Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 – Tim Seeley, Dennis Culver, A.L. Kaplan, Alyssa Wong, Writers; Baldemar Rivas, Chris Burnham, A.L. Kaplan, Haining, Artists; Ivan Plascencia, Brian Reber, Sebastian Cheng, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The latest Lazarus Planet anthology makes it clear that just about all of these stories are teasers for upcoming tales—and this one gives us two returning icons and two newcomers. So how do the stories shake out?
First up are Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas on “Whisper of the Moth,” a Huntress story which has her heading into the half-destroyed Arkham Tower after the rains create a weird phenomenon. One of Batman’s oldest villains is now a cult leader, seemingly endowed with the power to turn harmless gimmick villains into murderous maniacs. This is a fast-paced story, with a ton of surprising guest appearances. Seeley knows how to tell a good, creepy tale, but I once again notice that no one seems to know what skin tone Helena Bertinelli is supposed to have.
Dennis Culver and Chris Burnham preview their upcoming Unstoppable Doom Patrol run in “Storm Damage.” The core trio of Elasti-Girl, Robotman, and Negative Man are joined by a new young hero named Flit as the team is pulled in on a mission by General Blanche—to rescue a group of soldiers from a horribly mutated officer. The story is good, including a surprising new role for a famous Doom Patrol member, but the real star is Burnham’s wonderfully surreal and disturbing art—perfectly suited for the property.
Next up is the first of two new characters, with A.L. Kaplan introducing us to the new Still Force hero Circuit Breaker in “8 Seconds of Still Force.” Jules Jourdain, a young trans man who plays the Flash in a western stage show, gets caught up in a Lazarus storm as he and his best friend Mica both get exposed. He’s able to siphon the energy out of her and protect her—but winds up bonded to it, just as Avery Ho shows up. Jules is a fun character who seems to have a lot of potential, and will appear next in the DC Pride 2023 anthology.
Alyssa Wong makes their return to DC with Haining on “The Envoy: A Spirit World Story.” A mysterious swords-wielding mage, Xanthe, faces off against an army of the undead with the help of Cassandra Cain and John Constantine. This story is a little busy for around ten pages, but Wong is at home working with Chinese mythology, and the characterization of the guest stars is strong. Xanthe seems like a cool new character, and the ending reveals a surprising new project for later in 2023.
Overall, all four of these are fun stories with a lot of promise for where they go next.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
