Review: Action Comics #1009

Brian Michael Bendis has been on a real tear since coming to DC Comics, particularly his Superman body of work beginning with the Man of Steel mini series. Bendis continued his Superman saga in the eponymous series and Action Comics weaving some fresh, inventive elements into the complex, on-going Superman narrative. He has more fully developed several well-known characters as well as introducing some pretty big new comers like Rogol Zaar in a relatively short span of time as writer of the Super books.

This issue is the next chapter in the Leviathan Rising arc that promises to change the Superman status quo for the foreseeable future, perhaps even the entirety of the DC Universe. We continue to see long-standing secret organizations throughout the DCU fall like houses of cards, most notably the Kobra Cult and the DEO. Lois and Clark are faced with the biggest mystery of their illustrious careers as they go deep undercover to find out exactly who is behind this outbreak of mayhem. Looming over all the destruction and chaos is Leviathan. Secrets are revealed including Superman’s biggest, most closely guarded, his alter-ego as Clark Kent is entrusted to the head of Task Force X, Amanda Waller. As the narrative unfolds we see just how far the ramifications of Leviathan’s machinations could reach. One thing is certain and that is the DCU will not be the same.

Bendis does such a fantastic job of telling a cosmic level story while maintaining the character driven elements of the narrative. Of course he has always been known for his meticulously detailed character development; while at Marvel his work on Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and the Ultimate version of Spider-Man forever changed these characters and now his work is bringing about the same kind of fundamental changes to Superman. The truly brilliant aspect of Bendis’ writing is his ability to pull the reader into the narrative and not matter the complexity of plot we are willing to take the trip with him. That is particularly true of his Superman run, Bendis, arguably more than any other writer very adeptly tells his story utilizing Superman and Clark Kent as separate characters while never losing sight of the fact that they are in fact the same person. This goes beyond using Clark as a disguise or telling the “small” story through Clark’s eyes and the super hero story through Kal-El’s. It’s an amalgamation of character elements, even more so than the Bruce Wayne/Batman paradigm. This is because in the case of Superman, Bendis is dealing with an alien in Kal-El and a human persona in Clark, that presents a far more complex set of circumstances than in the case of Batman. Bendis so astutely utilizes all these elements of character to more deeply define Superman while telling an engrossing and exciting story.

As visual storytellers go, they don’t get much better than Steve Epting. His work here is exemplary of just why he is so good. Much as he did with writer Ed Brubaker on their now legendary Captain America run, Epting utilizes an iconic character in a manner that maximizes the emotional stakes in the dramatic scenes and heightens the energy in the action sequences. Brad Anderson’s original style of coloring works so perfectly on Epting’s work. His use of muted tones is a spot on fit for the tone of Bendis’ story. Epting is a consummate storyteller and paired with writers of the caliber of Brubaker and now Bendis, Epting really ups his game. His ability to match his collaborators’ intensity allows for him to get the most out of the characters involved in a given arc. This is how great comic books are done.

Overall this is a darn near perfect issue of Action Comics. Bendis has brought his expertise in writing deeply moving, dramatic character driven narratives to Superman and it is reaping absolutely brilliant results. The stakes are high, the drama is completely consuming and the action is precisely paced. All this adds up to an amazing Superman story. If you haven’t been reading Bendis’ Superman and Action Comics runs, I recommend adding both of these titles to your pull list, especially before this Leviathan Rising arc wraps up. 5/5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer- Brian Michael Bendis
Artist- Steve Epting
Colors- Brad Anderson
Letterer-Rob Leigh