Event Leviathan #6 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis / Artist: Alex Maleev / DC Comics The finale of the Event Leviathan story is here: the leader’s identity is finally revealed. The downside to be taken on a 6-issue ride with a bunch of characters you’re only casually familiar with, is that the big news doesn’t hit as hard. The revelation relates deep into decades of DC history. I can see Bendis standing in front of a crowd of me’s: “Mwahahaha! It was a character with ties to spies, the original Leviathan, Suicide Squad, and even Checkmate!”. My response: “Uh . . . cool; I’ll take your word for it.” My plebeian response aside, this was a solid wrap-up to a fantastic story. This book’s strength was in not trying to over-explain an overly complicated final plan. That was particularly surprising after how long this Leviathan event has lasted.

The issue opens with Leviathan’s attack on Sam Lane resulting in his death. There’s an early reference to the last issue’s panel with Lois Lane holding her father in her arms in the midst of a frozen tundra followed by the present Lois with a tear in her eye. The first pages are incredibly emotional but Lois and Clark snap back to business to address the two fronts of the fight. First, our street-level heroes are attacked by Talia al Ghul on the hunt for Kate Spencer. Elsewhere, the heavy hitters — Superman and Plastic Man — are able to plunge into one of Leviathan’s energy blasts and face the main boss. This has been Bendis’ storytelling style for this book. …