DCeased: Dead Planet #6 – Tom Taylor, Writer; Trevor Hairsine, Penciller; Gigi Baldassini, Tom Derenick, Inkers; Rain Beredo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: With only one issue to go until the entire DCeased universe comes to an explosive close, we’ve reached the point where the anti-life zombies may not be the biggest threat facing the heroes anymore. Just as the heroes gather their smartest to try to figure out the last stage of the Life Equation that may restore the undead to life, the secret society of evil scientists has perfected their Amazo army that will scourge the undead from the planet. It’s a conflict of hope vs. giving up on the world that was, and the emotional stakes are high. With Big Barda as the first chosen test subject for the serum, her reunion with Scott after five years of separation is among the best moments of the series. But for everyone they restore, the Amazos are burning a hundred away in an indiscriminate campaign of extermination—and they may not be the last threat coming to burn the earth clean.
The inclusion of the demon Trigon as the final boss doesn’t quite click yet—while most of this story is surprisingly intimate, he’s big and in your face—but the magical elements of this story have led to its most compelling storyarc. Tom Taylor seems to have developed a very strong connection with John Constantine, both here and in his Black Label series. While his Constantine is an inherently decent person, he’s also one who is willing to go further for the greater good than most versions. His continued betrayals of the members of the Justice League Dark this issue are heartbreaking, as you can tell he’s burning away everything he loves because he doesn’t expect to come back from this last mission. I have a hard time believing that there’s only one issue to go here, because it feels like there is way too much story left to be told in only twenty-something pages.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
