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

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