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Event Leviathan #1

Scheduled to arrive in stores: June 12, 2019

Cover date: August 2019

"Event Leviathan"

Writers: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Alex Maleev
Cover: Alex Maleev
Variant Cover: Kenneth Rocafort

Reviewed by: Mario Bennese
Click to enlarge


In the ruins of an ARGUS facility, Batman and Lois Lane run into each other. Leviathan has attacked the world, taking out the DEO, ARGUS, Spyral, Kobra, and Task Force X. Even Amanda Waller has been affected. With Superman off-world, it's up to Batman and Lois to piece together what's happening and how to stop it. In the rubble, they find Steve Trevor who reveals that 42 hours prior, the debris made up the structure of a new ARGUS center located in Coast City. Steve was attempting to rescue Doctor Strand in case of a potential attack. The same hulking machine arrived, put Steve in a forcefield, and took Doctor Strand before destroying the building.

In the present, Steve begins to panic knowing that since he survived, people will assume he was behind the attack. Steve shoots Lois in the arm before Green Arrow hits him with a taser arrow. Batman, Lois, and Green Arrow come to the conclusion that they need to solve the Leviathan situation before the night ends or the rest of the world will be destroyed. Later in the Batcave, Lois' wound gets bandaged up as The Question briefly spies on the trio. Elsewhere, Doctor Strand awakens where she is propositioned by Leviathan to join their cause.

4Story - 4: I'm going to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to be interested in this story. The Leviathan story over in Action Comics was a bit slow-moving and uneventful for my taste. Not that the issues were necessarily bad, but I had no real interest in a new event. Then I read the Leviathan one-shot and became more interested. So far, I think we're off to a good start on this event. I quite like the idea of a story focused on Batman, Lois Lane, and Green Arrow teaming up. There are some great things Bendis does in this issue that will hopefully keep this story fresh and breezy. For starters, we've got a ticking clock. This mystery has to be solved in a night, keeping tension high and and danger in the forefront. It's such a simple storytelling technique, but when used properly, it can keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

There is one thing I'm not quite clear on, however. I'm not sure why Steve shot Lois. Granted, it wasn't a fatal shot, but that also felt like it came from out of nowhere. Batman, Lois, and Steve were discussing Leviathan, what it meant that they had survived, and the possibility of Talia Al Ghul being involved. I read over the scene again and couldn't find any reason for him to shoot. Hopefully we get answers soon.

3Art - 3: Maleev does some nice work in this issue. Even though the majority of this issue features characters standing around talking, the artwork is still nice to look at. I'm sure we'll see more of what he can do as the story progresses, but from what I've seen in this issue, I'm a fan.

3Cover Art - 3: I like the concept, even if it is a little cliché. Batman's mouth looks a bit wonky and I'm confused about Lois' absence. The Question makes the cover even though he was only in three panels, but Lois was in most of the book.

3Variant Cover Art - 3: Rocafort's style is greatly appreciated here, but the image itself is visually uninteresting.

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

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