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Action Comics #1017: Outsmarting Superman

7/10

Action Comics #1017

Artist(s): John Romita Jr. (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks)

Colorist(s): Brad Anderson

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Publisher: DC Comics

Genre: Action, Drama, Superhero

Published Date: 11/27/2019

Recap

Clark and Lois sum it up best, “‘You’re saying Leviathan kidnapped you and then took out the Invisible Mafia’s secret nightclub?’ ‘No. I’m saying Leviathan technology was used to get Superman out of the city for a perfectly timed attack on the no-longer-Invisible Mafia.”’ All while being bookended by Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and pretty much every other hero battling Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom.

Review

It is nice to see Bendis and Romita Jr. working together again. While some issues of Bendis’ run on Action Comics have seemed weak at first, they usually grow on me. That is already the case for issue #1017. I think I am just impatient and want to see the battle between the Justice League and Legion of Doom. Leviathan, a.k.a. Mark Shaw, will supposedly be thrown in there in the next issue, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing both sides clash and how it plays out. As for this issue, like many other titles, it started with a “I bet you’re wondering how I got here” situation with the rest of the issue leading up to the climax. Well, that is in issue #1018, hopefully. I still feel a little burnt by Bendis after finishing Event Leviathan, but I am hoping it will pay off with the next couple of issues of Action Comics. As much as I have been nitpicking, I know this is an incredible creative team.

I find Leviathan technology so interesting because it doesn’t beat Superman but it certainly outsmarts him by teleporting him to Gorilla City. Superman figures out that it is a setup when he was jumped by the gorillas, which is a shame because I hear Gorilla City is gorgeous this time of year. Supes figures it was a distraction so he wouldn’t be able to stop the Invisible Mafia’s nightclub from being destroyed. I am interested to see how Ms. Leone, the Invisible Mafia leader and the new owner of the Daily Planet, will react. Is she somehow in on it? Superman also learns that the mayor was snooping around the nightclub the day before. Is the mayor in on it with Luthor and Leviathan? It would be interesting to see if Ms. Leone decides to help Superman. Regardless, the Justice League and Legion of Doom battle looks incredible and I am hoping issue #1018 has a little more of it.

Final Thoughts

I like both Bendis’ and Romita Jr.’s take on Superman so it is nice to see it all in one place. If you are on the fence about picking up this issue then I would wait. If you need your Gorilla City fix that I would pick up immediately. Regardless, issue 1017 was a nice filler issue between Event Leviathan’s conclusion and Action Comics #1018.

Action Comics #1017: Outsmarting Superman
  • Writing - 7/10
    7/10
  • Storyline - 6/10
    6/10
  • Art - 7/10
    7/10
  • Color - 8/10
    8/10
  • Cover Art - 7/10
    7/10
7/10
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