Here we are at the next chapter of the DCeased sequel, and I am still entertained by what Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine cook up. I love that this series is such a DC Universe book, with all of the different character combinations, team ups, romances, and also power combinations. Keep your Secret Files and Who’s Who around while you read this issue and see some of these characters in action. I loved last issue’s team combination that went into deep space to use the Mobius Chair, but I really loved the dynamic of this “Hell Bent” team and also the character that comes out of them.
SPOILERS AHEAD for DCeased: Dead Planet #5!
If there’s anything DCeased has shown me, it’s that Tom Taylor needs to write John Constantine in his main book. I had never really sought out the character before, but when I see him pop up in Injustice or DCeased I really appreciate what he has to offer and I know both of those reasons are because of Tom’s writing and character vibe. What Constantine does in this issue makes me both like and hate him because the long term goal is something that is needed alongside the potential cure, but the price he makes others pay is just so awful. Batman can be cold and calculating, but we at least know he’ll put up a costume in a glass case when he loses a team member. Constantine, on the other hand, just moves along to keep his cool edge when people are lost due to the mission.
Something that I like about Tom’s writing is he will play his characters true to their personality. We know Constantine keeps things close to the vest, but Damian won’t simply follow blindly and we see that the pact has to be made why they would do this. I also enjoyed Damian Wayne’s character in this version of the DC Universe — he has personality and can be caring, even welcoming Ravager to the Bat Family when he finds out she is Jason Todd’s wife. When the mission plays out we get to visit some great landmarks of the DCU and also some characters that are associated with them, so when Deadman popped up I was super happy and it made sense to see why he would be in this series.
This is the part where Trevor Hairsine gets to shine as he gets to play with Deadman, Entrigan, and Captain Marvel Jr. Trevor also gets to make the locations shine as well while visiting the Tower of Fate, Nanda Parbat, and the Rock of Eternity touching on this important places. Trevor captures them perfectly in a classic comic book sense, but also does a great job of adding horror and terror while we see battles among the characters and the Anti-Living. There are two great redesigns that Trevor does in this issue — one of them isn’t that new, but he does such a great job with his Anti-Living. When we find out Captain Marvel Jr is part of the dead and he comes flying up to attack, it still brings in that moment of “yay my character,” but also that feeling of dread that has been perfectly captured in each issue of both DCeased series.
The other redesign that was great was Batgirl wielding the power of Shazam. So cool to see that add-on to her outfit while still keeping her iconic look. Just beautiful. We are always treated to amazing fights and deaths in this series, so don’t get too attached to the characters and always value the happy moments because they are few and do come with strings. So at the end of the Hell Bent team’s mission, be prepared to miss some of them and also start thinking about what Constantine is doing with those new items of power in his possession. I can’t wait to see what happens when the space team comes back to see the fallout from this mission.
DCeased: Dead Planet #5 is a great issue with consistent art and story. I really enjoyed the team dynamics that were created in this issue — they add to the overall story, even if this particular issue wasn’t quite as action-packed as some previous ones. I’m sure will read amazingly in the collected edition, though, and it provides great setup for the next two issues.
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