Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1
(W) Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Greg Rucka, Marc Andreyko
(A) Steve Lieber, Mike Perkins, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira
(A/CA) Yanick Paquette
DC Comics
2019
An all-star roster of writers and artists highlight the new threat of Leviathan, but also tees up new ongoing series for Jimmy Olsen by writer Matt Fraction and artist Steve Lieber, and Lois Lane by writer Greg Rucka and artist Mike Perkins, coming in June! As Leviathan enacts a plan to take down Superman, it’s up to Lois, Jimmy and the heroes of the DC Universe to rescue the Man of Steel.
Setting the scene for the latest DC Universe mega-event, Leviathan Rising introduces us to the latest supervillain du jour by putting the might Superman in another contrived situation just perfectly suited for him to lose all his powers and need saving from. It’s a little ridiculous to think he’s so easily bested, but of course, it’s just for effect, and the effect is fantastic.
As I’ve said before, I’m not overly enthused by the idea of shaking everything up every time book sales start to waver, but at least I’m having fun with how they decided to do it. The idea that these battles must be won ideologically is great, and I’m more than happy to see them play that out, especially after the glimpses of the grim future we’re getting across the series. I like this kind of stacked odds, and this tension of not knowing how things could ever be right again, much more than knowing a hero just has to be braver or faster or stronger than last time. It’s a great direction for the story line.
And, of course, the book looks amazing. Some of the characters look absolutely amazing, and if the backgrounds ever fail to impress, it’s just because their job is to highlight the more impressive focal point. It’s never lack of talent, or simply laziness or error.
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. It may not be well paced, but it’s never boring, and it keeps things excited while it’s setting the stage for something much bigger. That’s quite the accomplishment.
Superman: Leviathan Rising
An all-star collection of scenes from the latest epic struggle to control the DC Universe. Amazing art, and overall quite enjoyable, but loses a few points for the disjointed storytelling, however planned and necessary that may be.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
