DC x AEW #1 – Steve Orlando, Writer; Travis Mercer, Artist; Andrew Dalhouse, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Boss Battle isn’t the only unexpected crossover event this week, as the highly themed wrestlers of AEW show up for their own battle royale with the DC heroes. Now, I’m not a wrestling fan and know virtually nothing about these characters, but the creative team is impressive and I was curious to see just how they would pull this off. My first impression is a mixed bag, because this is very much a story geared towards wrestling fans and at times I only felt like I was understanding half of it. The plot device used is a magic-powered championship belt that was shattered by the wrestler Starshame after losing a match to the dirty fighter Mercedes – spreading magic crystals across the universe. The DC heroes are called in to retrieve the crystals before they wind up in the wrong hands – something that requires team-ups with top wrestlers.
That’s the bulk of this issue – DC heroes being teamed with iconic wrestlers who usually match them in style and aesthetic. The entire thing is narrated like a wrestling match, with Booster Gold and his counterpart in the booth having fun with it. Most of the team-up pages are a little overstuffed, but some have some fun surprises. I didn’t expect there to be a return of the Mutants from The Dark Knight Rises in this comic, that’s for sure! But while most of the team-ups are just that, there are some where the two parties have different agendas – such as Harley Quinn trying to claim an x-shard for herself. But the wrestlers aren’t immune to this either, with one pulling off a shocking heel turn at the very end of the issue and bringing in a major new player. There’s a lot of great action in this, but I really think you’re going to get a lot more out of this comic if you’re in both sides of the fandom.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
