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Superman: Action Comics (DCU/Bendis)
Event Leviathan
The ultimate conspiracy.
In a matter of moments, the world changed forever. Kobra, Spyral, A.R.G.U.S., Task Force X, the D.E.O.—all of the world’s most powerful clandestine organizations, instantaneously wiped off the face of the Earth. Their leaders are scattered, in hiding, or at death’s door. And heroes like Superman and Batgirl are targeted for kidnapping.All because of a single LEVIATHAN.
A mysterious new mastermind has seized control of this infamous secret society. In a single night, they have reshaped the balance of power that hundreds of spies, superheroes, and super-villains have carefully maintained.
How have they accomplished so much so quickly? What are they planning to do next? And most important—who is behind the mask?
To answer these questions, the world’s greatest detectives have joined Batman. Robin. Green Arrow. Plastic Man. The Question. Manhunter. Lois Lane.
But they must act quickly. Every dead end, every red herring, every false lead and wrongfully accused suspect costs them time they don’t have.
Because Leviathan is preparing their next move. And unless these heroes solve the mystery, no force on Earth can stop them…
The award-winning creative team of Brian Michael Bendis ( Legion of Super-Heroes , Daredevil, Superman ) and Alex Maleev ( Infamous Iron Man , Spider-Woman , Scarlet ) proudly present Event Leviathan —a mystery thriller that will shake the DC Universe to its core! Collects Event Leviathan #1-6 and Leviathan Rising #1.
In a matter of moments, the world changed forever. Kobra, Spyral, A.R.G.U.S., Task Force X, the D.E.O.—all of the world’s most powerful clandestine organizations, instantaneously wiped off the face of the Earth. Their leaders are scattered, in hiding, or at death’s door. And heroes like Superman and Batgirl are targeted for kidnapping.All because of a single LEVIATHAN.
A mysterious new mastermind has seized control of this infamous secret society. In a single night, they have reshaped the balance of power that hundreds of spies, superheroes, and super-villains have carefully maintained.
How have they accomplished so much so quickly? What are they planning to do next? And most important—who is behind the mask?
To answer these questions, the world’s greatest detectives have joined Batman. Robin. Green Arrow. Plastic Man. The Question. Manhunter. Lois Lane.
But they must act quickly. Every dead end, every red herring, every false lead and wrongfully accused suspect costs them time they don’t have.
Because Leviathan is preparing their next move. And unless these heroes solve the mystery, no force on Earth can stop them…
The award-winning creative team of Brian Michael Bendis ( Legion of Super-Heroes , Daredevil, Superman ) and Alex Maleev ( Infamous Iron Man , Spider-Woman , Scarlet ) proudly present Event Leviathan —a mystery thriller that will shake the DC Universe to its core! Collects Event Leviathan #1-6 and Leviathan Rising #1.
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2020
17 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,417 books2,569 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
April 11, 2020
I was going to write something clever here, but then my brain reminded me that I’d used up my allotment for the week when, during a presentation to 450 colleagues today, I referred to those halcyon days when "social distancing was just something that happened to me at middle school dances.”
So, I’ll just say that the art is nice, the premise is interesting, but the execution is a bit lackluster, and two days after I read it, I couldn’t even remember who Leviathan was because, even to someone with at least a passing knowledge of the DCU, I had no freaking clue who he was.
So, I’ll just say that the art is nice, the premise is interesting, but the execution is a bit lackluster, and two days after I read it, I couldn’t even remember who Leviathan was because, even to someone with at least a passing knowledge of the DCU, I had no freaking clue who he was.
January 5, 2022
2.5 stars
"I said this is some grade-A 'Bat-themed' #$%& !" -- Kate 'Manhunter' Spencer, late in the story
Well, Event Leviathan is not quite '#S%&' (although Manhunter's actual dialogue quote was too irresistible not to use here) but it does remind me of that tagline in a series of humorous AT&T advertisements back in 2018 - "Just OK." I mean, the ingredients for a good brew are assembled - a great line-up of DC superheroes / crimefighters (among them Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Red Hood, etc., plus some surprise guest stars in the concluding chapters) thrown together to take on a new and mysterious entity (the 'Leviathan' of the title) who is wreaking severe havoc with various intelligence and counter-intelligence agencies all over the globe - but yet it resulted in a lukewarm storyline. There were occasionally some snappy group conversational scenes between our various 'good guys' performing their monotonous investigative work, but a severe lack of action (plus that silly and gross chapter with Jimmy Olsen and an extraterrestrial cat . . . yes, you read that right) and an underwhelming 'reveal' at the conclusion make it feel like an unremarkable graphic novel.
"I said this is some grade-A 'Bat-themed' #$%& !" -- Kate 'Manhunter' Spencer, late in the story
Well, Event Leviathan is not quite '#S%&' (although Manhunter's actual dialogue quote was too irresistible not to use here) but it does remind me of that tagline in a series of humorous AT&T advertisements back in 2018 - "Just OK." I mean, the ingredients for a good brew are assembled - a great line-up of DC superheroes / crimefighters (among them Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Red Hood, etc., plus some surprise guest stars in the concluding chapters) thrown together to take on a new and mysterious entity (the 'Leviathan' of the title) who is wreaking severe havoc with various intelligence and counter-intelligence agencies all over the globe - but yet it resulted in a lukewarm storyline. There were occasionally some snappy group conversational scenes between our various 'good guys' performing their monotonous investigative work, but a severe lack of action (plus that silly and gross chapter with Jimmy Olsen and an extraterrestrial cat . . . yes, you read that right) and an underwhelming 'reveal' at the conclusion make it feel like an unremarkable graphic novel.
January 24, 2021
Kobra, Task Force X, ARGUS, the DEO, Spyral - all the spy agencies of the world get ‘sploded by Leviathan. Except it weren’t Talia al Ghul ‘cos she’s been usurped by a mysterious someone. Who is the new head of Leviathan and what do they want? Find out in: Event Leviapants!
I’ve read enough of Bendis’ DC stuff at this point not to have high expectations for any of it and, yeah, unfortunately Event Leviathan is another boring Bendis book. I think after this many strikeouts DC needs to send him back to Marvel!
Event Leviathan is a follow-up to the storyline Bendis started in Superman: Action Comics, Vol 2: Leviathan Rising so it’s probably best to read that before this - to see all these spy agencies get taken out, why Lois’ dad/Amanda Waller are in the positions they are, and so on, but I guess you don’t HAVE to given the extensive exposition provided here.
The book opens on the bumper Superman: Leviathan Rising Special which I’ve reviewed separately here so I won’t go into it any more in this review - suffice it to say it still holds up and is the highlight of this volume.
Then we’re into the unremarkable whodunit/chase plot that comprises the main story. Batman, Lois Lane, and a whole buncha masks’n’capes run around while Leviathan pops up here and there to taunt them/blow up some more stuff. It’s really… dull.
Not to mention astoopid! Why bother setting up people like Steve Trevor and Red Hood as patsies when everyone knows Leviathan’s behind it all? Why does Steve shoot Lois? Why does Jason Todd run when he’s innocent and could just tell Batman and the mob that rather than run/have an elaborate fight? Why doesn’t Superman just use his superspeed to whip off Leviathan’s mask when he meets him? Because superhero comics tropes. Le sigh. This one’s a long way from Bendis’ better writing efforts.
I kinda liked Leviathan - not for his insane method of achieving his goals but for wanting to change the world and being proactive about it. He’s a bit like Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi in wanting to destroy/remake the corrupted power structures and going about it in a violent fashion. And Alex Maleev’s insectoid character design was cool - referencing Star Wars for the last time, he looked a bit like one of Palpy’s Red Guards.
Who he turns out to be though is underwhelming - nobody was ever going to guess who it was, which makes the whodunit element redundant. It also felt artlessly contrived of Bendis to insert another obscure character into this story - who, as far as I know, doesn’t appear in any other recent DC book - when her inclusion has everything to do with Leviathan’s identity.
The ending, like the rest of the book, is unexciting and flat, leaving zero impression behind. I guess Leviathan was thwarted this time - or something? Eh, I didn’t care anyway. Bendis’ Marvel event books were almost always messes and his Event Leviathan for DC turned out to be no different.
I’ve read enough of Bendis’ DC stuff at this point not to have high expectations for any of it and, yeah, unfortunately Event Leviathan is another boring Bendis book. I think after this many strikeouts DC needs to send him back to Marvel!
Event Leviathan is a follow-up to the storyline Bendis started in Superman: Action Comics, Vol 2: Leviathan Rising so it’s probably best to read that before this - to see all these spy agencies get taken out, why Lois’ dad/Amanda Waller are in the positions they are, and so on, but I guess you don’t HAVE to given the extensive exposition provided here.
The book opens on the bumper Superman: Leviathan Rising Special which I’ve reviewed separately here so I won’t go into it any more in this review - suffice it to say it still holds up and is the highlight of this volume.
Then we’re into the unremarkable whodunit/chase plot that comprises the main story. Batman, Lois Lane, and a whole buncha masks’n’capes run around while Leviathan pops up here and there to taunt them/blow up some more stuff. It’s really… dull.
Not to mention astoopid! Why bother setting up people like Steve Trevor and Red Hood as patsies when everyone knows Leviathan’s behind it all? Why does Steve shoot Lois? Why does Jason Todd run when he’s innocent and could just tell Batman and the mob that rather than run/have an elaborate fight? Why doesn’t Superman just use his superspeed to whip off Leviathan’s mask when he meets him? Because superhero comics tropes. Le sigh. This one’s a long way from Bendis’ better writing efforts.
I kinda liked Leviathan - not for his insane method of achieving his goals but for wanting to change the world and being proactive about it. He’s a bit like Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi in wanting to destroy/remake the corrupted power structures and going about it in a violent fashion. And Alex Maleev’s insectoid character design was cool - referencing Star Wars for the last time, he looked a bit like one of Palpy’s Red Guards.
Who he turns out to be though is underwhelming - nobody was ever going to guess who it was, which makes the whodunit element redundant. It also felt artlessly contrived of Bendis to insert another obscure character into this story - who, as far as I know, doesn’t appear in any other recent DC book - when her inclusion has everything to do with Leviathan’s identity.
The ending, like the rest of the book, is unexciting and flat, leaving zero impression behind. I guess Leviathan was thwarted this time - or something? Eh, I didn’t care anyway. Bendis’ Marvel event books were almost always messes and his Event Leviathan for DC turned out to be no different.
April 21, 2020
This was Bendis's attempt at Secret War for DC. All of DC's spy agencies are destroyed by Leviathan and DC's greatest investigators go on the trail to find out what happened. While not completely necessary, Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 2: Leviathan Rising is the lead-in for this book. The spy agencies actually get taken down there and Event Leviathan is the aftermath. Turning this into a crime procedural certainly plays to Bendis's strengths. Although as with a lot of Bendis's books, it's not so much detective work as it is the team going after red herrings until they finally stumble into the solution. The reveal of who Leviathan is made sense to me, but I've been reading comics for 35 years. I'm going to guess 90% of readers didn't know who the bad guy was. Alex Maleev's art is suberb. He's mastered integrating traditional and computer art.
November 30, 2020
An ok book, but with the cast I was expecting a lot more. I liked the artwork I went really well with the mood of the book, but the story was for me a bit ambitious and did not deliver.
Usually I do not mind a story lacking in action if story is good. Here the "greatest detectives" seem to be grasping at straws, jumping to every conclusion or just arguing with each other. Batman sort of surrenders the leadership role to Lois Lane. Then the big reveal at the end was a bit flat for me as I really did not know how the person was.
This is a book I really wanted to be great but turned out to be just ok at best. A bit slow, more being lead around by the nose then any deduction prowess. This more for Lois Lane than Batman fans.
Usually I do not mind a story lacking in action if story is good. Here the "greatest detectives" seem to be grasping at straws, jumping to every conclusion or just arguing with each other. Batman sort of surrenders the leadership role to Lois Lane. Then the big reveal at the end was a bit flat for me as I really did not know how the person was.
This is a book I really wanted to be great but turned out to be just ok at best. A bit slow, more being lead around by the nose then any deduction prowess. This more for Lois Lane than Batman fans.
November 14, 2019
Welp. As an event comic, Event Leviathan was kinda mediocre. Sure, it had some fun moments here and there, but overall I wouldn't say it was particularly exciting — I never really cared who Leviathan was and what he was doing, there wasn't really any sense of threat or urgency throughout the entire thing, and in the end, when the whole scheme (and the villain identity) was revealed, it felt more like "eh" instead of author-intended "whoa". The biggest strengths of the book itself were definitely Alex Maleev's art and Bendis getting to play with more DC characters — I particularly enjoyed his handling of Green Arrow and Red Hood (would love to see him write either or both of their books someday), and his Lois & Clark stuff is still top notch. Tangentially though, Event Leviathan was an absolutely essential book because it spawned a really good Lois Lane series by Greg Rucka and an absolutely amazing Jimmy Olsen one by Matt Fraction, so those will be its greatest achievements, at least for me. As for the rest of its repercussions, I think it's better if Bendis keeps this storyline within his Action Comics, because when the scale of his storylines gets too big and global like this it inevitably loses something.
May 27, 2020
I could write something nice about the art or the concept of this collection, but the simple fact is this is a dull, confusing and forgettable story. By the time the big villain reveal came around I didn’t care one iota. Have to confess that I’ve pretty much written Brian Michael Bendis off; everything this guy has done lately is near unreadable in my opinion.
September 23, 2025
Another nice entry from Bendis. The mystery man, Leviathan has been been busy taking out all of the spy agencies. Superman, Batman, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Lois Lane and others have banded together to figure who Leviathan is and what is his endgame. He was taking these people through the paces pointing fingers at each other and everything. This was a blast to follow along with. Alex Maleev’s art was looking good as always. The ending probably would have hit harder had I knew about the group of people Leviathan comes from. My DC knowledge isn’t that extensive. With the way it ended, very curious to see here it goes from here.
April 29, 2022
Wow. I rarely rate anything less than three 💫s, but this was so disappointing. I've not read a great deal of Bendis' work, but pretty much everything I have read is better than this. The plot is interesting and held my attention until the last issue, when... at last... nothing really happened.
This comic had some of the most awkward, the most idiosyncratic dialogue I have ever read in a comic. Based upon this comic alone, a reader might be forgiven for thinking that English is not Bendis' first language. For example, he constantly puts the wrong words in bold. And don't get me started on Bendis' aversion to commas or his propensity for ending statements with question marks.
The art-- most of it looks like the roughest of rough drafts, professionally colored. At times the art is passable, but mostly it looks amateur. DC has had real trouble with consistency these past few years.
This comic had some of the most awkward, the most idiosyncratic dialogue I have ever read in a comic. Based upon this comic alone, a reader might be forgiven for thinking that English is not Bendis' first language. For example, he constantly puts the wrong words in bold. And don't get me started on Bendis' aversion to commas or his propensity for ending statements with question marks.
The art-- most of it looks like the roughest of rough drafts, professionally colored. At times the art is passable, but mostly it looks amateur. DC has had real trouble with consistency these past few years.
April 17, 2020
This was okay.
I waited a long time for this because I figured this was a Superman event since both his current books state "follow the events of Leviathan to know what happens" but Superman is kind of just a plot point. This is really a Batman book, with Lois Lane and Green arrow as the main support cast. Saying that, the start is actually pretty good. We have this mysterious Leviathan character murdering and kidnapping main players, people who have been keeping secrets from the world, and forcing their secrets out or taking them out completely. Even Batman is stumped here and needs some of the best detective minds to help him figure this one out.
Overall, it's a find mystery story with a okay reveal. The reveal is better if you read Manhunter series in 2006 (which btw it is great, go read it) but saying that the story focus seems...well unfocused. It doesn't really have a ending but just more set up. I did appreciate we have a big confrontation without some big fight but still...this was just decent. A set up event it felt like. A 2.5-3 out of 5.
I waited a long time for this because I figured this was a Superman event since both his current books state "follow the events of Leviathan to know what happens" but Superman is kind of just a plot point. This is really a Batman book, with Lois Lane and Green arrow as the main support cast. Saying that, the start is actually pretty good. We have this mysterious Leviathan character murdering and kidnapping main players, people who have been keeping secrets from the world, and forcing their secrets out or taking them out completely. Even Batman is stumped here and needs some of the best detective minds to help him figure this one out.
Overall, it's a find mystery story with a okay reveal. The reveal is better if you read Manhunter series in 2006 (which btw it is great, go read it) but saying that the story focus seems...well unfocused. It doesn't really have a ending but just more set up. I did appreciate we have a big confrontation without some big fight but still...this was just decent. A set up event it felt like. A 2.5-3 out of 5.
November 13, 2019
Meh. That would basically sum it up.
A mediocre event at best, it got a lot of attention and delivered an extremely underwhelming ending.
I don’t get what’s with these stories that get stretched so thin that just feel like a lost breeze in the end. No substance, no emotion, just a whimpering end full of nothing. And of course, it doesn’t end here. It continues back in Action Comics, where everything started, and where nothing happened, btw.
Bendis wants to fill too many pages of the DC Universe but he’s just one man. With one single idea they wanted to fill an entire mini-series. That’s not how it works. You can tell Bendis is all over the place already.
If Bendis keeps taking over DC books it won’t end well...
BTW, I read this series in single issues.
A mediocre event at best, it got a lot of attention and delivered an extremely underwhelming ending.
I don’t get what’s with these stories that get stretched so thin that just feel like a lost breeze in the end. No substance, no emotion, just a whimpering end full of nothing. And of course, it doesn’t end here. It continues back in Action Comics, where everything started, and where nothing happened, btw.
Bendis wants to fill too many pages of the DC Universe but he’s just one man. With one single idea they wanted to fill an entire mini-series. That’s not how it works. You can tell Bendis is all over the place already.
If Bendis keeps taking over DC books it won’t end well...
BTW, I read this series in single issues.
May 6, 2020
Took me a bit to warm up to this with the really stupid and irrelevant Jimmy Olsen in Gorilla City story kicking things off. And the early chapters seemed to be unnecessarily vague and written to make events seem more mysterious than they were. After all the filler, the end of the story actually gained momentum as it got more and more fanboy oriented, dredging up a pretty obscure series from the 1980s that will probably leave casual readers going "Huh?" when it comes to the finale.
While I can go along with the reveal of Leviathan's identity, I don't buy the motivation and the easy and high acceptance rate of everyone who has decided to work for him. That seems like pretty loosey-goosey writing, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to see how this plays out in future titles.
While I can go along with the reveal of Leviathan's identity, I don't buy the motivation and the easy and high acceptance rate of everyone who has decided to work for him. That seems like pretty loosey-goosey writing, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to see how this plays out in future titles.
November 21, 2019
I mean, the arts nice...
July 22, 2023
Brian Bendis gets to pair up with his most sympathetic artist, Alex Maleev, and write a kind of homage to two 80s DC crossovers. The first is The Janus Directive, which lends Event Leviathan its rough premise - an outside force has suborned all DC’s intelligence agencies at once and now nobody can trust anyone. The second is… well, that would give the big villain reveal away: suffice it to say that nobody’s referenced it for decades. Long enough that for this DC veteran the twist felt both neat and earned, but also that a lot of readers just went “wait, who?”
I had a good time with the execution, though: six issues of Bendis having fun with his DCU faves. He writes a decent Lois Lane (and it’s nice to see her and the Batman team up, an unusual pairing given what central characters they are). He writes an excellent Green Arrow, an okay Damian Wayne and a moderately painful John Constantine. The discipline of a six issue mini suits him.
Maleev isn’t having quite as good a time - some of the less well known major characters are tough to recognise and for a story which moves around some of DC’s best known locations (from Gotham City to the Fortress Of Solitude) there’s no real sense of place: everywhere looks like it’s out of a cop show. But he does a fine job on Leviathan himself, giving a strong sense of the technologically other which helps the final payoff. Entertaining, if not really as ambitious as it looked from the opening.
I had a good time with the execution, though: six issues of Bendis having fun with his DCU faves. He writes a decent Lois Lane (and it’s nice to see her and the Batman team up, an unusual pairing given what central characters they are). He writes an excellent Green Arrow, an okay Damian Wayne and a moderately painful John Constantine. The discipline of a six issue mini suits him.
Maleev isn’t having quite as good a time - some of the less well known major characters are tough to recognise and for a story which moves around some of DC’s best known locations (from Gotham City to the Fortress Of Solitude) there’s no real sense of place: everywhere looks like it’s out of a cop show. But he does a fine job on Leviathan himself, giving a strong sense of the technologically other which helps the final payoff. Entertaining, if not really as ambitious as it looked from the opening.
November 20, 2020
Bendis's first DC event is a big ol’ misfire. It's a story that has been building in his Action Comics run since the beginning. It promises a focus on more street-level action and more detective work and espionage featuring the best detectives in the DC universe as they try to figure out who Leviathan is and why the group has infiltrated every spy organization. So we get to see Batman, Lois Lane, Green Arrow, Robin, Plastic Man, and The Question all work together.
But ultimately, it's a total chore. Everything of any importance happens off-screen while the characters chat about the “mystery” for pages and pages. And the stuff that actually happened isn't even all that interesting. There are a bunch of yawn-inducing red herrings where our detectives suspect different heroes, like Steve Trevor or Red Hood.
And that ending revealing Leviathan's identity is probably the most anticlimactic twist I've read in a while. Also, for a book so dedicated to detectives and espionage, there is very little of that sort of intrigue featured here. I would've loved to see these heroes truly investigating, follow their journey of discovery, and see how skilled they are at what they do while working together. In a nutshell, I'm surprised by how little actually happened in this event book.
But ultimately, it's a total chore. Everything of any importance happens off-screen while the characters chat about the “mystery” for pages and pages. And the stuff that actually happened isn't even all that interesting. There are a bunch of yawn-inducing red herrings where our detectives suspect different heroes, like Steve Trevor or Red Hood.
And that ending revealing Leviathan's identity is probably the most anticlimactic twist I've read in a while. Also, for a book so dedicated to detectives and espionage, there is very little of that sort of intrigue featured here. I would've loved to see these heroes truly investigating, follow their journey of discovery, and see how skilled they are at what they do while working together. In a nutshell, I'm surprised by how little actually happened in this event book.
April 19, 2020
Bendis' first big DC event is all around a strange beast.
It starts off with a superb Superman comic, and then both sets many of its characters aside and takes Superman off-screen for a couple of issues.
It feels like there should be sub-stories, but as far as I know almost everything is here.
It offers itself up as a mystery, but seems to be mainly about arbitrary red herrings that get knocked down because of the plot requirements.
It makes itself very relevant to the modern day DC universe, but its reveal is ... dated.
I mean, I liked it, perhaps not as much as the best of Bendis' Action Comics, but still a fair amount. But the writing just seemed a little off-kilter throughout.
It starts off with a superb Superman comic, and then both sets many of its characters aside and takes Superman off-screen for a couple of issues.
It feels like there should be sub-stories, but as far as I know almost everything is here.
It offers itself up as a mystery, but seems to be mainly about arbitrary red herrings that get knocked down because of the plot requirements.
It makes itself very relevant to the modern day DC universe, but its reveal is ... dated.
I mean, I liked it, perhaps not as much as the best of Bendis' Action Comics, but still a fair amount. But the writing just seemed a little off-kilter throughout.
April 3, 2020
Event Leviathan
When all of the world's intelligence agencies are attacked at once, it's up to a select group of DC's detectives to investigate and discover the truth behind the mystery of Leviathan.
Given that this has been seeded in most of Bendis' Superman books since he took over and I've not read them all, this is actually fairly accessible. The premise is straightforward enough to jump into, and the hook keeps you going throughout the entire six issue story.
When Bendis is good, Bendis is really good, and this is easily his best DC work so far (although that's a fairly low bar). There's a bit of a dip in the middle as we spend an entire issue on a fight scene, but there are enough late-game plot twists that genuinely surprised me that I'm willing to forgive that. The ultimate reveal of who Leviathan is has the potential to fall flat as well given that it's a fairly deep cut for most modern comic fans (I had to look up who it was myself), but it goes to show that Bendis isn't as averse to continuity as I thought he was, which is a point in his favour.
Longtime Bendis collaborator Alex Maleev jumps on for art, and he's as good as he has ever been. He takes to the DC characters easily (although he's not entirely a stranger to them), and his moody colours are the perfect complement to Bendis' noir-ish detective story.
Genuinely surprising and compelling almost all the way through, Event Leviathan is a slam dunk for Bendis and Maleev. More of this, please, and less of some of the other stuff he's been churning out.
When all of the world's intelligence agencies are attacked at once, it's up to a select group of DC's detectives to investigate and discover the truth behind the mystery of Leviathan.
Given that this has been seeded in most of Bendis' Superman books since he took over and I've not read them all, this is actually fairly accessible. The premise is straightforward enough to jump into, and the hook keeps you going throughout the entire six issue story.
When Bendis is good, Bendis is really good, and this is easily his best DC work so far (although that's a fairly low bar). There's a bit of a dip in the middle as we spend an entire issue on a fight scene, but there are enough late-game plot twists that genuinely surprised me that I'm willing to forgive that. The ultimate reveal of who Leviathan is has the potential to fall flat as well given that it's a fairly deep cut for most modern comic fans (I had to look up who it was myself), but it goes to show that Bendis isn't as averse to continuity as I thought he was, which is a point in his favour.
Longtime Bendis collaborator Alex Maleev jumps on for art, and he's as good as he has ever been. He takes to the DC characters easily (although he's not entirely a stranger to them), and his moody colours are the perfect complement to Bendis' noir-ish detective story.
Genuinely surprising and compelling almost all the way through, Event Leviathan is a slam dunk for Bendis and Maleev. More of this, please, and less of some of the other stuff he's been churning out.
December 3, 2019
Теперь самое время признать, что «Heroes in Crisis» были хорошим ивентом. У него была отличная графика, его было интересно читать от номера к номеру. В каждом выпуске обязательно присутствовали сцены и диалоги, которые ты прекрасно помнишь до сих пор. «Event Leviathan» наоборот каждым номером сбивает с толку, оставляя ощущение, что ты пропускаешь в аддонах весь цимес, всю соль. После завершения я перечитал его весь целиком, со всеми ответвлениями, и теперь вижу, что это тотальнейший фейл. Во-первых, он феерически унылый. Ни одного яркого эпизода, ни одной задорной шутейки. С первых страниц нам говорят про масштабность происходящего, но события упрямо не выходят за границы четырёх стен. Еще рисует эти границы болгарин Малеев, который очень хорош на грязных тёмных улицах, но совершенно беспомощен в блестящих стенах Крепости Одиночества. Ближе к концу его почерк вызывал у меня просто лютое отторжение.
Малеев - хрен бы с ним, но что, черт побери, творит Бендис? Я практически не следил за тем, что он ваял последний год в Метрополисе. В итоге, будто окунулся в комиксы совершенно другого, незнакомого мне издательства. Издательства, на которое мне совершенно наплевать. Орда новых женских персонажей. Кейт Спенсер, Робинсон Гуд, Мэрисол Леоне, Наоми - кто это? Зачем нужен этот генерик? Олдскульные героини (Лоис, Затанна, Талия), в свою очередь, отличаются друг от друга только верхней одеждой. Вот где реально надо было брать вместо Малеева Степана Седжича с его детализацией женских лиц.
С мужскими героями все еще сложнее. Бендис совершенно не рифмуется с Бэтменом и его кланом. Он их просто не понимает, что странно, учитывая его нуаровское прошлое. Одна лишь радость: Брайан нашёл для себя Оливера Квинна, но из этого Квинна торчат уши всех предшествующих альтер-эго сценариста - от Тони Старка до Квилла. Уши, на самом деле, не особо мешают. Мешает уверенность автора в том, что в его руках ультимативная мега-идея. Бендис фактически пересказывает «Final Crisis», но если, читая Моррисона, ты хотел гуглить и выяснять что происходит-то, то здесь фанатское любопытство умирает с каждой страницей. В финале, когда Левиафан снимает маску и называет своё истинное имя, ты говоришь себе: не, спасибо, я даже не буду проверять кто это.
Малеев - хрен бы с ним, но что, черт побери, творит Бендис? Я практически не следил за тем, что он ваял последний год в Метрополисе. В итоге, будто окунулся в комиксы совершенно другого, незнакомого мне издательства. Издательства, на которое мне совершенно наплевать. Орда новых женских персонажей. Кейт Спенсер, Робинсон Гуд, Мэрисол Леоне, Наоми - кто это? Зачем нужен этот генерик? Олдскульные героини (Лоис, Затанна, Талия), в свою очередь, отличаются друг от друга только верхней одеждой. Вот где реально надо было брать вместо Малеева Степана Седжича с его детализацией женских лиц.
С мужскими героями все еще сложнее. Бендис совершенно не рифмуется с Бэтменом и его кланом. Он их просто не понимает, что странно, учитывая его нуаровское прошлое. Одна лишь радость: Брайан нашёл для себя Оливера Квинна, но из этого Квинна торчат уши всех предшествующих альтер-эго сценариста - от Тони Старка до Квилла. Уши, на самом деле, не особо мешают. Мешает уверенность автора в том, что в его руках ультимативная мега-идея. Бендис фактически пересказывает «Final Crisis», но если, читая Моррисона, ты хотел гуглить и выяснять что происходит-то, то здесь фанатское любопытство умирает с каждой страницей. В финале, когда Левиафан снимает маску и называет своё истинное имя, ты говоришь себе: не, спасибо, я даже не буду проверять кто это.
December 27, 2019
Please. We’re rid of King. Can someone please fire Bendis now? It’s all I wanted for Christmas!
May 20, 2020
4
I had been putting this book off due to the reviews on here but I must admit it's actually good. Bendis is one of those writers who needs the collected volume to do his storylines service. I've found that reading single issues aren't ideal for his style and Event Leviathan is no different. The book is a long who is Leviathan conspiracy and the momentum of the storyline keeps this ticking over. I'll circle back around and mention the reviews on here. I've started using Comicbook Round Up as my first source of review checking for a graphic novel series as I've found my likes tend to link with the critics. This has a low 3 for some reason and I just don't believe that to be accurate. The other site has this collected at 7.6 that converts to a healthier 3.5 average.
Why the 4?
DC have struggled with the event series of books and Event Leviathan is no different. It's a fun thriller and one that would be a lot more interesting as a film compared to the recent blunder of Justice League. Bendis continues to show he is the right guy for mass ensembles and he leaves no character lacking. I'll be eager to see where Leviathan Checkmate goes with this storyline and just like this I'll wait for the collected edition. The biggest issue I had with the volume overall arc is the very anti climatic reveal and conclusion. It leaves this in a cliff-hanger and that's not exactly a bad thing, it's the uneventful reveal. It builds to the moment and then it ends straight away. An annoying blip on the book. This is obviously not the concluding volume like something like Heroes in Crisis which was an empty and frustrating book considering Tom King was in charge. This is going to continue on and I feel this was the opportunity to become a flagship storyline for DC.
I had been putting this book off due to the reviews on here but I must admit it's actually good. Bendis is one of those writers who needs the collected volume to do his storylines service. I've found that reading single issues aren't ideal for his style and Event Leviathan is no different. The book is a long who is Leviathan conspiracy and the momentum of the storyline keeps this ticking over. I'll circle back around and mention the reviews on here. I've started using Comicbook Round Up as my first source of review checking for a graphic novel series as I've found my likes tend to link with the critics. This has a low 3 for some reason and I just don't believe that to be accurate. The other site has this collected at 7.6 that converts to a healthier 3.5 average.
Why the 4?
DC have struggled with the event series of books and Event Leviathan is no different. It's a fun thriller and one that would be a lot more interesting as a film compared to the recent blunder of Justice League. Bendis continues to show he is the right guy for mass ensembles and he leaves no character lacking. I'll be eager to see where Leviathan Checkmate goes with this storyline and just like this I'll wait for the collected edition. The biggest issue I had with the volume overall arc is the very anti climatic reveal and conclusion. It leaves this in a cliff-hanger and that's not exactly a bad thing, it's the uneventful reveal. It builds to the moment and then it ends straight away. An annoying blip on the book. This is obviously not the concluding volume like something like Heroes in Crisis which was an empty and frustrating book considering Tom King was in charge. This is going to continue on and I feel this was the opportunity to become a flagship storyline for DC.
August 21, 2020
2.5 rounded down. This just felt really lackluster and like Bendis was spinning his wheels for all six issues.
April 18, 2020
A passable event that ended up being quite dull in parts, with a lot of promise going unfulfilled, and a handful of red herrings being so obviously implausible that they added no tension to the story. I was entirely unsurprised when they were “revealed” to be red herrings 100 pages later, and I don’t think any regular DC reader would be tricked by.
Also, the grand reveal of Leviathan’s identity was a bit of a nothing. I have a pretty deep knowledge of the DC universe and this one left me scratching my head. The shock value from big reveals usually comes from the person being a known character. Choosing some super obscure person from DC lore left me ordering a big plate of ‘who cares?’ with zero f**ks on the side.
A swing and a miss for this reader, but a big swing, which you have to admire. What can I say? I like Bendis and Maleev and I’m feeling generous.
Also, the grand reveal of Leviathan’s identity was a bit of a nothing. I have a pretty deep knowledge of the DC universe and this one left me scratching my head. The shock value from big reveals usually comes from the person being a known character. Choosing some super obscure person from DC lore left me ordering a big plate of ‘who cares?’ with zero f**ks on the side.
A swing and a miss for this reader, but a big swing, which you have to admire. What can I say? I like Bendis and Maleev and I’m feeling generous.
December 7, 2019
Basic Plot: Leviathan has destroyed the world's intelligence and espionage organizations, and the world's greatest detectives seek to uncover Leviathan's identity and plans.
Super jumpy. Art was iffy. I'm sure I missed a lot by not reading the connected titles while reading this mini series. It just didn't come together for me. I loved the concept and some of the character moments, but it was not a terribly good special event comic.
Super jumpy. Art was iffy. I'm sure I missed a lot by not reading the connected titles while reading this mini series. It just didn't come together for me. I loved the concept and some of the character moments, but it was not a terribly good special event comic.
June 1, 2020
I read the first issue and didnt like it. So waited for the trade. Glad I waited. The reveal of Leviathan wasnt that great. Was expecting more. Maybe there was some previous books about them but ive only been reading comics for 2-3 years so i havent come across any
December 28, 2020
Kind of a strange story (did I imagine the part where Jimmy Olsen got married to a time traveler?), though once it got rolling, it wasn't so bad. I do hate the 2-page splash panels where you can't follow the conversation--this was a hallmark of Bendis' work at Marvel, too. The artwork by Maleev is good throughout, but as others have said, the execution of this whole thing was a bit lackluster and the secret identity of Leviathan was a big "Who?"
August 31, 2020
This 1 star is really half a star because the very most this book deserves is a 1/10.
On a panel by panel view, some illustrations can look pretty. Overall though from a graphic storytelling standpoint, Maleev’s art is stiff, rigid, it doesn’t move, no flow at all. This is what happens when artists rely too much on references, they are not real comic artist. They can’t do their share of the story telling. The art doesn’t guide your eyes, it doesn’t tell you what’s going on half the time which means, you have no choice but to read the absolute hot garbage that is the story. Last word on Maleev before I get to Bendis, the man needs to work with a colour artist, eyes can only take so much brown, dude.
I do not dislike Bendis as a creator or a human being, he is a man I would gush at if I met at a con. His brilliant runs on Alias, Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man are some of the best if not the very best those characters have ever gotten. He’s a man capable of great genius. I honestly believe that, even if we haven’t seen that genius in a while.
Bendis fails to understand too many of Superman’s supporting characters to write them coherently and faithfully and as a result, the build up to “Event” Leviathan was so, so very bad. Somehow it got worse in the “event”. This is not an event btw and at its bare bones, the story could’ve been somewhat ok. He just wrote every facet of it wrong. There are dozens of characters here and none of them behave and talk like they should. Bendis. Does. Not. Get. DC.
Every bubble hurt my eye and gave me a headache, I had to force down every damn word with repulsion. Lois especially, every time he wrote Lois my stomach heaved.
It’s the greatest tragedy facing DC today, not the ATT merger, the fact that they gave the keys to some of their major properties to a man that has no idea how to write them. This makes Chuck Austen look like a competent X-Men writer.
On a panel by panel view, some illustrations can look pretty. Overall though from a graphic storytelling standpoint, Maleev’s art is stiff, rigid, it doesn’t move, no flow at all. This is what happens when artists rely too much on references, they are not real comic artist. They can’t do their share of the story telling. The art doesn’t guide your eyes, it doesn’t tell you what’s going on half the time which means, you have no choice but to read the absolute hot garbage that is the story. Last word on Maleev before I get to Bendis, the man needs to work with a colour artist, eyes can only take so much brown, dude.
I do not dislike Bendis as a creator or a human being, he is a man I would gush at if I met at a con. His brilliant runs on Alias, Daredevil and Ultimate Spider-Man are some of the best if not the very best those characters have ever gotten. He’s a man capable of great genius. I honestly believe that, even if we haven’t seen that genius in a while.
Bendis fails to understand too many of Superman’s supporting characters to write them coherently and faithfully and as a result, the build up to “Event” Leviathan was so, so very bad. Somehow it got worse in the “event”. This is not an event btw and at its bare bones, the story could’ve been somewhat ok. He just wrote every facet of it wrong. There are dozens of characters here and none of them behave and talk like they should. Bendis. Does. Not. Get. DC.
Every bubble hurt my eye and gave me a headache, I had to force down every damn word with repulsion. Lois especially, every time he wrote Lois my stomach heaved.
It’s the greatest tragedy facing DC today, not the ATT merger, the fact that they gave the keys to some of their major properties to a man that has no idea how to write them. This makes Chuck Austen look like a competent X-Men writer.
September 2, 2020
Good event, but it had some flaws. A couple of things made me postpone the reading: I was tired of big-superpowered-hyperdark-edgy villains from the edge of existence (you know, Barbatos-like), and I didn't feel like reading tons of material before this event.
As for this second problem, I simply avoided it by jumping directly into the volume that contains the main six issues and a couple of preludes ("DC's Year of the Villain Special #1" and "Superman: Leviathan Rising #1"). To my surprise, I wasn't that lost; sure, I missed a few bits here and there, specially in the preludes, but, overall, I had enough material to follow the main plot. And as for the first problem, I was happy to discover that, despite my initial concerns and the cover art, the villain and the tone were actually the opposite of what I feared, with a non-powered technological villain who had GREAT reasons for what he was doing. The story is detectivesque, full of interesting characters (albeit somehow wasted) and a plot that slowly develops.
The art is amazing, best thing of the event for me. Writing is just okay, a bit confusing sometimes, but overall, it's entertaining. As I didn't know the character hiding behind the identity of Leviathan, the big reveal was a "meh" for me, but it made total sense; that said, it's a bit disappointing that you still need to read another series to find some closure on this event... something I probably won't do.
The "Superman: Leviathan Rising #1" issue alone deserves a reading. As for the rest of the volume... well, maybe 4 stars is to much for something that could really be much better, but I actually enjoyed it, so there you have it.
As for this second problem, I simply avoided it by jumping directly into the volume that contains the main six issues and a couple of preludes ("DC's Year of the Villain Special #1" and "Superman: Leviathan Rising #1"). To my surprise, I wasn't that lost; sure, I missed a few bits here and there, specially in the preludes, but, overall, I had enough material to follow the main plot. And as for the first problem, I was happy to discover that, despite my initial concerns and the cover art, the villain and the tone were actually the opposite of what I feared, with a non-powered technological villain who had GREAT reasons for what he was doing. The story is detectivesque, full of interesting characters (albeit somehow wasted) and a plot that slowly develops.
The art is amazing, best thing of the event for me. Writing is just okay, a bit confusing sometimes, but overall, it's entertaining. As I didn't know the character hiding behind the identity of Leviathan, the big reveal was a "meh" for me, but it made total sense; that said, it's a bit disappointing that you still need to read another series to find some closure on this event... something I probably won't do.
The "Superman: Leviathan Rising #1" issue alone deserves a reading. As for the rest of the volume... well, maybe 4 stars is to much for something that could really be much better, but I actually enjoyed it, so there you have it.
March 30, 2022
This managed to be both boring and annoying at the same time. I begrudgingly forced my way through, confused as to why this was just so damn hard to read.
This is what I've come up with:
-It's choppy as hell.
-The characterizations are all off.
-I hated all the dialogue.
-I hate Lois (she talks like if Lorelai Gilmore was a detective & I hate it).
-Superman is barely the main character here.
-Batman is barely a "leader" here.
-Jimmy's "cartoon" issue was weird.
-Steve Trevor shooting Lois as he claims his innocence was no good... I hate Lois, but I don't think Steve's character deserved that. Shooting an unarmed civilian is pretty low.
-Batman etc. going after Red Hood & Jason running. Literally why?? To get everyone to fight and chase each other for a few pages? Ug! So annoying and weak storytelling.
-All the detectives running around not making a single smart deduction or choice the entire book.
-The Leviathan reveal. Didn't interest me.
What I did like:
-The "other" detectives (Zatana & Harvey Bullock).
-The art, most of the time. Sometimes the pages were too dark by half, but on the whole, I think Alex Meleev did pretty things with the colors.
I'm honestly so uninterested in Event Leviathan: Checkmate.
This is what I've come up with:
-It's choppy as hell.
-The characterizations are all off.
-I hated all the dialogue.
-I hate Lois (she talks like if Lorelai Gilmore was a detective & I hate it).
-Superman is barely the main character here.
-Batman is barely a "leader" here.
-Jimmy's "cartoon" issue was weird.
-Steve Trevor shooting Lois as he claims his innocence was no good... I hate Lois, but I don't think Steve's character deserved that. Shooting an unarmed civilian is pretty low.
-Batman etc. going after Red Hood & Jason running. Literally why?? To get everyone to fight and chase each other for a few pages? Ug! So annoying and weak storytelling.
-All the detectives running around not making a single smart deduction or choice the entire book.
-The Leviathan reveal. Didn't interest me.
What I did like:
-The "other" detectives (Zatana & Harvey Bullock).
-The art, most of the time. Sometimes the pages were too dark by half, but on the whole, I think Alex Meleev did pretty things with the colors.
I'm honestly so uninterested in Event Leviathan: Checkmate.
December 27, 2020
Between this and Heroes In Crisis, this was not a great weekend of DC reading for me. These "events" just aren't living up to the hype, even less so than in the past.
So we spend the entire series waiting for the big reveal of Leviathan and it's...someone almost nobody remembers. I have a decent knowledge of the DCU, at least that of the average comic fan, and this was just lost on me. This character just takes out every intelligence organization in the DCU with a snap of his fingers, and then the rest of the story is spent trying to figure out who he is. Then, we find out who he is and its like...uh, what?
I did like the art, but that wasn't enough to save it. The execution wasn't terrible, which kept my rating above two stars, but the ending was just too flat. Did ANYONE guess who Leviathan was before the final issue?
At least I didn't have to read a ton of crossover issues for this payoff, because that would have sucked.
Overall this was okay, just seemed way overblown.
So we spend the entire series waiting for the big reveal of Leviathan and it's...someone almost nobody remembers. I have a decent knowledge of the DCU, at least that of the average comic fan, and this was just lost on me. This character just takes out every intelligence organization in the DCU with a snap of his fingers, and then the rest of the story is spent trying to figure out who he is. Then, we find out who he is and its like...uh, what?
I did like the art, but that wasn't enough to save it. The execution wasn't terrible, which kept my rating above two stars, but the ending was just too flat. Did ANYONE guess who Leviathan was before the final issue?
At least I didn't have to read a ton of crossover issues for this payoff, because that would have sucked.
Overall this was okay, just seemed way overblown.
May 12, 2020
HYPE DESTROYER!!!!
Two Volumes of Action Comics, multiple books linking to it, and the normally amazing powerhouse writer that is Brian Michael Bendis, and you should have a great crossover book. BUT.... when you give the book mediocre to low grade art, a plot that seemed really far fetched to begin with, AND the reveal that the whole thing was a MANHUNTER??! Come on DC! Manhunters were replaced by the GLC. Is the only reason this event got dragged out as far as it did is because Hal, Guy, John, Kyle, Simon and Jessica weren't on planet? Because I'm pretty sure a Green Lantern would have said something like "Manhunter: Proximity Limit" and he would have been toast so fast.
(UGH... rant over...)
Overall, the story isn't complete garbage, but I'm still mad.
Recommend with reservations.
Two Volumes of Action Comics, multiple books linking to it, and the normally amazing powerhouse writer that is Brian Michael Bendis, and you should have a great crossover book. BUT.... when you give the book mediocre to low grade art, a plot that seemed really far fetched to begin with, AND the reveal that the whole thing was a MANHUNTER??! Come on DC! Manhunters were replaced by the GLC. Is the only reason this event got dragged out as far as it did is because Hal, Guy, John, Kyle, Simon and Jessica weren't on planet? Because I'm pretty sure a Green Lantern would have said something like "Manhunter: Proximity Limit" and he would have been toast so fast.
(UGH... rant over...)
Overall, the story isn't complete garbage, but I'm still mad.
Recommend with reservations.
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