DCeased #5 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Trevor Hairsine, Penciller; Stefano Guadiano, Inker; Rain Beredo, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: Got Sucked In Despite Myself
Ray: Tom Taylor has been quietly telling some of the best stories featuring DC characters in recent memory – but oddly, few of them have taken place in the main DCU and that’s true of DCeased #5 as well.
They’re either short anthologies, or alternate histories, and most of them involve the Super-family. Given how good their side books are, maybe it’s time to move Bendis to Batman and give Taylor free reign over the Super-books? (He is, however, taking over Suicide Squad.)
DCeased #5, the latest issue of his dark DC zombie thriller, certainly makes the case that he’s one of the best Super-writers in recent memory, as the previous deaths make way for a surprisingly hopeful story of rebuilding the story in the aftermath of the anti-life breakout. Places like Themyscira and Gotham City – protected by an impenetrable jungle thanks to Poison Ivy – become sanctuaries, and Luthor joins forces with the surviving heroes to begin the process of evacuating Earth. Taylor writes one of the best Luthors I can remember – cold, ruthless, logical, and oh so very smug.
But this is a horror book, and the title lets us find a sense of security before ripping it away from us in the most brutal way possible. An unexpected character returns with a horrific new form, setting off a chaotic second half of the issue that involves a tragic chain of events that results in three major deaths and the conversion of a DC icon that promises to undo all the progress that was made in saving the world. It also features some of the best scenes of the series as that DC icon says goodbye to the people who made him who he is, in his last moments before he slips into oblivion. Much like Taylor’s work on the Injustice: Gods Among us books, this is a concept rooted in the surreal and horrific that works far better than it has any right to thanks to Taylor’s dialogue. Trevor Hairsine’s horrific artwork is perfectly suited for the story, and every issue feels like it’s slowly tightening around the reader. It’s not hard to see why this is the biggest new hit out of DC in a while.
Corrina: GAH. Why does Taylor write all the things that give me feels in books that will never end well? Why, why?
:shakes fist:::
This is excellent. The only fault I find is that it is still a zombie horror story. Which isn’t a fault at all, except I want Taylor to write books which don’t end so brutally.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
