DCeased: Hope at World’s End #1
Chapter 1 of 14
DC Comics
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Dustin Nguyen
Colors by Rex Lokus
Letters by Saida Temofonte
Cover Artist: Ben Oliver
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Jimmy Olsen documents the downfall of the DCeased earth in this surprise return to the critically acclaimed alternate universe.
This issue provides a new lens for the events of the mainline DCeased book, effectively serving as a flashy summary of what has transpired, all accompanied by the narration of Superman’s best friend. Feeling a strong conviction to record the actions of the heroes during earth’s darkest days, Jimmy makes it his mission to make sure that these heroes are always remembered leading up to the war against the Anti-Life army that concluded the original series.
The art provided by Nguyen captures a brooding and gritty tone that starkly contrasts from the more playful and colorful Lil Gotham aesthetic I associate his work with. It captures the mood of this issue, showing range from the artist that I was not previously aware of.
Tom Taylor’s recap of the events doesn’t feel tedious or repetitive, but instead engages with breadcrumbs that left me wanting to see more from this small window of time in the first volume of DCeased. This really is a testament to Taylor’s work, considering this is the third spinoff title taking place within this universe.
I’m really pleased that this series, from what we’ve seen so far, is just snippets of different perspectives of the DCeased continuity, letting Tom Taylor’s strongest writing trait shine: his character work. It’s abundantly clear that Taylor understands and loves these characters, and letting him have full creative freedom and no constraints to work around like he would with Injustice or any main continuity books makes any entry to the DCeased Universe riveting.
This might come off as extremely selfish, as this is a 99 cent exclusive that came out of nowhere during a time where we’re lucky to get any new comics, but I do wish that this book, along with the other digital exclusives that have been releasing as of late, would be available for DC Universe subscribers. I’m already paying DC $75 a year for my subscription to their platform, and I feel like that would be a great gesture of appreciation for faithful subscribers. That being said, I can’t hold that against this book or the talent behind it, and it won’t affect the perfect score I’m giving this issue.
I highly recommend any fans of the DCeased Universe to give this issue a read. It’s not necessarily must-read material, but I think this issue is worth the price and sets a standard for the book going forward.