Doomsday Clock #6
DC Comics
Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Gary Frank
Colors by: Brad Anderson
The origins of Mime and Marionette are revealed in this issue and it’s a pretty compelling story One that makes their future acts and disdain for authority more personal than the regular depictions of the supervillain. Even with the bombastic addition of Joker and the one holding them captive, their story both in the past and the present continues to hold the interest of the reader. Joker has taken the two under the streets of Gotham while the city continues to riot and he is carrying his prize to a special meeting. His prize is an unconscious and drugged Batman himself.
Throughout the journey, we see the evolution of Marionette from a girl devoted to her grandfather to the friendship she establishes with the mute boy across the street who would become Mime. Their story is both tragic and triumphant in the sense that they rely on each other and their closeness is based on something that has developed for years sparked by tragedy. It’s a great reminder that this series is going to be character driven and that the action plays secondary to the larger story being formed with this growing cast of characters.
When they finally arrive at the meeting, the reader gets a chance to see what is going on in the world of superheroes from the accounts of their gathered foes and it doesn’t look good. The intervention of a person from Mime and Marionette’s past sets off a chain of events that seem to be leading to a meeting between Joker and Dr. Manhattan.
Johns continues to tell a really good story with Doomsday Clock. The fact that he is taking his time with the narrative helps to create a more interesting and immersive world for these characters. There are more complicated mysteries coming from this story and everything being revealed helps keep the reader interested in what’s to come.
Gary Frank’s art helps move this story along brilliantly. There is so much rich detail in every panel that it feels like thought was put into it to make them look almost cinematic as the reader move across the page.