‘Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6’ Review (DC Comics)
Written by Joshua Williamson | Art by Daniel Sampere | Published by DC Comics
We are now approaching the endgame, and the stakes are as high as they will be. The entire Multiverse is at stake, and we are now in very familiar Crisis territory. The cover is superb, really evoking those mid-80s days when worlds would die, and George Perez would show you how. Although this series overall has been a solid read, I do feel as though it has lacked set pieces, lacked actual story beats around which to hang the character bits and the fight scenes. At times we have just gone from fight scene to fight scene. I’m hoping Williamson’s been storing up the best stuff.
Let’s take a look.
So, Earth-Zero must die. It has all been building to this, Deathstroke and his armies triggering a crisis for Pariah to exploit and trigger the return of the original Multiverse. It’s an all-out slugfest for the future. Meanwhile, trapped but searching for a way out, Williamson writes a nice few pages summing up just who the Justice League is, what they represent, and why they are integral to the DC Universe. I love the fact Ollie (Green Arrow) gets a moment to shine too. Fanboys of a certain age will love these pages.
The fighting goes on, but it’s becoming clear that the heroes cannot win. Up against the biggest villains of the DCU, plus many heroes who have been ‘turned’, the only possible chance is to outthink Pariah. Mr. Terrific is the go-to man for this, and while he tries out his theory (to break the connection between Pariah and his anti-matter cannon) the heroes need to make one more stand. Jon Kent proves himself worthy of the title of Superman, by valiantly taking on every A-list villain he can, buying time, before he drops to his knees, spent. Doomsday, of all people, comes to kill him. A certain Kryptonian, however, has other ideas, and Superman is back, saving Jon. Again, some great dialogue and writing from Williamson. Oh, and Supes has brought a lot of friends…
Jon did indeed buy enough time, and Mr. Terrific managed to activate the cannon, first trapping and then seemingly killing Pariah. With him gone, the Dark Army’s power drops a little, and the extra heroes throw themselves into the fray. With Pariah gone, though, how are the heroes and villains still possessed? Has the darkness found a new vessel? Judging by the savage, hulking appearance I’d say Deathstroke may be a likely bet.
This was pretty much an issue-long slugfest. I’m guessing the intention was to show us how high the stakes are, how much the heroes have to overcome, the sheer overwhelming odds stacked against the heroes. This did to an extent, but it also again brought focus to the fact there isn’t as much substance to all this as we first thought. The original Crisis had its big set piece fights but woven in with character moments, and this issue had a couple of those but not enough. The Superman/ Jon Kent scene and the Oliver Queen/ Canary scene were both superb, but too short. More of those moments would have helped to invest the reader more, rather than just page after page of endless fighting.
On balance, Williamson’s writing has been very good. He’s walking a wire, writing a story that is only there to get from Point A to Point B in DC history, and then making it fit in with other tie-in books. Technically, this takes some skill. He’s not been able, though, to avoid padding some issue with endless fight scenes, such is the nature of the beast. Sampere’s art generally has been stunning, a worthy successor to George Perez with the hundreds of characters he has had to draw. Some of those large panels and double-page spreads are things of beauty. Beautiful stuff.
Another solid issue, though slightly disappointing with less happening than I was hoping for. We got more fighting, and the plot advancement we got didn’t quite have the impact it should have. The ending underwhelmed a little, truth be told.
Still, entertaining enough, and we’ll all be back here for the big final issue next time round.
