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What happens to the World's Finest if the world ends? With death spreading across the planet, who will live and who will turn in this apocalyptic tale of heroism, sacrifice and annihilation?
It's the end of the world as we know it!
Six hundred million people worldwide are instantly turned into violent, monstrous engines of destruction when their minds are recoded with a corrupted Anti-Life Equation from Apokolips. The heroes of Earth are fighting a losing battle to save humanity, save the world and save themselves, in one of the most shocking tales ever told in the DC Universe.
Fighting time, each other and all of humanity, Earth's greatest heroes must rally together for what may very well be their last chance to save the world from the most terrible plague humanity has ever seen. The Anti-Life Equation has been released and is ravaging the world at the viral speed of social media. Once exposed, victims lose their minds, violently attacking all around them.
The heroes of Earth are fighting a losing battle to save the world...and themselves! With time running out, who will live and who will die in this apocalyptic tale of heroism, sacrifice and annihilation?
Collects issues #1-6 and DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1
It's the end of the world as we know it!
Six hundred million people worldwide are instantly turned into violent, monstrous engines of destruction when their minds are recoded with a corrupted Anti-Life Equation from Apokolips. The heroes of Earth are fighting a losing battle to save humanity, save the world and save themselves, in one of the most shocking tales ever told in the DC Universe.
Fighting time, each other and all of humanity, Earth's greatest heroes must rally together for what may very well be their last chance to save the world from the most terrible plague humanity has ever seen. The Anti-Life Equation has been released and is ravaging the world at the viral speed of social media. Once exposed, victims lose their minds, violently attacking all around them.
The heroes of Earth are fighting a losing battle to save the world...and themselves! With time running out, who will live and who will die in this apocalyptic tale of heroism, sacrifice and annihilation?
Collects issues #1-6 and DCeased: A Good Day to Die #1
236 pages, Hardcover
First published November 26, 2019
About the author
Tom Taylor
1,124 books942 followersOnce a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.
Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.
He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.
He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.
Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.
He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.
He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 762 reviews
October 19, 2023
2023
Re-read in preparation for the finale in DCeased: War of the Undead Gods.
Better the second time around, I'd say!
2019
DCeased didn't blow me away because I felt like I'd seen this sort of thing before, but it managed to be an entertaining story anyway.
It reminded me a bit of Earth 2 (where they took out the big 3) mashed up with Marvel Zombies (wacky infection!), and of course, Injustice with its crazy-shocking surprises & deaths.
Why did that work?
I personally feel it was Tom Taylor's skill as a writer that managed to pull it off and make it seem somewhat fresh. <--I say somewhat because I'm turning into one of those jaded a-holes who've read too many of the same comics, but even as that a-hole I know that there are only so many different ways to tell stories.
Ok, here's the gist: Darkseid won.
Ish.
He downloaded the anti-life equation and sent it to Earth, using electronics to spread a disease that basically turns people into what we think of as zombies.
This story doesn't take place in the main DC universe so Taylor gets to play with the characters and plot in ways that he would never be able to if this were a straight-up Justice League tale.
Which is why a lot of us who have readway too many a fair amount of comics get a kick out of these kinds of things.
For what it set out to do, I think it's a good comic.
I'll be reading the next volume for sure.
Re-read in preparation for the finale in DCeased: War of the Undead Gods.
Better the second time around, I'd say!
2019
DCeased didn't blow me away because I felt like I'd seen this sort of thing before, but it managed to be an entertaining story anyway.
It reminded me a bit of Earth 2 (where they took out the big 3) mashed up with Marvel Zombies (wacky infection!), and of course, Injustice with its crazy-shocking surprises & deaths.
Why did that work?
I personally feel it was Tom Taylor's skill as a writer that managed to pull it off and make it seem somewhat fresh. <--I say somewhat because I'm turning into one of those jaded a-holes who've read too many of the same comics, but even as that a-hole I know that there are only so many different ways to tell stories.
Ok, here's the gist: Darkseid won.
Ish.
He downloaded the anti-life equation and sent it to Earth, using electronics to spread a disease that basically turns people into what we think of as zombies.
This story doesn't take place in the main DC universe so Taylor gets to play with the characters and plot in ways that he would never be able to if this were a straight-up Justice League tale.
Which is why a lot of us who have read
For what it set out to do, I think it's a good comic.
I'll be reading the next volume for sure.
February 26, 2020
4.5 stars
"I know things look dark . . . but you're the light. You're the hope. You're going to change the universe, I know it. No pressure." (tears in his eyes) "Just keep helping." -- Superman, to his son Jon
Imagine if Stephen King and George Romero (who memorably worked together several years ago to respectively write and direct the Creepshow film) teamed up to pen a bloodily horror-tinged, zombie-apocalyptic story starring the Justice League. I think the outcome would be something like DCeased.
One of the strengths of the book was the sustained suspense or tension - all bets are off here, as a number of our heroes (along with a multitude of common folks) become infected with a mysterious virus - spread, per a unique aspect, through social media screens - which quickly turns them into frenzied, unstoppable monsters. Even though it can be argued that the standard plot-line of many Justice League stories involves the 'saving the world' angle, DCeased wisely ups the ante fairly early on by making it pretty clear that Earth is simply doomed. An ensemble cast, trying their best to bravely fight an uphill battle and/or delay the inevitable, is used extremely well, and there are even some nice surprises - such as an unexpected honor bestowed upon Black Canary (yes!), and a heartfelt conversation between the young sons of Superman and Batman - and humor in the mix.
"I know things look dark . . . but you're the light. You're the hope. You're going to change the universe, I know it. No pressure." (tears in his eyes) "Just keep helping." -- Superman, to his son Jon
Imagine if Stephen King and George Romero (who memorably worked together several years ago to respectively write and direct the Creepshow film) teamed up to pen a bloodily horror-tinged, zombie-apocalyptic story starring the Justice League. I think the outcome would be something like DCeased.
One of the strengths of the book was the sustained suspense or tension - all bets are off here, as a number of our heroes (along with a multitude of common folks) become infected with a mysterious virus - spread, per a unique aspect, through social media screens - which quickly turns them into frenzied, unstoppable monsters. Even though it can be argued that the standard plot-line of many Justice League stories involves the 'saving the world' angle, DCeased wisely ups the ante fairly early on by making it pretty clear that Earth is simply doomed. An ensemble cast, trying their best to bravely fight an uphill battle and/or delay the inevitable, is used extremely well, and there are even some nice surprises - such as an unexpected honor bestowed upon Black Canary (yes!), and a heartfelt conversation between the young sons of Superman and Batman - and humor in the mix.
February 23, 2020
Tom Taylor seems to be DC's go to guy for longform Elseworlds versions of the DC universe. First there was Earth-2, then Injustice and Injustice 2, and now DCeased. But considering all of those were great and so is this, why mess with a good thing? Of course, this is going to be compared to books like Marvel Zombies. But that series quickly became goofy as hell. Taylor plays it straight here with lots of heart and even some bits of humor.
Taylor even comes up with a plausible way for this to all start by working in Darkseid's quest for the Anti-Life Equation. It gets corrupted while inserting it into Cyborg who spreads it across the internet, instantly infecting anyone who sees it turning them into zombies. From there, the heroes fight a losing battle as they struggle to save what remains of humanity.
I typically like Trevor Hairsine's art. He brings a grit and detail to his artwork that I like. However here he's inked by longtime Walking Dead inker Stefano Guadiano and the art looks muddied, less defined. Still, the overall story carries it through any art complaints I had.
Taylor even comes up with a plausible way for this to all start by working in Darkseid's quest for the Anti-Life Equation. It gets corrupted while inserting it into Cyborg who spreads it across the internet, instantly infecting anyone who sees it turning them into zombies. From there, the heroes fight a losing battle as they struggle to save what remains of humanity.
I typically like Trevor Hairsine's art. He brings a grit and detail to his artwork that I like. However here he's inked by longtime Walking Dead inker Stefano Guadiano and the art looks muddied, less defined. Still, the overall story carries it through any art complaints I had.
July 5, 2020
Vote: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
I skipped this hardcover volume when it was released here in Italy last month because it was very expensive and I was afraid this DC take on zombie apocalypse was just going to be another Marvel Zombies arrived ten years late, but a goodreads friend of mine (thank you, Scott) with an exquisite taste in comics suggested me reading it and a few images spotted on some Facebook page made me change my mind at last and buy it.
Surprise, this was an excellent grim tale without the silly craziness of former Marvel series about cannibal walking dead (If you think to Marvel Zombies as a movie that's probably going to be Return of the living dead meets Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, DCeased is more something like Stephen King's Cell meets Jack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake or 28 Days later), an action packed tale filled with touching scenes, epic splash-pages and an impending sense of doom growing page after page.
A very solid and entertaining read, but storyline was a few rushed and being my knowledge about DC universe as not good as Marvel one (besides Batman, that I've read for many years since Frank Miller's Dark Knight returns shocked my reader life so much time ago...), the gory deaths of many characters had not the emotional impact that they should have instead.
Nearly five stars.
January 27, 2020
I'm more of a trade collector, but I had to get this issue by issue for spoilers and man oh man...it was a ride.
So the Anti-life equation is here in full force. Death is coming for ALL our heroes and we have very little time left. The first issue starts off vicious with plenty of characters getting killed off quickly. Batman has a plan but maybe the guy with ALL the plans won't have one this time...maybe just maybe...he's one of the first to go?
Thinks are dire through this entire series but it does something so right that a lot of horror stories forget to do. Give us great characters. Make us FEEL when people die instead of just going "oh look at the cool kill" and Taylor nails it. Each character has their moment to shine but a lot of deaths hit hard because it's emotional. The art is also great with some horrifying deaths mixed with bombastic action.
Really, DCeased is a rare mini that will be great for a lot of people. Love zombie type stories? This works well. Love DC characters? This will work well. Love great art mixed with wonderful character moments? This works even better. This is a must read this year IMO and a easy 5 out of 5.
So the Anti-life equation is here in full force. Death is coming for ALL our heroes and we have very little time left. The first issue starts off vicious with plenty of characters getting killed off quickly. Batman has a plan but maybe the guy with ALL the plans won't have one this time...maybe just maybe...he's one of the first to go?
Thinks are dire through this entire series but it does something so right that a lot of horror stories forget to do. Give us great characters. Make us FEEL when people die instead of just going "oh look at the cool kill" and Taylor nails it. Each character has their moment to shine but a lot of deaths hit hard because it's emotional. The art is also great with some horrifying deaths mixed with bombastic action.
Really, DCeased is a rare mini that will be great for a lot of people. Love zombie type stories? This works well. Love DC characters? This will work well. Love great art mixed with wonderful character moments? This works even better. This is a must read this year IMO and a easy 5 out of 5.
September 6, 2020
Darkseid completes the Anti-Life Equation (again), this time with the twist of adding death to the mix - and inadvertently kickstarts the DC version of Marvel Zombies! Booming Cyborg back to Earth from Apokolips as patient zero, he inadvertently spreads the equation as a techno-organic virus when his system automatically connects to the interwebs so anyone with a smartphone or computer, ie. everyone, gets infected - superheroes too. Who lives, who dies, who cares…
There wasn’t much I thought was any good about Tom Taylor’s DCeased (clever title by the by). Taylor writes fantastic dialogue for both Green Arrow and John Constantine too.
In fact, by far the only standout parts of the book were Constantine’s scenes and I loved that Darick Robertson drew his introduction. That opening scene in Liverpool is brilliant and the back and forths he has with the surviving characters is perfect:
Mister Miracle: “Are you okay?”
Constantine: “Peachy. Just set me best mate on fire and crashed his car while sitting on his ashes. How’s your day going?”
MM: “My entire planet was destroyed.”
C: “All right. It’s not a competition.”
Other than that it’s predictably tedious. The virus spreads, one hero after another gets infected, oh no what do we gotta do, oh no it’s so and so but zombified, arrgh run run, etc. Such a dull read to watch the same thing happen over and over while the story heads in the only direction these kinds of stories go which is mounting meaningless destruction. I also didn’t like Trevor Hairsine’s wobbly art that showed some of the worst depictions of these characters I’ve ever seen - his Harley in particular is horrendous.
If you’ve read one zombie superheroes book, you’ve read them all and DCeased doesn’t do anything special to grab its audience’s attention - I was bored nearly all the time. Like his popular Injustice series, DCeased is another Tom Taylor title I’m not going to be following beyond the first volume.
The Constantine scenes were so good and different from everything else (nearly everything - the Green Arrow stuff was also similarly great), it felt like it was taken from another book entirely. So I was delighted to find out recently that Taylor/Robertson have actually just launched a separate Hellblazer series on Black Label! So maybe this was a prelude to that or DC/the two creators sensed the magic there too and chose to explore that further - either way, I’m definitely checking out Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1.
There wasn’t much I thought was any good about Tom Taylor’s DCeased (clever title by the by). Taylor writes fantastic dialogue for both Green Arrow and John Constantine too.
In fact, by far the only standout parts of the book were Constantine’s scenes and I loved that Darick Robertson drew his introduction. That opening scene in Liverpool is brilliant and the back and forths he has with the surviving characters is perfect:
Mister Miracle: “Are you okay?”
Constantine: “Peachy. Just set me best mate on fire and crashed his car while sitting on his ashes. How’s your day going?”
MM: “My entire planet was destroyed.”
C: “All right. It’s not a competition.”
Other than that it’s predictably tedious. The virus spreads, one hero after another gets infected, oh no what do we gotta do, oh no it’s so and so but zombified, arrgh run run, etc. Such a dull read to watch the same thing happen over and over while the story heads in the only direction these kinds of stories go which is mounting meaningless destruction. I also didn’t like Trevor Hairsine’s wobbly art that showed some of the worst depictions of these characters I’ve ever seen - his Harley in particular is horrendous.
If you’ve read one zombie superheroes book, you’ve read them all and DCeased doesn’t do anything special to grab its audience’s attention - I was bored nearly all the time. Like his popular Injustice series, DCeased is another Tom Taylor title I’m not going to be following beyond the first volume.
The Constantine scenes were so good and different from everything else (nearly everything - the Green Arrow stuff was also similarly great), it felt like it was taken from another book entirely. So I was delighted to find out recently that Taylor/Robertson have actually just launched a separate Hellblazer series on Black Label! So maybe this was a prelude to that or DC/the two creators sensed the magic there too and chose to explore that further - either way, I’m definitely checking out Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1.
January 2, 2024
8.2/10
DCeased not only keeps you entertained, which is what you want from a book with this concept, but also gets you emotionally invested. Since the beginning it establishes that no one is safe, so there is tension all the time.
The dialogues are very well written and there are some great art panels.
End of the world scenarios have been done many times, but yet somehow this feels fresh.
Definitely recommended.
DCeased not only keeps you entertained, which is what you want from a book with this concept, but also gets you emotionally invested. Since the beginning it establishes that no one is safe, so there is tension all the time.
The dialogues are very well written and there are some great art panels.
End of the world scenarios have been done many times, but yet somehow this feels fresh.
Definitely recommended.
December 7, 2019
Darkseid something something anti-life equation, and that’s how we got DC Zombies, basically. A bit derivative? Yep. Kinda vapid? Sure. Does this book exist primarily to serve its (brilliant) title? Almost certainly. But Tom Taylor was clearly having a lot of fun writing this book, and I did reading it, too. The story packs a few cool twists and turns, and the tension is always high thanks to the huge scope and wide cast of characters that involves pretty much every major DC hero and many of the villains. Taylor does a great job pacing the story and juggling it between all the characters, making nobody’s role feel short-changed. Overall, this may not be the deepest superhero comic out there, but it’s certainly one of the most entertaining ones I’ve read all year, in a mindless popcorn blockbuster kind of way.
September 14, 2023
İnsanı çizgi roman sevdiğine utandıracak ayarda bir DC kitabı. Geek alemi olarak, yeri geliyor hepimiz çizgi roman karakterleriyle ilgili ipe sapa gelmez geyikler yapıyor, incir çekirdeğini doldurmayacak fikirleri birbirimize anlatıp gülüyor, bazen de şakaları gereğinden fazla uzatıyoruz. Ama ne yapmadığımızı söyleyeyim, tutup da insanı en fazla elli saniye eğlendirecek şakay�� kitap yapmıyor, katı kaka kıvamında hikayeleri yirmi dilde kırk edisyonla basmıyoruz.
* * * Bu arada uyarı. Spoiler vermeme kaygısı gütmedim, hikayesi olmayan bu kitap hakkında herhangi bir şeyi saklamaya tenezzül etmedim. “Vay sonunu söyledin, pis adam!” draması yaşamayalım lütfen. * * *
Harf oyunlu cin isimle gelen kitap, “Süpo ve arkadaşları zombi olsa ne fena olurdu değil mi?” fikri üzerinden hareket ediyor, bize DC dünyasında zombi felaketi olsaydı neler olurdu anlatma sözü veriyor. Gel gör ki hareket ettiği yerden pek de uzaklaşamıyor, kitap boyunca ilk cümlenin üzerine herhangi bir şey koyamıyor.
Aslında hikaye falan yok, kitap porno gibi bir şey ama adettendir, ben yine de bir özet geçeyim. Çizgi romandan anlamayan edebiyat tayfa da paniklemesin, kıyamam. Ben çok güzel anlatacağım şimdi mevzuyu size. Şimdi bu dünyada Süpermen diye bir abi var, onu biliyorsunuzdur zaten (filmi var, bıyıkları CGI’la silindi) bir de Batman var (düz adam ama zengin, yarasa fetişi var, sesi çatallı) Bunların da bir sürü yancısı var, hepsi tayt giyiyor, sapık sapık güçleri var. İşte kimi hızlı koşuyor, öbürü çok büyüyor, diğeri küçülüyor; sirk gibi düşünün ama etrafta uçup birbirlerini dövüyorlar.
Bunlar süper olduğu için, düşmanlarının da süper olması gerekiyor. Yoksa hemen dövüyor Süpermen zaten, zevki çıkmıyor. O yüzden bir de Darkseid diye bir tip var. Zerre önemi olmayan sik-sok bir yerlerin lordu mordu bu, butik Allah gibi bir şey. Süpermen’e de kıl tabii biraz. Darkseid’in işi gücü karşı-yaşam denklemi, habire onu arıyor. Denklem de bir transandantal matematik formülü, (Ulan, bir tane vektör uzaylı lineer cebir sorusu versem eline, masanın altında ağlayarak baş parmağını emecek tipler şöyle şeyler yazıyor ya, gerçekten bazen...) işte bu meğersem öyle bir formül ki, denklemi bilen tüm akıllı ırkları domine ediyor, önünde diz çöktürüyor. Otostopçu ’daki 42’nin tersi bir nevi. Darkseid denyosu, bir şekilde buluyor denklemi. Denklem de virüs gibi bir şey çıkmasın mı sana? Sen birden canlan! Önce Cyborg’a bulaşıyor(bu da robot adam ama kahraman, bok gibi şaka yapıyor) Cyborg’dan zıplayıp bir de internete bulaşıyor üstüne. Cep telefonuna, bilgisayar ekranına, akıllı saate falan musallat oluyor, internete girmiş cin gibi. Gören zombiye dönüşüyor. Dur yere dünyanın sonu sana. Standart zombi felaketi ama komikli video izlenerek de zombi olunabiliyor yani. Başta anlattığımız kahramanlar da diyor ki, “Haydi, biraz da birbirimizi zombi olarak dövelim.”
Aslında buna benzer bir kitabı geçtiğimiz yıllarda Marvel yapmış, İlk on saniyede güzelmiş gibi gözüken zombi süper kahramanlar zıkkımının, ne kadar sıkıcı olabildiğini bize ispatlamıştı. Ha, en azından Marvel paraya kıyıp hikayeyi, zombiden anlayan adama, Walking Dead’den tanıdığımız Robert Kirkman ’a yazdırmıştı. Bok gibi hikayeydi ama hedef kitle olarak zeka yönünden dezavantajlı ergen oğlanları almıştı, bu yüzden hayvan gibi sattı.
Warner kardeşler de Marvel’in her yaptığını tekrarlamazsa ölecek hastalığından muzdarip olduğundan malum, geçtiğimiz yıllarda fikri hemen çaktı, zombi salgınını DC’nin dünyasına da saldı. Tabii Marvel’den süreç iyi gözlemlenmiş, rakiplerinin hareketlerinden dersler çıkarılmış belli ki. Bu DC’ciler bakmışlar ana akım çizgi roman fanları zerre seçici değil, önüne uçan bok koysan beğeniyor, okuyor, üstüne “ bu uçan pelerinli bokun Adalet Takımı’yla ortak maceraları çıkacak mı?” diye soruyor, daha da uğraşmamışlar yazar aramaya, zombisiyle ünlü memleketi bulmaya. Hikayesizliğiyle ünlü Tom Taylor’a vurmuş piyango.
Aslında tam bu kalibrede bir yazar Tom Taylor. Injustiice serisinden tanıyoruz bu ütü kafalı yeteneksiz adamı. Kısaca hatırlatmak gerekirse; onlarcasını gördüğümüz, illallah ettiğimiz, “kötü Süpermen” serilerinden biriydi Injustice. Aslında çizgi roman değil video oyunu olarak tasarlanmıştı en başta; DC kahramanları birbirini dövüyordu, ara demolar dışında konusu olamayan bir Street Fighter-Mortal Kombat kolajıydı. Ama oyunun satışları azalmasın diye çizgi romanını yapmak gerekmiş, görev de Tom’a düşmüştü. Yazarın daha sonra kişisel imzası haline gelen, iyi başlayan hikayeyi sıkıcılaştırmanın yegane örneğiydi. Sündükçe sündü, bitmek bilmedi. Tom Taylor ise bu ana akım çizgi roman pazarında kötü işin de sattığını keşfedince, öz güven yeniledi, gidip birbirinden sıkıcı işlerle kariyerini devam ettirdi.
Şimdi Dceased de, aslında Injustice ile aynı kodları izliyor; başta bir konu var gibi yapıyor, araya ilginç üç beş sayfa serpiştiriliyor, sonra çeşitli kombinasyonlarda taytlı adam ve kadınlar birbirini dövüyor. Kitap olabilecek her türlü klişeyi içinde barındırıyor. Kimsenin umrunda olmayan Darkseid sayfalarıyla başlıyor, ardından sağda solda kahraman grupları zombiye dönüşüyor veya zombilerle savaşıyor. Her şey olağanüstü derecede sıkıcı. On sayfada bir başka taytlı adam ve kadınlar zombiye dönüşüyor, yakınlarındaki dönüşmeyenlerle “döğüş ediyor.” Sonra, diğer bir grup aynı şeyi yapıyor. Klasik Süpermen embesillikleri elbette eksik olmuyor. Çizgi romanlarda en çok nefret ettiğim “İyi ki bilmem neyimi yanıma almışım” açıklamasıyla problem çözülüyor. Louis Lane’e elbette bir bok olmuyor, çünkü Süpermen’in manitası ve Tom’a drama lazım. Zombileri öldürüp öldürmemek etik sorun oluyor ama maşallah bu konuşulana kadar tarihin en büyük kitlesel katliamları yapılmış oluyor. Adını öğrenmeye tenezzül etmeyeceğim çerez kahramanlar görünüp görünüp kayboluyor. Arada Süpermen’in ezik babasına üzülmemiz gerekiyor.
Kitap gerçekten aptallıkla dolu. Mesela Bu Batman dediğimiz adamın tüm esprisi kostümüdür, “milyon, milyar dolar... Batman, sen ne yaptın?” dedirten ekipmanlar alır bu zengin piç, götünden başından fırlayan zamazingo ile hava atar. Batman’i çıtır çıtır yiyorlar o kostümün üzerinden, marula sarılmış çiğ köfte gibi harş diye dişliyorlar götünü. Vay yaratıcı yazarlığa bak, oğlum ateş falan açıyorlar bu herifin kostümüne, aşiret düğünü gibi keleşlerle girişiyorlar normalde Gotham’da buna da yine bir bok olmuyor Batman’a. İlla 7.62, 39mm mühimmatın sahip olduğu kinetik enerjiyi mi hesaplayayım ben size burada? Siz niye ısırtıyorsunuz lan adamı, aptal mısınız? Hayır, bir de tekno-biyolojik virüs yazmışlar, Catwomandan sms gelsin, ona bakarken zombi olsun işte, biz de diyelim “bak, uçkurunun derdine gitti dağ gibi Batman.” Niye zombiye yediriyorsunuz oğlum adamı?
Ardından uzun uzun Harley Quinn anlatıyor kitap bize. Poison Ivy ile takılıyor bunlar, yaşadıkları maceranın en ufak bir önemi yok, hikayeye tırnak kadar katkısı yok ama mütemadiyen Harley karşımıza çıkıyor, ne kadar çılgın, ne kadar çapkın olduğunu anlatıyor. Bir yerde bu, zombi Batgirl, zombi Black canary, zombi Catwoman, Batman’in yancısı ne kadar kadın varsa hepsiyle birden karşılaşıyor. Ya ben gerçekten bu Amerikalı, beyinsiz, cinsel açlık içinde erkek yazarların, ereksiyon halindeyken yazdığı anlamsız fantazileri, çizgi roman başlığı altında okumaktan rahatsız oluyorum. Bunlar zombiyken de beraber geziyormuş meğer, Harley Quinn’in ile güreşiyorlar. Sırf otuz birci incel embesiller kitabı alsın diye eklenmiş anlamsız sahneler birbirini kovalıyor. Bu Tom Suicide Squad da yazıyor bu arada, şah değil şahbaz yani aslında. Yani karaktere de yabancı değil aslında ama karakterin yapısını da sallamıyor bir noktada.. Harley Quinn, Joker takıntısı etrafında oluşmuş ve bu yüzden delirmiş bir karakter normalde. Buradaysa, ilk kareden zombi Joker’i öldürmeye gidiyor Harley, sorf fan service için. Ulan zaten anlamsız, sadece mastürbasyon malzemesi olduğu için popülerleşmiş bir karakter yazıyorsun. Tek bir ilginç özelliği, bir tane ayırt edici yönü var karakterin, onu da yazmayı beceremiyorsun. Daha sen ne işe yarıyorsun?
Kitapta biraz ilgi çekici olan tek kısım Constantine’in yaşadığı bir iki macera, onlar da kitabın bütünlüğüne uymadığı için kendi içinde idare eder olsa da kitapta sakil duruyor. Büyülü, iblisli bir anti-hero karakter bu Constantine. DC’nin, çizgi romanını yayınladığı tüm karakterleri tek dünyada toplama aptallığından dolayı (çünkü Marvel öyle yapıyor, daha çok para kazanıyor. DC de öyle yapmak zorunda) tüm esprisi kaçmış karakterlerden biri bu arada. Burada da aynı şey oluyor, tek başına yazılsa makul olabilecek sayfalar, elini sallasan süpere değen, dizayn olarak hatalı bir dünyada, gereksiz ve anlamsız kalıyor.
Zaten bütün itibariyle sıkıcı olan hikayede, detaylara indiğiniz zaman da kayda değer bir şey bulamıyorsunuz. Yazarın yetersiz zekaya ve ergen zihnine sahip oluşunu sıklıkla hatırlatan lüzumsuzluklar, mütemadiyen gözümüze sokuluyor. Dünya yanmış bitmiş, ahraz herifler hala espri yapma çabası içinde, şakalar ise tabii ki komik değil. Gerçekten şunları yazan insanın on altı yaşından büyük olduğuna inanmak o kadar zor ki. Dışarıda zombiler dışarı çıkanın götünü yiyor, justice league’dekiler Batman’a trip atıyor. “Ne yani Batman? Sen bize güvenmiyor musun? Hepimize izleyici mi taktın?” diyorlar zombiye dönüşen herifi takip edebildiği için. Ya, bütün çizgi romanlarınız sırayla birbirinizle dövmenizle geçiyor, devamlı denyoluk peşinde tiplersiniz, herif takip etmesin de ne yapsın? Hem Niye bu yeni ve alışılmadık bir şey gibi davranıyorsunuz ki her seferinde. Batman de öyle bir insan yani biraz, onu da öyle kabul edeceksiniz bir yerde.
Bolca, Louis Lane dramasıyla, “duygusalllaşmamızı” talep ediyor kitap ama bunun için gerçek bir sebep verme gereği de duymuyor. Louis gösteriyor, diyor ki “Supermen aha bunu seviyor işte, yazık ne tatlılar.” Louis Lane’de de lüzumsuz bir öz güven var bu arada. Bir yerde Süpermen diyor ki buna, “Balım, Smallville daha korunaklıdır, seni oraya götüreyim” Louis diyor “Bana Burada ihtiyaç duyulacağını biliyorsun.” Ya sana tarih boyunca kim, niye ihtiyaç duysun ahraz karı? Bu güne kadar herhangi bir işe yaramışlığın mı var senin? Çocukları da koşuyor hemen, “baba baba geri döneceksin di mi?” dramaya bak...
Lex Luthor geliyor, diyor “böyle durumlarda eski düşmanlıkları unutmak lazım. Olur mu böyle ya, hepimiz kardeşiz bu felakete karşı.” Neşeli günlerdeki gibi aileyi birleştirelim falan diyor, sonra hemen ihanet ediyor şerefsiz. Vay bu nasıl twist, hiç çaktırmadın kardeşim, şeytanın aklına gelmez Lex Luthor’un hain çıkacağı, bravo. Arada kim olduğunu hiç bilmediğim kahramanlar geliyor, arada Darkseid’ın gezegenine gidip bakılıyor, Cyborg gereksiz drama yaratıyor, Wonder Woman boş boş konuşuyor, o kadar hiçbir şey olmuyor ki kitap boyunca...
Ama muhtemelen kitabın en gereksiz kısmı yine Aquaman. Ya artık anlayın şu herifi, kimse balık adam bu sefer ne yaptı acana diye düşünmüyor, Aquaman’in maceralarıyla ilgilenmiyor. Bir şey de olmuyor ha, onlara da zombi bulaşmış evet. Zombi Aquman balığa, ahtapota biniyor. İnşallah Japonlar bütün okyanusu avlayıp bitirir! Bana ne lan Atlantis’ten? Filmi başarılı oldu diye mi bu malı hala çizmiyorlar hiç anlamıyorum. Oğlum, Jason Momoa oynadı diye izledik biz o filmi, kaslı maslı diye izledik, Aquaman’e bayıldığımızdan değil. Cthulhu çıkmıyorsa ilgilenmiyoruz okyanusla falan, yeter ya! Tüm bu Aquaman sayfaları yerine tek bir panel koyup, yarısı yenmiş bir balık kılçığının üstüne “Aquaman...” yazma fırsatının kaçtığına gerçekten inanamıyorum.
Bu bir “Süpermen kötü olsa ne tatsız olurdu di mi?” çizgi romanı olduğu için elbette bir noktada Süpermen de zombiye dönüşüyor. Her ne kadar “kötü Süpermen” konseptinin Boys ve Invinsible gibi güzel örnekleri gelmiş olsa da, artık boku çıkmış durumda. İyisinden çok kötüsü var Süpermen’in, ya bırakın şu adamı biraz kahramanlık yapsın, hemen yakıyor dünyayı. Bu da aslında bir kötü Süpermen fikri olduğundan, kitap boyunca Süpermen’den inceden bir korkuluyor aslında. Diyorlar ki “aman Süpo, sen gitme istersen, şimdi sana komikli video gösterip zombi yaparlar. Senin kedi videolarına zaafın var” Ama bu diyor “yok yok, hep x-ışınlı bakışımla bakıyorum ben artık, dönüşmem.” Çünkü zombiden kurtulursak kanser olalım bu pezevenk yüzünden, biz harcanabiliriz tabii. Neyse, yazar aptal olduğundan Süpo’nun zombi oluşu da muazzam bir aptallıkla gerçekleşiyor. Flash virüs kapınca çok hızlı koşa koşa milleti ısırmaya başlıyor (ne yalan söyleyeyim bir süre güldüm buna), bu da diyor ki “ben yetişemeyeceğim Flash’a, bari dünyanın öbür tarafından dolanayım da çarpayım” “Lan sen normalde yetişemediğin adama, nasıl 40,075 km çaplı kürenin öbür tarafından dolaşarak denk gelecek ve çarpacaksın?” kısmına girmiyorum artık bu noktadan sonra, mantık bu toprakları terk edeli çok oldu. Bu aptallar çarpışıyor, Flash parçalanıyor, parçaları da Süpermen’in götüne kaçtığı için Süpo, zombi oluyor. Bununla ilgili o kadar uzun süre söylenebilir, o kadar çok şey sorabilirim ki. Gerçekten şuna harcadığım zamanın ötesinde, bunu okumak için para verdiğime, bu çizgi romanı almak için emeğimi kiraladığıma inanamıyorum.
Kitabın hiçbir şeyi düzgün olmadığı gibi çizimleri de değil. Bu aptallığı çizmeye Alex Ross’u falan ikna edememişler normal olarak, Trevor Hairsine ve Stefano Guadiano ikilisi üstlenmiş görselleri. Aslında fena çizerler değiller normalde, daha önce mükemmelden uzak ama başarılı işleriyle bilinen de adamlar. Ancak anatomik hatalar, aşırı kötü mimikler, tuhaf pozlar, mütemadiyen “götüm var duruşu” sergileyen kadınlar, “bu sakat galiba“ dedirten adamlar, iyice tadını kaçırıyor hikayenin. Ne zaman çizimlere detaylı baksanız mutlaka bir terslik buluyorsunuz. Aslında kitap, sadece ara demo gösteren, konusuz aksiyon oyunlarına benziyor biraz. Sayfa ve fasikül kapaklarına ikonik zombi sahnelerini ve korku filmi göndermelerini, süper kahramanlarla çizebilmek için yapılmış. Almadan önce göz boyamak için her şey yapılmış ama içi kaka festivali, çeşitli Dc kahramanları neşeyle kakadan melekler yapıyor kahverengine boyanmış mekanlarda. Tema olarak seçtikleri zombileri görselleştirme biçimleri de son derece başarısız bu arada. Düz biçimde çiziyorlar zombileştirilecek kahramanı, normal gölgelendirmenin ardından ekstra bir katman, çok da iğrenç gözükmeyen kan ekliyorlar, zombimiz hazır. Sen vücut salgıları, çürümüş et, parçalanmış bedenler çizemeyeceksin madem ne halt etmeye zombi çizgi romanı çizmeye soyunuyorsun? Ben bu kadar temiz zombi görmedim hayatımda. Artık yayın politikasına mı takıldı, öfkeli anneler çok kanlı olursa laf ederler diye mi korktular veya tamamen çizerlerin beceriksizliği miydi bilmiyorum ama hiç ellerindne gelmemiş zombi çizgi romanı yapmak. Ama kimse de dememiş ki “You have one job ulan,” övmüşler de durmuşlar bu dingilleri.
Hemen her kötü DC hikayesi gibi arada bir sürü konudan bağımsız, ufak tefek tip görünüyor, hikaye yazmayı beceremedikleri için de her sayfada random kavga ediliyor. Ne zaman biraz idare eder bir diyalog yaşansa, mesela Green Arrow’un kamptaki konuşmasından sonra (Bu arada süper ok atıyorum ben diyen kahraman mı olur, ben de excel’de süper formül yazıyorum, hemen pelerin mi giyeyim?), hemen saçma ve klişe bir şey oluyor. En son Green Lanternlar gelip hiçbir şey yapmıyor. Kalan son fizik kanunları kapıyı çarparak çıkıp gidiyor, Süpermen de güneşi yemeye gidiyor. Sonunda çok da bir halt etmişler gibi hikaye ucu açık bitiyor. Dolduruyorlar kim varsa gemilere -o demiler nasıl yapıldı, hangi iş gücü, hangi kaynak falan sormuyorum artık, manık bu çizgi romanda aranabilecek bir şey değil- defolup gidiyorlar. Tom Taylor da ekmeğinde tabii, mayış yatmaya devam etsin istiyor.
Uzun zamandır okuduğum en kötü DC çizgi romanıydı Dceased. Herhangi bir nedenle hiç kimseye önermiyorum. Aldığı puan ise gerçekten inanılmaz. Goodreads’in puanlama algoritmasının ne kadar basit ve kötü olduğunu, çöp oyların elenmesi için bir şey yapılmadığı sürece puanlamanın ne kadar güvenilmez olduğunu gösterdiği kadar, demokrasinin neden dandik bir yönetim biçimi olduğunu da ispatlıyor şu puanlama. Ha, ille de canınız zombileşmiş süper kahraman görmek istiyorsa, Google’dan fasikül kapaklarına falan bakın kitabın. Geri kalanında zaten daha iyi bir şey görmeyeceksiniz. Bu kitabı herhangi bir insanın satın alması için inanın hiçbir sebep yok.
(edited 09.23)
* * * Bu arada uyarı. Spoiler vermeme kaygısı gütmedim, hikayesi olmayan bu kitap hakkında herhangi bir şeyi saklamaya tenezzül etmedim. “Vay sonunu söyledin, pis adam!” draması yaşamayalım lütfen. * * *
Harf oyunlu cin isimle gelen kitap, “Süpo ve arkadaşları zombi olsa ne fena olurdu değil mi?” fikri üzerinden hareket ediyor, bize DC dünyasında zombi felaketi olsaydı neler olurdu anlatma sözü veriyor. Gel gör ki hareket ettiği yerden pek de uzaklaşamıyor, kitap boyunca ilk cümlenin üzerine herhangi bir şey koyamıyor.
Aslında hikaye falan yok, kitap porno gibi bir şey ama adettendir, ben yine de bir özet geçeyim. Çizgi romandan anlamayan edebiyat tayfa da paniklemesin, kıyamam. Ben çok güzel anlatacağım şimdi mevzuyu size. Şimdi bu dünyada Süpermen diye bir abi var, onu biliyorsunuzdur zaten (filmi var, bıyıkları CGI’la silindi) bir de Batman var (düz adam ama zengin, yarasa fetişi var, sesi çatallı) Bunların da bir sürü yancısı var, hepsi tayt giyiyor, sapık sapık güçleri var. İşte kimi hızlı koşuyor, öbürü çok büyüyor, diğeri küçülüyor; sirk gibi düşünün ama etrafta uçup birbirlerini dövüyorlar.
Bunlar süper olduğu için, düşmanlarının da süper olması gerekiyor. Yoksa hemen dövüyor Süpermen zaten, zevki çıkmıyor. O yüzden bir de Darkseid diye bir tip var. Zerre önemi olmayan sik-sok bir yerlerin lordu mordu bu, butik Allah gibi bir şey. Süpermen’e de kıl tabii biraz. Darkseid’in işi gücü karşı-yaşam denklemi, habire onu arıyor. Denklem de bir transandantal matematik formülü, (Ulan, bir tane vektör uzaylı lineer cebir sorusu versem eline, masanın altında ağlayarak baş parmağını emecek tipler şöyle şeyler yazıyor ya, gerçekten bazen...) işte bu meğersem öyle bir formül ki, denklemi bilen tüm akıllı ırkları domine ediyor, önünde diz çöktürüyor. Otostopçu ’daki 42’nin tersi bir nevi. Darkseid denyosu, bir şekilde buluyor denklemi. Denklem de virüs gibi bir şey çıkmasın mı sana? Sen birden canlan! Önce Cyborg’a bulaşıyor(bu da robot adam ama kahraman, bok gibi şaka yapıyor) Cyborg’dan zıplayıp bir de internete bulaşıyor üstüne. Cep telefonuna, bilgisayar ekranına, akıllı saate falan musallat oluyor, internete girmiş cin gibi. Gören zombiye dönüşüyor. Dur yere dünyanın sonu sana. Standart zombi felaketi ama komikli video izlenerek de zombi olunabiliyor yani. Başta anlattığımız kahramanlar da diyor ki, “Haydi, biraz da birbirimizi zombi olarak dövelim.”
Aslında buna benzer bir kitabı geçtiğimiz yıllarda Marvel yapmış, İlk on saniyede güzelmiş gibi gözüken zombi süper kahramanlar zıkkımının, ne kadar sıkıcı olabildiğini bize ispatlamıştı. Ha, en azından Marvel paraya kıyıp hikayeyi, zombiden anlayan adama, Walking Dead’den tanıdığımız Robert Kirkman ’a yazdırmıştı. Bok gibi hikayeydi ama hedef kitle olarak zeka yönünden dezavantajlı ergen oğlanları almıştı, bu yüzden hayvan gibi sattı.
Warner kardeşler de Marvel’in her yaptığını tekrarlamazsa ölecek hastalığından muzdarip olduğundan malum, geçtiğimiz yıllarda fikri hemen çaktı, zombi salgınını DC’nin dünyasına da saldı. Tabii Marvel’den süreç iyi gözlemlenmiş, rakiplerinin hareketlerinden dersler çıkarılmış belli ki. Bu DC’ciler bakmışlar ana akım çizgi roman fanları zerre seçici değil, önüne uçan bok koysan beğeniyor, okuyor, üstüne “ bu uçan pelerinli bokun Adalet Takımı’yla ortak maceraları çıkacak mı?” diye soruyor, daha da uğraşmamışlar yazar aramaya, zombisiyle ünlü memleketi bulmaya. Hikayesizliğiyle ünlü Tom Taylor’a vurmuş piyango.
Aslında tam bu kalibrede bir yazar Tom Taylor. Injustiice serisinden tanıyoruz bu ütü kafalı yeteneksiz adamı. Kısaca hatırlatmak gerekirse; onlarcasını gördüğümüz, illallah ettiğimiz, “kötü Süpermen” serilerinden biriydi Injustice. Aslında çizgi roman değil video oyunu olarak tasarlanmıştı en başta; DC kahramanları birbirini dövüyordu, ara demolar dışında konusu olamayan bir Street Fighter-Mortal Kombat kolajıydı. Ama oyunun satışları azalmasın diye çizgi romanını yapmak gerekmiş, görev de Tom’a düşmüştü. Yazarın daha sonra kişisel imzası haline gelen, iyi başlayan hikayeyi sıkıcılaştırmanın yegane örneğiydi. Sündükçe sündü, bitmek bilmedi. Tom Taylor ise bu ana akım çizgi roman pazarında kötü işin de sattığını keşfedince, öz güven yeniledi, gidip birbirinden sıkıcı işlerle kariyerini devam ettirdi.
Şimdi Dceased de, aslında Injustice ile aynı kodları izliyor; başta bir konu var gibi yapıyor, araya ilginç üç beş sayfa serpiştiriliyor, sonra çeşitli kombinasyonlarda taytlı adam ve kadınlar birbirini dövüyor. Kitap olabilecek her türlü klişeyi içinde barındırıyor. Kimsenin umrunda olmayan Darkseid sayfalarıyla başlıyor, ardından sağda solda kahraman grupları zombiye dönüşüyor veya zombilerle savaşıyor. Her şey olağanüstü derecede sıkıcı. On sayfada bir başka taytlı adam ve kadınlar zombiye dönüşüyor, yakınlarındaki dönüşmeyenlerle “döğüş ediyor.” Sonra, diğer bir grup aynı şeyi yapıyor. Klasik Süpermen embesillikleri elbette eksik olmuyor. Çizgi romanlarda en çok nefret ettiğim “İyi ki bilmem neyimi yanıma almışım” açıklamasıyla problem çözülüyor. Louis Lane’e elbette bir bok olmuyor, çünkü Süpermen’in manitası ve Tom’a drama lazım. Zombileri öldürüp öldürmemek etik sorun oluyor ama maşallah bu konuşulana kadar tarihin en büyük kitlesel katliamları yapılmış oluyor. Adını öğrenmeye tenezzül etmeyeceğim çerez kahramanlar görünüp görünüp kayboluyor. Arada Süpermen’in ezik babasına üzülmemiz gerekiyor.
Kitap gerçekten aptallıkla dolu. Mesela Bu Batman dediğimiz adamın tüm esprisi kostümüdür, “milyon, milyar dolar... Batman, sen ne yaptın?” dedirten ekipmanlar alır bu zengin piç, götünden başından fırlayan zamazingo ile hava atar. Batman’i çıtır çıtır yiyorlar o kostümün üzerinden, marula sarılmış çiğ köfte gibi harş diye dişliyorlar götünü. Vay yaratıcı yazarlığa bak, oğlum ateş falan açıyorlar bu herifin kostümüne, aşiret düğünü gibi keleşlerle girişiyorlar normalde Gotham’da buna da yine bir bok olmuyor Batman’a. İlla 7.62, 39mm mühimmatın sahip olduğu kinetik enerjiyi mi hesaplayayım ben size burada? Siz niye ısırtıyorsunuz lan adamı, aptal mısınız? Hayır, bir de tekno-biyolojik virüs yazmışlar, Catwomandan sms gelsin, ona bakarken zombi olsun işte, biz de diyelim “bak, uçkurunun derdine gitti dağ gibi Batman.” Niye zombiye yediriyorsunuz oğlum adamı?
Ardından uzun uzun Harley Quinn anlatıyor kitap bize. Poison Ivy ile takılıyor bunlar, yaşadıkları maceranın en ufak bir önemi yok, hikayeye tırnak kadar katkısı yok ama mütemadiyen Harley karşımıza çıkıyor, ne kadar çılgın, ne kadar çapkın olduğunu anlatıyor. Bir yerde bu, zombi Batgirl, zombi Black canary, zombi Catwoman, Batman’in yancısı ne kadar kadın varsa hepsiyle birden karşılaşıyor. Ya ben gerçekten bu Amerikalı, beyinsiz, cinsel açlık içinde erkek yazarların, ereksiyon halindeyken yazdığı anlamsız fantazileri, çizgi roman başlığı altında okumaktan rahatsız oluyorum. Bunlar zombiyken de beraber geziyormuş meğer, Harley Quinn’in ile güreşiyorlar. Sırf otuz birci incel embesiller kitabı alsın diye eklenmiş anlamsız sahneler birbirini kovalıyor. Bu Tom Suicide Squad da yazıyor bu arada, şah değil şahbaz yani aslında. Yani karaktere de yabancı değil aslında ama karakterin yapısını da sallamıyor bir noktada.. Harley Quinn, Joker takıntısı etrafında oluşmuş ve bu yüzden delirmiş bir karakter normalde. Buradaysa, ilk kareden zombi Joker’i öldürmeye gidiyor Harley, sorf fan service için. Ulan zaten anlamsız, sadece mastürbasyon malzemesi olduğu için popülerleşmiş bir karakter yazıyorsun. Tek bir ilginç özelliği, bir tane ayırt edici yönü var karakterin, onu da yazmayı beceremiyorsun. Daha sen ne işe yarıyorsun?
Kitapta biraz ilgi çekici olan tek kısım Constantine’in yaşadığı bir iki macera, onlar da kitabın bütünlüğüne uymadığı için kendi içinde idare eder olsa da kitapta sakil duruyor. Büyülü, iblisli bir anti-hero karakter bu Constantine. DC’nin, çizgi romanını yayınladığı tüm karakterleri tek dünyada toplama aptallığından dolayı (çünkü Marvel öyle yapıyor, daha çok para kazanıyor. DC de öyle yapmak zorunda) tüm esprisi kaçmış karakterlerden biri bu arada. Burada da aynı şey oluyor, tek başına yazılsa makul olabilecek sayfalar, elini sallasan süpere değen, dizayn olarak hatalı bir dünyada, gereksiz ve anlamsız kalıyor.
Zaten bütün itibariyle sıkıcı olan hikayede, detaylara indiğiniz zaman da kayda değer bir şey bulamıyorsunuz. Yazarın yetersiz zekaya ve ergen zihnine sahip oluşunu sıklıkla hatırlatan lüzumsuzluklar, mütemadiyen gözümüze sokuluyor. Dünya yanmış bitmiş, ahraz herifler hala espri yapma çabası içinde, şakalar ise tabii ki komik değil. Gerçekten şunları yazan insanın on altı yaşından büyük olduğuna inanmak o kadar zor ki. Dışarıda zombiler dışarı çıkanın götünü yiyor, justice league’dekiler Batman’a trip atıyor. “Ne yani Batman? Sen bize güvenmiyor musun? Hepimize izleyici mi taktın?” diyorlar zombiye dönüşen herifi takip edebildiği için. Ya, bütün çizgi romanlarınız sırayla birbirinizle dövmenizle geçiyor, devamlı denyoluk peşinde tiplersiniz, herif takip etmesin de ne yapsın? Hem Niye bu yeni ve alışılmadık bir şey gibi davranıyorsunuz ki her seferinde. Batman de öyle bir insan yani biraz, onu da öyle kabul edeceksiniz bir yerde.
Bolca, Louis Lane dramasıyla, “duygusalllaşmamızı” talep ediyor kitap ama bunun için gerçek bir sebep verme gereği de duymuyor. Louis gösteriyor, diyor ki “Supermen aha bunu seviyor işte, yazık ne tatlılar.” Louis Lane’de de lüzumsuz bir öz güven var bu arada. Bir yerde Süpermen diyor ki buna, “Balım, Smallville daha korunaklıdır, seni oraya götüreyim” Louis diyor “Bana Burada ihtiyaç duyulacağını biliyorsun.” Ya sana tarih boyunca kim, niye ihtiyaç duysun ahraz karı? Bu güne kadar herhangi bir işe yaramışlığın mı var senin? Çocukları da koşuyor hemen, “baba baba geri döneceksin di mi?” dramaya bak...
Lex Luthor geliyor, diyor “böyle durumlarda eski düşmanlıkları unutmak lazım. Olur mu böyle ya, hepimiz kardeşiz bu felakete karşı.” Neşeli günlerdeki gibi aileyi birleştirelim falan diyor, sonra hemen ihanet ediyor şerefsiz. Vay bu nasıl twist, hiç çaktırmadın kardeşim, şeytanın aklına gelmez Lex Luthor’un hain çıkacağı, bravo. Arada kim olduğunu hiç bilmediğim kahramanlar geliyor, arada Darkseid’ın gezegenine gidip bakılıyor, Cyborg gereksiz drama yaratıyor, Wonder Woman boş boş konuşuyor, o kadar hiçbir şey olmuyor ki kitap boyunca...
Ama muhtemelen kitabın en gereksiz kısmı yine Aquaman. Ya artık anlayın şu herifi, kimse balık adam bu sefer ne yaptı acana diye düşünmüyor, Aquaman’in maceralarıyla ilgilenmiyor. Bir şey de olmuyor ha, onlara da zombi bulaşmış evet. Zombi Aquman balığa, ahtapota biniyor. İnşallah Japonlar bütün okyanusu avlayıp bitirir! Bana ne lan Atlantis’ten? Filmi başarılı oldu diye mi bu malı hala çizmiyorlar hiç anlamıyorum. Oğlum, Jason Momoa oynadı diye izledik biz o filmi, kaslı maslı diye izledik, Aquaman’e bayıldığımızdan değil. Cthulhu çıkmıyorsa ilgilenmiyoruz okyanusla falan, yeter ya! Tüm bu Aquaman sayfaları yerine tek bir panel koyup, yarısı yenmiş bir balık kılçığının üstüne “Aquaman...” yazma fırsatının kaçtığına gerçekten inanamıyorum.
Bu bir “Süpermen kötü olsa ne tatsız olurdu di mi?” çizgi romanı olduğu için elbette bir noktada Süpermen de zombiye dönüşüyor. Her ne kadar “kötü Süpermen” konseptinin Boys ve Invinsible gibi güzel örnekleri gelmiş olsa da, artık boku çıkmış durumda. İyisinden çok kötüsü var Süpermen’in, ya bırakın şu adamı biraz kahramanlık yapsın, hemen yakıyor dünyayı. Bu da aslında bir kötü Süpermen fikri olduğundan, kitap boyunca Süpermen’den inceden bir korkuluyor aslında. Diyorlar ki “aman Süpo, sen gitme istersen, şimdi sana komikli video gösterip zombi yaparlar. Senin kedi videolarına zaafın var” Ama bu diyor “yok yok, hep x-ışınlı bakışımla bakıyorum ben artık, dönüşmem.” Çünkü zombiden kurtulursak kanser olalım bu pezevenk yüzünden, biz harcanabiliriz tabii. Neyse, yazar aptal olduğundan Süpo’nun zombi oluşu da muazzam bir aptallıkla gerçekleşiyor. Flash virüs kapınca çok hızlı koşa koşa milleti ısırmaya başlıyor (ne yalan söyleyeyim bir süre güldüm buna), bu da diyor ki “ben yetişemeyeceğim Flash’a, bari dünyanın öbür tarafından dolanayım da çarpayım” “Lan sen normalde yetişemediğin adama, nasıl 40,075 km çaplı kürenin öbür tarafından dolaşarak denk gelecek ve çarpacaksın?” kısmına girmiyorum artık bu noktadan sonra, mantık bu toprakları terk edeli çok oldu. Bu aptallar çarpışıyor, Flash parçalanıyor, parçaları da Süpermen’in götüne kaçtığı için Süpo, zombi oluyor. Bununla ilgili o kadar uzun süre söylenebilir, o kadar çok şey sorabilirim ki. Gerçekten şuna harcadığım zamanın ötesinde, bunu okumak için para verdiğime, bu çizgi romanı almak için emeğimi kiraladığıma inanamıyorum.
Kitabın hiçbir şeyi düzgün olmadığı gibi çizimleri de değil. Bu aptallığı çizmeye Alex Ross’u falan ikna edememişler normal olarak, Trevor Hairsine ve Stefano Guadiano ikilisi üstlenmiş görselleri. Aslında fena çizerler değiller normalde, daha önce mükemmelden uzak ama başarılı işleriyle bilinen de adamlar. Ancak anatomik hatalar, aşırı kötü mimikler, tuhaf pozlar, mütemadiyen “götüm var duruşu” sergileyen kadınlar, “bu sakat galiba“ dedirten adamlar, iyice tadını kaçırıyor hikayenin. Ne zaman çizimlere detaylı baksanız mutlaka bir terslik buluyorsunuz. Aslında kitap, sadece ara demo gösteren, konusuz aksiyon oyunlarına benziyor biraz. Sayfa ve fasikül kapaklarına ikonik zombi sahnelerini ve korku filmi göndermelerini, süper kahramanlarla çizebilmek için yapılmış. Almadan önce göz boyamak için her şey yapılmış ama içi kaka festivali, çeşitli Dc kahramanları neşeyle kakadan melekler yapıyor kahverengine boyanmış mekanlarda. Tema olarak seçtikleri zombileri görselleştirme biçimleri de son derece başarısız bu arada. Düz biçimde çiziyorlar zombileştirilecek kahramanı, normal gölgelendirmenin ardından ekstra bir katman, çok da iğrenç gözükmeyen kan ekliyorlar, zombimiz hazır. Sen vücut salgıları, çürümüş et, parçalanmış bedenler çizemeyeceksin madem ne halt etmeye zombi çizgi romanı çizmeye soyunuyorsun? Ben bu kadar temiz zombi görmedim hayatımda. Artık yayın politikasına mı takıldı, öfkeli anneler çok kanlı olursa laf ederler diye mi korktular veya tamamen çizerlerin beceriksizliği miydi bilmiyorum ama hiç ellerindne gelmemiş zombi çizgi romanı yapmak. Ama kimse de dememiş ki “You have one job ulan,” övmüşler de durmuşlar bu dingilleri.
Hemen her kötü DC hikayesi gibi arada bir sürü konudan bağımsız, ufak tefek tip görünüyor, hikaye yazmayı beceremedikleri için de her sayfada random kavga ediliyor. Ne zaman biraz idare eder bir diyalog yaşansa, mesela Green Arrow’un kamptaki konuşmasından sonra (Bu arada süper ok atıyorum ben diyen kahraman mı olur, ben de excel’de süper formül yazıyorum, hemen pelerin mi giyeyim?), hemen saçma ve klişe bir şey oluyor. En son Green Lanternlar gelip hiçbir şey yapmıyor. Kalan son fizik kanunları kapıyı çarparak çıkıp gidiyor, Süpermen de güneşi yemeye gidiyor. Sonunda çok da bir halt etmişler gibi hikaye ucu açık bitiyor. Dolduruyorlar kim varsa gemilere -o demiler nasıl yapıldı, hangi iş gücü, hangi kaynak falan sormuyorum artık, manık bu çizgi romanda aranabilecek bir şey değil- defolup gidiyorlar. Tom Taylor da ekmeğinde tabii, mayış yatmaya devam etsin istiyor.
Uzun zamandır okuduğum en kötü DC çizgi romanıydı Dceased. Herhangi bir nedenle hiç kimseye önermiyorum. Aldığı puan ise gerçekten inanılmaz. Goodreads’in puanlama algoritmasının ne kadar basit ve kötü olduğunu, çöp oyların elenmesi için bir şey yapılmadığı sürece puanlamanın ne kadar güvenilmez olduğunu gösterdiği kadar, demokrasinin neden dandik bir yönetim biçimi olduğunu da ispatlıyor şu puanlama. Ha, ille de canınız zombileşmiş süper kahraman görmek istiyorsa, Google’dan fasikül kapaklarına falan bakın kitabın. Geri kalanında zaten daha iyi bir şey görmeyeceksiniz. Bu kitabı herhangi bir insanın satın alması için inanın hiçbir sebep yok.
(edited 09.23)
September 27, 2021
I don't read superhero comics much — okay, pretty much ever — but reading DCeased made me desperately want to amend that, because I was so sucked in by this story! The premise of the comic is following a world-ending, infection-style zombie apocalypse, though of course, there's a bit more to it than that to make it fit into the DC universe more solidly. I definitely feel like I missed a lot of references and maybe even didn't fully "get" the basis of the infection's source due to not being overly familiar with DC (I'm a lifelong Batman fan, but that's about it), yet I still was able to enjoy this story immensely. The art is great, the action is fast and unending, and the bleakness feels very authentic for an extinction event like this.
May 20, 2022
This was so good omg!
So TT is back and he is doing more else worlds stuff and he shows why he is the greatest at it and yeah this series hits hard!
Cyborg is infected by some anti-life virus that leads to people being infected when they see their screens and what happens when JL is infected too? And over the course of the series we see so many heroes fall and friends vs friends, emotional goodbyes and TT is a master at that!
He shows what happens to Batman and Superman and their goodbyes to their sons has gotta be one of the greatest moments in DC history, its so well written and omg Barry, Hal and Arthur too.. what a gruesome ending. :(
But its not about endings, its about new beginnings and we see how the heroes save the rest of human kind and legacies been taken up and its one of those places where the writers can really explore what it all means and series consequences follows to these antics. the art is great and accentuates the good byes and yeah.. its so good. I will run out of words to describe it, a definite recommend!!
So TT is back and he is doing more else worlds stuff and he shows why he is the greatest at it and yeah this series hits hard!
Cyborg is infected by some anti-life virus that leads to people being infected when they see their screens and what happens when JL is infected too? And over the course of the series we see so many heroes fall and friends vs friends, emotional goodbyes and TT is a master at that!
He shows what happens to Batman and Superman and their goodbyes to their sons has gotta be one of the greatest moments in DC history, its so well written and omg Barry, Hal and Arthur too.. what a gruesome ending. :(
But its not about endings, its about new beginnings and we see how the heroes save the rest of human kind and legacies been taken up and its one of those places where the writers can really explore what it all means and series consequences follows to these antics. the art is great and accentuates the good byes and yeah.. its so good. I will run out of words to describe it, a definite recommend!!
May 27, 2020
I really wasn’t expecting much when I picked this one up. Too many zombie stories consumed over the last decade, I suppose. Have to admit this one was a surprisingly good read. Sure, it was the normal end of the world zombie plague concept, but it wasn’t campy or just gory but well thought out with many touching moments interspersed among the blood and horror.
If I felt inclined I could point out stupid moments where heroes acted ridiculous or out of character, but I don’t feel so inclined. DCeased was a solid, entertaining undead apocalypse story that was entertaining, which is all I wanted it to be.
If I felt inclined I could point out stupid moments where heroes acted ridiculous or out of character, but I don’t feel so inclined. DCeased was a solid, entertaining undead apocalypse story that was entertaining, which is all I wanted it to be.
May 5, 2023
Super underwhelming storyline, but some of the covers in the back were pretty awesome:
December 9, 2019
A fun and delightfully illustrative take on Gotham being infected by a zombie virus. The art is really what makes this series so amazing! Without a doubt it’s super fun to see the variety of zombies our fave DC characters can be made into.
The story itself is okay until about 2/3 of the way through when it comes a bit ridiculous. I could however see this becoming the basis for Earth II if they wanted a new origin story for it.
Almost every major villain or superhero has a cameo here and so for a character collector like myself (of Harley Quinn) this is a must have series for the shelf.
The story itself is okay until about 2/3 of the way through when it comes a bit ridiculous. I could however see this becoming the basis for Earth II if they wanted a new origin story for it.
Almost every major villain or superhero has a cameo here and so for a character collector like myself (of Harley Quinn) this is a must have series for the shelf.
February 22, 2020
Taylor: “Can I copy your homework?”
Ennis (writing Crossed): “Sure, just change it a bit so it doesn’t look like you copied.”
Taylor: “Ok”
What’s it about?
Darkseid is... a fucking dumbass. He decides he wants to release the anti-life equation because evil and the equation would doom humanity. Basically it ends up online as part of the evil plan, people start sharing it and anyone who sees it has an unstoppable urge to start brutally killing themselves and/or others. The superheroes find themselves hopeless as they try to save humanity and themselves from this. Oh BTW, the virus can also be spread through a bite so the book can happen.
Pros:
The art is pretty cool. It seems to go for a few slightly different styles in certain scenes without going particularly over the top with it, it definitely works well with the story and overall tone for the book.
The action is almost non-stop, very exciting and a lot more bloody than most DC comics! It’s definitely never boring.
Despite a mostly dark plot they still throw in some comic relief and it works pretty well.
Pleasantly surprised to say that this comic is pretty unpredictable, that was a nice surprise. I did see a few things coming but for the most part it kept me unsure of what was going to happen next. It’s actually pretty cool because even though I like the genres both horror and superheroes get a bit predictable IMO so very nice job there.
The horror stuff is kinda cool. So while not as scary or disturbing as Crossed (a comic that many including myself can’t help but compare it to, more on that later on), it is disturbing for non-Vertigo DC standards and the infected designs are often kinda bad-ass (would show one but that would be nearly impossible without spoilers and people who have read this know what I‘m talking about).
Cons:
The story is stupid. I mostly blame the social media horror element. I honestly hate that this is a trend now because it’s cheesy as hell and will age very poorly. While many horror tales will hold up in years or even decades to come I give this and other social media/modern tech horror stories about 10 years if that before seeming dated and cheesy (hell I’d argue it already is a bit... the first issue is titled Going Viral... fuck, that is cheesy). It makes sense in something humorous like South Park or Futurama (both of which had legitimately entertaining episodes based on modern technology and trends) but for a serious story, it doesn’t work for me. Also it really feels like it heavily copies Crossed (yes I know Crossed isn’t the only sadist virus story out there but this was extremely similar, again I talk more about this later on, just wait a bit).
This has some major plot holes. First of all, how is a bite infecting people and giving the same effect as seeing the equation? It’s not like the things we see are in our DNA. Supposedly in this that happens but with basically no explanation except “so the book can happen”. Second, the people who see this equation go nuts and become psychos very quickly but still share it? I can’t say for sure as this never happened but if this kinda situation happened and I fell victim to it (which would most likely happen as I always have my phone with me) I doubt I’d be like “OH GOSH I CAN’T HELP IT I GOTTA GO ON MY PSYCHOTIC KILLING SPREE AND KILL EVERY SIGN OF LIFE I FIND! But first I’m just gonna retweet this, post it up on my Instagram story, send it to a couple of friends, should probably go ahead and post it up on Reddit, my Goodreads status, maybe a few YouTube comment sections...” that’s completely stupid! Oh and towards the end where they were
Quite a bit of this is anti-climactic. A lot of it feels like random character infections and/or deaths out of nowhere other than “wouldn’t it be cool and/or edgy if this happened to that character people like”. Oh and there’s also scenes like
It tries to be emotional but fails. If this was an actually happening in the main DC universe story I may have felt something with these “oh so sad” deaths but it’s more like a “what if” story and even if it was meant to be actually in DC it would probably just lead to a reboot where we see the characters perfectly fine again (so points for not even pretending I guess?). There was only one scene that made me feel any sort of emotion towards what was happening TBH.
I didn’t care very much for the ending.
Okay so this one’s kinda stupid but the title. DCEASED? REALLY? I know someone probably thought they were super clever but it’s honestly one of the lamest puns I have ever read... and they chose it as their fucking title.
Mixed thoughts:
The characters. So some of the characters in this are pretty cool. I like what they did with Black Canary, that was kinda cool and creative. I also thought these apocalyptic versions of Harley and Ivy were surprisingly pretty bad-ass, I half-wish the whole thing was following them TBH.
(Don’t worry, it’s a cover, not a spoiler. Insert Korn reference and/or weird BDSM related joke here)
Unfortunately some of the others are very standard versions of themselves that honestly anyone could’ve wrote in any DC story. I kinda wanted most of them to be different for this story instead of just the same as usual.
Overall:
I’ve seen people compare this to 2 different comics.
First, I’ll go over the comparison to Marvel Zombies. I consider this LEAGUES above Marvel Zombies (though that’s barely saying anything coming from me).
Then there’s Crossed. I’m not the only person I’ve seen make the comparison and honestly my joke about it at the beginning of the review... is actually kinda my thoughts on this in terms of both story and business. I mean it seems obvious that someone at DC (whether it’s Taylor himself or some corporate guy) saw Avatar’s success with Crossed so decided if you did a similar thing at DC it would make a shit ton of money. I mean let’s look at the things that made Crossed such a success for Avatar: we got a big name (Tom Taylor may not be quite Ennis level yet but is certainly making a name for himself in the comic book world) writing a bleak survival horror story with a virus that spreads rapidly turning people into sadistic monsters (check), a bunch of gory shock value (I saw several people on social media (heh, the irony) who were shocked by the deaths in this, check), a lot of variants that fans would want to collect including movie poster tributes (check, DC even made DCeased variants for other titles so even more variant cover money there) and if successful make unneeded sequels (a DCeased spin-off miniseries just started so check). If you know much about DC you probably figured out that they toned down the graphic imagery and brutal violence so more readers can stomach it while making more money thanks to their big name characters and deals to probably make collectible figures of this soon. Business wise this might be one of the smartest comics I’ve read (even if it’s kinda shitty of DC if I’m being 100% blunt. I mean it’s not like it’s a parody comic (such as, to use another Ennis example, The Boys), it’s a more serious plot).
Entertainment wise, I’m conflicted. I was torn between giving this a 2 or 3 star rating. The more I think about it (including while writing this review which lists more cons than pros), the more I think it’s stupid yet while reading it I was pretty into it and entertained so I guess I’ll give it 3. Even with my many problems it’s not a bad comic overall and there are certainly some things to like. Unfortunately though I had enough problems and things that annoyed me that I won’t be adding any of the sequels to my reading list.
In the end it’s kinda amusing but annoying at the same time. The art, nonstop action, neat twists and cool monster designs unfortunately don’t make up for (and I know this is a very controversial opinion) being a plot-hole filled, often anticlimactic, borderline copy of a better horror comic that will probably age much better than the modern technology-based, less (visually) disturbing version that this is (I should note my opinion is not a popular one, most people here seemed to like it more than I did but... yeah, these are my thoughts).
3/5
PS- I hate to confess after reading this comic I am slightly disappointed in DC as a company despite being a fan. I do enjoy and will still read many of their characters but between giving into pressure from people who don’t even read comics (referring to canceling the release of Second Coming before it got picked up by Ahoy), ending Vertigo, replacing it with an imprint that’s too scared to publish something as minor as a barely noticeable drawing of a dick and now copying a smaller publisher’s success with this... I’m kinda disappointed TBH. That’s not to say DC isn’t doing some good stuff right now or anything (I LOVED Harleen and their late 2019 Joker film after all) and if you enjoyed this comic that’s great but from my POV it’s not good the way they’ve been doing some recent business, they’ve been making some disappointing moves.
Ennis (writing Crossed): “Sure, just change it a bit so it doesn’t look like you copied.”
Taylor: “Ok”
What’s it about?
Darkseid is... a fucking dumbass. He decides he wants to release the anti-life equation because evil and the equation would doom humanity. Basically it ends up online as part of the evil plan, people start sharing it and anyone who sees it has an unstoppable urge to start brutally killing themselves and/or others. The superheroes find themselves hopeless as they try to save humanity and themselves from this. Oh BTW, the virus can also be spread through a bite so the book can happen.
Pros:
The art is pretty cool. It seems to go for a few slightly different styles in certain scenes without going particularly over the top with it, it definitely works well with the story and overall tone for the book.
The action is almost non-stop, very exciting and a lot more bloody than most DC comics! It’s definitely never boring.
Despite a mostly dark plot they still throw in some comic relief and it works pretty well.
Pleasantly surprised to say that this comic is pretty unpredictable, that was a nice surprise. I did see a few things coming but for the most part it kept me unsure of what was going to happen next. It’s actually pretty cool because even though I like the genres both horror and superheroes get a bit predictable IMO so very nice job there.
The horror stuff is kinda cool. So while not as scary or disturbing as Crossed (a comic that many including myself can’t help but compare it to, more on that later on), it is disturbing for non-Vertigo DC standards and the infected designs are often kinda bad-ass (would show one but that would be nearly impossible without spoilers and people who have read this know what I‘m talking about).
Cons:
The story is stupid. I mostly blame the social media horror element. I honestly hate that this is a trend now because it’s cheesy as hell and will age very poorly. While many horror tales will hold up in years or even decades to come I give this and other social media/modern tech horror stories about 10 years if that before seeming dated and cheesy (hell I’d argue it already is a bit... the first issue is titled Going Viral... fuck, that is cheesy). It makes sense in something humorous like South Park or Futurama (both of which had legitimately entertaining episodes based on modern technology and trends) but for a serious story, it doesn’t work for me. Also it really feels like it heavily copies Crossed (yes I know Crossed isn’t the only sadist virus story out there but this was extremely similar, again I talk more about this later on, just wait a bit).
This has some major plot holes. First of all, how is a bite infecting people and giving the same effect as seeing the equation? It’s not like the things we see are in our DNA. Supposedly in this that happens but with basically no explanation except “so the book can happen”. Second, the people who see this equation go nuts and become psychos very quickly but still share it? I can’t say for sure as this never happened but if this kinda situation happened and I fell victim to it (which would most likely happen as I always have my phone with me) I doubt I’d be like “OH GOSH I CAN’T HELP IT I GOTTA GO ON MY PSYCHOTIC KILLING SPREE AND KILL EVERY SIGN OF LIFE I FIND! But first I’m just gonna retweet this, post it up on my Instagram story, send it to a couple of friends, should probably go ahead and post it up on Reddit, my Goodreads status, maybe a few YouTube comment sections...” that’s completely stupid! Oh and towards the end where they were
Quite a bit of this is anti-climactic. A lot of it feels like random character infections and/or deaths out of nowhere other than “wouldn’t it be cool and/or edgy if this happened to that character people like”. Oh and there’s also scenes like
It tries to be emotional but fails. If this was an actually happening in the main DC universe story I may have felt something with these “oh so sad” deaths but it’s more like a “what if” story and even if it was meant to be actually in DC it would probably just lead to a reboot where we see the characters perfectly fine again (so points for not even pretending I guess?). There was only one scene that made me feel any sort of emotion towards what was happening TBH.
I didn’t care very much for the ending.
Okay so this one’s kinda stupid but the title. DCEASED? REALLY? I know someone probably thought they were super clever but it’s honestly one of the lamest puns I have ever read... and they chose it as their fucking title.
Mixed thoughts:
The characters. So some of the characters in this are pretty cool. I like what they did with Black Canary, that was kinda cool and creative. I also thought these apocalyptic versions of Harley and Ivy were surprisingly pretty bad-ass, I half-wish the whole thing was following them TBH.
(Don’t worry, it’s a cover, not a spoiler. Insert Korn reference and/or weird BDSM related joke here)
Unfortunately some of the others are very standard versions of themselves that honestly anyone could’ve wrote in any DC story. I kinda wanted most of them to be different for this story instead of just the same as usual.
Overall:
I’ve seen people compare this to 2 different comics.
First, I’ll go over the comparison to Marvel Zombies. I consider this LEAGUES above Marvel Zombies (though that’s barely saying anything coming from me).
Then there’s Crossed. I’m not the only person I’ve seen make the comparison and honestly my joke about it at the beginning of the review... is actually kinda my thoughts on this in terms of both story and business. I mean it seems obvious that someone at DC (whether it’s Taylor himself or some corporate guy) saw Avatar’s success with Crossed so decided if you did a similar thing at DC it would make a shit ton of money. I mean let’s look at the things that made Crossed such a success for Avatar: we got a big name (Tom Taylor may not be quite Ennis level yet but is certainly making a name for himself in the comic book world) writing a bleak survival horror story with a virus that spreads rapidly turning people into sadistic monsters (check), a bunch of gory shock value (I saw several people on social media (heh, the irony) who were shocked by the deaths in this, check), a lot of variants that fans would want to collect including movie poster tributes (check, DC even made DCeased variants for other titles so even more variant cover money there) and if successful make unneeded sequels (a DCeased spin-off miniseries just started so check). If you know much about DC you probably figured out that they toned down the graphic imagery and brutal violence so more readers can stomach it while making more money thanks to their big name characters and deals to probably make collectible figures of this soon. Business wise this might be one of the smartest comics I’ve read (even if it’s kinda shitty of DC if I’m being 100% blunt. I mean it’s not like it’s a parody comic (such as, to use another Ennis example, The Boys), it’s a more serious plot).
Entertainment wise, I’m conflicted. I was torn between giving this a 2 or 3 star rating. The more I think about it (including while writing this review which lists more cons than pros), the more I think it’s stupid yet while reading it I was pretty into it and entertained so I guess I’ll give it 3. Even with my many problems it’s not a bad comic overall and there are certainly some things to like. Unfortunately though I had enough problems and things that annoyed me that I won’t be adding any of the sequels to my reading list.
In the end it’s kinda amusing but annoying at the same time. The art, nonstop action, neat twists and cool monster designs unfortunately don’t make up for (and I know this is a very controversial opinion) being a plot-hole filled, often anticlimactic, borderline copy of a better horror comic that will probably age much better than the modern technology-based, less (visually) disturbing version that this is (I should note my opinion is not a popular one, most people here seemed to like it more than I did but... yeah, these are my thoughts).
3/5
PS- I hate to confess after reading this comic I am slightly disappointed in DC as a company despite being a fan. I do enjoy and will still read many of their characters but between giving into pressure from people who don’t even read comics (referring to canceling the release of Second Coming before it got picked up by Ahoy), ending Vertigo, replacing it with an imprint that’s too scared to publish something as minor as a barely noticeable drawing of a dick and now copying a smaller publisher’s success with this... I’m kinda disappointed TBH. That’s not to say DC isn’t doing some good stuff right now or anything (I LOVED Harleen and their late 2019 Joker film after all) and if you enjoyed this comic that’s great but from my POV it’s not good the way they’ve been doing some recent business, they’ve been making some disappointing moves.
October 1, 2020
A zombie apocalypse story told in an out-of-continuity DC universe? I was already excited about this, but then I saw that it is written by Tom Taylor, the same guy that wrote the fantastic Injustice series that I love, and it then became a top priority! Taylor is becoming one of my favorite comic book writers. The story starts off with a cool, DC-specific way of introducing zombies into this world by seeing Darkseid getting his hands on the Anti-Life Equation. But because he can't leave well enough alone, he tinkers with it too much and unleashed a terrifying, altered strain of it, which is placed in Cyborg, who then inadvertently uploads it onto the Interwebs. Now, anyone who glances at a computer or tv screen is infected with it, becoming an undead killing machine. Well, not exactly undead, but more of a monster that spreads anti-life! Now the DC universe will never be the same.
Because it's not in continuity, NO ONE is safe. Seriously. There is death and destruction everywhere and there are some powerful, emotional moments to be found alongside the epic action. Unlikely heroes are made and unexpected losses abound. It's also genius to use the previously-vague Anti-Life Equation as the catalyst for a zombie story. I'd love to see more no-holds-barred stories like this. And based on the ending of this one, we might see more!
Because it's not in continuity, NO ONE is safe. Seriously. There is death and destruction everywhere and there are some powerful, emotional moments to be found alongside the epic action. Unlikely heroes are made and unexpected losses abound. It's also genius to use the previously-vague Anti-Life Equation as the catalyst for a zombie story. I'd love to see more no-holds-barred stories like this. And based on the ending of this one, we might see more!
August 22, 2023
I have recently got into graphic novels, and my favourite so far is Old Man Logan. This was pitched as the DC version, so of course I was going to give it a go. It is similar in some ways, but is quite unoriginal in others, in my opinion anyway. It is dark, and many characters meet their end unexpectedly, but the premise had such potential, but it ended up not even getting close to the lofty heights of Old Man Logan.
They are some awesome moments, some moments of gravitas, and also quite a few moments of humour splattered throughout the graphic novel. It had some drive initially, but swiftly lost that and just seemed to not have any aim that kept me invested.
First graphic novel I have not enjoyed, but it certainly will not stop me diving into more!
They are some awesome moments, some moments of gravitas, and also quite a few moments of humour splattered throughout the graphic novel. It had some drive initially, but swiftly lost that and just seemed to not have any aim that kept me invested.
First graphic novel I have not enjoyed, but it certainly will not stop me diving into more!
November 19, 2023
Depressingly dark, it's a blockbuster come to life on page, and it does so tremendously. It is over-the-top, gore and action heavy madness that revels in its own despair. Engaging to the very end, its a must read for horror and DC fans.
triggers graphic violence, gore
triggers graphic violence, gore
May 11, 2020
Just the premise of this alone is brilliant.
Beloved DC characters turning crazy and wanting to kill others? Epic. Heart wrenching. Total sob fest.
And the execution brought some great moments that I didn’t know I even needed till I got it, then I wanted more!
There were so many things I enjoyed in this. Character interactions were generally extremely good. I noticed a focus on the Super Sons in this and I’m glad for that because I am a fan but I have to wonder if that was a creative choice made because everyone knows they’re fan-favourites so automatic appeal or this was done because they’re both the next generation children of 2 of the big 3 and are able to continue their legacy when their parents are gone.
I think the scope of what happened was so large that a limited 6-issue series was not enough space to do all the characters justice. That’s why I’m glad to hear DCeased: Unkillables will continue exploring this elseworlds story.
One thing that I did hear others say and that I do agree with is that the art quality was not there. It didn’t exactly ruin it because I’m quite used to making do with not the best art but if the art was better it would’ve enhanced the storyline.
I never could quite understand if it was Superman narrating the whole time or not. And what happened to all those heroes who’s heads started to hurt. Did they die? There’s so much left to discover but this was genuinely an amazing head-long dive into a crazy non-canonical world.
Beloved DC characters turning crazy and wanting to kill others? Epic. Heart wrenching. Total sob fest.
And the execution brought some great moments that I didn’t know I even needed till I got it, then I wanted more!
There were so many things I enjoyed in this. Character interactions were generally extremely good. I noticed a focus on the Super Sons in this and I’m glad for that because I am a fan but I have to wonder if that was a creative choice made because everyone knows they’re fan-favourites so automatic appeal or this was done because they’re both the next generation children of 2 of the big 3 and are able to continue their legacy when their parents are gone.
I think the scope of what happened was so large that a limited 6-issue series was not enough space to do all the characters justice. That’s why I’m glad to hear DCeased: Unkillables will continue exploring this elseworlds story.
One thing that I did hear others say and that I do agree with is that the art quality was not there. It didn’t exactly ruin it because I’m quite used to making do with not the best art but if the art was better it would’ve enhanced the storyline.
I never could quite understand if it was Superman narrating the whole time or not. And what happened to all those heroes who’s heads started to hurt. Did they die? There’s so much left to discover but this was genuinely an amazing head-long dive into a crazy non-canonical world.
August 21, 2021
That was bloody epic.
January 6, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
It has always been a huge question that has tortured many fans regarding our heroes: What happens if they all turned against each other? Leave it to writer Tom Taylor, the very man who brought us Injustice, to explore it through another wild and ambitious project centered around zombies and their reign on Earth as heroes don’t remain immune to the epidemic and fear for the lives of all, including their own. While this story leads to some of the most scariest and daunting decisions possible regarding the heroes of the DC universe, it remains a tale that needs to be explored to satisfy the darkest desires of all fans.
What is DCeased about? Darkseid spares no one as he unleashes a deadly virus onto Earth thanks to a corrupted Anti-Life Equation from Apokolips. Transforming all individuals in contact with the Internet, the decease infects them at the core of their biology and forever changes them into monsters with no way to revert the infection before it spreads and dehumanizes the person. To survive this apocalypse, the heroes must join forces for one last time before humanity becomes extinct. However, with no hope in sight, where will they go to find their answers? And even worse, who will do what’s needed for everyone to survive? Collecting issues #1-6, this is not a story for the faint of hearts.
To enjoy this story by writer Tom Taylor, you’ll have to take into consideration the fact that this is a stand-alone graphic novel where the creative team has complete control over every single character and what happens to them without any impact on the canonical story arcs. Once you have that mastered, you’ll then have to understand that what happens in this story will undoubtedly leave you stunned, disgusted but also impressed. And that’s where this story works best. It’s where you get to indulge the “what-ifs” without worrying about the consequences. It’s how you get to enjoy seeing some of the most gruesome deaths of your favourite heroes as sadness and horror merge in symbiosis.
To enhance this horrifying experience, the artists bring their talents to the table and it is nothing that can be ignored. The artwork is absolutely unforgiving and some of the deaths that you are to witness through this story have incredible shock value. The character designs are sometimes questionable but they are more than decent and allow you to enjoy the cruelty with enough emotional attachment. In fact, the story doesn’t recklessly present the horrors with no significance but actually attempt to explore the heroes’ own individual journey through this apocalypse, as some drown in fear and worry for their loved ones while others struggle with their grasp of any form of hope. The colouring is also axed towards darker tones that elevates the tension and grimness of the world as chaos engulfs the world.
DCeased is an exciting and terrifying story filled with gruesome deaths as Earth’s greatest heroes face an unforgiving apocalypse.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
November 4, 2019
For me, this is one the surprises of 2019.
This is a really good take on a zombie like infestation taking over the DC universe. Comparisons to Marvel Zombies are obvious, but I think this has a bit more story to it. And without spoiling too much, it's fun seeing how the rest of the characters cope when some of the heavy hitters fall.
A fun book worth checking out.
This is a really good take on a zombie like infestation taking over the DC universe. Comparisons to Marvel Zombies are obvious, but I think this has a bit more story to it. And without spoiling too much, it's fun seeing how the rest of the characters cope when some of the heavy hitters fall.
A fun book worth checking out.
September 30, 2020
Zombie apocalypse comes to the DC Universe.
First and foremost, I love the title pun. Respect!
The book is a well-executed Imaginary Story/Elseworlds/What If scenario that should please fanboys and even casual readers in search of a gorefest, though there may be some disappointment that it is primarily a Superman tale rather than a Batman adventure.
First and foremost, I love the title pun. Respect!
The book is a well-executed Imaginary Story/Elseworlds/What If scenario that should please fanboys and even casual readers in search of a gorefest, though there may be some disappointment that it is primarily a Superman tale rather than a Batman adventure.
October 19, 2021
Wow! This was amazing!
Sure, the premise is pretty bleak, but it was very well executed. The Anti-Life Equation is sweeping the universe and killing everything in its wake. The only survivors being Lois, Superman, Superboy, Robin, Alfred, Black Lightning, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Mera, Harley and Ivy (and a few others).
Where to even start?
I really, really loved Dinah getting the Green Lantern ring. That was awesome! Especially when she used it to amplify her natural power. That was such a cool concept!
I loved Harley/Ivy and their dedication to each other. I really love when writers have Harley stand up and realize she can do a hell of a lot better than the Joker. I also love that it was Harley's idea to open the Green up as a sanctuary.
I loved the bits with Bruce and Alfred, Damian getting the Batman suit and making some really great choices to find sanctuaries for the survivors. Including working with Harley of all people. I was so proud of my son and it was hard watching him lose Bruce.
I loved seeing Damian and Jon support each other. Both kids having to grow up very quickly and go on without their fathers to guide them. After they lost Bruce, there's a scene of Jon sitting beside Damian because he didn't want him to be alone. It was very well done and incredibly sweet.
Lois is the narrator and remains incredibly strong throughout a really hard situation. Honestly, I admire that the women were used really well in this series? When it's a pretty wide cast of characters, the women tend to get the short end of the stick but I never felt that way here. I felt like Mera, Hippolyta (I believe that's still her name in Rebirth), Lois, Diana, Dinah, Harley and Ivy were used well. I never felt like they were just here to be side kicks or be walked over and they made vital decisions to carry on the surviving population. So... A++ for that, as well.
It's definitely a recommend from me. The emotional moments land, it's a blast to read, the art was great and the tone is incredibly consistent.
A++ from me.
Sure, the premise is pretty bleak, but it was very well executed. The Anti-Life Equation is sweeping the universe and killing everything in its wake. The only survivors being Lois, Superman, Superboy, Robin, Alfred, Black Lightning, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, Mera, Harley and Ivy (and a few others).
Where to even start?
I really, really loved Dinah getting the Green Lantern ring. That was awesome! Especially when she used it to amplify her natural power. That was such a cool concept!
I loved Harley/Ivy and their dedication to each other. I really love when writers have Harley stand up and realize she can do a hell of a lot better than the Joker. I also love that it was Harley's idea to open the Green up as a sanctuary.
I loved the bits with Bruce and Alfred, Damian getting the Batman suit and making some really great choices to find sanctuaries for the survivors. Including working with Harley of all people. I was so proud of my son and it was hard watching him lose Bruce.
I loved seeing Damian and Jon support each other. Both kids having to grow up very quickly and go on without their fathers to guide them. After they lost Bruce, there's a scene of Jon sitting beside Damian because he didn't want him to be alone. It was very well done and incredibly sweet.
Lois is the narrator and remains incredibly strong throughout a really hard situation. Honestly, I admire that the women were used really well in this series? When it's a pretty wide cast of characters, the women tend to get the short end of the stick but I never felt that way here. I felt like Mera, Hippolyta (I believe that's still her name in Rebirth), Lois, Diana, Dinah, Harley and Ivy were used well. I never felt like they were just here to be side kicks or be walked over and they made vital decisions to carry on the surviving population. So... A++ for that, as well.
It's definitely a recommend from me. The emotional moments land, it's a blast to read, the art was great and the tone is incredibly consistent.
A++ from me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2022
HOLY CRAP THIS IS DARK.
I mean, super messed up.
I loved it, but at the same time it made me so sad.
The sequence of this story is great - it just gets more and more messed up and sucks the hope out of everything until even our favourite heroes can't inspire us to hang in there. The whole thing is super depressing. Basically, a virus is wiping out the population and no one is immune. Like I said - dark.
I really loved the artwork - which is rare for me with DC - and the story was so easy to follow. I loved how many heroes were involved (after all, the entire world is ending so it makes sense they all show up at some stage, I guess) and how they kinda just got picked off, one by one. No one is safe and it adds a suspense to the story that really keeps you on edge.
Things unravel fast and I couldn't get enough. I can't imagine the pain of having to read this story one single issue at a time!
Definitely one of the darkest comics I've read but also definitely one of the best. I'll be recommending it to anyone who will listen from now on!
I mean, super messed up.
I loved it, but at the same time it made me so sad.
The sequence of this story is great - it just gets more and more messed up and sucks the hope out of everything until even our favourite heroes can't inspire us to hang in there. The whole thing is super depressing. Basically, a virus is wiping out the population and no one is immune. Like I said - dark.
I really loved the artwork - which is rare for me with DC - and the story was so easy to follow. I loved how many heroes were involved (after all, the entire world is ending so it makes sense they all show up at some stage, I guess) and how they kinda just got picked off, one by one. No one is safe and it adds a suspense to the story that really keeps you on edge.
Things unravel fast and I couldn't get enough. I can't imagine the pain of having to read this story one single issue at a time!
Definitely one of the darkest comics I've read but also definitely one of the best. I'll be recommending it to anyone who will listen from now on!
August 14, 2019
Started this series a little while ago but forgot to add it to my shelves, oops.
My boyfriend and I are currently reading this series together. We're both enjoying it! It's a very interesting concept and I love getting to know the superheroes a bit more. I'm not as familiar with a lot of them, but still. It's intriguing!
My boyfriend and I are currently reading this series together. We're both enjoying it! It's a very interesting concept and I love getting to know the superheroes a bit more. I'm not as familiar with a lot of them, but still. It's intriguing!
Read
October 30, 2024DCeased roped me in with its outstanding title and the fact that its writer, Tom Taylor, has become so adept as writing excellent non-canon "what if" stories about the DC universe and its characters. In this one, there is a kind of zombie apocalypse, triggered by Darkseid when he modifies the anti-life equation and lets it loose upon Earth via Cyborg.
This modified equation spreads first through the internet, then through blood. Those infected rip at their own faces as they try to claw the equation out of their minds; failing that, they turn on every other living thing in a rage so violent, small packs of infected people are able to overpower heroes from Nightwing to Aquaman.
This is a brilliantly exciting, and oftentimes heartbreaking, apocalypse story centred around the DC heroes, as the entire world falls to a terrifying virus. I loved every page.
This modified equation spreads first through the internet, then through blood. Those infected rip at their own faces as they try to claw the equation out of their minds; failing that, they turn on every other living thing in a rage so violent, small packs of infected people are able to overpower heroes from Nightwing to Aquaman.
This is a brilliantly exciting, and oftentimes heartbreaking, apocalypse story centred around the DC heroes, as the entire world falls to a terrifying virus. I loved every page.
November 12, 2019
4.5 stars! But I’ll round up to 5 because this was so good! So I started collecting the white background variants once issue 4 came out then of course waited until 5 and 6 released then sat down and read it all. Wow!! This was great!! Darkseid tinkering around with some powerful stuff created a virus that took him out and sent Cyborg to earth where the virus spread quickly. The story moves at a fast pace and things go from bad to worse in an instant. This story gets dark, sad and as characters die, leaving you feeling like there is absolutely no hope. At a point in the story it seems like our heroes might have a chance but then that glimmer of light is snuffed out. As the virus is taking over you get a lot of nice action and some cool character moments throughout the story. If you haven’t read this, I highly recommend you do.
July 21, 2021
Tom Taylor is a god between this and Injustice. This is the absolute best piece of "zombie" literature I have ever read. And I do consider this to be fine literature. There were times my jaw dropped and times I was almost teary-eyed.
Absolutely recommended. Just as good the second time around!
Absolutely recommended. Just as good the second time around!
October 9, 2022
Taylor seems to do best with these mini-series types of story lines as opposed to ongoing books with his DC work at least.
Here we get DC's answer to Marvel Zombies in the form of a techno-virus put together by Darkseid using Cyborg. A virus that infects the DC earth moving from person to person and hero to hero via cell phones, computers, social media, etc...
Taylor plays fast and loose with who gets infected and how these heroes and villains are taken out and killed by other heroes and such which makes for some memorable art by Trevor Hairsine and company.
Never a favorite of mine, but given some really solid dialogue is Green Arrow I have to confess.
Just the opening salvo in a series of DCeased stories this one really was solid top to bottom.
Here we get DC's answer to Marvel Zombies in the form of a techno-virus put together by Darkseid using Cyborg. A virus that infects the DC earth moving from person to person and hero to hero via cell phones, computers, social media, etc...
Taylor plays fast and loose with who gets infected and how these heroes and villains are taken out and killed by other heroes and such which makes for some memorable art by Trevor Hairsine and company.
Never a favorite of mine, but given some really solid dialogue is Green Arrow I have to confess.
Just the opening salvo in a series of DCeased stories this one really was solid top to bottom.
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