Mild Mannered Reviews - Action Comics
Action Comics #1014
Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 28, 2019Cover date: October 2019
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
Cover: Brandon Peterson
Variant Covers: Ben Oliver
Reviewed by: Mario Bennese
Click to enlarge
Perry White enters his office to find Marisol Leone waiting for him. The two discuss dropping the gossip column and being the first newspaper to break the story of Leviathan's identity. At a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, Superman fights a monster. After the battle ends, he has a discussion with a woman named Doctor Glory. Apparently, some illegal and crazy experiments have been going on at S.T.A.R. Labs. Clark breaks the story.
At the Daily Planet, Perry takes Clark to meet Leone. She congratulates Kent on his recent exposé before asking about his salary. Clark responds by asking where Leone came from. In a seedy bar, Thorn attempts to attack the Mayor before Red Cloud appears. Cloud appears to kill Thorn.
Elsewhere, Lois and Clark discuss Leone. With all that's been happening, it's a little weird for them for new people to just show up. They both notice something hurtling towards Metropolis. Superman races to the crash site where he finds a woman named Naomi requesting his help.
Story - 2: I'm growing tired of Bendis' Superman run. Every time I think we're getting somewhere in the story, we grind to a halt by the next issue to set something else up. It's not that the concepts are inherently bad, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing particularly feels focused and I suspect that has something to do with Bendis trying to tell such an epic story that he forgets how to tell a good one. Dialogue here is either fluff or unnatural. The page with Clark's exposé feels particularly off. In the piece, Superman's quotes sound more like they were written rather than spoken. But the most glaring example of poor writing comes from Superman's battle with the monster at S.T.A.R where he says, "There is a list of reasons I'm annoyed by this... I know you can't understand them, but I am going to give them to you anyway!" Why did that need to be spoken dialogue? Inner dialogue is a tool that comic books benefit from.
Art - 2: There are a lot of weak and stiff poses here. Faces look wonky and somewhat amateur. The staging of panels is uninspired and generic.
Cover Art - 3: The idea is there, but it's sloppy in execution. Red Cloud feels shoved into the image, making it a little difficult to instantly grasp what's happening.
Variant Cover Art - 4: My only gripes are the lack of a background and the odd rendering of Superman's face.
Mild Mannered Reviews
2019
Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.January 2019
- Superman #5
- Action Comics #1005
- Supergirl #24
- Adventures of the Super Sons #4
- Justice League #11 (Drowned Earth)
- Aquaman #42 (Drowned Earth)
- Justice League #12 (Drowned Earth)
- Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth #1 (Drowned Earth)
- Heroes in Crisis #3
- Superman #6
- Action Comics #1006
- Supergirl #25
- Adventures of the Super Sons #5
- Justice League #13
- Justice League #14
- Doomsday Clock #8
- Heroes in Crisis #4
- Superman #7
- Action Comics #1007
- Supergirl #26
- Adventures of the Super Sons #6
- Justice League #15
- Justice League #16
- Justice League Annual #1
- Young Justice #1
- Heroes in Crisis #5
- Superman #8
- Action Comics #1008
- Supergirl #27
- Man and Superman 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
- Adventures of the Super Sons #7
- Justice League #17
- Justice League #18
- Young Justice #2
- Heroes in Crisis #6
- Superman #9
- Action Comics #1009
- Supergirl #28
- Adventures of the Super Sons #8
- Justice League #19
- Justice League #20
- Young Justice #3
- Doomsday Clock #9
- Heroes in Crisis #7
- Superman #10
- Action Comics #1010
- Supergirl #29
- Adventures of the Super Sons #9
- Justice League #21
- Justice League #22
- Young Justice #4
- Heroes in Crisis #8
- Superman #11
- Action Comics #1011
- Supergirl #30
- Adventures of the Super Sons #10
- Justice League #23
- Justice League #24
- Superman: Leviathan Rising #1
- Young Justice #5
- Doomsday Clock #10
- Heroes in Crisis #9
- Superman #12
- Action Comics #1012
- Supergirl #31
- Adventures of the Super Sons #11
- Justice League #25
- Justice League #26
- Young Justice #6
- Event Leviathan #1
- Superman: Year One #1 (of 3)
- Lois Lane #1
- Superman #13
- Supergirl #32
- Action Comics #1013
- Adventures of the Super Sons #12
- Justice League #27
- Justice League #28
- Young Justice #7
- Event Leviathan #2
- Lois Lane #2
- Superman #14
- Action Comics #1014
- Batman/Superman #1
- Justice League #29
- Justice League #30
- Event Leviathan #3
- Superman: Year One #2 (of 3)
- Lois Lane #3
- Superman #15
- Supergirl #33
- Supergirl #34
- Action Comics #1015
- Batman/Superman #2
- Justice League #31
- Justice League #32
- Young Justice #8
- Event Leviathan #4
- Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1 [of 2]
- Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1
- Doomsday Clock #11
- Lois Lane #4
- Superman #16
- Supergirl #35
- Action Comics #1016
- Batman/Superman #3
- Justice League #33
- Justice League #34
- Young Justice #9
- Event Leviathan #5
- Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #2 [of 2]
- Superman: Year One #3 (of 3)
- Superman Smashes The Klan #1
- Tales From The Dark Multiverse: The Death of Superman #1
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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2019.