DCeased #1 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, James Harren, Artists; Rain Beredo, Colorists
Ratings:
Ray – 7/10
Ray: There are only so many new twists that can be put on the zombie genre, so I was a little dubious when Tom Taylor’s new apocalyptic technovirus thriller was announced. It won people over with the horrific visuals on horror-themed covers, and Taylor is the king of dystopian AUs (Injustice was better than it had any right to be), but after reading this first issue I didn’t see what sets it apart from every other horror comic like Marvel Zombies.
Pairing Taylor with artists Trevor Hairsine and James Harren, it kicks the story off with the Justice League sending Darkseid and his forces packing from Earth – as narration warns that this is the League’s final victory. Darkseid managed to kidnap Cyborg and fuses his technology with that of the Dark Racer to create a corrupted version of the anti-life equation that he unleashes – at the cost of his own life in a spectacular explosion.
That’s where the issue shifts from a sci-fi horror comic to a pretty traditional zombie comic, as Cyborg is dropped back on Earth as a living plague vector and starts to infect any electronic device nearby. Anyone who looks at the device turns into a rabid, carnivorous beast that spreads the infection through bites. It might be techno-zombies in name, but it’s pretty classic zombies in function.
Superman is able to save Jon and Damian from being transformed in a dramatic scene where he destroys all the electronic devices in the room, but the news isn’t as good for the Bat-family. Batman is able to kill the electronics in the mansion, but not before the infection gets the Robins, and the issue ends with Bruce being ripped apart by his kids. It’s as grim as it sounds and full of gore, but the first issue doesn’t really make me think it has any surprises in store for the genre. If you like Walking Dead, you’ll probably like this, but I don’t think it’s for me. No light at the end of this tunnel.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
