Review: Action Comics #1018

Action Comics #1018 came out last week, a cracking way to start the New Year. With The Batman who Laughs infecting heroes in Batman/Superman, The Legion of Doom ruling the skies in Justice League, Leviathan absorbing the spy organizations, and with Superman revealing 'The Truth' over in Superman, there is a lot happening in Superman's life right now. The problem is all these things seem to be occurring all at once which means there is a lot to deal with in the Superman titles.

Thankfully, Brian Michael Bendis gives us a breather in this issue to catch up on the other things happening in the world of Superman. You know, he has subplots of his own to deal with. He has a supporting cast that have stories to tell. And frankly, it is the Daily Planet and newsrooms plots in Action Comics that have been my favorite bits of the entire Bendis run.

So we finally catch up with Fire Chief Melanie Moore ... remember her? And we also get the back story of Robinson Goode and how she became the Red Cloud. And these stories are woven into the current battle with the LoD, told in flashbacks. I'm okay with it. I like those characters much more than The Batman Who Laughs or the insane 'Apex Lex'.

The art is done by John Romita Jr who brings his blocky style to the proceedings. I am not a big fan of JRJR but the way he handled the Red Cloud pages was pretty impressive.

On to the book.

We start out with the standard Daily Planet twitter feed page.

I like the way Bendis uses this to give us a cross-section of the DCU as we see blurbs for The Truth, the Infected Captain Marvel, the Hambezzler story from Harley Quinn, and a quick shot about the Legion of Doom.

But the best part of this is the advertisements on the side. The 'you'll probably die' wanted ad for the security guard position at Belle Reve is hilarious. And a 'Clark Kent' Improbable Burger at Planet Krypton is another funny idea.

In an interesting turn, Bendis uses 'tweets' as the way to convey information as opposed to caption boxes. As someone seemingly on Twitter all the time, as a way for me to get quick local news updates, this was a nice hook.

And we start in the middle of a brawl in Metropolis' Shuster Park where, it seems, every super-hero is getting beaten up by the souped-up Legion of Doom. (I still thought the ancillaries were stuck in Lex's chair as batteries. But I guess I'll roll with it.)

And Lex is standing toe to toe with Superman. The two exchange standard Luthor/Superman conversation.

Superman looks up to see the Blaze-ified Red Cloud observing the battle. Perhaps most intriguing is that she says 'what have I done', perhaps showing some remorse in her power up. She looks pretty demonic.

We then get a flashback to her origins!

Six months ago when she was a reporter for the Star City Sentinel, Goode confront STAR Labs about a missing lab employee. Goode definitely shows she can get under people's skin in her pursuit of a story. Despite protests of 'no comment', she keeps coming until someone finally conks her on the head for getting too close.

I love how she is able to make these buttoned down scientists so upset that they come close to insulting her and ultimately physically assault her.

A couple of issues ago, Superman attacked  STAR Lab facility and the banter between the employees was hilarious.

Here we see the same. Some talk about how attacking Goode means they'll be fired. They'll only be appealing to super-villains. Too funny.

The decision gets made to get rid of Goode's body by exposing her to extra-dimensional red cloudy energy (perhaps how that other employee disappeared?).

But Goode survives. And just like that the curiosity of the scientists is peaked. Now they are glad that Goode didn't disappear because she is something new. They want to study her! That is crazy. I love how Bendis makes these scientists book smart but with relatively low EQ and certainly little intestinal fortitude. They sound real.

Of course Goode doesn't accept the kind offers of research. She instead goes on a destructive rampage killing those scientist and leveling the lab.

We then see through a series of tweets that STAR will cooperate with the authorities to explain this. Oh, by the way, Goode has been hired by the Planet.

Brad Anderson handles the predominantly red colors here perfectly here. And Romita shows the swath of devastation by Red Cloud very well. You almost lose her in the wisps in that first panel. Pretty cool.

Back in the present, we see how Melody Moore and her fire fighters are trying to get citizens out of the park.

It spurs another flashback.

Moore meets Clark at the Planet and the two go for a walk, heading to the site of one of the Invisible Mafia's arson crimes.

There Moore tells Clark she is going to run for Mayor. Like so many, she has been inspired by Superman to do what's right. Yes, it is a little corny. But boy, this world needs as many people to be inspired by Superman as possible.

As Moore hammers home Superman's dedication to truth, Clark reveals his own secret, letting Moore know that he is Superman.

I love this small moment by Clark.

It would be insipid if he let Moore go on about Truth and keep his truth from her when he is planning on announcing it in 48 hours.

Romita does a good job showing Moore's realization and shock.

I guess it shows his feeling about Truth.

Moore can't believe he would trust her to keep this secret for the next 48 hours, calling it an insane test of character. And we know she runs that gauntlet.

But perhaps as incentive, Superman says he'll endorse Moore's run for Mayor if she does.

In some ways I hope Moore doesn't win. I want to see more of her in her role as Fire Chief. I think that dynamic is a new one for the Superman world and I want to see more interactions that way. I suppose the Mayoral race will be an upcoming storyline.

As the brawl continues, the Legion of Doom headquarters blips into the sky.

And when Superman flies up to engage he is surprised to see a different face at the helm ... Leviathan!

Would Leviathan, someone hell bent on bringing order to the world, team up with the Legion of Doom? I don't think so but I am eager to see more. You know that I will be fascinated with Leviathan for some time. I am very glad that he will remain on the forefront of the Superman world for a bit.

So great issue giving us some back story that I felt we needed. It gave us the seeds of a new subplot with Melody Moore. And it somehow stays up to date with all the other things going on in this world.

And more Leviathan!

Overall grade: B+