Review: Devil’s Reign: Omega #1

Devil's Reign: Omega #1

One of the things I give the finale of Devil’s Reign credit with is that it didn’t attempt to do the teaser add on. There’s been a habit of events to not deliver a true finale but follow it up with kickers that show off what’s next and spinning out of it all. Some times it works, but that feels like the exception and not the rule. Instead, Devil’s Reign: Omega #1 has that honor featuring three stories that spin out of the event and tease more of what’s to come.

Fall and Rise” focuses on the funeral for “Matt Murdock”. The world thinks Matt is dead but we know it was really his brother. There’s a lot of interesting interactions between the characters and we get a better sense of who knows the truth and who does. Writer Chip Zdarsky uses the story to debate the moral and ethical aspects of all of that while also teasing the direction for the next volume of Daredevil. With art by Rafael De Latorre, color by Federico Blee, and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the story looks great and gives a nice rollercoaster of emotion leaving things in an awkward place overall.

One of the more intriguing aspects of Devil’s Reign is where it left Luke Cage. He’s now the Mayor of New York City forced to pick up the pieces.

Mayor for Hire” has Luke thinking about all of that but focusing a lot on where he’s been and where he is now. Written by Rodney Barnes with art by Guillermo Sanna, color by Dijjo Lima, and lettering by Cowles, it’s a great reminder about the character’s history. It also leaves you realizing there’s a lot to tell as this grassroots hero must balance his careers as well as fix the mess left for him.

Cleaning House” by Jim Zub, art by Luciano Vecchio, color by Carlos Lopez and Java Tartaglia, and lettering by Joe Sabino is the introduction to the new Thunderbolts. Fisk used the classic team name to deputize villains to attack heroes. This issue lays out why they’re still around and Mayor Cage’s vision as to where he should take the team.

Like Devil’s Reign itself, this “Omega” issue does a fantastic job of just being entertaining while also being a sly reflection of our reality. At the core throughout the issue is a new elected official being left a mess of an office that he has to fix after it was run by a corrupt individual. Sound familiar? But, beyond that clear parallel, the comic is just entertaining and sets things up nicely for what’s to come. If you’re interested it’s well checking out and a nice coda to the event series.

Story: Chip Zdarsky, Rodney Barnes, Jim Zub Art: Rafael De LaTorre, Guillermo Sanna, Luciano Vecchio
Color: Federico Blee, Dijjo Lima, Carlos Lopez, Java Tartaglia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles, Joe Sabino
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW