"Action Comics" Comic Book Index

2019

Action Comics #1005
Cover date: January 2019
"Invisible Mafia" - Part 5
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Ryan Sook
Inker: Ryan Sook
In a seedy bar, some criminals engage in a business deal. One sketchy character gives one of Red Cloud's lackeys a H-E-R-O Dial when The Question emerges from the shadows. The Question makes quick work of the thugs and demands to know the identity of Red Cloud. At the Daily Planet, Clark and Robinson discuss their collaborative story when Deputy Chief Melody Moore contacts Kent. The two schedule a rendezvous. Elsewhere, Red Cloud's lackeys discuss what went down at the bar. Paranoia is beginning to hit them as they fear Red Cloud may be in the room listening to their entire conversation. Later that night, Kent and Moor meet up. Moore tells Clark that she's essentially been told to call off the arson investigation by the mayor. The mayor believes that once a person like Batman or Superman enter the equation, it's a tainted case. The two part ways. Changing into his dynamic alter ego, Clark flies over to the mayor's house where he finds him on the floor in a fetal position. Suddenly, Red Cloud appears and attacks the Man of Steel. Superman manages to escape, but has difficulty finding the mysterious villain. On a shady rooftop, Red Cloud reveals herself to be Robinson Goode.


Action Comics #1006
Cover date: February 2019
"Invisible Mafia" - Part 6
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Ryan Sook
Inker: Brad Anderson
Following a children's charity event, Clark Kent confronts Mayor Hopkins regarding his decision to halt the Metropolis fire department's investigation into the recent string of fires. Hopkins and his team leave, avoiding Clark's questions. In their limo, they discuss who might have leaked the information to the Daily Planet. Unbeknownst to them, Kent uses his super hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation. At the Daily Planet, Robinson Goode has finished her story about Superman's encounter with Red Cloud. Perry demands more, believing it to be front page material. Clark and Jimmy have a light conversation, but Clark springs into detective mode as he sees Goode leaving the bullpen. He decides to follow her. Meanwhile, Melody Moore is leaving the fire station for the night when she is nearly murdered by Red Cloud. Superman arrives just in time to stop Red Cloud and the two begin to fight again. Believing that there's good in everyone, Superman offers Red Cloud a chance to turn herself in and make steps towards redemption. Instead, Red Cloud vanishes. Later, at a shady bar, Robinson Goode is given the chance to meet with her employer. Goode was selected by a woman named Leone for very specific reasons. Leone had grown up in Suicide Slum and worked her way to the top. Acknowledging that they can't kill the Man of Steel, she informs Goode that in addition to running a crime organization right under Superman's nose for years, she also bought the Daily Planet.


Action Comics #1007
Cover date: March 2019
"Leviathan Rises" - Part 1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Steve Epting
Jimmy Olsen finds himself tricked into attending a meeting for the Kobra cult. He takes pictures of the assembly, but barely escapes the members' wrath before a large blue energy ball appears and leaves destruction in its wake. The next morning, Jimmy finds himself at the Daily Planet, unsure if he can trust Perry with the Kobra photos. At the Exelon Observatory, Lois and Sam Lane meet up in private. Attempting to continue the progress made in Action Comics #999, Lois reveals to Sam that she married Superman. Sam walks away silently. In Metropolis, Superman flies through the city when he hears someone call his name. Flying as fast as he can, the Man of Steel finds Amanda Waller falling from a building. Whoever attacked her had good intel, but as Superman goes to investigate, another blue energy ball appears. After rescuing citizens in the blast area, Superman returns to the ground to find Waller missing.


Action Comics #1008
Cover date: April 2019
"Leviathan Rises" - Part 2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Steve Epting
Adam Strange arrives at the Department of Extranormal Operations where he is greeted by Bones, the new DEO director. Bones offers Strange a job when they encounter a hulking figure. A blue explosion goes off, killing everyone in the building except for Strange, Bones, and a handful of DEO agents. Elsewhere, a disguised Amanda Waller finds herself in an unexpected rendezvous with Sam Lane. She informs Lane that she was attacked, the DEO servers are down, and that she can't find Task Force X. The two then realize that neither of them called the meeting and that they just walked into a trap. They make an attempt to have the building evacuated before more of the mysterious blue energy arrives. In Metropolis, Superman and Lois fly above the city. Clark fills Lois in on what happened last issue before arriving at the Daily Planet for her to make her grand return. Unfortunately, no one at the Planet seems too thrilled about her return. Lois makes her way to her new office where she finds Jimmy hiding under her desk. Still shaken up about his encounter with Leviathan, Clark and Lois comfort him while trying to get information out of him. The two offer to let Jimmy stay the night at their place. Sam Lane and Amanda Waller emerge from the rubble of a building. Waller appears to shoot and kill Sam. At the Kent-Lane apartment, Lois and Clark finish tucking an exhausted Jimmy Olsen in. Before Lois can tell Clark she told her father Superman's true identity, she gets messages about the DEO office. Lois and Clark are then shocked to find Amanda Waller in their apartment. Leviathan is behind the attacks, and she needs Superman's help.


Action Comics #1009
Cover date: May 2019
"Leviathan Rises" - Part 3
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Steve Epting
Amanda Waller wakes to find herself in the Fortress of Solitude. Lois begins tearing into her for potentially outing Clark. Waller explains that she had no choice but to turn to Superman after the trap she and Sam Lane fell into. Clark flies off to look for Sam. Lois continues to berate Waller before punching her. Jimmy, also transported to the Fortress, wakes from his sleep. Superman finds Lane in a hospital under the watchful eye of The Question. Clark asks him to dig into the Leviathan situation and mentions he'll get the Wonder Twins to help. The Man of Steel then flies to the former base of Talia Al Ghul where he finds a note. He then brings this note to the Batcave. Bruce is out, so Clark gives the evidence to Alfred. Superman makes one last stop at the ruins of the DEO building. There, he finds Director Bones searching for people in the rubble. He offers to help the DEO, but Bones is not interested. Back at the Fortress, Amanda, Jimmy, and Lois try to unravel the Leviathan mystery. Clark returns and Lois suggests the two go undercover using a piece of Kryptonian technology.


Action Comics #1010
Cover date: June 2019
"Leviathan Rises" - Part 4
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Steve Epting
DEO Director Bones is being held in a secret location where he is interrogated be a woman named Kate Spencer. Spencer is trying to learn who was behind the attack on the DEO. She leaves Bones in what is revealed to have been a van as her face changes to (I think) Talia Al Ghul. Elsewhere, Lois and Clark in their disguises arrive in London to investigate Leviathan and Spyral. Amanda Waller and Jimmy Olsen remain at the Fortress of Solitude. Lois and Clark meet up with their contact, a man named Tiger who happens to be an agent of Spyral. Suddenly, a massive suit of armor appears in the streets. Unconcerned with Tiger knowing his secret, he changes into Superman and flies off to handle the situation. The battle is brief as the Man of Steel grabs the figure and punches it into space where it explodes, sending a wave of blue energy to Earth. Superman returns to Tiger's location where he discovers Lois and Tiger are missing.


Action Comics #1011
Cover date: July 2019
"Leviathan Rises" - Part 5
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Steve Epting
Leviathan is beginning to rise and the world is in disarray. The Metropolis Special Crimes Unit barges into an apartment to arrest Kate Spencer for murder, conspiracy, and terrorism. Spencer fights off the MSCU and makes her escape as Lady Manhunter. Following a brief battle in London, Superman searches for Lois. She rushes to the street and tells him what happened while he was fighting. After Superman left, Lois and Tiger ran from the building they were in. They enter a special bubble that renders them invisible for 20 seconds. In the bubble, Tiger gives Lois all of his information, including intel that the leader of Spyral knew Leviathan was coming and did nothing. Tiger runs off, begging Lois to publish the story. Lois and Clark call The Daily Planet to give them the scoop, but Perry insists on having a second source. With Tiger long gone, they make their way to Gotham. There, they meet with Huntress who advises against publishing the information. Amanda Waller gets brought up in the conversation and Huntress inquires about her location. Returning to the Fortress of Solitude, the couple find Waller gone, Kelex deactivated, and Olsen knocked out. Elsewhere, Guardian sleeps in a hospital bed where he is visited by a stranger who offers him a chance to be part of the coming change. At the Fortress, Lois types up the story as the three try to make sense of the new information. Olsen mentions that upon asking if Waller was in charge of Leviathan, she knocked him out and stole one of Batman's pods from the Fortress. The three wonder to themselves what's about to happen.

[Trade Paperback collection: Superman: Action Comics Vol. 2: Leviathan Rising [Paperback] reprints Action Comics #1007-1011 and the Leviathan special]


Action Comics #1012
Cover date: August 2019
"By Any Other Name..."
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Syzmon Kudranski
Inker: Syzmon Kudranski
With Superman distracted by the Leviathan situation and about to embark on an off-world mission, the Invisible Mafia meet to discuss their next move. Just before Clark leaves, he and Lois share an intimate moment at the Fortress of Solitude. At the Daily Planet, Perry sends Robinson to get the local angle on the Leviathan story. Gossip columnist Trish enters and shows Robinson a video of Superman and Lois kissing. Ms. Goode makes a call to a woman named Rose and the two plan to meet for an interview. In a little flower shop, the two meet. Rose tells Robinson of her twisted alter ego, Thorn. Rose has no control over Thorn, when she comes out, or what she does. During the interview, Thorn comes out. She mentions how law enforcement seems to ignore her violent vigilantism and her suspicions about an invisible mafia in Metropolis. Rose returns and tells Robinson there's another reason why she asked to meet. Later in Leone's townhouse, Robinson and her boss meet to discuss their plan to expose systematic pro-vigilante justice in Metropolis. Goode then tells her boss what Rose meant to tell her. While Thorn was out enacting vigilante justice, she was approached by Leviathan.


Action Comics #1013
Cover date: September 2019
"Gifts"
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
It's nighttime when crime leader Leone is confronted by Lex Luthor via hologram technology. Luthor offers a gift before Leone calls in some of her men. She initiates a full house protocol which makes the entire house vanish. At The Daily Planet, Perry questions Robinson as to how she managed to get a Leviathan story, something even Lois couldn't get. According to Robinson, it was a case of dumb luck. After Thorn refused to join Leviathan, Leviathan soldiers tried to overtake Rose in her own apartment. Rose's only option was to turn to The Daily Planet. While explaining the story, Robinson momentarily loses control of her powers as her hand begins smoking. Perry, having not noticed, gives her the go-ahead to write the pieces she had brought him. Elsewhere in Metropolis, Superman breaks up a fight between Leviathan soldiers and Thorn. The leader of the group is questioned by The Man of Steel. Before attempting to remove the man's mask, he asks if the suit is booby-trapped. The wearer is unsure, but as Superman touches it, he's transported to India. Later at The Daily Planet, Clark gives Perry a rundown of his suspicions. Perhaps the DEO, ARGUS, and others were only relocated. In her apartment, Robinson struggles to get a grip on her powers. Suddenly, a hologram of Luthor appears. He gives her the gift of a complete power set and offers to reveal her secret origin.


Action Comics #1014
Cover date: October 2019
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
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.


Action Comics #1015
Cover date: November 2019
"New Voices"
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
Newcomer Naomi has just crash landed in front of the Daily Planet. Superman greets her before using his super-speed to clean up the mess. Naomi is in need of The Man of Steel's help. The two depart for The Hall of Justice to run a quick medical check-up on Naomi. At the Justice League's headquarters, Naomi reveals that she's from a different earth that was destroyed by a villain named Zumbado, a man who got his powers while in an electric chair. According to Naomi, this Zumbado character is on his way to destroy this planet. Superman and Ray Palmer introduce Naomi to the concept of the multiverse before Batman appears out of nowhere to inquire about her abilities. Superman hears something Leviathan related and makes a hasty exit. At the seedy bar from the previous issue, Red Cloud prepares to kill the vigilante Thorn. Before Cloud can make a move, The Last Son of Krypton arrives, causing the villain to shift her focus. The two engage in a brief battle, but with her fully unlocked powers, Red Cloud gets the upper hand and seemingly defeats Superman.


Action Comics #1016
Cover date: December 2019
"Coming of Age"
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Szymon Kudranski
Inker: Szymon Kudranski
Planet gossip columnist Trish Q. interviews witnesses about the battle that just took place. Superman was facing off with Red Cloud before a powerful being came out of nowhere to assist The Man of Steel. A flashback shows Naomi leaving the Hall of Justice after seeing the battle in Metropolis. Red Cloud vanishes after Naomi and Superman team up. Batman and Superman take Naomi to her mother. Elsewhere, Leone decides it's time Metropolis knew about the invisible mafia.

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Action Comics Comic Book Index

Introduction

Here is a listing of the regular Action Comics title since the 2016 Rebirth saga that started a new era for the DC Universe of comic books. For accuracy almost every entry is based upon actually looking in the issue, and not memory or another source.

This listing is done in the order for when a comic book issue was published.

Note: Remember, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

The Writer, Penciller and Inker for each issue is listed under the Comic's Title and Date.

CONTENTS:

2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

Back to Comic Book Index Contents Page.

You can read reviews of all the Superman related comics (from October 1999 onwards) in the Mild Mannered Reviews section of this website.