Writer: Tom King
Artist: Clay Mann
Colors: Tomeu Morey
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Fu$% you Tom King! How dare you write an amazing first issue of DC’s newest event, Heroes in Crisis, which not only completely entranced me but also infuriated me to no end, not because of quality but because of the causalities. At its core Heroes in Crisis is a murder mystery. In the wake of multiple traumatic events DC’s Holy Trinity (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) established Sanctuary, an until now unknown retreat for rest, recovery, and counseling to help heroes cope with the lifestyle they’ve chosen or was chosen for them. This leads to the core question of Heroes in Crisis #1, what happens when someone destroys the tranquil Sanctuary and kills the current residents.
Heroes in Crisis opens with a scene that could have literally taken place a few miles from my parent’s farm, in a small town diner somewhere in the middle of America. Everyone’s favorite celebrity seeking superhero, Booster Gold and the lovable homicidal manic Harley Quinn have some coffee and pie before destroying the diner and taking to the air in an epic throw down. We also see the trinity begin their investigation into the mass causalities at Sanctuary and wondering what could have possibly gone so wrong. Intermingled between these two stories are one page induction pages of a few of Sanctuaries patients or rather former patients. For the most part the heroes are obscure but there’s a former sidekick or two in the mix and when the pages of death unfold the reader will find themselves shocked at the carnage and if some classic heroes are near and dear to your heart you may feel the same as me. Fu$% you Tom King! The two stories eventually lead to one another in a somewhat expected way (especially for fans of King’s Batman) but the final page will leave the reader wanting more.
I had a feeling I was going to like Heroes in Crisis. Not only am I sucker for all things that combine DC and Crisis but add in the masterful writing of Tom King and incredibly detailed art of Clay Mann and I was sold. But I enjoyed Heroes in Crisis #1 more than I even thought I was going to. Maybe it’s the shift to bimonthly release of Doomsday Clock that checked me out of that book and left me craving another DC event or the fact that this is a DC Universe I recognize, a universe not beholden to the ideas of Alan Moore. Whatever it is I cannot wait for the next issue and see where this event goes, to get answers to questions that will no doubt lead to more questions and to see how this DC Crisis will play out.
Verdict: Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster murder mystery that will leave you both sad but satisfied. Hero in Crisis #1 is an incredible first chapter in DC’s newest event and a definite Buy.
