Danger Street, the best maxi-series of the year, comes to a close this week as a grounded set of characters must stop the end of the world. The story is narrated entirely by the Helmet of Fate, as if heroes and villains were ogres and princes. That layer of storytelling has helped elevate a story that feels impactful yet tethered to the world outside our window.
A lot happens in Danger Street #12, from reviving corpses to balancing the scales. The world is nearing its end, and Orion knows it. He’s also sporting a “Darkseid Is” shirt and has lost much of his power. He still speaks like a New God, though, and certainly has confidence in thinking he knows it all. Meanwhile, Lady Cop is tired and coming off, killing a man who has recently been revived. Making sense of the mystery she’s slowly uncovered while wrapping your head around godly intentions is just another day for a DC Comics character.
This series is so good because it elevates relatively unknown and underused characters in a high-stakes situation. It proposes even the most obscure characters can save the world, especially if they don’t want to. With the right story structure and art, even a long-forgotten group like the Dingbats can matter. It largely succeeds in its big ending, although it still feels rushed. There’s an ending for most and a promise for more with others.
A walking hand. What is this, Addams Family!?
Credit: DC Comics
It’s hard to ignore the fact that a lot of what is overcome in this chapter were conflicts introduced later in the series. Plotting-wise, did it need to be twelve issues? A few of the endings we get in a succinct epilogue feel earned, while others do not. Creeper, for instance, seems to be left off the hook even if the sentiment for it is kind-hearted. At the very least, though, it’s nice that most, if not all, plots were wrapped up. The villain also seems to get a limp sort of end, which might be the point, but it ends up feeling unsatisfying. As a grounded piece of fiction, that certainly makes sense.
The art is fantastic throughout, with Fornes bringing incredible expressions for each character. The Dingbats go through quite a lot in this issue and make a tough choice. You feel for them. Meanwhile, Lady Cop being done with all this drama and noise is hilarious. Fornes makes you believe in her complete exhaustion with it all.
The very end also has a lot of circular and verbose dialogue, saying something simple but passing it off as complex. This, in turn, makes for a compelling thought problem as you try to make sense of what the Helmet of Fate was up to or what it all means. Ultimately, it feels like it’s saying stories are simply because they must exist. There are roles to play in these stories that serve each other but also the story itself. I can see many being frustrated by the way the Helmet of Fate exits the story, but you can’t help but think about it whether you like it or not.
Danger Street is a compelling work of comics fiction. It utilizes largely forgotten characters in a way to elevate them and, by extension, elevate the idea of comics as pulp entertainment that can be so much more.
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