Monday, May 18, 2020

DCeased: Unkillables #1 Review


What Zombie Craze?

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Karl Mostert and Trevor Scott
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 19, 2020

I liked DCeased.  I wasn't in love with it, though, so when DC announced this book, I was happy to get another Tom Taylor book and hoped I was more into this.  So, did I like this start?  Let's find out...


We open with Deathstroke taking on a job right as the Anti-Life virus hit, and it's nice to see him at work (especially taking care of the pieces of shit he deals with), the big part is watching him get infected and then seeing him better the next day.

We then go to Wayne Manor, where Jason Todd discovers the horrible truth of what happened to Bruce, Dick, and Tim.  After seeing he finally got in one of the Bat-Family pictures, he buries the bodies and gives them (I guess what he thinks are) appropriate gravestones and then bolts with Ace.




We then meet up with Rose Wilson who goes from scared agoraphobe to overreacting Left for Dead Cosplayer in no time at all!  I guess it's Left for Dead 2 here because she stabs her father with her sword (don't call it a ninja sword!) because she thinks he's a zombie.  Deathstroke verifies that his healing factor is what countered the Anti-Life virus right before joining up with Mirror Master on a trip to visit Vandal Savage.  Boy, the Mirror Dimension is a real mess!  That's nothing but a thang, though, since MM brought some pretty cool gifts...googles that allow you to look at the virus and not get infected.  Nice!

We continue with our "heroes" meeting up with Vandal, and after a brief lesson on Tree Lobsters, we find out everyone on #TeamSavage.  I like the team of heavy hitters here, but seeing the Creeper made it even better.  We don't get enough of him and his creeping and a creeping.  Tom Taylor seems to know this as he has him jump right in with some funny lines.

While I like what we are getting enough up to this point, the book shifts to a higher gear when we return to Gotham.  Casandra Cain and Gordon fighting off zombies as a badass Jason Todd shows up.  It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine?), so Jason and Cass ditch the secret identities and tell Gordon the truth about the Bat-Family and his, unfortunately, dead daughter.   After proof-positive Babs didn't make it, the three head off with a new hood ornament and make their way to Bludhaven.  




The issue ends with Jason, Cass, and Gordon finding some young survivors who I hope make it through all of this.  I like the instant connection Jason and Ace have with them, and it's hilarious to see Cass dealing with personal space issues on the final page.

Unkillables started slower than I expected.  I like a bunch of things we get here, but the overall package didn't have me that excited.  I like almost all the characters Tom Taylor throws together, and that is a large part of my score.  There is not much of a narrative going on here, and while the Creeper made me laugh, there just wasn't enough of the usual character moments that I love from Taylor.  Hopefully, the next issue gives us more of that.




I was not too fond of the art in this issue at all.  Karl Mostert was inconsistent throughout and overall was just not that good.  It seemed that right when I got used to it; the art shifted to an odd place to throw me off once again.

Bits and Pieces:

This was a slow start to the Unkillables story, and while I liked the characters Tom Taylor is playing with, inconsistent art and too much setup dragged it down for me.  I hope the book rebounds, but with only two issues left, I now have some doubts.


6.0/10

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