Review: DCEASED #2
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artists: Trevor Hairsine & Stefano Gaudiano
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letters: Saida Temofonte
Reviewed by: Danny Saab
Summary
As the virus spreads, Superman, Green Arrow and the other heroes regroup and try and find a way to contain the threat.
Positives
What I enjoy most from Tom Taylor’s writing are the different and engaging stories he gives us, and this issue was no different. What I really enjoyed about Dceased #2 were the cliff-hanger moments he left us with. It started with Aquaman on the ship, followed by Harley, Ivy and Joker, and ended with Batman using the last remaining minutes to give a heartfelt goodbye to Damian, followed by instructions to Superman and the other heroes on how to handle the epidemic. It’s these kind of moments that make you feverishly await the next issue. But probably the biggest cliff hanger was Bruce telling Clark that the only way to contain the epidemic would be to kill all the infected carriers. It’ll be interesting to see if Clark has it in him to do what needs to be done.
If the cliff hanger moments weren’t enough to love this issue, how about the fantastic chemistry that all these characters have with one another. Green Arrow’s humor was perfect in this issue, as was Harley and Ivy’s friendship. I for one am routing for Harley in the next issue.
Positives Cont.
Tom Taylor has no issues killing off heroes or villains in his stories. Think of him as the George R.R. Martin of the comicbook universe. He’s done it plenty in his critically acclaimed Injustice: Gods Among Us books. But what I never get tired of are the surprises he throws into his stories that you just didn’t see coming. Probably the biggest surprise in Dceased #2 was Dinah Lance’s transformation, and I for one enjoyed every second of it. Without spoiling to much, it was interesting to hear and see her reaction after the transformation, and it’ll be curious to the ramifications of it going into the rest of the story.
The artwork in Dceased #2 was very well done. The action panels were vibrant and loud, with the zombie panels looking bloody and terrifying. All the panels had beautiful lines and vibrant colors.
Negatives
The only negative I would have to say about Dceased #2 is how passive Superman has been so far. As I’m reading this issue, I’m constantly wondering why Superman doesn’t simply use his strength and speed and take out all the infected. He’s standing back with Lois, Jon and Damian. If bullets can’t hurt him, I’m certain he wouldn’t be able to be bitten either. So long as he stays off the internet, he can’t really be infected. Hopefully next issue he’ll spring into action a bit more.
Verdict
DCeased #2 was a fantastic second issue of this series. Great action, and progressed the story at a good pace.
