When it comes to DC events with the word “Crisis” in the title, the results can be very hit and miss. Overall, they tend to go deep into DC history and continuity and at times it feels like unless you have a degree in that, you’re missing a lot. They also tend to be over the top in events and threats which all makes Dark Crisis #1 so interesting. While the lead ups to the event have either dipped a bit too much in DC history or were just outright boring, Dark Crisis #1 is a bit surprising. It’s rather grounded and dialed back.
Written by Joshua Williamson, the classic heroes of the DC universe have been “killed”. Left behind are the next generation, and Hal Jordan and Black Adam, who must pick up the pieces and also figure out what happened. Black Adam is the only remaining witness to events describing a great darkness that’s coming. But, there’s no evidence leaving many skeptical as to what’s really going on.
And what would happen in a world where the “heroes are gone”?
Williamson uses this debut issue to explore that concept teasing of the larger battle to come. Death cults have risen up mostly, many of them focused on a darkness that’s coming. But, the major villains are relatively out of sight, the quiet before the storm. And that storm comes towards the end of the issue. It’s a nice build up and interesting overall, delivering a bit of a different spin on the idea of heroes not being around.
There’s also the difficulty of what the previous heroes did. Jon Kent is now the world’s only Superman and he sees the need for a new Justice League. Except, it doesn’t go quite as planned with Black Adam delivering a speech a viewpoint that’s rather interesting. It shows that all of the Justice Leagues and team-ups were something special. It wasn’t an easy thing to do and we might see it as through the lens of nostalgia.
The art is handled by Daniel Sampere. With color by Alejandro Sánchez and lettering by Tom Napolitano, it all looks really good. There’s a lot of characters in this issue and there’s a style that’s very “DC” about it all. The comic so far generally lacks those visual moments that give pause, but overall it’s a really solid looking comic. Like the story itself, it just lacks a bit of excitement and punch, possibly also the quiet before the storm.
While Dark Crisis #1 didn’t quite excite me, the debut has all the makings of a solid story. The overall package by the time things are done may be far better than this opening issue. Still, it has more than enough to entertain and reminds readers that what DC’s classic heroes have done over and over was never as easy as it looked.
Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Daniel Sampere
Color: Alejandro Sánchez Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.9 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
