Writer: Tom Taylor / Artists: Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, and Rain Beredo / DC Comics
DCeased is out here trying to stunt on every other comic in 2019 y’all. For being the modern-day equivalent of an Elseworld story, this not-quite-zombie apocalypse featuring your favorite DC superheroes is so goddamn well-executed and enthralling that I can’t stop reading and reading the issues. Everything about this comic, from its haunting writing and exceptionally brutal artwork, is a tour de force on how to make a horror comic and how to highlight the core thematics of the DC universe even when the world is at its bleakest.
Tom Taylor is out here putting all of his characters through the wringer. Alfred, Damian, Black Canary, and Green Arrow are all dealing with the aftermath of Dceased #2. Jon is trying to be a good friend, and Lois is worried about her husband attempting to save everyone. Harley Quinn has got a sawed off at the ready, and Mera is doing her best to keep Atlantis from falling. It’s such a grand scope, but Taylor handles it with a seemingly deft ease while also making it a point to make every plot line have a deeply personal, heart-wrenching touch none of which hit me as hard as Superman’s own journey throughout DCeased #3
And DC goes ahead and assembles an incredible artist ensemble to bring Taylor’s audacious ambitions to life. Hairsine’s pencils, Guadiano’s inks, and Beredo’s colors are awe-inspiring in every sense of the world. Each set piece, each character, each mob of techno-thralls is carefully composed to create a rich, bloody experience that solidifies DCeased as an iconic comic.
If you like horror, if you like Elseworld-esque conent, if you like comics even a little, you need to be reading DCeased. This is a extraordinary mini-series that feels like it has come out of nowhere, and I am compelled to share it’s dark brilliance.
9.9 “Red Seas” out of 10
Reading DCeased? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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