Scott's Take: Dark Knights of Steel: All Winter by Jay Kristoff and Tom Taylor

 

Dark Knights of Steel: All Winter by Jay Kristoff and Tom Taylor is set in the Dark Knights of Steel DC Universe. This is the medieval style universe that Tom Taylor created. I read this in a bit of a weird way. I read the first two issues through DC Infinite. Then, while I was waiting for DC Infinite to put up all the issues, my local library got in the collected edition. I think if one is going to read this they should read it through a traditional book. The color seemed washed out on the online version vs the regular book. The Deathstroke story is minimalistic in color and therefore uses a mostly black or white color palette for most of the book.

 

In this book, Deathstroke is a mercenary Viking guy who ends up escorting a magical kid through ice and death across an unforgiving landscape to save the world. One of those reluctant hero escort quests while dealing with his traumatic past deals. Not the most original premise, but a fun read overall if you like action, magic, Deathstroke and the DC Universe. Deathstroke is a grumpy antihero who is pretty much done with doing anything except looking out for himself.

 

Deathstroke is very similar to the main universe version except for the time period he is operating. There is also a special guest star for part of the book from the Dark Knights of Steel main series that shakes up the book halfway through.

 

There is also include a short origin story for Aquaman in this universe by a different creative team. Tom Taylor tells the tale of The Aquaman. The story is fun, but I don’t know if they did enough to make him different.

 

Both stories include obvious setups if someone wants to continue the story. I am a fan of both writers so maybe I am a little biased towards this read.

 

Overall, I liked both stories by both creative teams. I just feel like they could have done more to make the characters different. But, if you like either Deathstroke or Aquaman, I think you will enjoy this read.

 

By the way, Amazon does not carry this in hardback. That ISBN is: 978-1-79950-079-7. So, the only way you can get it at Amazon is the digital version.

 

 

My hardback reading copy came from the Audelia Road Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

  

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Scott's Take: Titans: Beast World by Tom Taylor, lIlustrator Ivan Reis

 

Titans: Beast World by Tom Taylor and illustrated by Ivan Reis, is the first, according to DC Comics, ever Titans centric crossover. I am not sure that is entirely accurate, but okay. One could read volume 1 of the Titans new series to be familiar with some early story references, but it is not necessary. There is also a tie in collection book called Titans: Beast World Tour which one could read, but is unnecessary. The tie ins in that read are a very mixed bag with some decent stories and some pretty bad ones. The main event book, Titans: Beast World, is fun and full of action.

 

In this story, the Titans attempt to stop Necrostar (giant alien with spores) from destroying humanity. Beast Boy of the Titans turns himself into a Starro (a giant alien with spores also) to defeat it. Starro is allegedly the only being in the universe who can beat it.

 

The government agent known as Waller, leader of the Suicide Squad, interferes to prevent the heroes from saving the day in order to blame the heroes for the failure. Her interference causes millions of humans alongside several of the world’s heroes to be turned into animal human hybrids who are now attacking their loved ones. The Titans have to rally the remaining noninfected heroes to save the planet while Waller continues her attempts to frame the heroes of the world. She wants the public to turn on them and she just might get her way.

 

Being generally familiar with the Titans characters would be very helpful for this story as this should not be the first Titans book read. This is a fun read if the idea of Black Adam being turned into a giant lion and going on a rampage appeals to you. The Titans have a lot of cool moments and show how powerful and skilled as heroes they are.

 

Several characters that would be helpful in this event just don’t appear in the tie ins or the main event. Most of the magic users are also noticeably absent. Several heavy hitters that would be helpful such as Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter are just not very relevant to the plot for some reason. They appear, but the author does not have them do much.

 

Spoilers-- Batman is taken off the board early so Nightwing can stay as the main leader because Batman is turned into a wolf. He has been turned into a giant bat before, more than once, so this time he gets to be a six-foot tall plus wolf. The only non-titan characters with big roles are Batgirl (Barbara) and Superman (Jon). Also, Detective Chimp (he is a talking monkey who dresses like Sherlock Holmes and solves mysteries) has a unique perspective on the new hybrids. As always, the DC universe is weird.

 

There are a lot of epic action scenes, great art, cities being torn apart, character development, humor, in a highly entertaining read. This book sets up the future of the DC universe for a while. There are a lot of implied casualties and several deaths are depicted on screen. Waller, Peacemaker, a cult leader, the Starro Beast Boy, and Dr. Hate, all make trouble for the heroes. Of course, it is a given the heroes will save the day, but how the Titans save the world leads to consequences for the superhero community as a whole.

 

The Titans are allowed to step up into the big leagues as the Earth’s protectors. They are powerful, experienced, and skilled. They are a family, but will they save the world in a way that the world will be happy with them afterwards? The Justice League disbanded after Dark Crisis awhile back and left the younger heroes in charge. Did they make the right call?

 

Also, expys (an expy for people who don’t know is a character who, either for copy right reasons or other reasons, are basically a specific character that is changed just enough to not be copyrighted and yet is clearly that specific character) of President Biden and Jill Biden appear. Jill Biden’s DC version is turned into an otter at one point so in the future people will clearly be able to know when this was made. As the infection and what type of animal you become is implied to be linked to your personality, someone at DC thinks Jill is like an otter. Would have been interesting to see what the convicted felon running for the highest office of the land would have been in this universe.

 

Overall, I highly enjoyed this Titans event. But, if one is expecting a lot of crossover with other heroes than one would be disappointed. This is a Titans led crossover that does not want other heroes to play much of a role. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3X2ZUKC

 

My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024

Scott's Take: Scott's Take: DC Dark Knights of Steel Vol 2 by Tom Taylor

Dark Knights of Steel Volume 2 by Tom Taylor is an action packed volume includes the last issues of this series plus tie ins set in the past which spotlight the young trio of Bruce Wayne, Zala (this universe’s Supergirl), and Kal-El. Like the first volume, this is an elseworlds read and is set up like DC Universe meets Game of Thrones. Make sure you read my review of the first book here before reading the below.

 

In the first story, Kal-El meets a young Jimmy Olsen and attempts to save him from being kidnapped. Bruce and Zala tag along and eventually help out.

 

A young Bruce Wayne, long before he is Batman, meets Bane in the second story.

 

In the third story, Harley Quinn takes Kal-El and Bruce out on Halloween to attempt to give them some fun in their life.

 

In the main part of the book, the three kingdoms are now at war because of the manipulations by the White Martians. Can our heroes prove that the war is based on lies and stop the fighting in time to stop the White Martians from conquering all?

 

This is an action-packed graphic novel featuring interesting versions of classic characters that while being similar to their main earth counterparts are quite different. New versions of heroes and villains are introduced here in the read. Because of the fact that this is an elseworlds read, the tales here are more graphic and feature plenty of violence, death, and loss. 

 

This version of Harley Quinn remains a delight while the main trio of heroes remain excellent. Bruce has to deal with the truth from the first novel that he is only half human and part Kryptonian. I love how quickly Kal-El accepts that Bruce is his biological brother. In a lot of stories, this situation would be played for drama, but not here as Kal-El just loves him and accepts him for who he is every day.

 

There is a vague teaser setting up much more in this universe that I hope comes to pass as I very much would enjoy reading the multiple ideas suggested.

 

My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System. Unfortunately, the library system caps patrons at 15 Hoopla items a month. I very much wish they would raise it significantly or take the cap off altogether as I can do that easily in graphic novels within a couple of days at the start of each new month.  

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Superman: Kal-El Returns by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Sina Grace, and Alex Segura

Superman: Kal-El Returns by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Sina Grace, and Alex Segura collects the ends of both the Son of Superman (Jon) series and the end of Clark’s title. It also sets up the new series that will be collected later at some point later.

Clark has finally returned back to Earth, but he is not alone. Along with his team, he has accompanying him all the refuges of Warworld. Superman showing up with thousands of aliens, of course, causes problems. Then in the Jon series, Superman’s son is dealing with a new nemesis, coming out as bi to his dad, and helping rebuild the Kent home.

This is a read that does a lot and has a lot going on with ending series and starting new ones. The involved artists are all good and have their own styles creating a lot of variety in imagery. Various plot points are setup for the next series. The authors do a great job of making sure Clark and Jon sections are really different and written to highlight their differences well. The villains are causing problems and setting up new ones for the heroes to deal with later. It is a good read even if the story is collected here is supposed to be in order, but is a little time skippy.

The new series will be collected later with Clark getting new writer, Joshua Willamson, and Tom Taylor continuing the Jon story in a new title.

 

My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: DCeased: War of the Undead Gods by Tom Taylor

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods by Tom Taylor tells the end of the DCeased series. This fitting conclusion sees our heroes attempting to save the infected, including Clark, with the cure. As the heroes of Earth gather thinking they have won, the infected led by Darkseid strike at the home of the New Gods, infecting several powerful heroes including Supergirl. Brainaic, fleeing from the infected in terror, gets to Earth to warn the heroes that the virus is spreading across the universe. Ultimately joins forces with them. Billions are already dead and more will follow if they don’t stop it.

The art is excellent and this is a great ending of the series. The narrator is surprising and one I did not expect, but is an excellent choice. Despite being highlighted in the synopsis, the new Wonder Woman is given a back seat. Darkseid and the other infected are terrifying villains and the several heroes make the ultimate sacrifice. The Green Lantern Corps and several underutilized characters also get their time to shine.

Major spoiler, but this annoyed this reader. Supergirl is used great as an infected villain, but then gets benched once she is uninfected. It would have been nice if she could have had some hero moments since she was so powerful as a villain.

Jon, Damian, and Cyborg have some of my favorite moments in the series and so does Clark. Despite being billed as the end of the series, I wish there was at least one more issue focused on wrapping things up. While most things are wrapped up, it would have been nice to have moments with more folks to know where they are now. It’s hard to let such a great series go.

 

 

My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor

Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor is technically the third volume because there is an unnumbered volume that collects the Fear State tie ins along with some other miscellaneous other stories. I reviewed the first volume,  Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light, but not the Fear State tie ins. This volume collects 4 issues of Nightwing and one issue of Superman. The same crossover that is in Superman: Son of Kal-el Volume 2 that I reviewed previously is reprinted here again in its entirety.

 

In Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson, Blockbuster puts out a hit on Dick Grayson, Nightwing, because Dick Grayson publicly said he was going to use his money to help the people of the city have a better life. For scum like Blockbuster, he needs people to suffer for him to make money. Grayson’s plan simply can’t happen. So, he puts a hit on Dick Grayson. Luckily, Batgirl discovers the problem, and alerts Nightwing as well as the entire team of Titans. This result in Nightwing teaming up with various heroes, Raven, the Flash (Wally), and others, throughout this tale as he resolves his assassin problem.

 

While the assassins are a major threat for Nightwing, as soon as his friends show up, the read becomes more comedic in nature. While several of these trained killers are the world’s best assassins, facing off with people with actual superhero powers and not just skills, is beyond their capabilities. Such as the genius who decides to headbutt Superman. Then there are the folks who decide to shoot ordinary guns at The Flash. These brilliant folks shoot at him even though they are aware that The Flash has super speed.

 

The art is excellent and Nightwing Vol 2: Get Grayson is a fun volume even if it is a rather short one. I am looking forward to the third volume when they do finally release it. There is also a new series that will tie into that third volume by this author which will see the Titans being the premier superhero team in the DC Universe as the Justice League has disbanded after various deaths and resurrections. Can Nightwing and friends step up to the plate as Earth’s defenders?

 

My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Superman: Son of Kal-el Vol. 2: The Rising by Tom Taylor

Superman: Son of Kal-el Vol. 2: The Rising by Tom Taylor collects only four issues so it is a short volume.  With Clark Kent off world, it is up to Jonathan Kent as Superman to deal with Bendix. Bendix remains committed to weaponizing anyone with powers while also and killing anyone who tries to stop him. If that was not enough, Lex Luthor is free from prison and back to his old ways, so it’s time for Jon and Lex to meet.  In the last two issues, the Nightwing crossover is collected so Nightwing and Superman team up to take on the group calling itself The Rising.

 

This volume has some heartfelt moments, action, some humor, all the while Jon deals with the fact that when the stakes are so high sometimes there are no clean wins. You can do everything you can and people still die.

 

I really enjoyed this volume. I just wish there was more. It is a strong setup volume and the third volume titled, Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 3: Battle for Gamorra, will continue this series. Unfortunately, it won’t come out until May. With such a long wait between volumes it’s hard not to be annoyed when the story kind of just stops.

 

 

My reading coy came by way of the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Dark Ages by Tom Taylor

Dark Ages by Tom Taylor is a Marvel Elseworlds series written by him before he signed his massive exclusive deal with DC Comics. In this universe to defeat a threat a spell was used to generate a portal to a dimension that constantly emits a powerful EMP that renders all technology useless.  This is a post-apocalyptic world where ten years have passed and for most, society has been rebuilt, and the world is relatively okay. There is one major threat left.

Apocalypse has taken over Europe and teamed up with Dracula. He also now has the Purple Man under his control and is using him to make several heroes serve him.  Apocalypse dispatches a team to kidnap Tony Stark. Thus, it is up to a small team of heroes to go rescue him. Wolverine (Laura), Blade, Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, Storm, The Invisible Woman, and others who have not fallen under the mind control of Apocalypse. Luckily they have a guide to this new Europe, Deadpool.

Mostly told from Spider-Man’s perspective, his life is drastically different than current canon because he has a daughter in this world. Full of action, humor, and beautiful art, this series is really fun. I wish it was longer and that more time was spent in this world. The world is interesting using lights grown from nature, Daredevil as a security system, a steampunk version of Iron Man, and more.  There are some big names missing in this book like Thor. Included here is what happened during the war after the power went out, but I wish that was covered and detailed in more depth as it was so interesting.

It is also nice that as it is Elseworlds, there is a general tone of optimism. Even though the apocalypse happened, this new world is in some ways building to a better future. Former villains like Dr. Doom are now using their talents to help mankind. I hope we get to see more from this universe but since the writer is now an exclusive at DC comics, we probably won’t see any more from this universe for quite some time.

 

 

My reading copy came from the Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022

Scott's Take: DC Dark Knights of Steel vol 1 by Tom Taylor

 
DC Dark Knights of Steel vol 1 by Tom Taylor in his latest elseworld’s read and is set up like DC Universe meets Game of Thrones. The DC universe becomes a medieval world where Jor-El and a pregnant Lara-El land on a Earth after Krypton’s destruction. Eventually, they befriend Martha and Thomas Wayne who are king and queen of their kingdom. More than a decade passes and eventually the El’s are ruling since the Wayne’s were tragically murdered.  They have a young son and daughter and are raising Bruce alongside them as a brother. Bruce has become the Batman and his young robins are used to hunt down any magical threats in the kingdom. He is intent on making sure nothing bad happens to his family ever again. A prophecy in another kingdom is revealed and is interpreted by some as that El’s will destroy the world.  So, this version of Black Lightning who is a king in his own kingdom, decides to have Jor-El assassinated. He decides if there must be war that he will take the first shot.

 

If one is looking for a high action high epic fantasy version of the DC Universe, one should get a kick out of this. The reader should be decently familiar with the DC Universe so one can recognize these versions. There are a couple of twists that have major implications and mean major difference between this universe and the more common DC universe.  Some adult language and plenty of violence is in store for readers of this tale. This series will be continued in a collected volume 2 as well as a collection of the prequels to this series where the main heroes are depicted as kids.

 

 

My reading copy came via the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022

Scott's Take: Superman: Son Of Kal-El Vol 1: The Truth by Tom Taylor

Superman: Son Of Kal-El Vol 1: The Truth by Tom Taylor features the son of Superman, Jon Kent. With Superman off on his space mission, it is up to Jon Kent to step up as Superman. He wants to be more of a root cause problem solver than his father and wants to be more of an activist than his father. He faces a variety of problems and threats in this volume. The threats are interconnected so to describe them would cause spoilers and as a result it is hard to go into very much detail. 

His supporting cast is rather small since he only has one friend in Damian. He has his Mom, Damien, and that is pretty much it. This volume attempts to help build up his supporting cast while highlighting the fact that he is fairly alone. He also has no privacy or secret identity since his father has come out as Superman. 

This volume has good artwork, plenty of humor, and good action. The author does a good job of working with a character that has not had much time to establish a new personality. Jon was radically aged offscreen for the most part going from a preteen to a college age adult then thrown into a team book set in the future. He is only been back in the present for a small amount of time. 

The character really needs time to develop an agreed upon essence beyond the fact that he is a mix of Lois and Clark. He needs his own sense of self-worth and that will come with time. While the book does highlight his heart, he still needs to grow and find himself in the present. I recommend Superman: Son Of Kal-El Vol 1: The Truth by Tom Taylor for Superman fans who are interested in his son, but if you are not okay with a more openly progressive Superman, then this volume is not for you.

 

 

My reading copy came from the Dallas Public Library System via the Hoopla App.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022 

Scott's Take: Batman: The Detective by Tom Taylor

 
Batman: The Detective by Tom Taylor is an Elseworld’s tale that features a much older Batman. After a series of grisly murders in Europe, Batman leaves Gotham and goes overseas to find the culprits who are killing people that Batman has saved. They call themselves “Equilibrium” and must be stopped. Along the way Batman will be joined by some of his European allies.

 

This is an action-packed tale with plenty of violence and character exploration. This version of Batman is older, even more cynical, and worn down by life. If you are a Batman fan who is looking for a tale that takes Batman far away from Gotham, then you should enjoy this. I enjoyed Batman: The Detective by Tom Taylor.

 

 

My reading copy came via the Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022

Scott's Take: Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light by Tom Taylor

Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light by Tom Taylor is the first volume in a series. Nightwing (aka Dick Grayson) has finally regained his memories after suffering amnesia due to the result of a gunshot to the head and some other way too complicated shenanigans. He has returned to find the city of Bludhaven way worse than when he left. The villain Blockbuster has taken control of the city and is flaunting his criminal power over every aspect of the city and all its inhabitants. Somehow it is fitting that there is also a serial killer in the city targeting people and taking their hearts.

Nightwing also has to deal with the fallout from the death of Alfred Pennyworth who was his father figure. While Nightwing was suffering amnesia, Bane brutally murdered Alfred.  In the here and now of the book, Nightwing has to deal with the guilt of not being there for someone he loved.

Fortunately, Alfred Pennyworth has one last gift to give Dick Grayson. He also has his family for support including Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake.

This action-packed book with plenty of humor is Nightwing at his best. Nightwing Vol 1: Leaping Into The Light is the best Nightwing volume that I have read in a long time. The art is incredibly and there is plenty of heart in this read. It is nice to have Dick Grayson back to his old self. 

I very much enjoyed the book and read it through the Hoopla app via the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2022

Scott's Take: Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Zero- The Complete Collection by Tom Taylor

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Zero- The Complete Collection by Tom Taylor is a prequel to all the injustice games and rest of the injustice comics. For those who are unfamiliar with that universe. It is a lot like the original DC universe except in the Injustice Universe Superman becomes a dictator with several justice league members supporting and enforcing his dictatorship. At the same time, Batman leads a group of resistance fighters attempting to overthrow Superman. In that Injustice Universe the Joker tricks Superman into murdering a pregnant Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis. This act causes Superman to snap and murder the Joker. Superman falls into a mental breakdown where he decides that the only way to stop evil is by ruling the earth with an iron fist. If humans won’t stop hurting each other, he will make them. Several other heroes join Superman on his new mission while Batman and others attempt to stop him.  One major group of heroes that are never referenced prior to this book in the Injustice Universe is the JSA or the Justice Society of America. Why are the JSA never involved in the rest of the series? This 2021 prequel miniseries answers the question as to what happened to the JSA?

 

Part of this read is set during World War 2 while the rest is set during modern times. During World War 2, the JSA had a secret mission involving a magical amulet. That same amulet later comes to be in possession of the Joker is current times. The amulet has given him a powerful upgrade and the Joker sets out to kill the JSA which will impact the later formation of the Justice League and hurt Batman. It is up to the JSA and the Justice League to combine forces and stop the Joker.

 

This miniseries hinges on the relationship between the Justice League and the JSA. For those who don’t know, the JSA inspired many of the Justice League Members to become heroes. In the original DC universe, the JSA acted as the mentors to the Justice League and are their heroes. Here in the Injustice Universe, the Joker is attempting to destroy that relationship. As a fan of both the JSA and the Justice League, it is fun for me as a reader to see them team up since they do not do it very often.

 

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Zero- The Complete Collection is a very dark and violent tale that is just as twisted as one would expect if they have read anything from the Injustice Universe. Once again Tom Taylor tells an excellent tale featuring lots of deaths and pain for the heroes involved. Being an Elseworld’s tale, the characters in this book are less safe than they would be normally. This read is excellent even if you have no prior experience with any of the rest of the Injustice Universe. However, this read nicely sets up the original Injustice Comic series and the first video game.

 

I highly recommend this for DC fans.

 

Injustice Gods Among Us: Year Zero- The Complete Collection

Tom Taylor

https://www.tomtaylormade.com/

DC Comics

https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/injustice-gods-among-us-year-zero-the-complete-collection

July 2021

ISBN# 978-1-77951-129-4

Hardback (also available in eBook format)

152 Pages 

 

 

My reading copy came from the Central Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: DCceased: Hope At World’s End by Tom Taylor

DCeased: Hope At World’s End by Tom Taylor is another tale set in the DCeased Universe. This one is set between the events of DCeased and DCeased:Unkillables. This tale focuses mostly in the time after the destruction of Metropolis and the process of evacuating the survivors to safe locations during the war between the heroes of Earth and the infected. This volume is primarily narrated by Jimmy Olsen with the main antagonist Black Adam and his infected army.  

 

The issues that make up this volume were originally only released in digital or eBook format only and have been collected together in this book to make a print version. Because of the way the material was originally released, the main characters of each issue vary. and include several characters not used in other books of the series. While this read contains 15 issues, each issue consists of fewer pages than print issue reflecting the fact that each issue was originally a digital product. Additionally, because of that, the art varies tremendously between issues as a number of different artists contributed over the digital series.

 

DCeased: Hope At World’s End is largely content that is designed to flesh out the time period between events in DCeased and DCeased: Unkillables. There is some limited character development, some humor, and plenty of action.  The content presented is rather good, but most of it is not very important to the main stories of the other volumes. This volume is primarily for people who love DC Comics and care about what happened to side characters during the war. The main characters play a role in this tale, but most of the focus is on side characters not relevant to the other volumes of the series. If you are very familiar with the series and want more DCeased content, then DCeased: Hope At World’s End is a good read for you. However, new readers should read the previously referenced books, at the minimum, before reading this volume so you have an idea of what is going on in this series.

 

While DCeased: Hope At World’s End is the weakest read in the overall series, it is still a pretty good read.  

 

DCceased: Hope At World’s End

Tom Taylor

https://www.tomtaylormade.com/

DC Comics

https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/

August 2020

ISBN# 978-1779511287

Hardback (also available in eBook format)

176 Pages

 

 

My reading copy came from the Dunbar Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: DCeased Dead Planet by Tom Taylor

DCeased Dead Planet by Tom Taylor is set up five years after the events of the first book, DCeased.  The new Justice League has setup on a new planet that they have named Earth-2 and things are as well as can be expected after losing so many lives. The Super Sons (the sons of Batman and Superman respectively) have become the new Batman and Superman. Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Woman's apprentice) has become the new Wonder Woman alongside surviving heroes like Mera, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Black Lighting, Hawkgirl, and more. They have no plans to return to the old Earth until a distress call from Cyborg is heard on Earth-2. The new Justice League decides to return to the old earth with the hope of saving their friend.

 

What they don't know is Cyborg discovered that there was a way to turn the infected back to who they were just before his head was ripped from his body by the infected Wonder Woman (Diana). Now just a head, cries out for someone to answer his call. Of course, the mission goes off the rails immediately.

 

Featuring the remaining survivors who have created their own superhero team featuring John Constantine, Detective Chimp (a sentient monkey who dresses like Sherlock Holmes and solves crimes), Red Hood, Zatanna (a witch) and others have made a relatively safe haven for the survivors on the old Earth. Once the Cyborg situation is addressed, these heroes of old Earth will unite with the heroes of Earth-2 to face the ongoing threat from the infected as well as other new dangers.

 

Tom Taylor has created another excellent installment of this Elseworld series.  The sons have clearly grown into their new roles and are fun characters in their own right. This book is well written and features beautiful artwork. Some characters are given the spotlight more than others, but considering there are more than twenty plus heroes, it is difficult for any writer to give everyone a spotlighted situation. As a result, some characters like Hawkgirl and Black Lightning are unfortunately reduced to background characters that do not even have dialogue.

 

A couple of plot points are left dangling for the next installment which was annoying for this reader. Currently, the next book has yet to be announced, but considering the success of this series, it seems clear that there will be another installment. Some readers will also be annoyed, as I was, by the plot induced stupidity that requires intelligent characters to act in stupid ways. In this case, it was the equivalent of going alone and unarmed to the long-abandoned warehouse at two in the morning for a meeting that you have told no one about and left no record of what you are doing behind.

 

Despite those flaws, I highly enjoyed DCeased Dead Planet by Tom Taylor. While not quite as good as the original book, it is still very good. If not already clear, this is a series that builds on itself and should definitely be read in order.

 

The books and my reviews are:

 DCeased (February 2020)

DCceased Unkillables (March 2021)

DCeased Dead Planet (You are here and surrounded)

 

  

DCeased Dead Planet

Tom Taylor

https://www.tomtaylormade.com/

DC Comics

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/DCeased:_Dead_Planet_Vol_1

April 2021

ISBN# 978-1-77950-795-2

Hardback (also available in eBook format)

208 Pages 

 

My reading copy came from the Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott Tipple ©2021