Brian Michael Bendis has officially arrived on Superman. In collaboration with an absolute murderer’s row of artists, a different one on each weekly chapter, DC’s weekly The Man of Steel mini-series has been setting the stage for the next era of Superman, tweaking the status quo, shedding new light on the tragedy of Krypton, and introducing new characters.

Chief among those new characters is the villainous Rogol Zaar, who played a role in the destruction of Krypton. But that apparently wasn’t enough to satisfy Zaar’s bloodlust for all things Kryptonian, and he has tormented Superman, Supergirl, and anyone else who gets in his way, including perpetrating another unspeakable act of mass murder in the previous issue.

The Man of Steel #5 sees Adam Hughes take the lead on art duties, and he delivers a cinematic super-powered beatdown. Mr. Hughes was kind enough to answer some questions about the issue. Get an exclusive look, with his commentary, right here!

Den of Geek: This issue has one of the most striking first pages I’ve seen in a book in ages, with the eye looking into the bottle city of Kandor. Bottle aside, it’s a perspective you rarely see used in comics. How did you come up with such a unique opener?