Event Leviathan #5 – Brian Michael Bendis, Writer; Alex Maleev, Artist
Ratings:
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: With Event Leviathan #5, we’re one issue away from the finale of the weirdest event in DC memory – if a world-shattering story that’s only being reflected in two other titles can be called an event – and we’re finally getting close to answers. But as is typical for this series, those answers are being parceled out slowly amid a lot of mostly entertaining dialogue.
Where we last left off, Lois Lane secretly met with her double agents – a team of secondary detectives she’s using to investigate Batman’s team, including Elongated Man, Constantine, Zatanna, Harvey Bullock, and Renee Montoya. It’s a great group of characters, and it’s a lot of fun to watch them puzzle out the story. They settle on Sam Lane as their primary suspect, which is obviously a red herring – he was already the big bad of another event pre-New 52, and I doubt Bendis would go back to that well. Sure enough, they go to investigate him and wind up in a Leviathan ambush that results in the apparent death of a major player.
When things pick up in this issue, they really start moving.
First there’s a tense escape segment in the Leviathan attack, and then it’s finally time for Superman to face off against the mastermind. Alex Maleev’s art is at its best in this showdown, finally conveying the full extent of Leviathan’s threat.
But this book is still what it is, so the last five pages are mostly back-and-forth dialogue, as Leviathan drops hints as to his identity – and Kate Spencer slowly pieces it together based on a connection with her staff. If it does turn out to be a former Manhunter, that’s a deep cut – but it would also be one that comes sort of out of nowhere.
I’m not sure the reveal would have the impact they’re looking for, as all the Manhunters (besides the Martian one) are very obscure characters. Whoever it is when the mask is pulled off next issue, they’ve changed the face of DCU spycraft – but I’m not sure their debut storyline will be remembered alongside the other current larger events.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
