Superman Homepage

Mild Mannered Reviews - Action Comics

Action Comics #1014 Action Comics #1014 KindleDownload iBookBuy Now

Action Comics #1014

Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 28, 2019

Cover date: October 2019

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
Cover: Brandon Peterson
Variant Covers: Ben Oliver

Reviewed by: Mario Bennese
Click to enlarge


Perry White enters his office to find Marisol Leone waiting for him. The two discuss dropping the gossip column and being the first newspaper to break the story of Leviathan's identity. At a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, Superman fights a monster. After the battle ends, he has a discussion with a woman named Doctor Glory. Apparently, some illegal and crazy experiments have been going on at S.T.A.R. Labs. Clark breaks the story.

At the Daily Planet, Perry takes Clark to meet Leone. She congratulates Kent on his recent exposé before asking about his salary. Clark responds by asking where Leone came from. In a seedy bar, Thorn attempts to attack the Mayor before Red Cloud appears. Cloud appears to kill Thorn.

Elsewhere, Lois and Clark discuss Leone. With all that's been happening, it's a little weird for them for new people to just show up. They both notice something hurtling towards Metropolis. Superman races to the crash site where he finds a woman named Naomi requesting his help.

2Story - 2: I'm growing tired of Bendis' Superman run. Every time I think we're getting somewhere in the story, we grind to a halt by the next issue to set something else up. It's not that the concepts are inherently bad, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing particularly feels focused and I suspect that has something to do with Bendis trying to tell such an epic story that he forgets how to tell a good one. Dialogue here is either fluff or unnatural. The page with Clark's exposé feels particularly off. In the piece, Superman's quotes sound more like they were written rather than spoken. But the most glaring example of poor writing comes from Superman's battle with the monster at S.T.A.R where he says, "There is a list of reasons I'm annoyed by this... I know you can't understand them, but I am going to give them to you anyway!" Why did that need to be spoken dialogue? Inner dialogue is a tool that comic books benefit from.

2Art - 2: There are a lot of weak and stiff poses here. Faces look wonky and somewhat amateur. The staging of panels is uninspired and generic.

3Cover Art - 3: The idea is there, but it's sloppy in execution. Red Cloud feels shoved into the image, making it a little difficult to instantly grasp what's happening.

4Variant Cover Art - 4: My only gripes are the lack of a background and the odd rendering of Superman's face.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2019

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019

Back to the Mild Mannered Reviews contents page.

Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2019.

DISCLAIMER: SUPERMAN and all related elements are the property of DC Comics. TM & © 2023

This Superman Homepage is Copyright © Steven Younis 1994-2023
All Rights Reserved

Dedicated to Andrew J Gould - the original keeper of the Superman Homepage!

Since May 2001, the address is www.SupermanHomepage.com

Our Privacy Policy.