Review: ‘Action Comics’ #1019 Forges Deadly Alliances By Bendis, Romita Jr And DC Comics
by Tony Thornley
2019 was the year of the villain at DC Comics. In the lead of those stories was Lex Luthor, Superman’s greatest foe, but he wasn’t the only villain to take the spotlight. Action Comics #1019 shows some of those faces, and they can only be a problem for the Man of Steel.
Brian Michael Bendis, John Romita Jr., Klaus Janson, Brad Anderson and Dave Sharpe tell the tale of the deadliest team-up Superman’s ever faced.
Lex Luthor has won an increasing number of victories but not his greatest goal – Metropolis. However, with the help of Leviathan and the Red Mist, Metropolis will be within his reach. Not even Superman can stand in their way.
This issue is a full length interlude from the battle that has consumed this storyarc so far, and it’s by far the best issue of the arc so far. Bendis’ Luthor takes its cues from Scott Snyder, but has his trademark humanity. This is also the most interesting that Leviathan has been, spinning more backstory and accomplishment here than the entirety of the Event Leviathan story did. It’s exactly what the arc needed.
Romita, Janson and Anderson are able to match the tone and mood of the script. For each chapter of the story, Romita and Janson do something a little different with the layouts and figure work- using small claustrophobic panels that open up as Leviathan reveals what he’s built to the Legion of Doom, while larger panels with close ups make the alliance with Luthor and the Mist feel more intimate. Anderson uses different tones of color with each scene, setting the scene as much as the line art.
Superman’s in for the fight of his life, and I’m excited to see where this goes next.
Action Comics #1019 is available now from DC Comics.
