The search for Leviathan continues, but first, Superman must deal with the new, mysterious owner of The Daily Planet. Minor spoilers for Action Comics #1014 follow.
It’s funny how since Brian Michael Bendis took the reins, there hasn’t really been much action in Action Comics. However, this has never been a bad thing and continues not to be with this issue. There has been a constant emphasis on mystery and suspense since Bendis took over which feels very different for a Superman book. Because of that though, sometimes the pacing of the series feels very slow, but when it lands, it lands well. With this issue though, it contains both the best and worst tendencies of Bendis. When it’s tense, it’s incredible, but the pace is simply way too slow and doesn’t really move the story forward.
To begin with the good, it’s impossible to talk about this issue without bringing up Marisol Leone, aka the new owner of The Daily Planet, aka leader of The Invisible Mafia. This is her first real interaction with any of the main cast and it suitably does not go in Superman’s favor. As an audience, we know who she is, but there’s no proof of that in the universe, which is what makes the story all the tenser. Superman doesn’t trust her, but she already has Perry wrapped around her finger. It’s an interesting development with the whole Invisible Mafia story that could have easily gone off the rails. However, with how Bendis executes her interactions with Clark and Perry here, it creates excellent tension that will build moving forward.
As a whole though, the issue doesn’t really feel like it does anything truly substantial from a narrative standpoint until the last couple pages. There are a couple of pages that feel inconsequential as of right now, even if they are solid from a visual standpoint. The only interesting parts of this issue narratively are the scenes involving Marisol Leone, but that only is about half of the issue. The rest of the issue feels like high-end filler pages, which is very disappointing.
Then there’s the “Year of the Villain” aspect of this issue. The synopsis and cover are not even close to what the actual issue is about. It’s not as egregious as some other issues, but it’s still very noticeable, and a bit of false advertising.
Szymon Kudranski’s art is often a saving grace of this issue though. Even when the story isn’t that interesting or unneeded, the art is fantastic. But, when the story is at its best in this issue, the art is phenomenal. Kudranski knows precisely how to block these scenes to build the page in a very aesthetically pleasing way, but also in a way that ramps up the tension. His art really is incredible, and he makes his style work with Superman, even though it really shouldn’t. Yet, he manages to make it so.
CHECK OUT: Action Comics #1013 Review: The Press and Superman Aren’t Dead Yet