DCeased: Dead Planet #1 Review

Heads You Win...

Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldassini, Stefano Guaduano, Rain Beredo and Saida Temofonte
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 7, 2020

I gradually got more and more into the whole DCeased thing after not loving the first six-issue mini.  It's about the character moments for me, not just the over-the-top killing.  So, I am hoping we get more of the former and less of the latter.  Are my hopes fulfilled in this first issue, or are they dashed to pieces?  Let's find out...


The issue opens with a bit of DCeased recap, which is not a surprise.  It's all about who was left behind and does come into play big time, later in the issue.  Plus, it looks pretty damn scary!

We then head off to the Oblivion Bar where John Constantine is drinking to lost friends, and we get a glimmer of hope that Earth may not be doomed after all.  I liked seeing Constantine and Zatanna here since it's a nice shoutout to one of my favorite issues of DCeased yet.

We eventually get to the plot of this new mini when we see Cyborg give a heads (head?) up to all the heroes who left Earth at the end of DCeased that he is still alive and kicking.  It's a little forced at this point, but maybe it will become better as we get into the series.

When we finally see our heroes, I will admit, it was awesome.  Seeing the Super Sons grown up and leading a new Justice League was cool, and we even get an Alien problem for them to deal with.  The problem is, I wanted way more of this than what we end up getting!  I know it's a DCeased book, but seeing this Justice League kick alien ass and get a World President Lois Lane on top of that?  Sign me up!!!!  Oh well, when they get Cyborg's signal (and have a brief discussion), it's back to Earth because they won't ever leave a friend behind... even if he was the cause of Earth's decimation.

Watch our DCeased: Dead Planet #1 Review

Things move very quickly, and while there are some neat moments here and there, it seems like Taylor is in a rush to get this first issue over or at least get to the cliffhanger.

After traveling back to get Cyborg, he tells them to run when they finally find him, and the usual suspect in the DCeased books comes to rip everyone apart.  I know that the ending was supposed to be shocking, but this is a book where Batman died right away, and an anti-life Superman is sucking up the Sun's energy.  We do get a last-second twist at the end that salvages things a bit, but overall, I was bored in a been there, done that kind of way. 

This issue felt like a step backward for the DCeased books.  Enough was going on that I wasn't bored, but I was damn near close to it.  I liked the art a bit more than the original DCeased mini, but the story felt rushed to get another DCeased book on the shelves.

Bits and Pieces:

After enjoying Unkillables and the Digital-First Hope at World's End more than the original DCeased mini, I was not that excited by the end of this issue.  The premise felt forced, and Tom Taylor goes back to the "shocking deaths" to push the narrative instead of the excellent character work he has been doing.  This first issue was a disappointment for me, but I will hold out hope the next issue can turn it around.

7.0/10