The Man of Steel 2: Secrets of the Superman

Keep up with this great series!

Man of Steel, Part 2

Creative Team

Brian Michael Bendis - Writer; Doc Shaner (pp 1-13), Steve Rude ( pp 16-24), Jay Fabok (pp 14-15) - Artists; Alex Sinclair - Colors; Josh Reed - Letters; Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Sinclair - Cover; Jessica Chen - Associate Editor; Michael Cotton - Editor; Brian Cunningham - Group Editor; Superman Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; Superboy Created by Jerry Siegel; By Special Arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family

DC Comics' Solicitation

With an arsonist loose in Metropolis, Superman’s powers are almost useless in finding the culprit. And back at the Daily Planet, everyone wants to know what’s going on with Lois Lane. How can Clark hold on to the secret of what happened to Lois and Jon much longer?

Secrets of the Superman

Superman is keeping some major secrets from absolutely everyone in his life.  Of course, this keeps the story intriguing for the reader, but why would Clark be keeping so much back from his friends and co-workers?  We do not get these answers yet, but with this being a weekly series, answers should be coming quickly.

To be fair to Clark, he has a lot to juggle.  He has lost his wife and son, is getting pressure at work, and of course has to save the world from the many threats it faces on a regular basis.  We know that there is a much bigger adversary coming for Superman, but there is still a lot on his plate right now.  I just keep coming back around to the question, why is he keeping everyone out?

I would understand why he might keep everything secret from his co-workers at the Daily Planet.  By there very nature, they are professional snoopers.  Other than Perry White, no one really cares about their family as much as scooping the story.  Even Perry is falling prey to this mindset, as we learned at the end of the issue.  It is probably best that conceal the mystery of Lois and Jon from this lot.  However, we learned that Superman is keeping the secret from the Justice League as well.  We see this through the eyes of Hal Jordan after Superman saves Coast City from the Toyman.  Hal extends the offer to talk about it, and he reacts by flying away.  He later regrets this decision, but it is clear he wants to keep everyone on the outside of this deeply personal family problem.

This is speculation on my part, but I think keeping all these secrets will come back to haunt him.  The colleagues at the Planet will keep snooping around and surely uncover something, while the Justice League will not be happy with Superman for shutting them out.  He will have to fight back the curiosity on both sides, and his hand will be forced at likely the most inconvenient time.  What I don't think Superman sees at this time is the potential powder keg that is coming for him.

In Scripture, we see a couple different ways of dealing with secrets.  First, Jesus preached to his followers to pray, fast, and give in secret.  In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus says, 
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Basically, to act in righteousness one should act in humility.  If we act to impress others, their praise is our reward.  In this context, secrets are virtuous.

The next way the Bible discusses secrets is as a deceit.  In Hebrews 4:12-13, the author describes the Word as, "sharper than a two-edged sword" that discerns the matters of the heart.  There is no hiding from God, even if we can keep the secrets from the people in our lives.  If we sin, God knows about it.  Praise be to God that our slate is wiped clean through the Blood of Christ.

In my opinion, Superman is intending to use the virtuous type of secret, but may end up using the second.  At this point, he likely thinks he is protecting others from the pain he is feeling, not wanting to drag them in to the mess.  However, by not trusting others with the secret, he is opening himself up for a messy reveal to everyone.  The scoopers will open up the wound, and his friends may lose trust in him.  While I hope this is not the result, Superman may find himself in a very dark place after the conclusion to this 6-issue arc.

What did you think of this issue?  I would love to talk about it with you.  You can comment below, or find me @behindthecapes on Twitter, or by liking the Behind the Capes Facebook page.


    

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