I think Tom Taylor and the rest of the creative team for DCeased have created some new math: New Gods + Anti-life Equation + Sinestro Corps Rings = Deadly Entertainment. After the last issue, we witnessed some gory actions that led to lots of danger in the universe. Here we get a bit of a hiatus, but make sure you pay attention to the warning signs, do your research on the Old Gods, and have hope for Adam Strange.
As you can see from this preview, it looks like Tom Taylor will take another Tom King story and introduce it to the world of DCeased. These two writers play like a tag team wrestling match as King will find the character and run them through the mental wringer, and then Taylor follows up by bringing them into his un-living world. We saw it with Mister Miracle, and now it’s Adam Strange’s turn in a beautifully ugly story.
It is very clever how Tom Taylor can take a unique characteristic or item about a DC hero or villain and then exploit it for DCeased. In this case, family and Zeta Beams for Adam Strange become his downfall. Tom Taylor uses the character and traits to craft a sorrowful opening tale that will have you caring for Adam and his family while also seeing how deadly the Zeta Beams can be if misused. I don’t often follow Adam Strange as a character, but here the creative team had me caring about what happens to him. Such depth of emotion.
I like that Adam Strange is the gateway and hook for this story to expand outside the two Earths. Using Adam leads to even more familiar aliens of the DCU getting involved, which also leads to more fantastic discoveries and potential. Tom Taylor brings in a wild card, and I can’t wait to see how they interact with the rest of the series. Plus, their power set can lead to some high hopes…or greater disaster.
This issue also ties in very nicely with the previous volumes in this franchise by connecting to Wonder Woman. Here we get her funeral which leads to a funeral crashing Ares, and he brings in quite the warning. Ares warns the gathered heroes about an Older God, and it is wild how there is proof of their destruction of a lost universe. He also reminds the heroes that they are facing New Gods and might not be running the show after all.
Trevor Hairsine, Andy Lanning, and Rain Beredo bring powerful visuals to a more restrained issue. Here the creative team flexes their muscles by showing us more profound reactions to loss and anger. With the Strange family, you can see the pain they will experience on their faces. When Ares shows, you can see how the heroes go from sad to tense. Humor is also played well with an exchange between Green Arrow and Ares. The whole team will have you all over the place with emotions and what is wild is that the issue is just a reveal of what is to come, so I can only imagine how distraught we will be for the next issue.
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #3 is a slower issue, but it still sneaks up on you and puts your emotions in flux. Adam Strange fans, watch out as your character shows up in the world of DCeased. It’s so bittersweet to get your favorites to show up and then see their fates. Plus, there might be more at play than the creative team led us to believe.
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