A second team of detectives has been revealed to be working on the search for Leviathan. Who else is involved in the ongoing mystery and what’s going to happen? Spoilers for Event Leviathan #5 follow.
Event Leviathan has been one of the most compelling mystery that continuously added new wrinkles to the fold. Now, with the endgame in sight, it seems that there really is nowhere to go except for the answers to be revealed. If you’re thinking that though, you’d be wrong, as this issue continues to add more twists to the already twist-heavy series. This is the most exciting issue of the series so far and it leaves you on the edge of your seat.
What this issue does well, like any true mystery noir story, is keeping its audience on their toes. By keeping the audience guessing about what’s going to happen, it keeps the audience invested. Some may be frustrated by this, simply wanting the answers to everything, but that’s kind of the fun of a mystery like this, the slow reveal, and the teasing at the answers. This issue really made it feel like we were gonna get Leviathan’s identity in this issue, which we almost did, but we were given something much better and investing.
The clues and basic answers that were provided in this issue are so smart. So much ties back around to Kate Spencer and her legacy as Manhunter. She’s not the first person to take the title of Manhunter, not related to the Manhunters created by the Guardians of the Universe. Everything about this really lends to the idea that one of the previous incarnations of Manhunter, probably Mark Shaw, being Leviathan. This could be another trick, but that’s the fun of this series, the constant guessing.
Then we have the final couple of pages of this issue. This is probably the most fun that the series has had. Even in their darkest stories, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev manage to inject a certain amount of humor into their stories. This really hasn’t been the case so far in Event Leviathan, but the end of this issue adds it to the series in a great way. This leads to an excellent final page where Talia al Ghul and The Silencer appear and ambush the crew. The humor helps relieve the tension of the rest of the issue, which really adds to the shock of the final few pages.
Alex Maleev’s art is yet again phenomenal in this issue as well. The way that he manages to combine the noir stylings of the story with the oddities and costumes of the DC universe is perfect. Everything feels natural and nothing feels out of place. Plus, his painting style creates a unique look that no one can truly imitate. There are artists with some similar styles, like Phil Noto, but no one can come close to creating the tone that Maleev does.