Pouring through the orphanage’s crumbling defenses, a sea of rotting flesh, bone, and marrow threatens to devour the remaining survivors. Thankfully, cardio was a part of their curriculum. As Red Hood and the rest of the Anti-Suicide Squad retreat to dubious cover within the institution’s walls, they must make an impossible choice. Get un-stingy with all their bullets and make this their last stand, or limber up and flee to Ivy’s sanctuary in Gotham? Although the correct path is not clear, the swelling tide of teeth-gnashing death has made one thing certain:
“Hell had come to the orphanage.”
DC Comics
Bloody, satisfying, and often bloody satisfying, DCeased: Unkillables #3 is a perfect conclusion to the series. Following the titular Unkillables as they travel to Poison Ivy’s sanctuary, this issue truly puts their name to the test. Tom Taylor’s excellent script work and Karl Mostert’s gripping visuals are a double-tap of humor and horror that will leave you clamoring for more.
One of my favorite things about this issue is how Tom Taylor subverts my expectations regarding the conclusion. Given that this is the last book in this chapter of the story and the nature of the villains, I was fully anticipating that our villains-turned-heroes would go down in an epic battle defending the orphanage. Although the conflict is most definitely epic, Taylor’s choice to have the survivors traverse the apocalyptic wasteland in search of Ivy’s sanctuary allows the entire creative team to get more mileage out of the horror aspects of this story. The result is something even better than I originally anticipated.
As with the previous issues, it is impossible to discuss one creator’s work without recognizing the rest. DCeased: Unkillables #3 is a perfect union between scripting and artwork. Although there are a ton of amazing images throughout this book, one sequence serves as an exemplar for the cohesiveness of this creative team. As the survivors flee to Gotham City on buses, they are ambushed by an infected supervillain. Karl Mostert’s use of stylistic violence to pick off passengers on the bus inspires a sinking sense of dread as the children are rendered helpless against the attack. Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards, and Mostert’s inks with Rex Lokus’s colors help bring these haunting images to life by imbuing each panel with the appropriate tone. Additionally, Saida Temofonte’s letters give this issue a unique style as a unique blood-soaked font accentuates the violence.
Although Mostert’s work is powerful during this sequence, Tom Taylor’s script provides the perfect punctuation for this moment. Striking a perfect balance between horror and humor, Taylor’s script is impeccable. Throughout the entire issue as his dialogue provides the much-needed levity without undermining these horrific sequences of violence. Additionally, by allowing his script to lean more heavily into these horror elements, Taylor plays to the creative team’s strengths. As a result, it is evident that the entire creative team is firing on all cylinders.
“Super-powered death had come for us.”
Now, I know some people will be upset by the sudden arrival of another superhero. Although I am generally not a fan of deus ex machina, I think that Taylor handled this well. The seeds of this character’s arrival were initially planted in the previous issue and reinforced by some clever narration at the beginning of this issue. As a result, it does make sense that this character would show up to help the survivors. Additionally, the inclusion of this character elevates a random moment from the second book as its inclusion now feels intentional.
The reveal of this other superhero did cause me to go back and reread the second issue to see if I missed this person’s presence. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the character in the background of any panel. The lack of this person’s presence is not something that necessarily detracts from the book. However, I felt that finding this character in the background of any of the pages would have certainly made this reveal even more powerful.
Ultimately, DCeased: Unkillables #3 is a perfect conclusion for the villains’ story. It is bloody, satisfying, and often bloody satisfying. Tom Taylor’s excellent script work and Karl Mostert’s gripping visuals are a double-tap of humor and horror that will leave you clamoring for more. So, when does the next series come out?
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