Blending the ordinary with the superheroic is an element that has set many comics apart, and not many do it better than writer Tom King. That’s particularly important in DC Comics, where most of the heroes are stand-ins for gods, so a little levity and grounding help make these stories relatable and, by extension, more impactful. Enter Danger Street, a maxiseries nearing the end of its run. The eighth issue continues to show King and artist Jorge Fornes are maximizing scenes of heroes and villains who happen to be living in a realistic setting.
Danger Street #8 opens with Lady Cop getting dinner with Creeper, only she doesn’t know it’s a supervillain and only thinks he’s a news pundit on a Fox News-style program. It’s easy to see the connection between Creeper and chauvinist types, as she clarifies it’s not a date, but in the captions, we get the sense that he thinks she’s just playing a game. This opening scene is gripping as we know she’s in danger, but we also know she can hold her own. Both characters reveal something true about themselves in a build-up that will affect Creeper’s narrative going forward.
The B-Plot involves the Dingbats, who are locked up. These rambunctious kids are equal parts immature and tactical, with a characterization that feels true to their age, but they’re still elevated when it comes to planning and plotting.
The reality of everyday life permeates this issue. That includes a scene with our main villain who can’t puncture a juice box and requires the help of his trained assassin Guardian. Later, in a moment of self-reflection, Barbarian reflects on how he lived as a god and now is taking orders from a bunch of kids. Taking him out of his self-reflection is the choice of wanting grapes or not. King always seems to say these characters are fantastical and outrageous but also have human desires, problems, and thoughts. The very fate of the universe may hang in the balance, but you can’t help but desire a tasty grape when the moment strikes.
A tense scene.
Credit: DC Comics
Underneath these plots developing is a scene of an average school recess area. The kids play a game involving walking on the cracks where grass poked through. Incredibly relatable, King connects this game to a villain who offers a gambit. The kids who win get a great prize, while the ones who lose get a nightmare. Unbeknownst to them, their childish game will have real ramifications. There’s a metaphor tucked in there, I think, involving the larger story. Or put another way, all of humanity goes about its day as if life is a simple game, but our lives could be tilted by the results in most cases.
A gripe I’ve had with this series for a few issues now is the slower pace, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s okay since a lot of the joy in this series is gathering together the layers and making sense of things. In a casual scene, the narration from Dr. Fate’s helmet reminds us this is a grand fantasy, or when Guardian prepares for battle, we see a superhero connection to becoming a valiant knight. While I wish certain plots would move along more quickly, there’s no denying the interesting psychology and symbology. The ties to fantasy are also compelling and strong with this issue.
Fornes and color artist Dave Stewart continue to bring hyper-realism to the story. In a scene with Lady Cop, we get to experience a moment of complete fear and dread she experienced at a younger age as we push closer in on her hiding under a bed. As her eyes well up with tears, we feel for her as our imaginations reluctantly attempt to picture what she’s seeing. Much of what is conveyed in this series takes place on the character’s faces, and Fornes is a huge part of why this soap opera of gods and kiddos works.
Danger Street #8 continues to be a masterclass in blending realism with fantasy and superheroes. This series could be studied as it’s layered and intriguing from panel to panel.
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