DCeased #5 Review

No More Rooftops

Writer: Tom Taylor
Art Team: Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, Rain Beredo
Cover Price:  $3.99
Release Date: October 2, 2019


The penultimate issue of DCeased is here, and while there was a nice tie-in issue to link together some series threads, the main book has really only been heroes being offed, while the main cast remains stationary atop the Daily Planet building.  Thankfully, the cliffhanger to the last issue forces those with current squatting rights off that building, moving this main book forward ... FINALLY. So with that four issues of setup out of the way, let's see where that takes us this issue, and how it sets up the finale. 



The issue begins answering the big question from the last issue; who lives and who dies? That answer is simply everybody in several surrounding cities die, including those in Metropolis, except for Lex, and those hanging out on top of the Daily Planet ... thanks to Green Canary.  Much of the rest of the issue is establishing in what direction a new way of life will take shape, as heroes from all over pitch in, trying to get a semblance of balance back for everyone. Right off the bat, I notice the art seems smoother this issue, even though the team largely remains the same, but since I've been hard on the art in this series overall, I wanted to give it kudos right off the bat. It's not perfect, but an improvement over what we've gotten in the previous issues of this series.

The story goes on to establish several different sanctuary's; one in Themyscira, one specifically for the heroes in the Fortress of Solitude, and the other in a Gotham currently overrun by 'the Green' due to Ivy, yet free of the infected. A plan to develop arcs and look for a new home world is put into action all before things start taking a turn for the worse once again.  Tom Taylor does some pretty good setup throughout most of the issue, really taking his time to establish who the survivors are, how they are going about doing what they're doing, and how they plan to move forward from here. However by the end of the issue, all that careful setup feels like it's not for much as things hit the fan completely once again, making all that careful plotting, and page space, seem wasted for now.  I could be 100% wrong about all that, with the setup done here used again next issue in the conclusion in some fashion. However, by the end of this issue, it felt like I read all about how everyone was going about their business for no reason because they all seem inevitably doomed.

I will say despite not being the biggest fan of this story Tom Taylor certainly knows how to catch a reader's feels, and does a masterful job by the end of this issue, making readers fight back tears once again.  However, despite the writer's ability to trigger my feels, I just don't find much to recommend about this series as a whole five issues into the run.  It just feels very repetitive in nature, with every step the heroes taking forward inevitably backfiring in their faces. The art, although improved here, has been wildly inconsistent, and the story is just too straightforward of a tale to have any sticking power beyond being DC's attempt at a Zombie book like Marvel once did. I'm also very disappointed that the tie-in from last month goes completely unmentioned here, because Constantine stole the show that issue, and could have helped lighten the mood here in this book, but the whole thing goes completely ignored.

Bits and Pieces:

DCeased #5 as a whole shows some slight improvement in the art category, captures a few standard Tom Taylor moments that hit you in the feels, yet muddles attempts to make this individual issue standout from the other issues so far, mainly the more entertaining tie-in from last month featuring Constantine. DCceased may be selling well, but it seems like something that otherwise will be quickly forgettable, with too few chances taken other than shocking death, which by the fifth time it's used as a cliffhanger, has worn its welcome out.

6.3/10