Was anyone else dissapointed with the reveal that technology of the 20th century was actually because of alien interference, I found it cliche and unoriginal, I understand what Snyder was going for but the only affect it had on me is to undermine the human race and mostly the story.
Also the story is progressing so slow!

did it come out today?!

@sog7dc: Yeah, probably because tomorrow is NYD comic companies releashed their titles today
Here: http://www.comixology.com/New-Releases-12-31/comics-collection/2391

Actually I am ok with it. I know that there are incredibly smart human geniuses in DCUniverse, but for humanity as whole… I always thought that comic’s authors give us a way too much credit.

I actually worry about something else. Looks like Jim Lee’s getting lazy recently and simply repeating some of his work. Compare this and this:

@sanohibiki: This is not the final cover for the issue just something to solicit. Halfof unchained covers weren't solicited like issues 3,4.
Also if our earth could do it then i don't see how Dc earth couldn't.

@squalleon:

This is not the final cover for the issue just something to solicit. Halfof unchained covers weren't solicited like issues 3,4.

From one point, that’s good, from other – that was most bad-ass Unchained cover IMO. And it doesn’t change the fact that Lee’s artwork is repeating.

Also if our earth could do it then i don't see how Dc earth couldn't.

Opposite for me – if even DC humanity not capable of such technological development on its own, then we can’t by default. (Remembering black-hole bullets here; even then I suspected that something wrong here, that human military shouldn’t have able to create something that advanced).

@sanohibiki: But what you don't get is that it erasesevery human technological achievement from the nuclear bomb to the transistor! Not just one or two weapons against Superman.

Wow....Lex is gonna be pissed.

LOL. Definetely :-P

Now I see what you wanted to say.

Well, that’s not the first time when such thing happened in science fiction media and comics. Men in Black, for example.

I don’t see anything offensive for humanity here. If DC humanity didn’t have access to alien technology, then it would have invented all on its own; since they had said access, they used it (or perhaps were lead – there some Mass Effect plotline). Finding shortcuts and easy way – that in the nature of men, in both our and DC universes.

I told you! I told you all! That’s all alien’s conspiracy! Alien overlords change our fate!..

… from the case of patient #767, Lex Loser.

Lex's brain is going to melt.

@sanohibiki said:

Squalleon:

In our time are, like, 99% of science fiction’s plotlines were already used before. There always going to be some cliché, some “been there done that” moment. For the sake of reading comics at all, that is necessary evil IMO. Don’t think that we can do something about it.

Knowing that you do something unoriginal without adding a little twist to make it your own is what it makes it bad not the basic idea being played again. That mentality is wrong since you can do someting about it by buying titles with innovative writing.Snyder knew that he does something unoriginal but still does it without adding anything to it to make it unique. It's his Batman all over again. Anyway i wasn't ticked off so much by the ideathat aliens gave humanity means to evolve againbut Snyder's writing being so uninspired at times.

@squalleon:

Just to do some defending of Unchained (even though I am a little disappointed by it) – maybe Snyder will add some little twist to it; his storyline develops slowly, that his style of writing (sometimes even way too slowly for my taste).Weak defense, I know.

but Snyder's writing being so uninspired at times.

With that agree, 100% and then some.

P.S. New Year’s celebration just getting into full blast, for the next 15-20 hours off I go.

I alreadly knew this back in issue 3.... He ripped of Bay's Transformers

Looked through my previous posts…

… What exactly did I drink yesterday to write something like this?!

I jumped off Superman Unchained after the last issue and am switching to Action Comics, Have I made a mistake? May have to check Issue 5 out after all...

Buy both :-P

of course this.

I actually really liked this issue

It wasn't bad it was just uninspired...recycling of old ideas something that Snyder seems to do a lot right now.

I'm a little confused on the whole equation thing, they keep referring to that as creating all the technology, or was it Wraith himself?

Also I thought it was really cool how the one of the members of ascension was Rudolf's son.

And yes, the story is a little slow, great issue, but a little iffy on how they will tie everything up in 4 issues. Like what's Lex's deal? Don't wanna wait till February 12th for the next issues :(

For me it made sense, for two reasons: the larger metaphor that Snyder is weaving, and the context of the plot of the story. The second is more obvious, and it is that you are right humanity is being greatly undermined and it sets up Ascencion much more authentically as a group that has taken that same feeling and reacted to it to an extreme level. The second is because of what Wraith represents, he is essentially the negative sides of Superman, and i don't mean it in a Plutonian, Injustice way; I mean it as in the downsides of the concept of a Superman itself. I can see this in both the fact that he fights for the "American Way" instead of all of humanity, and in what you mentioned undermining humanity by his very presence. Having a Superman fix our problems would lessen us no matter to what degree and for me Wraith is the manifestation of that concept, and a few other details. That is why i find the character so compelling. On an unrelated note the action of the comic is just awesome, every nuke in the world, Wraith holding Superman hostage; it is ramping up to be a very solid story.

After the last 3 issues I was just about ready to write off Scott Snyder as a superman writer( he writes a great Lois and Lex though) but this issue pulled me back in with regards to superman's part of the story, sure the whole alien influence on human tech is cliche but in my mind it resolves the black hole bullets....sigh. Anyways the last page where Ascension launches the nuclear strike, I especially liked that part of the story cause that's a recurring plot I think about when formulating superman stories of my own, what would happen if every nuke on earth was launched simultaneously and for a sec I thought oh my God Scott can read my mind!! ( really sux that I can't patent superman ideas) so I'm looking forward to the next issue for sure( wanna know what happens with Lex and jimmy as well ) plus my complaint with the art is the same, some pages are immaculate and some are meh.

Another thing I likes about this issue was the advanced tech ascension was able to create realising the full potential of that equation was 'Earth stone' which looks very similar to kryptonian sun stone which in human(terrorist group) hands could be disastrous. It also IMO raises more questions as to where wraith hails from and the similarities it has to Krypton.

I just glanced over it, nothing popped out to me.

Untile they get their writing together, don't buy it or download it ;)

I don't, I dislike piracy, but I think bad products don't deserve money.

I really enjoyed it myself. Granted I do agree that Wraith's equation being responsible for human technological development is an unnecessary retcon for the great lengths humanity has come in the past 60-70 years technologically thus resulting in it being unoriginal cliche. But there's way more good stuff which outweighs the bad. Ascension's zealous purpose in granting humanity the chance to break away from alien interference by wiping the slate clean, Wraith outlining the inherent problems with one of Superman's greatest strengths, his link to humanity which will eventually end in that truly harrowing and different sequence of seeing how Superman will outlast everyone and everything he cares about. Plus Wraith was fleshed out more as a patriot dedicated to his adopted country, Lois was brilliantly portrayed with her sass towards Ascension even in the face of death and that emotional flash back sequence was excellently paced.

I don't see as many problems with this issue as have been expressed on here. It beats the pants of every other Superman book bar Action Comics with a much more intriguing story and better characterisation.

Snyder is a writer whose star rose too quickly. His pacing in EVERY story is horrendously slow... it takes him twice as long as it should to reach simple plot points. It works in stories like The Black Mirror where the slow pace serves to build tension, but here and in his New 52 Batman run, it's an excruciating crawl from one trite and uninspired idea to the next.

With Unchained, I do have to disagree. He's not dragging things out too much and introducing sub plots that will hopefully pay off by the end. Don't get me wrong, if Snyder ****s the ending up, because his endings are never the best like in Death of the Family, I'll lay the criticisms thick on Snyder for certain but his pacing has worked for the most part so far IMO

I definitely don't think that Unchained is his worst offender, and I suppose I agree with regard to the point about sub plots. Like you said, though, Snyder's endings usually fall a bit flat. Even in The Black Mirror, which is in my humble opinion his best work at DC, the ending left quite a bit to be desired. So we'll see how it all pays off.

I don't hate Snyder's writing, though I'm sure some people have gotten that impression from my posts about him. I don't care for his New 52 Batman at all, I feel as though he's just taken old stories and ideas, dumbed them down, dressed them up with gratuitous violence, and then stretches them on as far as he can. But aside from that, I really quite like his work... his Swamp Thing run was slow, but overall satisfying, I enjoyed Severed (and I think it had his least underwhelming ending), American Vampire is loads of fun, I like what I've read of The Wake, and despite the many issues that I have with the book, I do enjoy Unchained. It beats the hell out of Lobdell's Superman for sure.

He's not a terrible writer, but his writing does have a lot of problems that seem to recur in all of his work. He even has a few oddly specific idiosyncrasies, such as humans withstanding absurd amounts of damage (Examples: James Gordon Jr. surviving a knife in his eye and continuing to go about his plans, Barbara Gordon not bleeding out from having her arteries punctured, Batman suffering through the maze without food, drink or sleep and then being severely and relentlessly beaten, only to come right back and win the fight and pull off an escape, Batman's fight with Owlman, Jack not bleeding out and then continuing to fight when his arm was ripped off in Severed, etc.) which, gladly, isn't so much of an issue with Superman... and I'm getting a bit rambly now, so I'll cut it off here and just say that he still has his chance to make Unchained a great book, just as long as he keeps things moving at a reasonable pace and doesn't let any of his "Snyderisms" gum things up.

That's mostly how I feel summed up in this reply. Snyder has been catapulted into the spotlight too soon when he's only a good writer, not a great one thus far. And whilst he can write enjoyable stuff, his formula, which seems to be tailored to more horror based comics, can be easily predicted and analysed on that basis. That's what gets him criticised IMO. Your rambling was most entertaining and insightful indeed mate and you make many good points. A lot of Snyderisms don't fortunately apply to Superman because Superman isn't physically human lol. But the problem with powerhouses is that you can sometimes lowball them to fit the story's needs. As a Superman fan, that's what many writer's problems have been with Superman. Writing his power level to fit the story rather than allowing his power level natural challenges to his authority. Hopefully we won't see any of that occur in the future.