You picked the wrong day to attack humanity lady–because today is DOOMSDAY!
This review contains spoilers
In this issue, Doomed teams up with Superman and the Alpha Centurion to take on Mother Herd.
The issue begins with our three heroes taking on Mother Herd. She begins to grow little minions that the heroes have to deal with as well. During the fight, Superman gets trapped underwater and Doomed has to rescue him. After rescuing Superman, Doomed decapitates Mother Herd with a boat. The Alpha Centurion tries to kill Doomed again but Superman knocks him out. Clark and Reiser have a nice discussion and Clark decides to let him go as Reiser appears to have gained control of his powers.
Positives
Reiser is incredibly likeable. He spends most of the main action scene wondering what his place is. In a world with Superman and the Alpha Centurion, what good can he do? This story is about a young man trying to find his place in the world. He’s been dealt a terrible tragedy but is finding a way to live with it. I wish this book was continuing on because Reiser is a great character.
The interaction between Clark and Reiser is also great. Clark continues to be more reasonable than he’s been in the New 52 which is nice to see. He’s not wrong about his concerns considering his own experience with the virus but I like that he’s willing to give him a chance.
The art is fantastic. While I do like the last issue had more interesting visuals that I found to be beautiful, this issue still looks great. The action is fluid and interesting and the color really grabs attention without being overblown. It’s just a pleasure to look at.
Negatives
I received flack for a review of the most recent issue of Justice League United because I was unfamiliar with most of the characters that were randomly popping up in that story line. The writers just expected me to know things about those characters without giving me anything to go on. Thankfully, Scott Lobdell did give me an idea of who the Alpha Centurion is despite the fact that I have never heard of him before. According to my research, the character was invented in the mid-90s but I know nothing outside of this series. Having said that, he is terrible in this. He is clearly an attempt to have a Thor type character; everything about him suggests it especially the way that he talks. He is also an idiot; he just wants to kill Doomed. After everything that happened, one would think this Alpha Centurion would rethink his position but he doesn’t. He is simple minded, barbaric and just a pain to deal with.
The book is a little dull. Ultimately, they are just fighting a giant monster. While it looks great, it isn’t the most engaging thing in the world. Reiser has a moment where he thinks Mother Herd may have been human once but nothing is done with that idea. It’s just stated and sort of ruined when Doomed is the one to kill Mother Herd.
Verdict
If you read the sentence, “Doomed decapitates Mother Herd with a boat,” and weren’t interested in reading this, Doomed #6 probably isn’t the book for you. While I normally don’t enjoy issues that are mainly action, Lobdell does a good job of using the action to develop Reiser as a character. Combined with great artwork, this is a solid read. There are a couple of missteps in my opinion but they’re easy to overlook in this case.
