Universe. To prepare for such a huge event, DC is releasing two one-shot comics, one titled Superman: Heroes and the other called Superman: Villains, which will show how some of the biggest heavy hitters in DC's catalog respond to Clark's big decision.
Superman #18 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado goes on sale Dec. 11, with the conclusion of the storyline coming later in January.