Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine return to the world of DCeased for a new miniseries, War of the Undead Gods. The titles and covers make it clear the New Gods will be featured heavily in this story arc. I don’t know about you, but back in the first DCeased miniseries, I was super excited to see a zombified version of Darkseid, and I hope we will see more of him in this tale. The creative team comes out swinging for this first issue as they open with that deadly preview, filling our emotions with hope and joy with the featured characters. Remember, though – in this world, it isn’t always a good thing to see your favorite character appear.
For the art on this series, we’ve got Trevor Hairsine on pencils, Andy Lanning on inks, and Rain Beredo bringing the color. If you’ve only followed the original DCeased, the one-shot A Good Day to Die, and the sequel Dead Planet, then you will be familiar with Hairsine and Beredo’s style. There are also other sequels, such as Unkillables and the digital series Hope at World’s End. I appreciate having Hairsine’s art return as it helps to give this world that signature vibe; Hairsine is terrific at creating individual moments alongside colossal battles like the one featured on his main cover.
Inside, Hairsine captures the emotions perfectly as we see some characters return, and those reunions are beautiful. Sadly, not everyone will return, and when that news breaks, it is heart-wrenching. I felt the joy at the Superfamily reunion and the sorrow at the Batfamily reunion. Hairsine hits so deep with his characters and layouts for these moments – he is great at framing with how he goes for a long shot or a close-up. Beredo’s colors are a fantastic continuation of that signature vibe as he creates an atmosphere with a natural, seasoned feel.
Really, though, writer Tom Taylor is the main villain here – he gets me excited and brings forth pleasing moments, but we know what he is capable of doing. Since this is a miniseries, we know it will probably be best to read as a collected edition, but I like my comics as they come out, so I’ll be riding this high that Taylor has created for us. I know how dark Taylor can get, so this is the moment on the roller coaster where you’re high up and love the view, but are waiting for the drop. Honestly, I can’t wait as the setup here is so perfect, and it looks like there is a great menace for this world’s heroes to face.
I appreciate the contrast in the story as it develops. With the opening preview, we see hope dimming as we view this world’s version of Supergirl’s origin story. I love how it is framed with the words of Zor-El as he comforts his daughter during her escape from a dying Krypton. His words continue, and they hit so ironically with that page of Highfather. We see that she’ll live with Gods and there is comfort in that, yet it is too late as it ends with Supergirl swarmed by the Anti-Living and Zor-El saying, “This future is the greatest gift we could give you.” That hits so hard, and that is the first of many emotional blows you’ll receive on this adventure.
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1 is a fantastic opening issue leads to an emotional rollercoaster you will want to ride again. The creative team brings us disaster and hope, all while setting up a significant threat in the Anti-Living New Gods. Like in the previous series, we get life and death, but the rules don’t always hold, so be prepared!
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