Monday, October 5, 2020

DCeased: Dead Planet #4 Review

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Trevor Hairsine. Gigi Baldassini, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 7, 2020

I have been enjoying Dead Planet enough so far.  I haven't appreciated it as much as Unkillables, but I like it more than the original DCeased.  I know I'm a weirdo, but that's how I roll.  I like how Tom Taylor deals with the lesser-known characters more than the A-Listers, and so I was looking forward to the idea of heading off to Kirby's Fourth World to see what we get. Nothing could go wrong there, right?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with Constantine returning to Ivy's Garden with Mister Miracle, which pisses Damian Wayne off a bit but also gets him, James Gordon, and Detective Chimp thinking.  If they could somehow get Metron to give up the Mobius Chair for a sec, they might be able to get the cure out of Cyborg.  That's one of those "easier said than done things," though, except when you have something Metron wants.  Luckily, Constantine does, and it's off to New Genesis.  Before setting off, though, Jon Kent and Mary Marvel head to get themselves a Green Lantern.




If you've been reading, you know that Dinah Lance is the Green Lantern, but also why she isn't hanging around in the safety of Ivy's Garden... Oliver Queen is an anti-life zombie.  It's been hanging, and I've been waiting for it to show back up and kick me in the feels.  That didn't happen here and it ended up feeling a bit lackluster because of that.

When the team finally gets to New Genesis, fans of Tom King's Mister Miracle will be happy.  The whole affair apes a lot of King's twelve-issue maxi-series, and while I wasn't a big fan myself, I know so many people who were.  I wasn't a fan, but I am not a monster, so seeing a grown-up Jacob did put a smile on my face and hearing High Father's advice hit home in a Cats in the Cradle way.  The issue then continues with the team setting a trap for Metron, but finding out they could have just used reason was a nice twist and a way to show how fantastic Mary Marvel can be.


 

So, things worked out great for everyone, right? Right?!?!  Well, just because we are in Tom King territory doesn't mean it's not a Tom Taylor book, and that usually isn't good for the heroes.  Plus, it's only the fourth issue, dummies!  That doesn't mean the bad things aren't cool. In fact, they usually are, and this is no exception.  Taylor takes a playful swipe at a King catchphrase and sends the book rocking and reeling towards the final act.

I liked this issue of Dead Planet.  It's a setup issue, and besides the quick fix (that will get worse before it gets better) for the Ollie situation, everything set up was pretty damn cool.  I liked Trevor Hairsine's art in this issue more than I have in the past, and we get a crazy cliffhanger I need to see more of now.  

Bits and Pieces:

Tom Taylor ups the ante in this issue that might be full of setup but ended with a crazy cliffhanger.  Fans of Tom King's Mister Miracle will undoubtedly get more out of this issue than most, but I think everyone will want to know what happens next by the end.

8.0/10





No comments:

Post a Comment