The exact time all hope was lost.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
What They Say:
Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and only a few remaining members of the Justice League stand between life and annihilation. As the remnants of humanity make their last gamble for survival, will there even be a planet left to call home when all is said and done? The senses-shattering conclusion to the year’s surprise blockbuster is here!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
DCeased draws to a close with this installment and it’s been a wild and fun ride, one that kept a tight and strong narrative without being thrown all over the place. I do dislike that the final issue gets a bump up in price – even with more pages – simply because it wasn’t something we knew about in advance and people budget as they have to, even digitally. That said, Tom Taylor made great use out of all of the pages he had in the standard issues and here he gets more space to play with which is a great thing. That combined with the art team able to just go all out as they do while still staying on-model is fantastic as the end result is a thrilling looking book with great layouts that easily draws you in.
With Superman being infected the last time around the reality is made clear from the first panels here. It’s over. Completely. There are no attempts at really trying to come up with a last minute plan as it’s all about just trying to delay him so the arks can get off-planet and find a place to go. We do get the amusing nod once again that Bruce had a plan to take all his friends out (sans Ollie, natch) and Damian is able to start bringing that out. The problem is that Bruce never went so far as to kill but rather to weaken and subdue. So while a Kryptonite gas cloud could slow him down for a few minutes they need more than that. I love that it’s Diana that realizes destiny has lead her here where the Kryptonite must be molded to her sword which connects with what the virus is all about. The dynamic between her and Superman has always been fantastic to watch when it shifts from being allies and seeing her forge her sword anew to go after and attempt to kill him is strong.
There’s a lot to like in the plan as it unfolds and everyone goes to do what needs doing without any gruff, including a strong action sequence on Paradise Island which isn’t hidden anymore after expanding its presence. This lets Ollie really stand out in a big way, reinforcing just what he can truly do when not bound by his usual morals, but the Amazons are definitely fulfilling their role after a lengthy history. And I love that things become even more dangerous for the arks as it gets into those final pages, forcing Jon to try and stand up and show more of his great relationship with Damian. Taylor takes everything in a big way, giving us a hint of a solution toward the end, Superman being nearly unstoppable, the Corps showing up at the last minute, and making it clear that this is the end of this world and humanity must do better the next time.
In Summary:
While I enjoy what Tom Taylor gets to do when working in the mainstream continuity books out there, it’s when he’s unshackled in a book like this that his writing really gets to stretch. It’s in works like this that we see new ways of looking at the relationships that exist between these characters and what they’ll do when the threat is truly unstoppable. When the world really does face an extinction-level event for humanity. Taylor gets to put these characters through it and it can feel revelatory at times in what they say and do, especially when you remove the rallying cry aspect or “there’s gotta be another way” attempts. With a fantastic art team throughout it, DCeased is one of those small projects that simply delivers across the board and will easily be memorable for years to come.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: October 30th, 2019
MSRP: $4.99
