DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5 Review

 

Killing It

Writer: Tom Taylor

Art:  Trevor Hairsine, Andy Lanning and Neil Edwards, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 20, 2022

Reviewer:  Dr. Carl Bryan

“I’ve brought you back from death once before, Dad.  I’ll do it again if I have to. -  Jon Kent to his father…Superman

A greater chaotic force enters the battle and in so doing, threatens reality itself.  Then, as more heroes fall and whole galaxies are lost, the most powerful forces across the cosmos must stop watching from the sidelines and finally act.  All this and Mr. Mxyzptlk!

Tom Taylor’s universe is one to behold.  The magic he has created in the DCeased series is one that any comic collector who started in the 1970s loves to read.  Is it a morbid tale of the antivirus?  Sure, but Taylor continues to make subtle changes to current DC characters that make us love them even more…Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne, to name a couple.  Not to mention that we all needed Guy Gardner to have a Mohawk!

However, Taylor does his homework to make former obscure characters such as Berzerker or Ragman come alive in his writing.  He gives them the homage of genuine members of the DC universe.  This is most present in his incarnation of Mr. Mxyzptlk.  

The Imp is in full force in this issue and is not a one-shot wonder as he has been in the past.  Give up on making him say his name backward.

Check out our TGIF Holiday Edition Video with DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #5

This series needed Superman to return.  But that faithful Man of Steel look is reminiscent of some work done on action figures in the past.  So what about our heroes that we want a bit of robotics attached?  While Kal-El is the Man of Steel, Taylor takes that further with a reincarnated Clark with a proper steel arm.  Clark is more than handicapable with his new appendage as he and Jon are the perfect father/son duo.

So, what didn't I like about this issue?  Hear the crickets…. Taylor and company are on fire with this series!

Bits and Pieces:

Taylor is looking good with his writing, and this art team is on fire from covers to panels!  The look of these DCeased books is phenomenal in the art department, but Taylor hits all buttons on the crisis at hand as well as the eternal hope of the heroes that this virus can and will be defeated.

It’s decimation, as any character is apt to be killed off, but it is also endless optimism!  Again, Taylor hits all the excellent notes in his DCeased sonnets!

9/10