DCeased: Hope at World’s End #4
Chapter 4 of 14
DC Comics
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Marco Failla
Colors by Rex Lokus
Letters by Saida Temofonte
Cover Art by Yasmine Putri
Editor: Ben Abernathy
(Warning: Spoilers for DCeased: Hope at World’s End #4 ahead)
Is Damian Wayne capable of carrying the weight of his father’s cowl? Will Wink and the Aerie find refuge in this new world?
Tightening focus on when the survivors first arrived to the Fortress of Solitude, this issue takes the time to get inside of Damian Wayne’s head after the death of his father. Meanwhile, Tom Taylor’s Wink and the Aerie debut in this book as well, and this issue follows their arrival to the Qurac fortress of Jotunheim. The digital issues are already shorter than most normal comic issues, and having this 23 page story split into two plots really makes it fly by, making it feel a lot like a set up for things to come.
I think this issue has a lot of Tom Taylor flexing his vast knowledge of Suicide Squad lore that he read in preparation for his Suicide Squad series, featuring some deep cuts like Jotunheim, the Manticore and Rustam. That half of the story gives us some more insight of the upcoming Anti Life War that this series seems to have been setting up since issue 1.
Superman is able to talk to Damian and eases him into comfortably taking the role of his father, and I just really enjoyed the dialogue in this part of the issue. It does carry some classic tropes, but Superman’s wholesomeness mixed with a more raw and emotional side of Damian really resonated with me.
If you’re a fan of Tom Taylor’s previous works, you’ll probably like this issue. The dialogue and art are both great, and I really appreciate some of the conversations and panels in this issue. I really just wish more had happened in this issue to keep me excited for the Anti Life War, a plot line I can’t say I’m super invested in, after knowing most characters in this book are able to escape off earth by the end of this book. I don’t know who the incoming Anti Life War is really at all a threat to, besides Wink, the Aerie, and the survivors at Jotunheim, characters that I can’t say I have the most emotional stock in. I’m sure the stakes will be raised in the future, but right now it all just feels like build up.
Something also worth noting is the cover having nothing to do with the actual story of the issue. It’s not a huge deal, seeing Wonder Woman’s outline with the ruins of the Daily Planet is a cool cover and all, but neither location or character really bring any importance at all in this issue. With last week’s cover also serving as a splash page within the book itself, it really makes this series feel a bit more rushed, another unfortunate yet consistent feature of these digital comics from DC.
This issue isn’t as strong as some of the prior issues before it, but I think there’s some nice character moments packed in here as well as the slow build of the main plot that make it worth the read.