Licking Their Wounds
Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Alex Maleev, Josh Reed
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 14, 2019
Oh boy, we're at the halfway point of an event that sadly nobody seems to be talking about. Maybe it's because nothing has really seemed to happen yet that went beyond anything that we got in the Leviathan Rising prologues and what we saw in DC's Year of the Villain issue. There's always the chance though that this issue can get something new going in this event and if not new..... then maybe at least fun because really...... We've had a lot of standing around and talking with some muddy looking art in my mind. Let's jump into this issue and see if any of my problems with this event change and see if it become the big deal that it's supposed to be. Let's check it out.
For this issue of Event Leviathan, we see our heroes standing around the Fortress of Solitude, thinking back to how Red Hood kicked their asses and got away from them. The problem with this is, it feels really odd for them to be in the Fortress of Solitude, which even The Question brings up and by the end of the story it seems that the only reason we're here is because it furthered the story with Amanda Waller and this kind of forcing is just a little too much for a story that really hasn't done anything yet to get me excited for what's going on.
The most interesting thing that happens here is when Jason Todd is talking to Lois Lane for the second that they get before the team of Detectives descends on Jason once again and he starts talking about how the reason that someone like Leviathan would go and do everything he's doing is going to reveal what's been really going on around them and how it will be something that everyone isn't ready to face. Yeah! That sound intriguing as hell, but from everything we've gotten so far, I don't see this being the case and this bit of dialog like I said is the most interesting thing to happen in this book........ unless you're really into this group of detectives fighting Red Hood.......... Which, I'm still waiting for a reason that Manhunter is involved with this group and wondering why this group of heroes would let Lois Lane get face first into the danger that someone they think could be Leviathan would deliver. It's all very odd and culminates with Amanda Waller coming face to face with Leviathan.
All in all, this series continues to be disappointing because I keep waiting for something interesting to happen, but for the most part all we've gotten is people standing around and telling us things that we already know, especially if you read the Leviathan Rising prologues and the Year of the Villain special. The art continues to be muddy and is too dark to really get a good sense of what's exactly going on during the action scenes of this issue and at the end of the day I'm just waiting for something interesting to happen that doesn't feel completely forced to get there........ you know, a story that feels thought out and flows naturally.
Bits and Pieces:
This issue continues the standing around and talking trend that we've gotten from the previous issues and really does little to further the story until a forced connection gets us there. Still, not much to write home about here and the art continues to muddy and something I'm not crazy about. On a positive note, if you're looking for Jason Todd kicking more ass than he has in years, maybe this is the issue for you.
5/10
This was an improvement from last issue, that was just recap dialogue, and some more dialogue with bad art. The story felt like it was moving forward even though your totally right about the fortress feeling forced. Plus at least there was some action. Problems with the book are obviously the art, and the team roster here. Manhunter....really😒, and plasticman need to “get out” of this book. As for Green Arrow the only reason he’s here i can think of is bendis wants The dramas when leviathan turns out to be some evil version of Roy. Why else would both Green Arrow and Red Hood crossover in a book, there’s only one thing that connects them, Roy. Roy has the smarts for the tech, he’s been an anti-Hero with Red Hood to know what Jason would do, and Roy as character has been on many teams and knows many different heroes.
ReplyDeleteThis issue was better than last but still not great
6/10
Everything this person says goes double for me. Also, Roy Harper being Leviathan would be a shocking surprise since he died and it would be a big way to bring him back to the forefront after Heroes in Crisis. I’d also like to add, the series really needs to kick into high gear if it wants to bring any REAL traction its way. Perhaps, the next issue will kick things up a notch from mediocre to “good”. Though, I’m not holding my breath.
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