The intelligence agencies of the DC Universe are gone and Leviathan runs rampant. Only Batman and Lois Lane can gather a team to discover who the mastermind behind Leviathan is.
Event Leviathan started out as a slow burn that is very much like most every mystery thriller ever. The only difference is, this is set in the DC Universe and things need to ramp up quickly because there is limited time to tell the story. It was a solid opening issue that leads into what seems to be the crux of the main series with this issue, revealing Leviathan.
The biggest part of this issue comes from the Batman/Red Hood interaction that stems from them both trying to discover who Leviathan is. However, if you’ve read the short story in Year of the Villain #1, it’s obvious what Batman’s doing to Jason throughout this issue, even if you’re hoping otherwise. And that’s what this issue does well, it makes you go against your gut. Your gut is telling you the obvious thing, but because of certain interactions, you don’t want your gut to be right. This is key to developing a good mystery, keep the audience off balance, and this issue does that so well.
This issue keeps you asking questions and on your toes about what’s actually going on? Is Batman here to capture Jason? Is Batgirl actually Leviathan and simply throwing people off her trail by disappearing? Is Plastic Man a reliable narrator or did he actually meet Leviathan? There are so many little clues and hints that simply can cause you to think too much, but never provide yourself a good answer. That’s what a good mystery does and so far, Event Leviathan has been presenting an excellent mystery.
Alex Maleev’s art is absolutely top-notch as well in this issue. Every single panel in this issue feels like a classic noir and looks gorgeous. It’s extremely difficult to capture a gorgeous look in some mundane, grimy settings, but Maleev does so masterfully. He’s been doing this pretty much his whole career, but every time, he manages to outdo himself.
His pacing is also excellent throughout this issue. He knows exactly when to use the shot choices that he does and when to have his characters move in a certain way to keep a semblance of action on the page. Plus, the way that he’s able to convey humor within the darkness so effortlessly should be commended. There’s one joke involving Kate Spencer and Red Hood that is so incredibly funny, but relies on exact pacing, and he manages to pull it off so well.