EVENT LEVIATHAN #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alex Maleev
Review by KrisK
A few weeks after the ginormous Superman: Leviathan Rising one shot, the Event Leviathan begins. If you don’t know whats been going on, Leviathan used to be an organization run by League of Assassins’ Talia Al Ghul, but the new leader plays a more dangerous game. Leviathan destroyed metahuman intelligence organizations such as the DEO, Spyral, and Argus. While their endgame remains cloudy, they clearly plan to change the world order. In the S:LR issue, Leviathan kidnapped Clark Kent, in order to get closer to Superman. They never knew how close they got. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen saved Clark with some Justice League and Red Lantern assistance. (The under-used death cat Red Lantern, Dex-Star, assisted.) Leviathan ended the issue with tossing Talia Al-Ghul out of a moving aerial vehicle, the culmination of the Leviathan coup.
This issue begins with Batman investigating the wreckage of one of the intelligence agencies’ bases. There, he finds Lois Lane, Green Arrow, and other heroes. None of them are the big powered heroes you seek in world ending events, but they all investigate, and now, DC’s mostly non-powered detectives work together to find Leviathan.
This issue takes its time to set the ground work for Leviathan for any who haven’t been reading Superman or the S:LR issue. They list every department that has been brought down, and how various members connect to them. A couple of the superheroes fight for a few panels, but it dies down fast. Mostly, the issue catches up the reader. If you know what happened in the DC Universe, the issue offers nice art and a few small surprises. If you didn’t know before now, you know everything important.
The writing brings out the most of most of the characters, though Steve feels forced for conflict. Bendis knows the characters. They converse how you imagine the combination would. While I wouldn’t say there were any surprises this issue, Bendis excels at conversation issues. The whole event consists of random characters talking in different rooms, the series suffers none.
The art by Maleev sets the tone for the book. While the style is reminiscent of their run on Daredevil, the DC art style still shows through. The gritty style suits the wreckage surrounding the heroes, and the realism grounds the story. This team shines at creating memorable stories that some how fit which ever publisher they work for at the moment.
While this comic spends most of its time serving as a catch-up, it performs the duty admirably. I can’t wait to see where the team goes with the story, and how it will tie into the bigger picture.
Verdict: Buy! This event promises to intrigue and entice readers with a team of under-used characters (and Batman) solving a mystery, instead of just punching really big bad guys and girls. Event Leviathan delivers a quiet hurricane.
