Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Steve Epting
Published by DC Comics
This is my favorite of the two Superman titles currently being published. I enjoy what is happening on this title a bit more because Bendis is taking his time telling a bigger story and it shows. It’s not a slugfest all of the time. There’s a lot of build up and a cool amount of payoff.
We start off the issue at the Department of Extranormal Operations where we see Mr. Bones meeting up with Adam Strange. Bones shows Strange around and then they meet the person in charge, a person masked in shadow.
Suddenly, an incident occurs and panic ensues. Adam Strange saves everyone from blowing up. But just what does it all happen to mean here?
Bendis starts off that issue with that question. From there we see a mysterious meeting with Amanda Waller about Leviathan. There is a something big going down and Waller cannot find Task Force X. This is going to lead to a bigger storyline and this is the setup.
We then see a beautifully drawn sequence with Superman flying with Lois Lane. Lois is on her phone writing a story about what happened to Clark when he saved Amanda Waller last issue. This leads into the pair of them headed on into work at the Daily Planet.
And it’s quite a return for Lois! The Daily Planet staff reacts to the return appropriately and there are some really funny moments. The scene between Lois and Jimmy Olsen is hilarious and moving in particular.
Jimmy is under a desk because he’s not sure that he can trust that Lois is real. Lois just tells him that she doesn’t care. It’s simple, yet brilliant. It also demonstrates what makes Bendis such a hot commodity as a writer. He makes the characters warm, human and real throughout the book.
There is a lot of intrigue that follows. We get to see Leviathan becoming more of a threat and by the end of the book we are left with one hell of a cliffhanger. I don’t want to spoil it but it keeps you on your toes. It also makes you wonder what the hell is next in this book.
The artwork here is something special indeed. Steve Epting drawing Superman is something I never knew I needed. It’s wonderful and I hope he sticks around for more then just this story arc. This is some great stuff indeed.
RATING: A
