Leviathan is still on the loose and there’s very little than Superman can do it to find him. It’s up to Clark Kent to do the work that Superman can’t.
Action Comics for the past eight issues or so has been more or less focused on one thing, Leviathan. The previous arc was set-up for Event Leviathan and this arc is essentially acting as a tie-in to it. However, it never has felt that this was the case. Everything has felt organically told and like it’s existing within the same space, not as something completely separate. One could read Event Leviathan without reading Action Comics and vice versa, they just enhance each other. It’s the same for this issue as well. Like much of Brian Michael Bendis’ run on Action Comics so far, there has been much less emphasis on Superman and more on Clark Kent, which works incredibly well here.
One of the things that feel like its consistently been ignored in the Superman mythos is the journalistic side of the character. Sure, you have Lois sometimes acting as the journalist she is and not just a damsel in distress, but we rarely see Clark doing it. That’s changed as of recent though and this issue is probably the best use of the journalist that Clark is. We see the inner workings of the Daily Planet is some fun ways that show the process of writing investigative articles. This really shouldn’t be all that interesting to read, but thanks to Bendis’ writing and Szymon Kudranski’s art, it’s incredibly interesting. The scenes flow at a really fast pace and they feel like actual journalists and editors going through the process.
There is a bit more use of Superman in this issue as compared to earlier issues though. There’s a lot more balance between Superman and Clark here, so the issue as a whole flows much better. There’s a balance between dialogue-driven scenes and action-driven scenes, while really helps with the pace throughout. Despite its name, under Bendis’ tenure, Action Comics hasn’t done much in the way of action, but that changes in this issue, even if only for a little bit.
As for the art, Kudranski somehow manages to do something that very few artists can do, have Superman surrounded by darkness. The tone and style feel much more like a Batman or The Punisher comic, which Kudranski also illustrates, at times than a Superman comic, but it also feels perfectly at home. The reason for that is the story being told. Kudranski understands the almost noir-stylings that this story has at time and he makes his art fit that style. What really helps though is Brad Anderson’s colors making everything pop. Superman is surrounded by darkness but never looks dark himself. His suit looks as bright of a blue as ever and this really makes Kudranski’s pencil work.
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