DCeased: Dead Planet #3
(W) Tom Taylor (A) Trevor Hairsine
In Shops: Sep 01, 2020
SRP: $3.99
A mysterious second “garden” has been located on the other side of the planet, and John Constantine and Swamp Thing lead a mission to investigate…but what they discover will fundamentally change everything! The road to “Earth War” begins!
DCeased: Dead Planet has continued the major sales success of the 2019 original, and the sold-out first issue of the sequel by writer Tom Taylor and artist Trevor Hairsine will return for a fourth printing! Additionally, DCeased: Dead Planet #2 continues the sell-out streak, heading back to press for a second printing!
DCeased: Dead Planet #1’s now fourth printing will feature an all-new cover by Peach Momoko, seen below! DCeased: Dead Planet #1’s fourth printing has an on-sale date of September 15.
DCeased: Dead Planet #2’s second printing will feature a black-and-white version of the original main cover by David Finch, also arriving on September 15.
DCeased: Dead Planet kicked things off in the first issue with lots of dread and foreshadowing the horror to come. As expected, the issue was full of tragedy as a rescue/scouting mission went south really quickly. DCeased: Dead Planet #2 picks up from that expanding the world and letting us see what has survived. It also addresses the fallout from the first issue. Of course, there’s even more tragedy.
Writer Tom Taylor has been killing it on every DCeased series. Each has a role building out a world and taking us on a rollercoaster ride full of highs and lows. Taylor does stick to tropes at times and plot points we’ve seen elsewhere but it feels like it’s partially done so that what’s new is truly shocking.
Take, for instance, this issue’s travels of Constantine and his team as they head to Australia to find out about a patch of green Swamp Thing is trying to figure out. Things go as expected until they don’t Taylor sets things up and then delivers a unique twist that catches you off guard.
The issue dives a bit more into the world that has sprung up after the Anti-Life virus has spread. A sanctuary has been created by Poison Ivy creating a new role for her, Harley, and many more. It’s an interesting shift in positions that has former heroes and villains working together to keep the world functioning.
In that way Taylor keeps the focus on the characters. They get their moments to show where that are in life and some emotional moments between each other or reflecting upon the situation. This series could easily go for scares and gore but the team keeps it focused on the characters and survival which makes what shocks stand out more.
And this issue delivers on that.
Artist Trevor Hairsine, inker Gigi Baldassini, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Saida Temofonte deliver on the visuals. So much of Taylor’s story feels like the calm before the storm and when the last segment of the issue hits, it really hits. The team delivers the beauty and the horror in the issue. But, what feels more impressive is that it’s all done without going over the top into the fore territory. The final segment is horrific when you think about it but between what’s presented and Taylor’s dialogue with Temofonte’s lettering it hits as much as just going with over the top visuals.
DCeased: Dead Planet #2 is another winner of an issue for the series. It expands the world that we know showing us the impact of the Anti-Life virus and what remains. We get a better idea of the society that has sprung up. The issue too takes us on an emotional rollercoaster of hope and despair giving us everything in between. While some might see this series and think “zombie,” it’s far more than a simple genre.
Story: Tom Taylor Art: Trevor Hairsine
Ink: Gigi Baldassini Color: Rain Beredo Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 8.10 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Amazon – Zeus Comics
DCeased: Dead Planet #2
Story: Tom Taylor
Art: Trevor Hairsine
The sequel to the bestselling miniseries continues! The Justice League is trapped on Earth, and they’ve discovered that life still survives on this dead planet! Survival is precarious, though-and with billions of infected still roaming the surface, death lies around every corner. But it isn’t just the anti-living our heroes have to worry about, because John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and Zatanna are about to discover another evil growing…
DCeased: Hope at World’s End has been an interesting venture for DC Comics and its DC Digital First initiative. The series has been a mix of one-shot reads and interconnected issues, though the latter is rare. DCeased: Hope at World’s End #6 feels like the first release that’s the middle of a story. It’s the middle section of an arc and with that, it’s very different than what’s come before.
The issues revolves around the stand at Jotunhueim as Black Adam and his Anti-Life forces numbering in the millions attack. It’s a desperate situation and one that you just expect the worst. There’s little hope or a clear path for those hunkered down to survive.
That feeling of desperation partially comes from what writer Tom Taylor has set up so far in the previous five issues. This is a series mixed with sorrow and hope. When things look good there’s a moment where the rug is pulled out from under you. With most of the chapters so far, there’s an “oh no” moment when you get hit in the gut with how bad things are and tragedy strikes.
This being a “middle chapter” there’s a mix of things here as well. The survivors do what they can, including trying to find help. There’s a creative moment where there’s a glimpse of hope and then things begin to collapse and you expect the worst. Taylor gives us those trope-ish moments that one might expect in a last stand (someone heads off for help but will they get back in time!?) and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s expected but also gives us some moments of true emotion from the characters.
The art by Renato Guedes is pretty solid. DCeased: Hope at World’s End #6 feels like the weakest chapter so far when it comes to the art. There’s some characters that feel off to me but they’re also characters I’m generally unaware of so I don’t know if that’s how they’re supposed to look. The characters are elongated and avian like but that could be by design. Compared to other characters it’s a bit noticeable and for those unfamiliar, it might look off. There are also some moments that should be jaw-dropping that never reach that aspect. A mountain is cleaved in two and that you’d expect a splash page for the ages but what’s shown doesn’t quite deliver. It looks good but doesn’t reach the level of great. Rex Lokus‘ colors are solid as well as Saida Temofonte‘s lettering.
DCeased: Hope at World’s End #6 isn’t bad in any way. It’s a middle chapter so not a place to start and not an issue you can pick up and dive in to. It has its roller coaster of a ride moments and leaves us awaiting the next chapter to see what happens next. As part of the larger picture, it does its job well but this isn’t a chapter that really stands on its own. As part of the series its a nice chapter and for those who have been reading, you should enjoy it. For those new to the series, there’s other places to start.
Story: Tom Taylor Art: Renato Guedes
Ink: Renato Guedes Color: Rex Lokus Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #6
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils Renato Guedes
Inks Renato Guedes
Colored by Rex Lokus
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Black Adam and his Anti-Life army have arrived at Jotunhueim and a fierce struggle for survival begins! Can the impenetrable fortress hold out until help arrives? Will anyone survive this first battle of the Anti-Life War?!
After a corrupted Anti-Life Equation turned billions into monsters-including Earth’s Greatest Heroes-our planet was as good as dead in DCeased: Dead Planet #1. But hope is not lost, because this sold-out issue is set to return in a new, second printing!
DCeased: Dead Planet #1 Second Printing will feature a black and white version of the original cover art by David Finch, and reprints the story written by Tom Taylor with art by Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, Gigi Baldissini, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte. This new printing is set to arrive in stores on August 4.
If you didn’t pick up DCeased: Dead Planet #1 when it hit shelves last week, you can catch up with Dinah Lance Queen, Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, and Cassie Sandsmark—the Green Canary, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman of Earth 2—on August 4 as they respond to a distress call from a dead planet. DCeased: Dead Planet #2 will also hit shelves Tuesday August 4.
DCeased: Hope At World’s End #5
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils Marco Failla
Inks Marco Failla
Colored by Rex Lokus
Lettered by Saida Temofonte
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Damian, Jon, and Cassie take a trip to the deadliest place on Earth—Gotham City! Damian has unfinished business in the fallen city and his best friends aren’t going to leave him to face it alone. A Trinity team-up for the ages!
DCeased: Hope at World’s End Chapter Five delivers something we haven’t seen yet, actual hope. It’s such a strange issue in that you’re expecting something horrible to happen and it never does. Instead, this is an issue filled with sweet moments, humor, and catharsis.
Writer Tom Taylor shakes things up again with an issue that stands on its own pretty well. Damian is on his first mission as Batman, to find his mother. Joining him are Jonathan and Cassie, the future Superman and Wonder Woman. And in this issue we see the bond of the trio. The interactions are great and it feels like kids supporting each other as best they can.
And Taylor knows what he has with these three in this chapter. He delivers one of the funniest comedic moments in comics this year. He also focuses on the emotion of it all. Damian is given his moment to mourn the loss of his father. With that, we get to see the character for what we know he is, a little boy who puts on a tough exterior. It’s an emotional moment in multiple ways with a twist at the end that’ll put a smile on your face. No matter how “sad” the concept of this issue is, Taylor keeps it light enough to never really get you bawling. But, he nails it as far as the reader feeling empathy for Damian and what he’s experiencing.
The art by Marco Failla is solid. With color by Rex Lokus and lettering by Saida Temofonte, it doesn’t feature the foreboding nature of previous issues. Instead, it sticks to the youthful feel of the trio of heroes. The team really nails it with the visual comedy. It’s an idea that’s funny in dialogue but it’s the visuals that really nail it all and gets the chuckles, especially the small details left so that it plays throughout the issue.
DCeased: Hope at World’s End Chapter Five is a good issue that delivers some emotional moments. The downside is that we know the trio at the center of it survive to grow up which lowers the stakes. But, that’s not really the point of the issue. The point is focusing in on how this situation impacts kids. It also helps break one down a bit making the next Batman a little more human and grounded in the end.
Story: Tom Taylor Art: Marco Failla
Color: Rex Lokus Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle
The sequel to the bestselling miniseries continues! The Justice League is trapped on Earth, and they’ve discovered that life still survives on this dead planet! Survival is precarious, though—and with billions of infected still roaming the surface, death lies around every corner.
But, it isn’t just the anti-living our heroes have to worry about, because John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and Zatanna are about to discover another evil growing…
DCeased: Dead Planet #2, written by Tom Taylor with art by Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldissini, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte hits shelves Tuesday, August 4 with a main cover by David Finch, a card stock variant cover by Francesco Mattina and a card stock movie homage variant cover by Ben Oliver.
