A mysterious techno-virus has been released on Earth, infecting 600 million people and turning them instantly into violent, monstrous engines of destruction.

The heroes of the DCU are caught completely unprepared for a pandemic of this magnitude and struggle to save their loved ones first…but what happens to the World’s Greatest Heroes if the world ends?

DCeased #1 is both an entertaining horror spin on DC’s heroes but also a story we’ve seen many times before in other media and with other publishers. Writer Tom Taylor delivers his spin on the zombie-ish virus outbreak story and it generally works.

The story revolves around the Anti-Life Equation and its use makes the story feel like we’ve seen this before in another comic (paging the Dark Multiverse). The first issue is pure setup as the virus infects more and more and we see the horror unleashed. Once we get to this point, things get interesting as readers hold their breath to see who will, and won’t, be infected.

And that’s the successful aspect of the comic. Taylor plays with common horror tropes building tension and delivering scenes all about the “will they or won’t they” focus. As the comic progresses, it feels more like 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later as the virus spreads resulting in a rage like bloodlust frenzy. There’s nothing wrong with that but it is something we’ve seen, just not necessarily with these characters.

Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, and James Harren provide the art and the shift in styles is noticeable but not a problem. Each has their own take on characters and while they’re close at times there is noticeable difference in that and the general art as a whole. The color by Rain Beredo and lettering by Saida Temofonte helps tie things together though and the coloring especially help with the darker tone of the comic and emphasize the horror aspect of it all.

I’m generally not a horror fan but do enjoy the occasional zombie story. This combination of DC’s iconic characters and an outbreak storyline works due to it understanding what it is and using familiar tropes and situations to maximum effect. While it might be familiar, if you’re a fan of this genre, it’s well worth checking out.

Story: Tom Taylor Art: Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, and James Harren
Color: Rain Beredo Lettering: Saida Temofonte
Story: 7.95 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.85 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review