‘Dark Crisis #3’ Review (DC Comics)
Written by Joshua Williamson | Art by Daniel Sampere, Daniel Henriques, Danny Miki | Published by DC Comics
The best way to describe this book is the comic book equivalent of a summer popcorn action movie. Doesn’t lend itself to a whole lot of navel gazing analysis, but there are a lot of explosions, action and fisticuffs going on virtually the whole time. It certainly keeps your attention. Joshua Williamson has also cleverly threaded the ties to the previous Crisis books gradually and subtly, keeping things moving nicely while also promising big things to come down the road. I can’t lie, I’ve been enjoying it so far, though I’ve got the inescapable feeling that we’ve seen nothing yet.
Let’s see if I’m right.
So, in typical story format, we have reached the ‘low point.’ Heroes are on the back foot, the world at large is freaking out, Deathstroke and his villain army are running rampant, Titans Tower is destroyed and Gar Logan, Beast Boy, barely survived a brutal attack and is in a hospital bed. The heroes are either scared or divided. The idealism Jon Kent showed, trying to emulate his father by forming his own team, has already been broken. Black Adam is trying to persuade the team that only by matching Deathstroke in his ferocity, his ruthlessness, can they hope to beat him. They need to kill the captured Count Vertigo and hang his body out in public as a warning. This is, of course, the moment when we see just how much the heroes are willing to sacrifice to win.
They stand firm. Jon Kent will not buy into this, and neither will the rest of the team. That’s the good news. You’re not a hero without being heroic, right? The bad news, though, is the heroes are still scared. Everyone leaves, to go and protect those they love, leaving a squabbling Robin, Jon Kent, and Wonder Girl. I love the way Williamson still uses the iconic trio of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in this way. Despite being legacy heroes, these guys are still the brains and brawn of the Justice League. Having said that, what Justice League? It’s gone. What we need is the next best thing. A Justice Society. Actually, THE Justice Society. Alan Scott, Green Lantern. Jade. Obsidian. Wildcat. Power Girl, Dr. Fate. Be still my fanboy heart. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Justice Society and the original run of Infinity, Inc, so this is a nice move from my point of view.
Meanwhile, Deathstroke is still sitting in his lair plotting, overseeing the rising fear and anarchy across the world. Only, it’s not really Slade Wilson is it. It’s a corrupted, possessed version of Slade, being controlled, and manipulated by the Great Darkness. This is exactly what his daughter realizes, after Ravager is captured trying to snake into the Villain Society’s lair. The Darkness has chosen just this moment to spread the love, and Slade infects everyone on his team with their own little slice of the dark. The spreading of anarchy is about to step up a notch.
Not good news for Hal Jordan and the reformed Green Lantern Corps, who have managed to find the Black Lantern power battery, and with it the hidden Pariah. Hal confronts him. If anyone can confront a power mad being determined to re-set reality, it’s Hal. Having been Parallax finally has an upside. Hal goes all-in, seemingly ‘dies, and ends up in a very bizarre place indeed. The big development happens at the very end. You think Deathstroke and his group are the big boys of the villain world? Think again. Black Adam has decided if the young heroes won’t buy into his philosophy, he knows some people who will. Lex Luthor. Sinestro. Gorilla Grodd. Vandal Savage, and many more. Time for the Legion of Doom to enter the ring.
I really enjoyed this. It still feels as though Williamson is slowly guiding us towards the big payoff, but he is doing it in a very entertaining way. You just feel that virtually everyone here, hero or villain, is being manipulated in some way by someone to do the things they are doing. Everything means something. Williamson is having a ball, having his characters chew scenery all over the place. Genuinely fun stuff. The art is as epic as it needs to be. Sampere uses a lot of panels on a typical page, but it never feels cluttered or hard to follow. Great layouts, lovely clean pencils, and just great visual design overall. A perfect creative team for this book.
Can you smell what Williamson is cooking?
You will soon. The Crisis of all Crises is a ‘Comin….
