Comic Review: DCeased (2019-) #1

DCeased #1

DC Comics

Writer: Tom Taylor

Artists: Trevor Hairsine & James Harren

Zombies are my favorite kind of horror genre. Superheroes are my favorite genre of anything. So, what would happen if you take the superheroes of DC Comics and threw in some zombies? DCeased #1 is answering that very question.

DCeased #1 starts off with the Justice League defeating Darkseid and his armies from invading Earth. That on its own could be a big event storyline, but that’s only the first couple of pages. Darkseid reveals his real goal of capturing Cyborg from Earth and taking him to Apokalypse. Darkseid completes the Anti-Life Equation, and sends the infected Cyborg back to Earth, unleashing the techno-organic virus upon humanity.

I know I said zombies at the top of all this, but technically they’re not zombies. They’re “infected” along the same lines as the movie 28 Days Later. I am a really big fan of Tom Taylor’s writing. He’s the author behind a lot of what I consider to be the best alternate DC Universe comics, the Injustice series. I like what we’re seeing in this issue, for the most part. This is only the first issue, and it’s doing its job in getting the interest high enough for people to return for #2. The one issue I think I had with the story, is that I feel like it’ll end up being a criticism of social media and the internet. But, the more I think about it, the more it seems unlikely, as that’s a smaller part of this issue.

The art is good for most of the issue. Trevor Hairsine (with Stefano Gaudiano doing the inking) for the beginning and end of the issue. In the first few pages, Superman has a weird looking face, but I like the style overall. Especially once there are some blood and “zombie” moments towards the end. James Harren does 7 pages in the middle of the issue, and for the most part, I like it. It’s for the scene set on Apokalypse, and I think Darkseid looks great. It’s a more cartoony, classic comic looking style. But while it works for Darkseid, Cyborg looks a bit out of place in it.

This is a pretty great start for this non-zombie zombie event. Tom Taylor is a great writer, and this issue lays things out pretty simply to get the ball rolling. There’s no question about where the infection comes from, which I always appreciate in these kinds of stories. Besides a few minor things, the art in this issue is really enjoyable. I think this is a really good start for the series/event and I’m looking forward to reading more.