Ray: Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #2, the second chapter of James Tynion IV’s mini-event tying in with Year of the Villain ups the action, as Apex Lex finally faces off against the Infected. You’d think that five A-list heroes including a Kryptonian and an Amazon would easily be able to handle Lex, but Tynion does a great job of showing what makes Luthor so dangerous in this scene. Sure, he has Martian superpowers now, but his deadliest weapon is his mind. Between a surprise powersuit and several clever tactics that get under the skin of the five Infected, this is one of the most effective fight scenes in a while. Sure, it’s mostly a standstill, but Luthor gets away to hunt down the Batman Who Laughs.
As for that always-creepy villain, he’s revealed to be hiding one of the most powerful characters in the DCU in his lair. This story seems to be pulling in sci-fi, magic, and horror elements of the DCU into one explosive story.
On the run and seeking to stay ahead of his enemy, Luthor seeks out one of his oldest allies – Mercy Graves, now broke and having a hard time getting any job interviews on account of her last boss turning into a monster and threatening the President. The dialogue between them is one of the highlights of the issue, and feels oddly Bendis-esque in places. But seeing her back in DC Comics is always welcome.
The ending of the issue has Luthor infiltrating the Justice League HQ to get a DNA sample from Commissioner Gordon, but there’s a great last act twist that expands the threat of the Infected into a possibly world-threatening affair. For an event comic, this series has been surprisingly low-key at times. But as a slowly building horror story, it makes a great companion piece to the bigger-scale Year of the Villain books and does both its lead rogues justice as they head towards a violent clash.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
This post was last modified on January 21, 2020 10:40 pm
You probably learned in school that Lewis and Clark were commissioned by the President to…
As the search for Wally continues, Amanda Waller sets her sights on the Flash Family.
Penguin has returned to Gotham—but his daughter intends him to have a short stay.
Harley has a new purpose—and a first client, in the form of Maxie Zeus.
It's time for Power Girl to enter the House of Brainiac—for a team-up with Crush.
Bruce Wayne finds his escape from prison in the Army—but Vietnam proves to be more…
This website uses cookies.
