Rose And Thorn Are Unleashed On Leviathan In Action Comics #1013
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Lex Luthor approaches Leone, head of the Invisible Mafia, with his offer. She doesn’t take kindly to it. At the Daily Planet, Perry White interrogates Robinson Goode, aka the Red Cloud and member of the Invisible Mafia, on how she has been getting her stories. She doesn’t answer, and her powers begin acting up. Meanwhile, Thorn is fighting Leviathan soldiers on a Metropolis rooftop, and it catches the attention of Superman. He interferes and learns what he can from Thorn and a Leviathan troop before being transported across the world.
Action Comics #1013 continues to expand on the story of Event Leviathan from Superman’s end of things, even as Year of the Villain and Lex Luthor’s attempt at creating an age of doom bubbles to the surface.
The comic largely focuses on Red Cloud and Thorn and their attempts to dig into the Leviathan story. Superman isn’t in the issue until about the halfway point, and he doesn’t get to stick around that long.
The dialogue does get a little too cute at some points, especially during Lex Luthor’s meeting with Leone. That said, it isn’t too large a drag on the comic.
This is actually my first experience with the character(s) of Rose and Thorn, and she(they) are pretty damn enjoyable.
Szymon Kudranski provides his heavily-detailed and heavily-shaded art style to the book. While it is atmospheric and fitting for the doom-and-gloom that is the Leviathan threat, it isn’t particularly fitting for a Superman comic. That complaint aside, it does look good, and there are a few striking panels in this issue. Brad Anderson’s color art gives a bit of brightness to the comic in some spots, and it contrasts well with all the shadow.
Action Comics #1013 is a fairly entertaining issue, even if it doesn’t add much to the Event Leviathan story. We get a fun meeting between Thorn and Superman, and we get to see the ongoing story of Robinson Goode/the Red Cloud and how the Invisible Mafia reacts to Lex Luthor’s offer. All in all, I can give this one a recommendation. Feel free to pick it up.
Action Comics #1013 comes to us from writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Szymon Kudranski, color artist Brad Anderson, letterer Dave Sharpe, cover artist Jamal Campbell, and variant cover artist Ben Oliver.
Final Score: 7/10
