DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1 – Cavan Scott, Nathan Cayanan, Matthew Levine, Dan Didio, Rachel Pinnelas; Dave Wielgosz, Rex Ogle, Writers; Ario Anindito, V. Ken Marion, Jose Luis/Jonas Trindade, Jordi Tarragona, M. L. Sanapo, Will Robson, Sid Kotian, Adam Graphite, Artists; Carrie Strachan, Andrew Dalhouse, Big Doors Studios, Luis Guerrero, Hi-Fi, Patricio Delpeche, Ivan Plascencia, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: DC’s latest anthology takes us back to the most famous events from the company’s history – with eight stories paying tribute to the characters who rose and fall amid the battles, by a team of up-and-coming talents and one very famous name.
“What Kind of Hero” by Scott and Anindito takes place amid the Crisis on Infinite Earths, when Batgirl is powerless against an energy wave that’s unwriting reality herself. As she contemplates what she can even do in this situation, she’s pulled into a situation where Killer Croc has broken into a family home, and she’s able to channel her fear into protecting a little girl. But this team has clearly been keeping up with the nuanced characterization of Croc lately, and this winds up being an excellent, emotional story and a fantastic start.
“A Constant State of Healing” by Cayanan and Marion turns the focus on Dr. Light during the less-known “Millennium” event, which pitted the heroes against a Manhunter invasion. As she investigates a Manhunter’s biology, the lab comes under attack by a mad manhunter who has been undercover on Earth for years. This story is a lot darker than I expected, with a villain who feels much more like a horror movie character, but it has interesting elements of survival and chronic pain that drive Dr. Light to be her own kind of hero.
“Dearly Departed” by Allen and Luis is a Birds of Prey tale taking place during “The Final Night”, a 1996 story that saw the sun go out. It’s a horror-themed tale, as Black Canary investigates a series of mysterious disappearances and comes across a complex plot involving Scarecrow, a terrifying Silver Banshee, and visions of the currently-deceased Green Arrow. This one doesn’t have too-strong ties to the event, but it’s so great to see these beloved characters in the era that launched the franchise again.
“At the Point of Vanishing” by Levine and Tarragona goes back two years to Zero Hour, and focuses on the JSA – many of whom met their end during this event. It takes the WW2 team to Vanishing Point for a brutal battle with Extant, who kills several members of the team. Wesley Dodds, who has had a bit of a resurgence thanks to Knight Terrors, narrates the story and makes a close escape, but overall this story doesn’t really break any new ground besides offering us a refreshing new perspective of a key moment from the event.
“Crisis Obscura” by Didio and Sanapo is the most controversial and notable installment here, as it’s Dan Didio revisiting his most controversial moment at DC – the ending of Infinite Crisis, which saw Superboy die and Nightwing narrowly survive. It’s well known that Didio wanted to kill off Nightwing – and that’s exactly what he does here, killing him over and over and over again, as it’s revealed that his death would have united the heroes and kicked off a new golden age. So Superboy, in a world where he lived, is tasked with putting that right across the multiverse – a task he keeps secret from his wife Cassie. It’s a bizarre, mean-spirited story that seems to be trying to be darkly funny, but…isn’t really?
“Jump Scare” by Pinnelas and Robson is a Scarecrow story set during one of my favorite events, Blackest Night. It actually has very little to do with that event, though, instead focusing on how Jonathan Crane preys on a young couple at the movies, targeting the man for torture via fear gas when he and his date are apart for only a minute. It’s a twisted tale that relies more on suspense than gore, and it turns out to be the origin story for how he winds up with a Yellow Ring. Nice, creepy Halloween tale.
“God’s Chosen Man” by Wielgosz and Kotian takes place during DC’s strangest event, Final Crisis, and turns the focus on Lex Luthor – the one major villain who didn’t take Libra’s deal, because he wasn’t willing to renounce science for faith. His journey for answers takes him inside his mind, where he communes with a fictional version of Superman, and eventually comes to the conclusion that he needs to align with the heroes to have a chance. It’s a great look at the twisted way Luthor’s mind works.
“Violent Tendencies” by Ogle and Graphite is the final story, and takes place during Flashpoint – so all these events are pre-New 52. Taking place amid floods and serial killings, the story finds Lucas Trent, aka Midnighter, as…an ordinary guy who goes out to a gay club. He gets taken home by a strange man in a pig mask, who turns out to be serial killer Professor Pyg – who turns out to have gotten much more than he bargained for in his latest victim. This is a quick, fast-paced, gory, and thrilling story that is just an interesting little look into a small corner of the Flashpoint universe.
Overall, this had some great stories, particularly the first, but felt a little scattered with one big quality blip.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
