Event Leviathan #3 Faces Hard Truths In The Midst Of Conspiracy
by Tony Thornley
Every good mystery chases false leads and red herrings. The question the detective needs to ask is where it goes from there?
Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Josh Reed put our heroes through the wringer.
The heroes regroup in the Fortress of Solitude and attempt to reflect on the events of the last few issues. The Red Hood has given them enough to lead them away from him and forward in their investigation. However, it appears to not lead them to Leviathan but to Amanda Waller…
This issue is structured in such an interesting way. Once again, it seems like not much happens, but in actuality this issue covers more ground and more plot than the previous two issues. The flashback heavy structure of the story isn’t doing it any favors, but on a second, more thorough read it’s much more rewarding, and plays to Bendis’s strengths.
Bendis conveys a lot of information here, but keeps it from feeling like a data dump. The connections it makes leads us as readers to several different logical suspects, but doesn’t actually count Jason Todd out entirely, which is a great touch. He also has a great grasp on these characters and the DCU as a whole, which leads to satisfying final page.
Maleev’s incredible art remains the best thing about the story, and would be worth the price of admission on its own. His depiction of the Fortress makes it feel wondrous and alien, but is still able to ground it, and depict it as if it were real in a great marriage of line work and color. He also infuses the cast with a lot of character, using simple tweaks in body language and behavior to help the story advance through them.
We’re not actually closer to finding out who Leviathan is, but if the cliffhanger is any indication we will soon. It just may not work out well for anyone in the DC Universe.
Event Leviathan #3 is available now from DC Comics.