Writer: Tom Taylor
Artists: Trevor Hairsine & James Harren
Inks: Stefano Gaudino (with Hairsine)
Colors: Rain Beredo
DC seems a little late to the party when it comes to Zombie Apocalypses. Zombies have been a staple in horror movies for decades but became a comic book phenomenon in 2003 when Robert Kirkman launched the Walking Deadand then the concept exploded fourteen years ago when Kirkman took an idea of Mark Millar’s from the Ultimate Fantastic Four and created the hit series of mini-series Marvel Zombies. Yet DC never jumped into the zombie zeitgeist, that is until now with their newest ‘Elseworld’ event, Dceased.
Dceased is a simple concept rooted in DC’s history. Since he was created by Jack Kirby in the ‘70s Darkseid, the despot of Apokolips has been searching for the Anti-Life Equation. The Anti-Life Equation is a mathematic formula that when obtained will allow the wielder to control the free will of every living organism. Dceased is the story of how Darkseid finally solves the Anti-Life Equation through the abduction of Cyborg but then loses control and the Anti-Life Equation becomes imbedded in earth’s social media platforms and quickly spreads around the globe. Dceased #1 sets up this premise and then quickly throws the Worlds Finest (Superman & Batman) and their families into the mess that is a DC population that has lost free will and become a mindless horde all about converting others, as only those without cellphones or social media are free from the Equation and the issue ends with an incredibly disturbing cliffhanger that will no doubt shock but also leave the reader wanting more.
Dceased #1 was a fun first issue. Tom Taylor has written an engaging first issue that quickly draws the reader in and leaves us wanting for more. Taylor may not be a ‘big’ name writer but I have yet to read an issue of his that I have not enjoyed, which is saying a lot with the number of comics he has written over the past few years. Sadly, the art on Dceased #1 is a bit uneven. I am a huge Trevor Hairsine fan and his pages (with inks by Stefano Gaudino) are incredible. The action scenes are tense and dripping in detail. Unfortunately, a third of the book has art from James Harren, which isn’t bad but doesn’t fit at all with Hairsine’s art. Now this may be by design, as Harren’s pages take place on Apokolips but it’s in the middle of the book and it’s a jarring switch in styles, as Harren’s art is more cartoony and far less realistic. This switch took me out of the book for a moment and really the only flaw I have with an otherwise great first issue. Overall Dceased #1 is a fun first issue of which should be a fun limited series.
Verdict:Although late to the Zombie zeitgeist DC’s Dceased #1 is a fun first entry into the DC Universe mired in a zombie ‘Apokolips’ and in my opinion a Buy!
